Page 43 of Longest Ride

Travis stepped into the hall and pointed. “In the office, boys. Secure Mrs. Fleming to the bar on the desk. We’ll talk in the office.”

“You can’t arrest me and haul me into your dirty little jail, Sheriff Frost. I’ve heard about you.”

Travis smiled.

“I have rights,” hollered Paula. “I want to call my lawyer and have him present during questioning.”

“Shut up,” said Travis. “I got low tolerance for screamingwomen on…” he turned his head. “What day is it, Harlan?”

“Friday.”

“Yeah, Fridays.”

Me and Virge stood against the wall and watched Dad handle Paula.

“You haven’t been charged with anything, Mrs. Fleming,” said Travis. “You can have your phone call right after I book you for conspiring to commit a triple murder. Until then, I’m going to ask you a couple of friendly questions.”

“Friendly? There’s nothing friendly about you, Sheriff. You look like a biker—long hair and tats. The stories about you are probably all true.”

“Three people are dead, Paula,” Travis barked at her, “and one of them was your husband, Harry. I want you to tell me how that happened because I’m pretty sure you know.”

“I don’t know. Harry went hunting and never came back. That’s all I know.”

Travis pounded the desk and me and Virge both jumped. “Who helped you move the trucks down to the Quarry Cutoff?”

“I don’t know how Harry’s truck got there. He told me he was going hunting.”

“Lie.” Travis leaned over the desk and shouted in Paula’s face. “Harry was already dead before you ever called this office and reported him missing.”

Virge raised an eyebrow and looked at me.

“No. Harry went hunting and never came home.”

“Stick to your story, Paula. Attagirl. Hang on tight because things are going to get a lot rougher.” Dad turned to us and said, “Go get coffee, boys. I’ve got this.”

Me and Virge hurried down the hall to the break room and Virgie’s hand was shaking when he poured coffee into his mug. “Wonder what Dad is saying to her.”

I shrugged. “Just sending us out of the room would scare her a little. Worked for me.”

“Yeah, me too. Made me think something bad was about to come down.”

“Maybe it did,” I said. “Maybe we got ourselves a confession.”

Billy stuck his head in the break room. “Boys, get those four drug slingers to the courthouse for their arraignment. Hopefully they’ll make bail, and we won’t get them back. Take note of who picks them up if the judge releases them.”

“Copy that.”

Me and Virge drank one gulp of coffee down fast, left the rest, and went to get the druggies cuffed and into the back of the squads. Two apiece. Archie Twig wasn’t ready to go yet. He couldn’t even walk.

Molly had the nurse from the clinic in town come over and change the bandage on his leg. We had no infirmary, so the county paid the clinic staff extra when we needed medical.

Harrison County Courthouse. Coyote Creek.

Me and Virge dropped two druggies apiece at the back door of the courthouse and handed them over to the bailiff. We went inside, found the right courtroom and waited to see if we were getting them back.

They all made bail and had the cash for the bond. We waited like Billy said to see who picked them up and it was a dark red pickup with Alberta plates.

Virge wrote down the tag and we went back to the station. Job done.

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