Page 20 of The Killing Plains

“What time was that?” Avery interrupted.

“Just before two. I remember thinking Pearl must be back from lunch a bit early. I looked out, and there was a little old lady wandering the hall. She must’ve come in through the alley. She was looking for a bathroom.”

“Recognize her?” Colly asked.

“Never seen her before. She seemed lucid and healthy, so I didn’t question her. She used the bathroom and left.”

“You didn’t mention this to the Rangers?”

“I’d forgotten all about it.”

Nothing else unusual had happened, Brenda said. Lowell picked the kids up from school. It was his weekend to have them at the ranch. So Brenda had worked later than usual, seeing patients till six. Then she’d sent Pearl home, done another hour of paperwork, and left the center shortly after seven.

“You never saw Denny again?”

Brenda shook her head. At that moment, her phone chirped. She picked it up. “I have a client coming in five minutes. But we can talk more, later.”

Pearl returned to her desk while Niall and Brenda accompanied Colly and Avery outside. They strolled towards the curb, chatting.

Halfway down the sidewalk, Avery stopped. “I want to check something.” She ducked back into the counseling center.

Niall watched her go. “Can’t believe Adam Parker’s kid sister is a cop. Seems like yesterday she was playing hopscotch in the street.”

“You’ve known the Parkers a while, then?”

“I lived near them in high school. Budd Parker was a terror, but the mom and kids were sweet. Adam was a few years younger than me and liked to tag along wherever I went. Drove me crazy.” Niall smiled wistfully.

“I thought you grew up in Montana.”

“We moved here when I was fourteen, after my dad died. Mom wanted to live someplace warm. She had a great-aunt near here.”

What was that like?Colly wondered.Not easy to be a Black person in either location.“Must’ve been a culture shock.”

Niall hunched his shoulders. “Cowboys are pretty much the same everywhere—and we were already used to living in a bastion of whiteness.” He grinned, and Brenda laid a hand on his arm.

“Niall’s way too cultured for West Texas. We’ll have to get him to cook for us while you’re here. He’s an amazing chef, and he loves any excuse to show off.”

Colly watched her sister-in-law curiously. Was Brenda flirting with her boss? There was certainly a playful familiarity that seemed to go beyond a colleague relationship. But maybe they were just good friends.Wonder if it’s raised any eyebrows?she thought.

“I’d love to,” Niall was saying with apparently genuine enthusiasm. “Maybe later this week.”

Before Colly could reply, Avery emerged from the counseling center. She walked quickly to the squad car and got inside without a word to anyone. Niall, apparently taking that as his cue, said goodbye and went back inside, but Brenda followed Colly to the curb.

“Did Russ tell you about dinner at the ranch tonight?”

“You’re going, too?”

“One big happy family, like I said.” Brenda grimaced. “Why don’t you and Satchel come by the house around five-thirty? We can drive out together. Safety in numbers, and all that.”

“Great idea.” Behind them, the cruiser’s engine revved loudly, and Colly rolled her eyes. “That’s my ride. See you tonight.”

Inside the car, she turned to Avery. “Where’d you run off to?”

“I’ll show you.” Avery drove to the end of the block and turned, then turned again down an alleyway. She stopped behind the counseling center.

Several cars were parked there. Colly recognized Brenda’s green minivan with its Texas Tech sticker in the back window. It stood beside a metal door that led inside.

“I guess that’s how the old lady got in,” Colly said.

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