As for the police chief's shooting, the circumstances are still murky. But he still won't tell what happened. And while crime in Lyford is mostly domestic violence, robberies and minor drug use, sheriff's deputies can take as long as 20 minutes to reach the town. Lyford's current populace can be listed in three pages of the phone book. With the decline of the railroad, employment is sparse.
Families rely on food stamps, help out with the cotton harvest, work in the school system.
Just three years have passed since the city used federal grant money, donated squad cars and an abandoned building to create a police force. If for nothing else, it gives us some respect. But there was a personal thing between him and me. An openly gay part-time florist, Saldana has been running Lyford for two years. For most of that time, Saldana and Leal have ignored one another, communicating sparsely through a liaison.