He hoped.

“A sheriff has more important things to do.”

“Thanking people who do excellent work is important.” He lifted his java in salute. “Like you and Deke. You two made my transition into this job about as smooth as it could be.”

That was the truth. Eleanor knew the ins and outs of the office politics and all the key county players, and his chief deputy knew the ins and outs of the territory as well as the trouble spots. With input from them, he’d been up to speed much faster than he’d expected.

“I was just doing my job.” She eyed the mocha.

“Are you going to drink that?” They went through the same routine every Monday.

“I suppose so. I don’t want it to go to waste.” She picked up the cup. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anything I need to know about before the day gets rolling?”

“Yes. Dispatch called.” She picked up one of the old-school pink message slips she favored and held it out. “A man says he has information on the Mavis Templeton case.”

Nate glanced at the unfamiliar name. “Do you happen to know this Jack Carson?” A reasonable question, since Eleanor appeared to be acquainted with half the citizens in the county.

“No.”

Too bad. She’d been a font of information about many of the people he’d dealt with over the past four months.

“I’ll call him.” He started toward his office.

“I saw the report you filed yesterday on the car vandalism at the mortuary. You were supposed to be off.”

Yeah, he was. But after his breakfast with Becky, he’d been as antsy as he used to be before a dicey mission in the Middle East, when the situation was volatile and he had no idea how it would play out. Going to the office had given him an outlet for his nervous energy.

He swiveled back toward her. “I decided to come in for a couple of hours to catch up on paperwork. You must have gotten here extra early today if you’re up to speed on the weekend cases already.”

“I like to stay on top of things.”

He already knew that. While her job description limited her duties to handling court papers that had to be served, processing concealed carry permits, and attending to miscellaneous secretarial duties, she kept a finger on the pulse of everything that happened in the department.

“I appreciate your diligence. Employees who go above and beyond are gold.”

A faint flush tinted her cheeks. “That’s how I’m programmed. Any new leads on that case?”

“Not yet. I’m going to talk to the chief in Larktree this morning, see if there’s been other vandalism in the area.”

“I expect Dr. Reilly was upset.”

He cocked his head. “You know her?”

“Not well—but she’s had a few meetings here with Sheriff Blake and Russ during the past three years. We’ve chatted. She’s a very nice woman.”

“Seems to be. I hope the Larktree chief can shed some light on the situation.” He wasn’t holding his breath, however. Without witnesses or evidence, it would be tough to nail the perpetrator. “But first, I’ll call Jack Carson.” He lifted the piece of paper she’d handed him.