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“I’ll help you with your coat,” said Glenda.

Molly was right beside Glenda looking worried. “I’ll get the paperwork caught up while you’re gone. Don’t get into any more trouble, Travis. Please.”

I chuckled. “I won’t, Molly. I’ve got Sergeant Glenda watching me.”

Glenda didn’t even smile.

Harrison County Courthouse.

Glenda drove the Sheriff’s squad with me in the passenger seat and Billy drove his own squad. A few blocks to the courthouse and we were there. Nothing was too far away in Coyote Creek.

I stayed put until Billy handed Burke Foster, Roger Purcell, and Brittany Gibson over to the bailiff at the back entrance of the courthouse.

“Pick a spot and park, Glen. We have to go inside.”

“I’ve never been to court before.”

“This is only an arraignment. Nothing exciting. We have to wait and see if our prisoners are granted bail by the judge. If not, we’ve got to haul their asses back to our jail and they sit there until their trial date.”

“Okay, I get it.”

We got ourselves a spot about halfway up in the courtroom. There were a few more spectators than usual. Wyatt Thompson was one of them, the reporter for the paper in Cut Bank. He was near the front so he wouldn’t miss anything and he could hear what was being said.

Brittany Gibson’s case number was called first and she was crying as she stood next to her PD. She entered her not guilty plea and she was granted bail. Whether she could come up with the money or not was her business. I hoped she had enough to get herself out of jail. All she’d done since I arrested her was cry her eyes out.

The bailiff escorted her out of the courtroom.

Next was Roger Purcell charged with murder during a robbery. Capital offenses didn’t usually receive a bail option and Roger was no different. No bail. We were blessed with Roger’s company until the trial.

Same with Burke Foster. No bail. The judge had no intention of letting him walk around unattended. Both Foster and Purcell were huge flight risks, and they’d be gone in the blink of an eye. The judge knew that.

I checked on Brittany and she came up with her bail money, so she was off my hands. Billy collected both returning prisoners at the back door and drove them back to the station.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

As Glenda drove me back from the courthouse, she said, “That was so interesting, Travis. Fascinating.”

“Yep. Not so fascinating when I have to feed those fuckers three times a day until their trial.”

“Any idea when it will be?”

“No, but I can call the DA and find out. I should do that anyway. Molly likes to have things like that on our calendar at the station.”

Glenda parked beside Billy’s squad and I managed to get out on my own to give him a hand with Burke Foster.

Foster was beyond pissed that he didn’t make bail and he was yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs. Billy hollered back at him and roughly shoved him in to the run and locked him up in the same cell he was in before.

As soon as Foster was secure, Billy went back to the squad for Roger Purcell.

I stood in the doorway to make sure Roger didn’t give Billy any trouble and trouble wasn’t long rearing its ugly head. A man came around the corner of the building on foot and approached the squad. He was waving a shotgun and I thought I recognized him.

“Yep, it’s Mister Purcell. The guy with the perfect son.”

Billy had already released Roger Purcell from the D-ring and was taking him out of the squad when Purcell senior arrived on the scene.

“Let go of my son, Deputy.” He pointed his shotgun at Billy. “Roger, walk away from the deputy and walk over here to me.”

Big smile on Roger’s face when he saw his father. He tried to pull away from Billy, but Billy had hold of the chain between the cuffs and wasn’t letting go of him that easily.