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“Somebody is missing from somewhere,” I said. “Could be a person who lives alone and that’s making it take longer.”

Peterson’s Garage.

My next stop was the garage on the corner to talk to Ted Wallace. Ted’s office at the back of the garage was the size of a closet. In the small space, he had a tiny table with an invoice book and a pen sitting on it, a small flatscreen hung on the wall. Keys to the tow truck lay on the table next to his coffee mug.

He sat there and watched TV while he waited for a tow call. That was the essence of Ted’s Towing.

I stood in the doorway and leaned on the frame to talk to him. No room in the office for two of us plus the table.

Ted glanced up and grinned. “Hey, Travis. First time you’ve been to my office.”

“How would you like a bigger office?”

“What do you mean… bigger?”

“I have an idea and you can tell me what you think after I run it by you.”

“Okay, go.” He picked up the pen and twirled it through his fingers.

“How would you feel about being a part-time deputy until Billy comes back to work?”

“When’s he coming back?” asked Ted.

“Don’t know. He’s having a lot of trouble with the pins in his leg. Won’t be for a long while yet. Months.”

“Huh. Never thought about being a deputy. Would I get paid?”

“I’m going to talk to the county supervisor to see what they’ve got in the budget for a deputy, but I needed to talk to you first to see if you were interested.”

“Be kind of dicey with me having my office here in the garage—know what I mean?” He tilted his head towards Clay Peterson’s office, and I knew exactly what he meant.

“I already figured that angle out for myself, so I’ll set you up with a desk in the squad room. I’ve got tons of space there. When you weren’t on a call, or we weren’t working a case, you’d have your own spot.”

“How much they gonna pay me?”

“That’s what I have to find out. Do you want to think about it?”

“Not thinking on it too hard, Travis. I have payments on the tow truck, and I need a second job pretty bad. Been sitting here wondering what the fuck I could do to make more money.”

“Molly would give you all the tow calls that came in for the county—all the impound calls. That might help you out too.”

Ted nodded. “I can see where an arrangement like that might work out for both of us. Okay. See if the county can pay me hourly for when I’m helping you, and I’ll do it.”

“Great.” I pushed into his private space and shook his hand. “I was hoping you’d come on board, Ted. I think you’ll be just the guy I need.”

Harlan waited in the truck while I talked to Ted and when I jumped into the driver’s seat, he wanted to know the outcome. “He gonna do it?”

“He said he’d try it if he was getting paid. He’s got payments to make on his tow truck and he was thinking of a second job.”

“Yeah, I can see that. I saw that truck yesterday and that baby must have cost him.”

“A trip to the county office and we’ll see what they say about bringing Ted on board.”

“Am I gonna like him?” asked Harlan.

“Yeah, I think so. Ted is pretty laid back, but he’s a big strong guy and we could use him.”

Harrison County Offices. Cut Bank.