Page 90 of JoyRide

“A list would be helpful. Thanks.”

I didn’t know whether to arrest Mrs. Smollett or not. It was a tight situation. One that Travis could make the call on.

In their abusive marriage, Mrs. Smollett had most likely been threatened by her husband—possibly death threats—and she was more afraid of her husband than she was of going to jail.

We were lucky she was handing the other members of the pickpocket gang over to us.

Kelvin. Montana.

Tammy took Smollett back to the station, locked him up and told Billy about the confession. From there we headed north up the interstate to Kelvin to look for the rest of the car thieves.

We had no street address for them, but Kelvin was a small town with only a general store, a gas station and a few houses. I pulled into the station intending to ask the owner about a gang of kids and Tammy pointed.

“That’s one of them at the pumps. I’m sure of it.”

“Okay. I’ll park in front of the store and wait until he leaves, then we’ll follow him.”

The kid ran into the store and paid for his gas. When he came out and hopped into the red pickup, I followed behind and kept my distance.

He led us to an abandoned farmhouse outside of town and from the road we could see at least six pickups parked in a row at the side of the house.

“Call Ted to give us some backup,” said Tammy, “and tell him to bring the tow truck.”

“Good idea. He’s going to make quite a few trips back to the station.”

Tammy and me sat on the side of the county road and had a couple of smokes while we waited for Ted to drive up from Coyote Creek. When he got to us, he had Billy with him, along with Travis and Virgil driving the other squad.

Travis gave us the nod and we all drove in together.

Stuart Dickinson, his girlfriend and three other punks were smoking weed in the empty farmhouse, and they tried to run when we barged in with weapons drawn.

“All of you flat on the floor with your hands behind your heads,” hollered Travis. “Do it now.”

The tone of Dad’s voice was more than convincing—downright threatening—and the teen gang of thieves did what they were told. There were five of them and five of us and they were outmatched in muscle and fire power.

“Bag all the guns and drugs and mark them,” said Billy to Tammy. “Ted and Harlan, secure the prisoners in the two squads.”

“Copy that.”

When the kids were loaded into the squads, I drove the sheriff’s Bronco and Tammy drove the other squad. Billy rode with Tammy.

Travis stayed with Ted and assigned Virgil to help Ted hook up the vehicles they were towing.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

We locked all the kids up when we got back to the station and started booking them one by one. Stuart Dickinson had escaped from the detention center in Great Falls and Molly notified them that we had their boy. They’d already been advised that Danny Burridge was in the hospital in Cut Bank.

We broke for lunch, and Tammy and I went over to the diner and got burgers and fries for the prisoners and for all of us.

When we returned, Tammy and I booked the rest of the gang members.

Virgil was especially pissed at the kid who had shot him in the leg. He didn’t know his name, but that didn’t matter. Virge gave him a good calling down anyway.

Giving Molly our statements to wrap up the case took the rest of the afternoon. By the time we were finished with all of it, it was time to go home.

As I was locking up, Travis said, “We’ll stop at the roadhouse for ribs and a couple of pitchers. A little celebration for all of us.”

“I’m for that,” said Tammy. “I could use a beer after all that talking I did in my reports.”

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