About Lee Bullard

‍Appearance:

Most people describe Lee as stern and difficult to read. He’s only medium height, but powerfully built. Lee usually hides his eyes behind shades. On rare occasions, he’ll take off his hat to reveal close-cropped brown hair with a touch of gray. When he’s not wearing his uniform, Lee tends towards inconspicuous clothes. The exception here is his Johnny Cash t-shirt, which he bought after seeing Cash in concert.

Dialogue Style: 

Ordinarily, Lee won’t speak about matters not directly related to his job. He sticks to official language, using as few words as possible. But he’s more likely to open up around someone like Sheriff Angus Vickers, another Marine. That’s when you’re likely to hear military terms, lyrics from country music, and spectacularly bad jokes.

Personality traits:

Dependability, integrity, efficiency. Lee is a strong advocate of maintaining traditions. He believes this is the best way to ensure security for families and communities. Although he’ll uphold new laws, Lee isn’t comfortable doing so. He’s concerned they may cause changes to the Hartsend social fabric. It never occurs to him that change might be for the better.

Backstory: 

The Bullards settled in Hartsend during the early 1800s. They’re heavily involved in each other’s lives but tend to discourage engagement with others. An exception might be anyone knowledgable in genealogy, since the Bullards are fiercely proud of their French-Norman background. But exceptions are rare.

Lee served in the Korean War. Town Council member Friedrich Hart, another Marine, befriended Lee upon his return to Kentucky. Hart suggested Lee for the position of deputy sheriff. Based on their immediate rapport, Sheriff Angus Vickers agreed. It seemed the job would help Lee make the transition from active duty to civilian life. 

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Then Heather Lindsay, daughter of Lee’s cousin Irene, was murdered. Because of Lee’s relationship to the victim, Angus assigns the case to another officer. Lee’s family badgers him for news of the investigation; since he’s not getting updates, Lee can’t answer their questions. Privately, he wonders what, if anything, is being done to solve this case.

Relationships:

Irene Bullard Lindsay: Growing up, Lee’s closest relationship was with his cousin, Irene Bullard (later Irene Bullard Lindsay). They’re just a few years apart in age. Lee always thought of her as the little sister he never had. If anyone at school tried to bother Irene, they got to deal with Lee. Rich Lindsay, Irene’s husband, joked that he worried about getting an okay from Lee, not Irene’s parents. Now, Lee feels guilty because he can’t do more towards achieving justice for Irene’s daughter.

Sheriff Angus Vickers: Lee and Angus have things in common beside being Marines. For example, both are devoted family men. Their personalities are similar, in that they prefer doing something to talking about it. They have the same taste in music and jokes. There’s only one major difference between them at this point: Angus still has a firm belief in the chain of command, while Lee wrestles with doubts.

Jodie Cantrell: Heather’s best friend. In the weeks following Heather’s murder, Lee finds himself running into Jodie. They exchange scraps of conversation. He begins to realize this is another person who wants justice for Heather. A bond of sorts begins to develop between them.

Motivations and Goals:

For Lee, the saying “Once a Marine, always a Marine” is a prime motivator. He strives to uphold their standard values of honor, courage, and commitment in his job as Angus’ deputy sheriff. At first glance, it’s hard to see how Lee would encounter conflicts.

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But challenges arise from his other motivation, loyalty to his family. They’ve always depended on Lee to handle tough problems. Fairly or not, they expect Lee to catch the person who murdered Heather Lindsay. This becomes difficult, if not impossible, when Angus pulls him from the case. Lee searches for alternate ways to help relatives, especially Irene, move forward.

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Character Arc:

At the beginning of the story, Lee felt settled with his job and his relationship to family. Heather’s murder brings an element of doubt to both. Lee must find a way to avenge Heather’s murder while also upholding the values of the Corps.