This Monday, Sheriff Victor Grayson officially assumed office, replacing former Sheriff Oliver Price. Many view Sheriff Grayson’s tenure as the start of a new era for Emerson Valley, hoping he can bring confidence and stability back to our esteemed law enforcement agency. I got a chance to sit down with our new sheriff and speak to him about what he wants to accomplish during his time in office.

Emerson Valley Gazette: Thank you for having me in your lovely home, Sheriff Grayson. And congratulations again on your victory. I know a lot of people are putting their faith in you to clean things up around here.

Sheriff Victor Grayson: I appreciate that. Thank you. Like many of you, I think what Sheriff Price did was a travesty. That’s why I decided to run against him in the first place. After poor Maya and Daniel…well, we don’t need to drag that back up, but it was awful. I felt physically sick when I saw what happened to them. And for Sheriff Price to cover it up? To rob those parents of burying their children? It’s sickening.

Gazette: During your campaign, you promised to open a proper investigation into their deaths. Have you started that yet?

Grayson: Absolutely. That was day one. The first thing I did when I stepped into the Sheriff’s Department building. Me and my deputies weren’t sure what we were gonna find when we got there. I cleaned house when I took office. Got rid of everyone who worked for Sheriff Price. But that meant everything was new to all new to us. We weren’t familiar with their filing systems or where things were kept. A lot of our first week was just figuring all that out.

Luckily, my staff are fast learners. Miriam Rook recommended I hire the Raven Club’s secretary to be my office manager. Let me tell you, April Meadows has been a Godsend. We managed to dig up what little evidence the previous regime put together. It really wasn’t much. The file had a police report with maybe three sentences written on it. So we’re pretty much starting from scratch.

Gazette: At this point, the victims died almost six months ago. I imagine it’ll be tough to redo the entire investigation when the bulk of the evidence is long gone. How do you approach a challenge like that?

Grayson: I don’t wanna get into the details here, ’cause it is an ongoing investigation, but we were able to find some promising leads pretty quickly. It was obvious that Sheriff Price had been purposefully ignoring a lot in order to cover up their deaths. Well, murders, really. Let’s call them what they are. Maya Thomas and Daniel Green were murdered.

Gazette: I understand you don’t want to talk about an ongoing case too much, so we can move on to another topic. You also promised during your campaign to crack down on the spate of trespassing and vandalism that’s been plaguing our town. Can you give us any insight into how you plan to do that?

Grayson: Good question. One of the key aspects of protecting the people of Emerson Valley is increasing our patrols. When Sheriff Price was in office, you rarely saw him or his deputies out in their squad cars, keeping an eye on things. I think just maintaining a police presence on the streets will do plenty to deter anyone from trespassing in or vandalizing people’s homes.

I can still remember when this was the kind of town where you could leave your doors unlocked and not have to worry about someone breaking in. That’s something I really want to our citizens to have again. That comfort you feel, knowing you’ve got good, dependable folks looking out for you. It’s sad that things have gotten so bad, but I really believe we can turn it around. It’ll just take a little bit of time.

Gazette: That would certainly be a welcomed change. I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve looked out my window and seen strange-looking people walking through my yard to get to the forest. It gives me the creeps.

Grayson: As it would anyone. Nobody wants to see that. But I’m really talking more about things like teenagers breaking windows or sneaking into homes and setting off stink bombs. The kinds of things we have control over. I’m not really sure what we could do about these folks supposedly gathering in the forest at night. That’s a bit beyond the reach of the Sheriff’s Department. It’s more of a Park Service issue.

Gazette: Well, that’s unfortunate to hear, but I get it. You also intend to bring back the annual Sherriff’s Department Bake Sale, right?

Grayson: (Laughing) Yeah. Yeah I do. My daughter Vera loves to bake. She’ll bake cookies or cupcakes or brownies all day. (Pats his stomach) I’ve packed on quite a few pounds thanks to her. But I’m cuting back now that I’m the sheriff. I need to be able to chase down those criminals, you know?

Gazette: You can tell your daughter she’s free to send any extra goodies my way. I don’t need to stay in shape to sit around writing articles all day.

Grayson: For a guy who sits on his duff all day, you’re in pretty good shape. Ever consider a career in law enforcement? I could use a guy like you on my staff.

Gazette: I appreciate the compliment. My days of running around and breaking a sweat are long behind me, though. Back to the bake sale, I understand both Jorus Tech and the Raven Club will be sponsors?

Grayson: I believe so. We still need to hammer out the details, but community participation is a big aspect of my plan for bringing back trust in our town’s law enforcement. So I intend to be working very closely with anyone who can help me do that. As I mentioned earlier, Miriam Rook’s been a big help with the transition. She wants the same things I do, so it makes sense for us to work together on it.

Gazette: I’m actually quite familiar with Mrs. Rook. We were both big supporters of Mayor Faulk during the last election.

Grayson: Yep. I voted for him, too. He’s been really helpful with making sure his office and mine work in tandem with each other. He was constantly butting heads with Sheriff Price, but that’s not gonna happen with my regime. We want our town’s government and law enforcement to be allies, not enemies.

Gazette: From what I’ve seen so far, I think you’ll be able to do that. I’m very impressed with the work you’ve already done in the short time you’ve been in charge.

Grayson: Thank you. That’s really kind of you to say. I appreciate it.

Gazette: No problem. So, is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers? Anything they should know about you or your plans?

Grayson: I just want everyone to know I’m gonna do my best to be the kind of sheriff Emerson Valley deserves. Don’t hesitate to call me up or wave me down if you see me on the street. I’m more than happy to help anyone with any problem, no matter how big or small. The Emerson Valley Sheriff’s Department is under new management.

Gazette: Very well said. Thank you, Sheriff Grayson, and good luck to you.

Grayson: Thanks. I’ll be seeing you, Emerson Valley—all of you.

-William Cooper, Human Interest, Emerson Valley Gazette