Page 89 of The Killing Plains

Holstering the gun, she unbolted the door. “Dammit, Russ, don’t scare me like that. Text first next time.”

Her brother-in-law stood on the porch, a slender brown paper bag in one hand. “Sorry. You busy?”

“I’m tired. Can’t it wait?”

“I’m not here on business.” Russ wiped his boots on the mat. “I came to apologize for being a jackass yesterday. I shouldn’t have accused you of going behind my back.” He pulled a bottle of wineout of the bag. “Peace offering? The guy at the Booze Shack said it’s pretty good.”

Colly hesitated. “Okay, but outside. If Satchel heard us and woke up, that would be the last straw.”

By the time she returned with two tumblers, Russ had settled on one end of the porch swing and was opening the bottle with the corkscrew attachment on his pocketknife.

Colly sat beside him. “I couldn’t find wine glasses.”

“Wanda’s folks were teetotalers.” Russ poured the drinks and held up his tumbler. “Here’s to the end of one hell of a day.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

They sipped for a while in silence. A few early crickets chirruped in the grass and a gentle breeze rattled the dry leaves still clinging to the branches of the oak tree in the yard.

“Did you talk to Jolene before she died?” Colly asked finally.

Russ shook his head. “She was unconscious when I got there. Never woke up again.”

“What about Carmen?”

“I tried, but she was in no fit state. Let’s give her a day or two.”

But the trip to Abilene hadn’t been a total waste, Russ said. While he was there, he’d gotten word about the burner phone that had sent Colly the threatening text. It’d been purchased less than a week ago at a convenience store outside Colorado City—not much of a detour for Russ on his way back to Crescent Bluff, so he’d decided to stop by.

“No video footage, unfortunately,” he said. “But the kid working the register remembers selling two phones that day.”

“Cash transactions?”

“Yep. The kid said one was bought by a woman about his mom’s age—in her forties, slender build. Could be either Carmen or Jolene.”

“Or Brenda, or me, for that matter. Did he get hair color? Eye color?”

Russ shook his head. “He didn’t seem real detail-minded.”

“What about the other phone?”

“Bought by a thin Black man who looked like ‘a banger,’ he said. In his twenties, maybe thirties.”

“Damn.”

“At least we know that text wasn’t sent by Hoyer’s phone—not the one you found the receipt for, anyway. He could have another one we don’t know about.”

“I doubt it. You said the phone was bought a week ago? That’s before I got here. Our perp must’ve known I was coming. Jace didn’t.” Colly swallowed the last of her wine.

“We don’t know that. Gossip spreads fast in a small town.” Russ refilled her tumbler. “I’m not thrilled you went looking for him today without telling me, by the way. That was risky.”

“I’ve been a cop longer than you. I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re not a cop anymore. I feel responsible.”

“Jace is in custody, isn’t he? You said you’d stay out of things and let me investigate my way.”

Russ sighed in the darkness. “It’s harder than I thought.” He half-turned towards her and laid his arm on the back of the swing. “It’s nice having you here, Col. I’ve missed you these last couple years.”

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