This short story is included in the collection “When A Stranger Comes To Town” by Michael Koryta (2021), an anthology of mystery short stories. Michael Connelly’s story is about the chief policeman of Avalon, a small town on Catalina, a small island where nothing really ever happens. One morning, looking at the people coming off the early morning boat, he catches the glimpse of a gun at the waist of one of the passengers. He is sure the guy is coming for him… Short but pleasant read.
“Catalina was always seen in the department as an R and R posting – that was R and R as in redemption and recovery. An assignment to the substation in Avalon usually followed an on-the-job injury or a scandal or an internal political fuckup.”