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Billy’s hand went to his head. “Don’t fuckin do that, Travis. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

“Finish your breakfast, Billy. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us today.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly had given the prisoners breakfast by the time Billy and I got to the station. She’d brewed a pot of coffee for them and a fresh one was ready when we arrived.

Molly was a jewel and I hoped Billy realized how lucky he was to have her assisting him. Knowledgeable about every facet of police procedure, a hard worker, and a nice person all rolled into one.

“Walt Thatcher, Garrison’s lawyer called,” said Molly. “He’s on his way to the station for a short meeting with his client before you transport him to the courthouse.”

“Okay, sure. Garrison has rights.”

Every time I look at him, I want to kill him for what he did to Tammy.

Thatcher arrived about twenty minutes after we did and I unlocked the run so he could talk to Garrison. Ten minutes later I let him out of the run.

“Thanks, Sheriff. I’ll see you at the courthouse.”

“Uh huh. We’re heading over there in a couple of minutes.” Friendly guy.

Harrison County Courthouse.

After Billy and I delivered the prisoners, we went inside to find seats. The courtroom was empty except for a couple of homeless guys trying to keep warm.

Tyrone Reading’s case was called first and the judge revoked his bail on the new home invasion and assault charges.

Garrison was as surly as ever as he was escorted into the courtroom next with Walt Thatcher by his side. Having an attorney didn’t make a bit of difference to his bail status. The judge treated him the same as Reading and revoked his bail on the new charges—home invasion, breaking and entering, attempted kidnapping, assault with a deadly, attempted murder of a police officer and more.

The sad part was, Billy and I were getting both of them back in our custody. They’d be living in our jail until their trial date came up on the docket. It could be months. Months for Billy to contend with them, but only two weeks at the most for me. I was getting off lucky.

We transported them back to jail and locked them up before starting the rest of our day.

Concordian Residence. Conrad.

The list was long, and Billy and I had to split up to cover off the work. I headed south to ask Suzie Concordian about her friend Carter Raza and their trip to Robert Thorn’s ranch. Billy went north to the Thorn ranch to see what Robert and Gail Thorn had to say about Suzie Concordian and Carter Raza coming to pay them a visit.

I rang the bell and Suzie opened the door and gave me a look. No smile. She didn’t seem happy to see me standing on her doorstep. That didn’t deter me. I wasn’t there to be her friend. I’d overcome a lot tougher opposition than Miss Suzie.

“Good morning, Mrs. Concordian. I need to ask you a few more questions. It won’t take long.”

“Sure. Come in. It’s freezing outside. I wish this cold snap would end.”

“You and me both.” I smiled and the tension in the air eased a little.

We sat in her cozy living room that appeared to be professionally decorated in shades of cream and dark brown. What I knew about décor you could put on the head of a pin, but the room was inviting and completely devoid of clutter.

Suzie folded her hands in her lap and waited for me to speak first.

“I’d like to ask you about your trip to see Robert Thorn yesterday. At our first interview, you told me you didn’t know anyone named Robert Thorn. Can you explain that to me, please?”

“Umm… let’s see.”

I gave her a minute to get her lie formulated before I pressed her harder. “Explain your connection to Robert Thorn, Mrs. Concordian.”

“Okay, I admit I was doing some investigating on my own and I decided to find out how Chris ended up on Robert Thorn’s ranch.”

“And Carter Raza was helping you with your inquiries?”