Page 83 of Lawless Ride

“My decision stands, Mister Burns.” The judge adjusted his glasses and turned to the clerk, “Call the next case.”

The bailiff escorted Glenda and her attorney to the bond office and she couldn’t come up with the ten percent she needed to buy her temporary freedom.

Brenda stood in the corridor outside the bond office and didn’t offer her sister any financial assistance. Possibly they didn’t have that much between the two of them.

Not my problem, but Glenda was—I had to take her back to my jail. I headed for the holding cells in the basement to retrieve my prisoner.

On the drive back to Main Street, I asked, “Your sister couldn’t help you with your bail?”

“We don’t own any property to put up, so we’d have to take a loan against the stock in the dress shop because we don’t own the building. Brenda would never agree to do that. Besides, it wouldn’t be enough. We don’t have seventy-five thousand in stock.”

Huh, made me wonder. I thought the twins were closer than that.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

One quick stop at the station to fill Molly in on the arraignment and to put Glenda back in her cell.

“That was a huge amount,” said Molly. “I’m not surprised she couldn’t cover it.”

“Brenda was there but didn’t offer to do anything for her sister.”

“Maybe she couldn’t,” said Molly. “They aren’t in that income bracket.”

“I guess not. I’m headed to the hospital in Cut Bank to talk to Josie Masters. I’m allowed to see her today. I’ll take the boys with me. Call if you need me.”

“I’ll be fine on my own, Travis.”

Cut Bank Hospital.

I’d called and had a conversation with Josie’s doctor, and he said she was sober enough to talk to me for a short period of time, but she was exhausted from the withdrawal. Five minutes and no longer than ten. I agreed because I needed to talk to her about Ray.

Ray had been involved with so many women at the same time it must have been hard for him to keep them all happy. One wasn’t happy—that was obvious.

Harlan and Ted got coffee and waited in the lounge area while I ran into Josie’s room to ask my questions.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news for you, Josie. Ray Dangerfield was murdered. He was shot in the head at close range. Do you have any idea who could have done that?”

Josie was sitting in an armchair next to her bed, her face pale against her long hair. She looked like she’d been through the proverbial wringer.

“Don’t know. Ray killed Tory because of Tanya. He was so fucking jealous. That much I do know, and I should’ve told you before. I figure he knocked Floyd off too—same reason. Tanya. Ray fooled around a lot, but he loved Tanya Boyd. She was always his number one choice and wanted her real bad.

“How do you know this, Josie?”

“Tory told me about Ray and Tanya.”

“Where did Ray get the poison he used?”

“Don’t know.”

“You did a lot of texting and made a lot of threats about different poisons you were going to use on Tory. How do I know that you didn’t kill Tory and Floyd Boyd?”

“Guess you don’t.”

“We didn’t find the curare in your house, but we know that was the poison used in both murders.”

“If I poisoned my husband, would I leave it on the counter?”

“Nope. I guess not. What do you know about Ray and the Crandall twins?”

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