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As we secured him in the back of the squad, he glanced at the house more than once and I figured the girlfriend might be in there, as Harlan had predicted.

I gave Max and Sarge the command to watch Bronowski in the squad while we ran inside to see if the house was empty.

A tall, leggy brunette dressed in a pair of short shorts and a halter top was drinking coffee and enjoying a cigarette at the kitchen table.

“Miss, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with us. You are under arrest as an accessory to murder.”

“I didn’t kill anybody.”

“You’ll be questioned at the station and at that time you will be allowed to call an attorney if you wish.”

“I ain’t going with you, Sheriff. Didn’t do nothing to get arrested for.”

False eyelashes fluttered at me as she stood up to walk the other way. I grabbed for her, caught her by the arm and she expertly pivoted on her stilettos and clawed my face with her long silver nails.

Harlan was close enough to smack her across the head. She screamed in anger and fell to her knees. Harlan grabbed her arms, pulled them behind her back and cuffed her.

From the gouge just under my left eye, blood trickled down my face as we secured the woman in the truck next to her boyfriend, Evan Bronowski.

“You’re bleeding,” said Harlan. “She got you a good one with her claws.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

It took both Ted and I to get Bronowski out of the squad and in the back door of the station. He fought against us, kicking, twisting, and cursing every step of the way while his girlfriend egged him on and encouraged him.

At one point, I was worried he was going to get away from us and I took the opportunity to taser him.

The girlfriend screamed as Bronowski went limp and we managed much better after that. Harlan had hold of the girlfriend and she clicked along smartly in her shorts and stilettos.

Harlan locked her in the cell at the far end of the run. Jonah Hacking was in one of the cells between Bronowski and his girlfriend. Keep them all separate. Good idea.

Ted put the two new arrivals through the booking process with me watching over him. And when he printed the girlfriend, she turned out to be Louise Carrigan. A stripper who danced under the name of Candy Ann at Krystal’s Palace in Ethridge.

Candy Ann had a police record for solicitation and petty theft.

Later when we gave our statements to Molly, she said she knew Louise Carrigan’s mother and felt bad for her having a daughter like Louise.

Bronowski asked for a lawyer, and I gave him his phone call, then put him back in his cell.

I offered a PD to Louise, and she declined. “Don’t need a lawyer. Ain’t done nothing.”

“That’s it for today, Harlan. Let’s go home and load the horses. The girls are waiting for us.”

Wild Stallion Ranch.

It was after five o’clock when Harlan and I got back to the ranch. I ran inside to grab a beer and Billy said the girls were at the barn and they’d been out there most of the afternoon.

“Yeah, I guess they’re excited about moving the horses.”

“They’ve gone a bit crazy over this training camp,” said Billy. “I’ll be glad when they are bone-tired from practicing and get it out of their systems.”

I nodded. “They have no idea how hard Marilyn is going to work them. It will be interesting to watch.”

After chugging my first beer and handing one to Harlan, I grabbed two more and headed for the barn. “They’re gonna be pissed that I didn’t knock off early to move the horses.”

“We were working.” Harlan popped the top on his brew and took a big pull on the can. “Bringing in a fuckin murderer, and it wasn’t a picnic.” He pointed at my face, starting to scab over.

I laughed. “That won’t matter. Let’s get the truck hooked onto the trailer and I’ll back it up to the barn door.”