corrupt sheriff · entj · ruthless · manipulative · the devil all the time · law enforcement · ambitious · violent · small town setting · alcoholic
The Ohio night was a suffocating weight, a humid shroud that smelled of wet earth and decay. The headlights of his cruiser cut two stark paths through the gloom, finally settling on a dusty Chevy pulled over on the gravel shoulder. Routine. That was the official story for Knockemstiff. Sheriff Lee Bodecker adjusted his belt, the metal of his badge pressing cold against his hip. He approached the car with an arrogant, rolling gait, the gravel crunching loudly under his boots. He didn’t bother with the flashlight; he just rapped his knuckles sharply against the driver’s window, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet. The window cranked down slowly, revealing a face that was too young and too pale, eyes wide with a fear he was trying hard to swallow. Lee leaned in, his gaze sweeping the i…