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“We’ll soon be leaving for Texas, Tammy, and you’ll soon be sick of looking at me.”

She laughed. “No, I won’t. I’ll never get sick of you, Travis.”

“What we need is a list of everything we need to do before we leave and I want it on the fridge where I can see it so we don’t forget anything.”

“Sure. Let’s make a list. I’m gonna call it the Goodbye Montana list.”

I smiled. “Good name for it. Get some paper and a pen.”

Chapter Thirteen

Saturday, October 20th.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

My arm wasn’t working worth a shit, but I went to the barn anyway and fed Outlaw. Billy had been doing the mucking out because I still couldn’t do it, and I appreciated the help. Actually, I was paying for his help and he was definitely worth it. Not much I could do with my arm in a sling.

“Hey boy, it won’t be long until you’re in your new barn and it will be a helluva lot warmer than this one. I’m gonna build you a corral so you can run around outside as much as possible. You’ll have a much happier life in Texas. I guarantee it.”

Billy tossed down a bale of hay from the loft and climbed down the ladder. “Where’s Outlaw’s new barn located?”

“Pecan Valley. That’s near San Angelo where I’m from.”

“Do pecans come from Texas?”

“Lots of them do. Yep.”

“How’d you get a place?” asked Billy. “Was it that guy you were talking to on the phone?”

“Uh huh. Buddy of mine was on the lookout for me, and he scoped out a fifty-acre parcel for me. Says the house is no hell. I never should’ve sold my other house, but I needed the money to buy this ranch and at the time, I thought Montana was my last move. Things change.”

“Sure gonna miss you, Travis.”

“I’ll miss you too, Billy. If you ever come to your senses and decide to seek a warmer climate, you’re always welcome at my house.”

“Thanks, Travis. Never know if I might take you up on that offer.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Billy and I had only been at the station for a few minutes when Ted Wallace pulled into the parking lot out back towing Chris Concordian’s truck. Big black Ram pimped up with roll bars and extra lights over the cab.

“Jeeze, that’s a beauty of a truck,” said Billy. “I’d love to have one like that.”

“Let’s go out and see if Chris left us any clues.”

Ted backed the truck into a cleared spot between snowbanks where it could be examined. We didn’t have forensic techs of our own and our station had to hire them from a larger center.

“Here you go, Travis.” Ted handed me a tow bill for the county and I thanked him for going down to Conrad to get the truck for me.

“No problem. Anytime. Appreciate the work.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the truck. “The truck is locked, Travis. You got the keys?”

“Nope. The techs will have to break in to run it. That’s okay. They’ll manage.”

“Could be the keys the wife was looking for at Thorn’s ranch,” said Billy.

“Yeah, she wanted to get rid of the truck so it wouldn’t look like Chris had been at his office when they killed him.”

“Now what?” asked Billy as we went back inside to get warm.