Chapter Text
Ziggy likes to think that she has her shit together, learned to control her temper when she grew up. No matter what Cindy says. But Jesus fucking Christ, the police officer in front of her should thank his lucky stars that the information desk is between them so she can’t strangle him.
She closes her eyes. She will try this calmly one more time.
"Listen,“ Ziggy says slowly, not able to hide the annoyance in her voice. "I do not expect you to hunt down the kids who did it, I just need you to do the fucking paperwork so we all can move on."
The man in front of her remains unimpressed, not moving a muscle in his fat face, clearly not giving a shit at all. She balls her hands to fists. His answer makes it clear that he will not lift a finger to help her. What a fucking waste of gas money this has been. She hasn’t gotten any farther in person than she had on the phone. Ziggy takes a deep breath.
It’s time to yell.
---
She won’t leave the police station until she can get someone to come to the store, she won’t, god damn it.
She doesn’t care that now the police man in front of her is yelling back, treating arrest.
She’s just so fucking angry. She’s still cursing him out when she feels someone walking up behind her. Whoever it is, the man in front of her straightens out and gets quiet. Ziggy turns her head, only to find the King of Sunnyvale, Sheriff Nick Goode himself standing there, taking in the scene in front of him. Looking at her with a cold, clinical look. Like he’s trying to dissect her. It vanishes almost in an instant and he sounds almost friendly when he starts to speak: "Whatever seems to be the matter here?" he asks, disarming simile on his lips as he looks at her.
Do Sunnyvale women really think this is charming? Does he?
But at least she getting somewhere now, talking to the Sheriff and not his underlings. She turns around fully to face him, and he’s giving her his whole attention, with his blue eyes, like they are the only people in the room. Ziggy huffs, she will not let him unnerve her. She’s still way too pissed.
“I work at Larry’s Books down main street,“ she starts. “A week ago someone broke a window in the backroom, got in and stole a few books. Doesn’t matter. What I need is a police report. So insurance can look at it and know we aren't trying to commit fraud and pay to replace the window.”
Sheriff Goode is still listing, but she can just smell the condescension radiating off him. God, she wants to punch him in the face very badly. She’s still so mad and he hasn’t even said anything.
Ziggy knows she needs to get out and do it quickly, before she does something she regrets and end up in real trouble. She does not need a lecture from Cindy on top of everything else.
“I’ve been trying to get this shit done and over with for days, but your fucking men can’t seem to grasp that it is their job to serve Shadysiders too.“ She continues before Sheriff Goode can blow her off: “I’m done freezing my ass off and watching out for some pervert climbing in through the backroom. So you better send someone tomorrow or I fucking swear I’ll drive up to your mansion and drag you there myself!“ It comes out in a hiss. She nods at the oaf behind the desk. “I gave him the address. So figure this the fuck out.“ She’s tempted to flip them off for good measure, but she stops herself and just storms out the door to the car.
She thinks she feels Nick Goode still starring at her as she leaves.
---
When Ziggy arrives at work the next morning, Larry is already there, filling her ‘World’s Best Aunt’ mug with Coffee. Bless him. She’s sipping on it, trying to fully wake-up before official opening time, when she hears the doorbell chime. When she looks to the door, she sees the police uniform. Hallelujah! There might be miracles after all.
It is a bit of a shock that someone came. She had feared that she would need to help Larry patch up the window with plastic wrap and cardboard. Just be another thing in Shadyside to stay broken forever and make life just a little bit more miserable.
She is even more shocked when she realizes it is actually the Sheriff himself who greets her in his friendly voice, holding a camera and some paperwork. "Good Morning…", he looks at her name tag. "...Ms. Berman." He looks pleased with himself for some reason. Maybe that just how he always looks, being the unofficial King of Union.
"Didn’t quite catch your name yesterday."
Ziggy scoffs: "Well yeah, didn’t think it was necessary since I told your officers a million times."
Before he can reply or change his mind, she sighs and continues: "C'mon, lets get this done with. I’ll get the owner." She gestures to him to wait as she quickly goes to fetch Larry from what passes as their office.
When they return, Nick Goode is still standing where she left him, looking around curiously at the stacks of books everywhere.
She makes the quick introduction between the two men before she leads them between the stacks of books to the backroom with Larry trailing at the back. Sheriff Goode is still looking around while they walk through the store, like he’s interested. She huffs to herself. Yeah, right.
---
Once they make it to the crime scene, she points out the broken window to Goode. Larry leaves the talking to her, like always, and stands around nervously as the Sheriff starts asking her some questions, taking notes with his red pen. At some point during, the phone rings all the way back in the office. Larry hurries off to take what’s probably a call from his mom, happy not having to deal with Sheriff Goode for the moment.
---
Nick Goode is finishing his investigation by taking some pictures of the window, the broken glass on the floor. They have been told by insurance not to touch anything until the police had taken a look of the whole sad affair.
Ziggy stands in the corner and watching him doing his work. Letting her mind wander. Maybe the man in the room with her is a bit less slimy in person than he is on TV.
He is good looking, but she always thought so. Even back when they were teenagers and the Goode’s heir pictures would show up in the paper. Announcing he broke another High School Track record or helped his mother opening a park or some other rich Sunnyvale bullshit. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone.
Her thoughts are interrupted when he turns and addresses her: "I think we’re done here. Unless you want me to take fingerprints?"
Ziggy rolls her eyes. “Don’t bother, must have been some shitty kid. And there was no money in here so I don’t care about catching anyone.” He looks at her intently as she speaks and it unnerves her a little. Must be his eyes. She looks straight back up at him, feeling a bit fearful suddenly. Is he going to screw her over after all?
"Your report is going to say that it was a break-in, right?"
