Page 50

I wrote down the name of the poison we were looking for and called the number I had for Brian Palliser, the DEA agent in Great Falls.

“Special Agent Palliser. Morning, Sheriff Frost.”

“Good morning, sir. Did anything interesting turn up at the scene in Conrad?”

“There was a large storage room in the basement, and we seized a substantial amount of opiates and cocaine. As an estimate, I’d say about half a million in street value.”

“Was there a woman at the house when your techs ran it?” I asked.

“No woman. We were there for several days and saw no one. I thought you killed the homeowner and no one else lived there.”

“I believed that too, but this morning an SUV showed up at the courthouse to pick up the two gangers who surrendered at the scene. They made bail at their arraignment and a vehicle registered to a Harriett Mendenhall of the same address as Joe was in the courthouse parking lot.”

“I’m writing down her name. Say again?”

“Harriett Mendenhall. Same address as the crime scene.”

“I’ll make sure we pick her up and bring her in for questioning. Thanks for your help, Sheriff.”

“No problem.”

“When we get her, I’ll send you a copy of her arrest report.”

“Appreciate it.”

Dangerfield Residence. Shelby.

After talking to Doc Olson, I was inspired to go back to Ray’s house in Shelby to look for the dart poison. Harlan and I made the trip to Dangerfield’s small rancher on the east end of town. The house sat on about three acres of land. Grass was neatly cut around the house and the rest of the property had gone to weeds.

“Look whose car is in Ray’s driveway.” I parked the Bronco behind the Subaru and blocked it in.

“Is that the druggie woman?” asked Harlan.

“Looks like Josie Masters’ car to me.”

“What would she be doing at Ray Dangerfield’s house?” asked Harlan.

“Good question. Let’s go find out why she’s here.”

I tried the front door, and it wasn’t locked, so I didn’t bother announcing myself.

Slumped on Ray’s sofa watching a reality show, Josie held a drink in her hand. She was high—out of it. Half bottle of tequila on the table in front of her next to a large assortment of drugs. Certainly enough to arrest her.

“Cuff her, Harlan, and lock her in the Bronco. I’m going to search the house for the poison.”

“Yep.” He pulled cuffs off his belt.

Josie was so strung-out; she was as limp as Raggedy Ann and close to passing out. She didn’t put up any fuss as Harlan cuffed her hands behind her back and led her outside.

I conducted a thorough search of Ray Dangerfield’s house. Looked in every cupboard, nook, and cranny, and even removed a few ceiling tiles and heat grates. Didn’t find the poison.

Finding Josie at Ray’s house put a different slant on the case, and it was time to go back to the Masters’ house and search there for the curare for the second time.

If Josie had supplied Ray with the poison, she could’ve hidden it in her house or if she was being extra careful, she could have stashed it at her brother Grant’s trailer in Sunburst Acres.

All sorts of new possibilities had opened up now that we knew Josie Masters and Ray Dangerfield were well acquainted and we knew the exact poison we were searching for.

“Find the poison?” asked Harlan.