Page 29 of Midnight Ride

“We’re looking for six murderers,” said Tammy. “Wow. Eight guys go hunting and two end up dead. Six killers must be a record for our office, right Billy? And we can’t even find one of them.”

“That’s a depressing statement, Tam,” said Travis, “even if it is true.”

“Something will break, and we’ll find them,” I said. “I can feel something creepy on my skin.”

Tammy made a face. “Hope you don’t have the scabies, Harlan. We could all catch them from you.”

“It’s not that kind of itch, Tammy. Just a prickly feeling that means something is close to happening.”

“A couple of guys in Juvie had them,” said Virgil. “You can’t see the little fuckers, but they crawl under your skin...and live there.”

Tammy made a face.

“Enough with the itching stories,” said Travis. “Today, Molly and Ted are both off, but we have to keep looking for the twins and the rest of them. Billy is going to the station to feed the prisoner and to catch up on paperwork, so the rest of us will split up and take a couple of the new calls.”

“Okay,” said Tammy.

Travis gave her the stink-eye. “Me and Virge will take the call on Boundary Road,” said Travis, “and Harlan can go talk to the man up north on Old Kelvin Trail.”

“Can I go with Harlan, Daddy? Please? I won’t do anything stupid. I swear. I’ll just ride in the truck and mind my own.”

Travis smiled. “It’s that last part that’s getting me, Tammy. I don’t recall you being good at minding your own in the past.”

“I will today. Please, Daddy? I don’t want to sit at home alone all day.”

“Okay, you can go.” Travis turned to look at me. “Harlan.”

“Yeah, Dad. I’ll make sure Tammy doesn’t take down a gang of bikers all by herself.”

Virgil chuckled.

“Good. Y’all get out there and find me some killers. I want six of them.”

“Copy that,” said Tammy.

Boundary Road. North of Valier.

Travis and Virge took off in Travis’s truck for Valier, south of Coyote Creek. Max and Sarge rode in the back seat with their heads out the windows.

They turned onto Boundary Road and hadn’t gone more than two miles when they saw the game warden’s truck parked at the side of the road.

Virgil pointed. “If that game warden girl is in that chunk of bush, there must be a hunt camp in there too.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s see if we can catch up with her, Virge.”

Tramping in a straight line from Linda Tucker’s truck into the woods, they hiked for close to a quarter mile into the trees before Travis stopped and sniffed the air

“Smell a campfire, Virge?”

“Nope.”

“Me neither.” Travis stood still to listen and heard nothing but birds. Max and Sarge both veered to the right at the same time and took off.

The dogs were fast, and soon disappeared. Travis said, “Shit. I should’ve leashed them.”

“They can smell something that we can’t smell,” said Virgil.

Travis and Virgil both ran, following the dogs deep into the forest. Wasn’t long before they completely lost sight of them.

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