That’s what they needed to get that damn widow fixed. He nods, looking right at her.
"That’s what I’m going write in the report. The damage was clearly caused by an outside intruder. An act of vandalism. They shouldn’t give you any trouble." Sheriff Goode continues, almost like he wants to comfort her. His voice steady and sincere: "I’ll make sure this report is done today, okay? Just need to ask the owner some more questions and you’ll get that new window as soon as possible." Ziggy’s body relaxes. The relief must be showing on her face because Nick Goode does not continue talking.
So she does: "That...that sounds good." Going to the Police station had been worth it after all.
That worry out the way, she decides to ask the question that’s been on her mind since he showed up: "Isn’t all of this way below your pay-grade? I didn’t expect the Sheriff himself to roll up."
He shrugs and Ziggy continues: "I thought you send some guy fresh out of police school, just to annoy me." His lips quirk at that and so god help her, maybe she finds him a bit charming. He meets her eyes once again.
"Honestly? Going to a bookstore sounded more interesting than sitting in the office." He raises his brows and continues in a lighter tone: "Besides, I was fearing for the safety of my officers if this wasn’t done right. You looked ready to murder someone yesterday."
"And what would the neighbors say if you were dragged out of your house by a crazy Shadysider?", she can’t help but joke. It makes Goode laugh though. She likes that. For some reason.
Larry still hasn't returned, probably stalling. Well, Ziggy is freezing thanks to the cold coming in from the broken window and unlike the man with her, she isn’t wearing a jacket.
"Let’s go back inside the store, it’s too cold in here."
As they walk back into the store area and towards the counter she hears his footsteps stop behind her. Ziggy knows this place inside out, she doesn’t need to turn around to know that he’s at the table with the King paperbacks. When she does turn to look, she finds Nick Goode fondly looking at a copy of ‘Salem’s Lot’, stroking the cover with his thumb. She can’t help but noting that he does have nice hands.
"Wouldn’t have pegged you for a King fan."
He puts the book down. almost as if caught doing something he shouldn’t.
He answers not quite looking at her, still looking down at the table: "It’s just...I loved that book when I was a Kid. I read it over and over." He looks so shy and boyish suddenly, like he just confessed a huge secret to her that Ziggy can’t help but smile at him.
"I was a Carrie girl. I had to fix my copy up with tape, I’ve read it so often that it was falling apart."
She isn’t going to tell him that she went and stole the hardcover from the library when there was no saving her paperback anymore. But he’s also smiling back at her.
"That was the second favorite. Carrie."
"And now?"
He shrugs: "Haven’t keep up with it after high school, really. Guess I thought it was one of the things I needed to leave behind. Stop wasting time on fun books and start reading serious ones, being an adult and all."
Ziggy frowns: "That is sad. Not reading for fun. At least sometimes."
He doesn’t answer her, instead looks down at the book with something close to sadness. But it is gone with a blink of an eye and his expression is closed off again. But she saw.
"Why don’t you get it? The book. Just for you? To see if you still love it? Or would it be to big of a scandal if you are seen with King in Sunnyvale? I wouldn't want to cost you the next election," she jokes.
Now he’s looking amused again, lips quirking: "You do know he’s a very popular author?"
She rolls her eyes but this time there’s no anger behind it.
"I have a bit of an idea, working in a bookstore and all."
Their conversation is cut short when when out from the office Larry calls for her: "Ziggy?"
Goode eyes her at that. Well. Let him wonder. She doesn’t own him any explanation about her name. It’s time to wrap this up anyway: "We’re in the shop, the Sheriff needs to ask you some stuff and we’re done!"
She is standing at the side of the counter, listing on the interview between Larry and Sheriff Good. She does notice that Goode’s does talk differently to her boss than he did with her when they were alone in the backroom. More brisk and clipped. It makes her frown slightly. But the quicker it’s over with the better for Larry and his nerves. It doesn’t take long and all that’s left to do is for them to sign the short statements the Sheriff has written down. Larry is first and hurries off as soon as he’s done. Ziggy is scanning the paper that Nick Goode has laid down on the counter for her, his hand writing clean and neat. Satisfied, she writes down her signature and hands him back his pen. He takes and starts collecting his things from the counter heading to leave.
He doesn’t go far when she just blurts it out, not really knowing why she's bothering: "Hey, you want Salem’s Lot or not?"
Now Nick Goode looks at Ziggy like he’s trying to figure something out. She wonders if he came to any conclusion. He must have, since his answer is positive:
"You know what, I’ll take the book."
Ziggy quickly goes over to the display table and grabs it for him. His eyebrows shoot up in mocked surprise when she goes behind the counter and rings it up.
"What? You’re loaded, I’m not giving it to you for free."
Sheriff Goode shakes his head a little in amusement. But he puts the camera back on the counter and grabs his wallet from his pocket. She names him the price and he hands her the money she asked for down to the cent.
"Want a bag?"
"Yes, please."
She bags the book for him and hands it over. Nick Goode takes it, stares at her intensely with those big blue eyes of his. Like he’s waiting for something. From her? Is he expecting her to swoon at her hero and offer him a thank you blowjob? She never heard anything about him being that kind of pig. Just as she is about to ask what the fuck he wants, the moment is over and he picks up the camera once again. Turning to leave. He pauses before opening the door, facing and addressing her before leaving. "You can come get the report at the station tomorrow." Then the bell jingles and he’s gone.
Ziggy shakes her head. That had been strange. She wonders if... yeah sure. Feeling silly. She tries to focus on the good stuff for now. Like finally getting a fucking shinny new window. Maybe this week won’t be pure shit.
Larry will have to go to the Police station and get the report himself, no matter how much he’ll hate it.
Ziggy is sick and tired of cops. She'll stay clear of them in the future. Hopefully.