Meet Deputy Rowley
He believes in procedure.
In paperwork. In clean lines. In things written down and signed in ink.
He believes in mercy, too. He just doesn’t speak of it as often.
Rowley is the kind of man who double-checks the locks before bed. Who nods politely at church. Who keeps his voice level, even when others raise theirs.
Especially when others raise theirs.
He has lived in this town his whole life. He knows every road, every porch light, every family name.
He knows how to keep things quiet.
He keeps his badge polished. He keeps the town calm. He keeps certain conversations short.
There are things you can live with.
There are things you can bury.
And then there are things that wait.
Rowley does not look at the sky anymore.
He looks at the ground.
And when the wind shifts a certain way, when the air smells faintly of rain and something metallic—
he reminds himself:
Fear makes men reckless.
Mercy makes men careful.
Deputy Rowley intends to be careful.
At least...more careful than before.
©2026 Destiny Newman. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, and incidents are products of the author's imagination.
