Ed Tom Bell is an aging sheriff of a small town in Texas. While attempting to acclimate himself to the changing viciousness of modern crime, (he gives a monologue on the subject; in both the book and the movie), he investigates the bloody scene of a drug deal gone bad in the desert. He gets caught up in a chase for a suitcase full of money (2 million dollars) found by a hunter (Llywelyn Moss). Moss happens upon the money while hunting in the wake of the bloody shoot-out. With the addition of Anton Chigurh, Carson Wells, and the Mexican cartel in the hunt for Moss; Ed Tom begins to feel over matched . He fails to save Moss despite his best efforts, and retires from law enforcement.Facts about Ed Tom Bell: 1. Became sheriff at age 25 2. Bronze star recipient 3. Never once meets Moss during the movie. (unlike Wells, Chigurh, and the Mexican drug dealers) 4. Is not killed by Chigurh for interfering. (Chigurh has the opportunity late in the move to ambush Ed Tom, but spares him.) 5. His mind wanders