Page 12 of JoyRide

“Next of kin in Idaho, boss?”

“Yeah, Molly can contact the Kellogg Police Department and have them do it. We have to find the maniac who might still be here in the fuckin park.”

“Want me to do a sweep with the dogs?”

“Yeah, son. As soon as we get Ted squared away with the truck, we’ll start and work our way around with the dogs. We have to talk to all of the campers and that’s going to take a while.

Chapter Three

Tuesday, July 23rd.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

“I feel bad for Dillon,” said Tammy. She placed a platter of fried eggs and ham in the center of the table. “That little guy doesn’t have a mommy or daddy no more.”

“But Molly said his mother’s sister was coming to get him last night,” said Billy. “He’s got family and he’s young. He’ll be okay.”

I shook my head. “Doubt it, Billy. He saw his parents lying on the grass with their throats cut and I doubt if that kid will ever be okay again.”

Tammy nodded. “Some things you never forget.”

I sucked in a breath wondering about the horrible stuff Tammy said she was going to unload on me one of these days. Not something I was looking forward to, but I guess she had to tell somebody, sometime about what that guy, Tibor, did to her.

“How are we gonna proceed on the case today?” Billy asked Travis.

“We talked to all the campers who had rented sites on the same road as the Walkers and none of them heard anything,” said Travis. “Makes me think the guy killed them in the middle of the night.”

“Just jerked them out of their camper?” I asked.

“Guess so,” said Travis. “How else would he do it?”

“Sounds weird to me.”

“Was it somebody who knew them?” asked Tammy. “Like they owed him money or something?”

“If it was a crazy,” I said, “it could have been totally random. The killer might not have known them at all.”

“We have to dig into their background,” said Travis. “That’s up to Billy. His job. When he comes up with people we should talk to, then I guess we take a little trip to Idaho.”

“I’ve never been to Idaho,” said Tammy. “I’m Canadian, like Mama. Never knew it. When my mother was done with me she dumped me on her neighbor on this side of the border. I thought I belonged here in Montana, but I didn’t. Just a visitor and I didn’t know no different.”

Travis nodded. “Yes, you are Canadian, same as your parents. Your daddy was a biker from Scarborough, a part of Toronto. Never met him, but from what I’ve heard about him from Annie, he was a good guy.”

Tammy smiled. “Still hope for me.”

Travis hugged her.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Molly had coffee ready when we got to the office and Ted was slumped at his desk staring at his cell phone.

“Molly, check with all the Montana prisons and get a list of their releases in the last week or two. See if they let out a totally rehabilitated serial killer.” A lot of sarcasm in Travis’s voice. From personal experience, he wasn’t a big believer in rehab programs.

“I’ll do that right now, Travis. Hope he doesn’t do more damage before we catch up with him.”

Travis wasn’t done with the orders, and he hollered at Billy next. “Check guys on parole in our neck of the woods—lean towards known users—one of them might’ve gone off his fuckin nut and tried out his new blade.”

“Yep. Doing it now, boss.”

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