The sheriff was in dismal shape. She clutched an unfiltered cigarette between her nicotine-stained knuckles, coughing relentlessly, phlegm rattling. She contracted pneumonia every winter—the kind that guaranteed a hospital stay. She tried switching to snuff but continued smoking—two bad habits now instead of one, unless you counted coffee. She kept three mugs on her desk, one each for coffee, cigarette butts, and spit. She began worrying about both lung and mouth cancer. She always skipped breakfast, chain-drinking coffee with creamer until her daily lunch of steak and eggs. She skipped dinner—except for diet coke and beef jerky.
"Classic"
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