Page 54 of Stormy Ride

“Hang on, Walt. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

With a lot of pushing and pulling, we met the firemen about halfway down to the road and they transferred Walt into a Stokes litter and carried him the rest of the way to the ambulance.

Old Zeke was standing next to the fire truck and smiling wide when he saw that his neighbor wasn’t dead.

Harlan and I trudged back up Zeke’s driveway to the squad and waited for the dogs to come back.

“Jeeze, I’m tired after that,” said Harlan. “My legs feel weird.”

“Me too. I’m a lot older and more broken than you are. That fuckin near killed me.”

I got two bottles of water out of the hatch and we each drank one down.

Max and Sarge came running back and I praised them. “Such good boys. You found Walt and saved his life. Give them each a biscuit, Harlan. They deserve it.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

When we got back to the office and dried off, Harlan and I dictated our statements to Molly to document the search and rescue of Walter Clemson and how Max and Sarge had found him in the wreckage of his house.

She typed it all into the computer and when she finished, she spent some time hugging the dogs and telling them they were heroes. She gave them each biscuits and they laid down next to her desk to crunch them.

“You might want to give the hospital a call to check on his condition, Molly. He didn’t look good when the paramedics put him into the ambulance.”

“I’ll do that right away, Travis. Having his house collapse on him, it’s amazing that he survived at all.”

Harlan went to the break room for coffee as the front door opened, and the Public Defender for Mrs. Hubbard arrived.

“Frank Wendover to see a Mrs. Hubbard you have in custody?”

I shook his hand. “Sheriff Frost. Sorry we don’t have an attorney-client room here, sir. You’ll have to meet with your client in the run.”

“That’s fine, Sheriff. Show me where she is.”

While Wendover was with Mrs. Hubbard, I went into my office, closed the door, and listened to the tag I had in her trailer. Nothing to hear. No voices. Nothing but the sound of pouring rain.

Wendover came out of the run, and I escorted him to the front door. “Thanks, Sheriff. I’ll see you at Mrs. Hubbard’s arraignment.”

Great Falls. Montana.

Two long hours of driving in the pouring rain got us to the airport in Great Falls in time for Tammy’s flight to land. I had worries that it would be too stormy for the plane to touch down, and she’d be diverted to some god-forsaken place in Wyoming, and I’d never find her.

“You stressed, Travis?” asked Harlan.

“Tired more than anything. After all that slogging through the mud we did, I wanted to go home and sleep—that’s what my body wanted to do.”

“My legs are tired and a little shaky from all that climbing and running.” He laughed. “I’d better get into shape if I’m gonna keep up.” He turned and patted Max and then Sarge. “Only the dogs aren’t tired.”

Harlan and I sat in the arrivals lounge waiting for Tammy to come through the door. The plane from Austin had landed a little late and some of the passengers had come through the doors, but not Tammy. Not yet.

Tired of sitting and wanting a smoke, I stood up, paced a little and watched the door. “There she is.”

Harlan jumped up and stood next to me and we both watched Tammy break into a run pulling a big suitcase behind her, a smaller one in her hand, her Harley purse slung over her shoulder. She was loaded down.

She squealed as she hugged me. “I missed you so much.” Then she turned and hugged Harlan and kissed him on the neck. “Hi, Harlan. I’m so happy to have a brother of my very own.”

Harlan stared at her and the look on his face was priceless.

I took over the pulling of the suitcase so Tammy could hold Harlan’s hand and walk close to him. The kid was a goner.

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