The story in one page
Manuel Perez, a parolee with a wooden leg, arrives in Monte Vista seeking a job just as a suspicious box goes missing from under the Third Street bridge. While the sheriff agonizes over the cold case of the Alamosa bank robbery, his deputy, Shorty McKay, persists in tracking the thieves. Shorty eventually fingerprints a dusty archive file and links the loot to Perez and his accomplice, Fred Speers. The sheriff recovers the money, satisfies his worried county commissioners before the upcoming election, and decides to keep his deputy on the payroll for another term.
Who's who
- Sheriff Joe Cook
Lawman worried about the upcoming spring election cycle.
- Shorty McKay
The deputy who does the actual detective work.
- Manuel Perez
A parolee who attempts to recover his buried loot.
- Fred Speers
Witness who helped dig up the buried bank money.
- Grandpa McMeel
Local observer who alerts the law to the bridge excavation.
What it's really about
- Retribution
- Criminals digging up their own past.
- Electoral optics
- Solving crime to ensure political job security.
Why it's memorable
- A man with a wooden leg begging for a job while hiding stolen cash.
- Fingerprints left behind on a dusty, decades-old newspaper file.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The sheriff wins the election, promptly reappoints his deputy, and credits the solved case for his political survival.
For your book club
- The contrast between the sheriff's defeatism and his deputy's optimism.
- How small-town politics turn a bank robbery into a campaign strategy.