Page 11 of Stormy Ride

“So sorry to hear that. Billy is such a good guy.”

“Yeah, he is, and believe me, I want him to make a miraculous comeback and take the sheriff’s job back.”

After saying goodbye to Savanna and leaving her in her office, I browsed around her store doing some necessary shopping. I picked up a nice new axe—sharp blade, red handle, and no blood. Two pairs of jeans, socks, a couple of flannel shirts, three t-shirts and a pack of boxers. My boots were good.

I had lots of clothes, but they happened to be in Texas. Before heading for the cash, I grabbed a warm jacket from a rack I passed. Even though it was April, there was still a good chance of more snow in Montana.

Bonnie was at the cash counter, and I felt so bad for her. When the store had been robbed in the fall, she lost a person she loved, and I figured she must think of Tim every day when she came to work.

“Hi, Bonnie. How are you doing?”

She glanced up and smiled. “Oh, hi, Sheriff. I heard you were coming back to us. Nice to see you.”

“Thanks. Good to be back.”

That was an actual turning point for me. I wasn’t lying to Bonnie. I truly was happy to be back in Coyote Creek. How weird was that?

Shows how off-track I was before.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

From the feed store I drove down Main Street to the sheriff’s office and stopped in to tell Molly about the deal I made with Mister Gibson, the county supervisor.

I parked at the back and came in the back door like I used to do when I was the sheriff. Max and Sarge ran in ahead of me and beelined for Molly.

Her workstation was at the front of the squad room facing the street. She sat there in her spot and filled three positions at the same time—reception, dispatch, and assistant to the sheriff. She was stellar at all three. A competent woman who was aces at police procedure.

I sat down in the chair in front of her desk and smiled at her. “This is the way it is, Molly.” I recapped the conversation I’d had with Lyndell Gibson at the county office.

“I’m thrilled you agreed, Travis. Billy’s accident turned this office and the entire county on its ear, but now that you’re here to help us out, you can set us on the straight and narrow again.”

I laughed. “You’re expecting a lot, Molly.”

“Not at all. I’m an eyewitness to how you operate, Travis. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“I’m going to spend a little time in Billy’s office looking through the stuff on his desk. When I was at the hospital, we made a list.”

“Wonderful. Max and Sarge will keep me company while you work on getting started. I’ll make fresh coffee for us.”

“Have there been many prisoners?”

“No, not since you left.” Molly laughed. “You’re the king of arrests, Travis. The citizens will be on their best behavior now that you’re back.”

“I bet they will.”

I sat in the swivel chair behind the sheriff’s desk, and it had a familiar feel to it. When I left for Texas, I was so mixed up, I barely remember leaving Montana.

Once the paperwork on the desk was sorted into priority sequence according to Billy’s list, I had time to think about the undercover job Billy was working on.

He’d found out that large quantities of drugs were going through the corner gas station owned by Clay Peterson. Clay was using his service center as a depot for dealers all over Montana.

Vehicles would pull in for gas and while they filled up at the pumps, they would wander into the convenience store that Clay also owned and pick up a case of beer or Coke—special cases with the drugs hidden inside.

Billy hadn’t figured out how the drugs were getting to Peterson at the gas station, or who the dealers were who were picking them up. He had barely scratched the surface when he got hurt.

I had to wonder if Ted Wallace, the tow truck driver, or Kirby, the kid who pumped gas, were aware of what was going on under their noses. There was another mechanic working in the garage too that Billy mentioned. I looked for his name on the list. Gary Pikeman.

Need to meet Gary Pikeman. If he was a new player, he might have brought the new business with him.

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