Page 92

When each one was ready, Billy took them outside and secured them in the squad.

I took Suzie out last and transported her myself.

Tammy stayed behind to wash the mugs and clean up the kitchen. Something she liked to do.

Harrison County Courthouse.

Wyatt Thompson met Billy and I in the corridor and sat with us to watch the arraignments. He’d established a crime column at the paper and he’d been getting some good stories for the paper from the sheriff’s office. He said the crime column was rapidly gaining popularity and the readers wanted more.

There wouldn’t be much more coming from me, so Billy would have to keep the citizens of the county entertained after I was gone.

Suzie Concordian’s case was called first and the bailiff escorted her into the courtroom. She stood in front of the judge while the charges were read by the clerk.

“Do you understand the charges against you, Mrs. Concordian?”

“I do, your honor.”

“How do you plead to the charges, ma’am?”

“I plead guilty. Do you have my confession?”

“Yes, I have a copy of it here. And you’re forfeiting your right to a trial by jury?” asked the judge.

“Yes, your honor. I am.”

“The accused is remanded into custody until her sentencing hearing. Case dismissed.”

Next were the Thorns, one after the other. They both pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. At least they wouldn’t be on Billy’s hands when I left.

Once that business was taken care of, I left to pick Suzie up at the back of the building and take her back to the station.

Billy left with Wyatt Thompson for some serious campaigning in Cut Bank.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

When we returned to the station, my first job was moving the prisoners around so Suzie would be alone in the cell inside the door.

In order to do that, I had to move Roger Purcell and Burke Foster. Not an easy task and not one I should be attempting alone, but Billy was campaigning and I had no choice.

I cuffed Purcell first and moved him three cells down the run, leaving one empty between the male prisoners and our one female detainee.

Then came the hard part, and instinct told me Foster was going to be as difficult as possible to move.

With Purcell out of the way, I unlocked Foster’s cell and approached him with a pair of cuffs in my hand.

With a growl, he came at me, head down in a tackle position, and rammed me back against the cell door.

I wrapped my right arm around his neck and put all of my strength into choking the life out of the mean fucker. Grabbing my right hand with my mal-functioning left, I increased the pressure on his throat while he struggled to get a breath.

As soon as he lost consciousness, I opened the doors of both cells and dragged him out of one and into the other. While he was out cold, I shackled him and left him sprawled on the concrete.

After I caught my breath, I fastened up a blanket to cover the bars in Suzie’s cell like I had done for a former female prisoner, Angela Jensen.

When I moved Suzie into her new digs, she smiled and thanked me. “I appreciate the effort, Sheriff. This makes me feel a lot safer.”

“No problem. You’ll be here until your hearing comes up on the docket. In the meantime, it might be wise for you to request a Public Defender if you can’t afford an attorney.”

“I was thinking about that very thing. Thanks.”