Page 27 of JoyRide

“Let me get the full printout and you can read the whole works, Ted.” Molly ripped the two pages out of the printer and walked them across the room to Ted’s desk.

“Thank you, ma’am. Let me see what these here punks look like.”

“Any weapons?” I asked Ted.

“Haven’t got to that part yet, Harlan. Let me see. Yep. Right down here. The little bastards have knives they took from the kitchen at the juvie center.”

“Jeeze, that’s good news, Ted.” Tammy made another face. “I’m not too fond of knives.”

I knew exactly why she didn’t like knives. The guy who kept Tammy prisoner for more than five years almost cut Travis’s arm in half the day he came to get Tammy from the Cut Bank Hospital. She didn’t tell me that—Travis did. Showed me the fuckin scar and the ink that got mangled on his arm.

“Can’t worry about that now, Tam. We have to get Art to the courthouse for his arraignment.”

“Get him ready, Harlan,” said Travis. “Doubt if he’s gonna make bail again. Too many times in front of the judge already for that loser. The gavel might be coming down hard this time.”

I walked into the office and grabbed the keys to the run from the rack on the wall. “I’ll get him right now.”

“Me and Ted will drive him over,” said Travis. “No use four of us going.”

Art Andrews had sobered up some since the day I brought him in, and I wondered about him going into withdrawal. He’d been pretty loaded a couple of days before. Now he seemed just stupid and groggy.

Maybe this was his new normal. Used to be a big boozer wandering around in an alcoholic haze, but now he was on the good stuff.

Harrison County Courthouse. Coyote Creek.

Travis and Ted sat inside thinking they’d be the ones getting Art back for the duration, but the judge surprised them and granted Art bail. Travis couldn’t see one reason why he would, but a lawyer showed up for Art out of the blue and argued his case.

Judge set bail and Art stomped out of the court with his lawyer.

“Huh,” said Ted. “What the fuck?”

“Guess we don’t have to wait for him,” said Travis.

Strolling to the squad in the parking lot, Ted, and Travis both saw a woman pull up alongside Art Andrews and his lawyer.

She climbed out of her Lexus, opened her purse, and gave the lawyer a check. Art climbed in the passenger seat of her car, and the woman took off.

Not a bad looking woman somewhere in her forties. Travis wasn’t looking, but if he was…

“What the fuck?” Ted shaded his eyes to follow the car down the road. “Since when did a piece of work like Art Andrews have women paying his bail and picking him up?”

“Like…never.” said Travis.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

I was sitting in the break room drinking a coffee and staring at a text Brooke from Olivia’s Inn sent to me. I’d texted her once before asking if she wanted me to call her and she never answered me. I figured the answer was ahard no.

“I’m off on Saturday night. Want to do something?”

I stared for a minute wondering what I should say. Tammy came in to get a coffee and I showed her the text. We had no secrets.

“Say,sure, then make a plan.”

“Okay. Sounds sensible. I don’t want to sound fuckin stupid or something.”

Tammy giggled. “Grab a date while you can. You might like her.”

“Umm…I’m not sure.”

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