Page 62 of The Killing Plains

“He’ll never agree—”

“Then I’ll arrest him for criminal trespass, or for the illegal meat sales.”

“I’ll get to the station and cue up the video.”

Colly hung up. “Gotta run, Bren.” Unlocking her car, she glanced down at the anonymous text and froze.

“What’s wrong?” Brenda asked.

Colly clutched the phone. “Nothing I have time to worry about now. Thanks for the advice about Satchel—I appreciate it.”

She drove a few blocks, then stopped and put on her glasses to reread the text, which had been sent while she was talking to Wanice Boyles:SECOND WARNING. YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THE THIRD.

Driving towards Lonestar Estates, Colly tried to clear her mind and focus on the task ahead. What were the chances that Hoyer would come to the station voluntarily? She hoped she didn’t have to arrest him. He had guns on the property. A standoff—or worse, a shoot-out—in a trailer park would be a nightmare. They’d have to keep things low-key, if possible. Friendly and non-threatening.

She pulled over beside the entrance to the park and texted Avery:Approach w lightbar off.

Fifteen minutes later, the patrol car pulled up next to her, and Avery rolled down the window. She looked tense but eager. “What’s the plan?”

“We’ve got the advantage of surprise. Let’s keep guns holstered but block their drive. Go ahead—I’ll follow.”

I should’ve reminded her to take it easy,Colly thought. But trailing the cruiser through the narrow lanes, she was pleased to see that Avery drove slowly, as if on casual patrol. Whatever her failings, Russ was right—the girl had strong instincts.

Carmen’s hatchback still sat in the Hoyers’ drive. Colly pulled up close behind it, while Avery parked across the track leading to the garage. As they started around the trailer, Colly caught a flash of movement in one of the windows. A pair of eyes peered through a gap in the blinds. So much for the advantage of surprise.

Entering the back lot, they saw that they were too late. Jace Hoyer’s red truck had vanished, along with the two pit bulls. Inside the garage, a large, stippled lump lay on the ground—the hog carcass, growing slimy in the heat and crawling with blowflies.

“He left it to rot? Gonna be some stink by tomorrow.” Avery exhaled sharply.

“Guess we spooked him.”

“Should we search the place? It’s open.”

“Let’s wait for a warrant. Play it safe. I’ll—”

Colly was interrupted by the thud of running footsteps and a sudden, piercing scream. She turned. A figure rushed towards her brandishing a long, dark object. Colly raised her arm to fend off the blow, but before it struck, something ploughed into her ribcage, knocking her aside. The ground rushed up, and her skull smacked into the hard-packed earth with a sickening crunch and a burst of white light.

Stunned, Colly rolled onto her back. At first, she could make little sense of what she saw—a blur of color and frenzied motion that slowly resolved into the image of two forms battling above her. Avery was trying to wrestle a baseball bat away from the attacker, who, Colly realized with a shock, was Jolene Hoyer. Still in her housecoat and slippers, Jolene shrieked and gibbered as she clung to the bat.

Fighting nausea, Colly sat up, but before she could climb to her feet, someone else raced past her and seized Jolene from behind, pinning her arms.

“Stopit, Jo.” Carmen was trying to haul her sister backwards.

With Jolene partially immobilized, Avery yanked the bat away and tossed it angrily into the weeds.

“What thefuck, Jolene? You don’t have enough problems without adding ‘assaulting a police officer’ to the list? You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you.” She handcuffed the struggling woman and turned to help Colly to her feet. “Sorry I knocked you over. You all right?”

“Little dizzy.” Colly dabbed cautiously at her forehead.

“I shoulda killed you,” Jolene sobbed, still in her sister’s arms. “You wrecked your own family, now you’re wrecking mine? Why don’t you ask Lowell Newland who killed my Denny?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jolene continued to cry but said nothing.

Colly brushed the dirt from her jeans. “Avery, take her to the car.”

“With pleasure.” Avery seized Jolene by one arm and hauled her off.

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