That didn’t sit well with Ethan.
He needed a new angle. With that in mind, he joined Clint Yarbrough, the officer who’d agreed to help him teach today, at the sign in table.
“You ever had any run-ins with Harley Forbes?”
“Don’t think there’s a one of us in the department who hasn’t.”
“You ever get wind of him being involved in any illegal activities? Beyond what’s in his record.”
“Can’t say as I have. What are you thinking?”
“Guy’s been unemployed a long time. Wondering how they’re getting by.”
“Unemployment for him. And his wife cleans houses.”
“She’s gonna have a damned hard time doing that with a broken wrist.”
Clint’s eyes went hard. “It’s a shit situation. You expecting something?”
“Don’t know. I just want everybody keeping their eyes and ears open. He steps one toe out of line, I want to know about it.” The doors at the end of the gym opened and the first of their students arrived. “We’ll talk about it more at next week’s briefing.”
Ethan worked up a good-natured smile for the late-twenty-something guy who got there first. “Mornin’. You here for the bowhunter safety class?”
“Yep.”
“Name?” Clint asked.
“Sean Murphy.”
“I’m Ethan Greer, and this is Clint Yarbrough.” Ethan approved of the man’s firm handshake. “You ever shot a bow before, Sean?”
He accepted the clipboard with the release and course contract. “A bit as a kid. Been a long time. I thought this would be a good refresher.”
“Should be. Hope you won’t be too bored.” Ethan passed him his course materials and moved on to the next person in line.
People trickled in for the next fifteen minutes. With each one, Ethan took the time to introduce himself and learn their names. When the clock ticked on to 10:10, Ethan figured they had all the students they’d get.
“Reckon we’re about ready to get rolling here.”
The door squeaked open and a petite woman with dark red hair slipped in, hurrying toward the table. “Is this the bowhunter safety course?”
Clint eyed her with obvious surprise. “It is.”
“Great. Sorry I’m late.”
She was the only woman who’d shown up. Not that Ethan hadn’t known women who could and did bow hunt, but this girl hardly seemed the type. Still, looks could be deceiving. “Name?”
Pink crawled across her fair cheeks. “Delaney Newell.”
Clint handed her the clipboard with the paperwork, and Ethan racked his brain for why she seemed so familiar. As she handed the clipboard back, it popped. “You work at Dr. Campbell’s clinic.”
Delaney’s eyes widened and her hands began to twist at the strap of her purse. “Yes. I’m the administrative assistant.”
Because she seemed unaccountably nervous, Ethan offered her an easy smile. “Saw you when I was in earlier this week. You ever shot a bow before?”
She shook her head.
Only woman, never shot a bow, so what had prompted her to take the class? “This will be a good starter for you.”
The three of them strode over to join the rest of the class. There were fifteen students in total. Most claimed to have some experience with a bow. Ethan figured they’d see about that. “All right,” he began. “Let’s get started with a little bit of history.”
Jordan Linley raised his hand. “Not to be rude or anything, but a few of us were wondering, you being a city guy and all, what your qualifications were for teaching this class? Can’t be too much cause for bowhunting in Dallas.”
Ethan wondered if he’d still be called the City Guy in fifteen years. “Fair question.”
Instead of laying down the history of his youth in rural West Texas, he opened his bow case and withdrew the compound bow. Picking up one of his own practice arrows, he nocked it and verified no one was in the vicinity before he drew back and anchored, sighting the foam deer target about seventy-five feet away. He released on an exhale and the arrow hit the target in with a thunk, dead center mass. The whole shot took only a few seconds.
Jordan was staring at the target, brows up. “Well, all right then.”
“I didn’t always live in the city.” Ethan replaced his bow in the case. “Now, as I was saying, we’re gonna start with a little history.”
Over the next few hours, he took them through it. There were grumbles as he went over the development of the sport and basic bowhunter education. Even more when he talked about wildlife conservation principles. Probably most of them had been through that with their regular hunter ed course, but it was a mandatory part of the state-approved curriculum. They perked up when he finished the unit on safe and responsible bowhunting and started on the segment about the weapons themselves.
“You’ve got three different types of bows to choose from.” Ethan picked up the first. “This is the longbow. It’s the traditional bow. Simple, elegant, requires minimal additional equipment.” He swapped for the next one. “This is the recurve bow. It’s another more traditional bow. It’s smooth, quiet, fast shooter. It’s got shorter limbs than the longbow and tends to provide more power in a shorter package. This is what I grew up shooting. And finally—” Ethan picked up the compound bow. “—this is a compound bow. Far and away the most popular type for hunting or target shooting, the wheel and cam system can reduce the draw weight by at least fifty percent.”
He went through an explanation of arrows, covering the different types of shafts, heads, and fletching.
Dave Lautner’s hand shot up. “When do we get to shoot?”
“Not for a bit yet. We’ve still got more to cover, and I want to make sure the track and gym are cleared of people before any of you takes on a target.”
The other man’s expression turned mulish. “Some of us have done this before.”
“But not all. Now, let’s talk about how you match arrows to your bow.”
By the time Ethan made it through a description and demonstration of all the accessories, he could sense the mood of the group turning restless. So he sent Clint upstairs to clear all the walkers off the track.
“We’re gonna divide into three groups. Each of you will have a chance to try out each type of bow, to get a feel for what you like, what the draw weight feels like.” He demonstrated proper technique for each, noting Clint in intense conversation with one of the blue-haired ladies on the track above. He made a mental note to reserve the entire space next time, as he went from student to student, correcting their form.
Delaney frowned as she struggled to pull back the recurve bow. “It’s heavy.”
Stepping behind her, Ethan adjusted her stance and hold. When she still had trouble pulling back, he took the bow from her hands. “It’s got a heavier draw than you need. This one’s intended for a much bigger person.” Picking up the compound bow, he handed it over. “Try that.”
With minimal coaching and correction, Delaney managed to pull it back much more easily.
“All clear!” Clint called.
“Okay then. We’re going to get started with some actual target practice.”