Page 73 of Lawless Ride

“We have to talk to Josie Masters,” I said. “She’s our only connection to Ray and to Tanya. She must know something.”

“She’s out of her nut in rehab,” said Harlan. “Can she give us any straight answers?”

I shrugged at Harlan’s legit question. “Let’s go to the hospital and find out.”

Cut Bank Hospital.

From Ray’s house in Shelby, I drove to the hospital in Cut Bank, and it turned out to be a wasted trip. Josie’s doctor had her in isolation bringing her down off the drugs in her system and he wasn’t letting anything interfere.

“You can’t question her today, Sheriff. Impossible.”

It would be a few more days before she could have any visitors. I wasn’t happy about being told I would have to wait to question her, but nothing I could do.

Another fucking dead end. My mood wasn’t improving.

Katie’s Good Eats. Cut Bank.

It was way past lunch time, and I figured the boys were starving because I was. I parked in front of the diner, and we went in to grab a quick bite to eat. There were no empty tables or booths, and all the stools were filled at the long counter.

“No room,” said Harlan.

“Travis,” hollered somebody from the back of the restaurant and it was Wyatt Thompson from the paper.

“Hey, can we squeeze in with you? There’s no place to sit.”

He shoved over on his side and pointed to the empty chairs across from him. With a grin on his face, he said, “I’ll share my table with you guys if you give me a story for the paper.”

“Okay, it’s a deal. We had a development this morning, but the next of kin hasn’t been notified so no names are available.”

“Where did this…development… happen?” Wyatt reached for his notebook and pulled a pen out of his pocket.

“Shelby.”

“Huh, another murder in Shelby. Anything to do with Floyd Boyd?”

“Did I say it was another murder, Wyatt?”

“Nope. I guessed.” He turned to a fresh page in his notebook thinking I would spill the details.

“It was a homicide, but I’ve got nothing else…yet.”

“Why are you in Cut Bank?” he asked. “Obvious you came from the crime scene in Shelby straight to Cut Bank and it wasn’t for lunch.”

I smiled. “Yeah, it was just for lunch. We came to get the turkey club and a piece of pie.”

Harlan grinned.

“We’re addicted to your regular lunch, Wyatt.”

“That’s bullshit.” Wyatt laughed. “I’ll write this up in a rough draft and wait for the details as soon as you can give them to me.”

“Yep. More tomorrow. Stay tuned to the same channel.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly was distributing lunch containers to the remaining prisoners when we got back to the station. As soon as she finished that chore, I asked her to look for Ray Dangerfield’s next of kin. Whoever that was had to be notified immediately.

I worked through a stack of paperwork on my desk while Molly searched, and she came up with a brother in Shelby. No living parents, only the brother—Kyle Dangerfield—two years younger than Ray.

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