Every time Deputy Taylor examined the contents contained inside the manila folder, he secretly squirreled away in the back of the bottom drawer of his desk in the Sheriff's Office, he got the urge. The uncontrolled passion they presented him with was sweeter than the finest-tuned Stradivarius violin played by the world renown Antonio Vivaldi.

But, it was a burning lust Deputy Taylor could not deny. Several classics were contained in the collection...so far. Soon, to satisfy his unquenchable thirst, there would be more. Fantasizing these events again in his fondest memories Deputy Taylor closed the file up, picked it up gently, caressed it like a baby and returned the folder to its dignified hideaway.

Fred Taylor had remained the Deputy Sheriff of Astatula for three, painfully long, in his own book anyway, years. He always desired more from life than the hand he had been dealt.

Fast cars and femme doms, a good bottle of Pinot Noir wine and plenty of eye candy. These were some of the things Deputy Taylor fantasized about. They were also the things he missed the most about Vegas. Oh, not to mention that "nasty little ordeal" he managed to keep hidden.

Deputy Taylor possessed a fertile past. It was his future that needed cultivating.

"All in good time," he tried to reassure himself knowing his plans for the present dictated how the cards would fall.

Still, he pined for the good old days of long ago. Deputy Taylor wondered if he could ever get back to them. These murders in Astatula would not simply go away on their own. Sheriff Daniels was inching closer to solving this puzzle with each setting sun.

Once that business was concluded perhaps the good Sheriff would disappear as well? He had been the law in this one-horse town for many years. Grass is always greener being looked at from the top down.

Then, there was that little unholy terror Cody Schroder to be considered. What rock he was dragged out from under Deputy Taylor did not know. However, he did realize how much he despised the wide-eyed monster.

If only Beth Sorenson had not gone snooping around Palo Pinto, like she was the brat's Great White Hope. Cody Schroder would be safely tucked away in a Boys Ranch somewhere instead of continuously sighted all over Astatula.

Deputy Taylor was listed among the small faction of law abiding citizens in the small town who opposed the boy's very presence in Potter County. Cody Schroder was an outsider and not really one of them.

They thought he was no more than "Just another problem needing eliminating."

Deputy Taylor knew ridding the blight that he considered the boy to be was no easy task to accomplish. Like it, or not, Cody Schroder appeared to be here to stay. Especially since he was now installed as Sheriff Daniels Cabin Boy.

What Deputy Taylor would like to do would be to tow Cody out to sea alright...and leave him there adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean as shark bait. In his way of thinking that would be too good for him!

The radio cackled and a 10-24 "Trouble-Send Help" call transmitted over Deputy Taylor's portable hand-held radio.

He wondered, "What dire emergency it could be?"

In Astatula, one never knew. It could be anything from an old lady chasing a cat up a tree to an armed robbery. And, everything in between. Casually, Deputy Taylor rose out of his comfortable chair and meandered towards the entrance door of the Sheriff's Office.

About the same time Cody materialized on the scene to perform his mundane chores of cleaning the Sheriff's trash cans and sweeping his floor. Tasks the boy was given to do that day. Still, he seldom minded if work came before play.

Deputy Taylor shot a heated glare Cody's way. The boy said nothing in response. As he headed for the broom closet the Deputy exited the office. Out of the corner of his eye Cody watched Deputy Taylor depart the building.

The broom and trash can liners would wait. They were not going anywhere. There was something much more important on Cody's mind that morning. Surveying the room he pondered where the buried treasure was? The boy knew the gold mine had to be concealed somewhere in the context of the office.

The question was where would an inquisitive ten-year-old stash Fort Knox or at least twenty-four exposures? Cody's heart started beating faster. He could feel the excitement inside him rising to a fever pitch and knew he had to busily conduct his search. Cody had to find what he was looking for before anyone caught him in the act of interfering in official law enforcement matters.