Page 81 of Longest Ride

Travis finished his coffee and grabbed Billy out of his office. “Let’s get started.” He unlocked the run, and they walked in together.

“Good morning, gentlemen. How was your first night at the Jail Inn? Hope y’all were comfortable.”

“I see no humor in that, Travis,” said Wyatt.

“Why don’t you tell me something I can laugh at, Wyatt? I haven’t done much laughing since the three of y’all killed Carla, Harry and Alex. I’m laughing even less since Paula Fleming turned up dead.”

“I never killed nobody,” mumbled Tim Perkins.

“Who’s got something to tell me? Y’all can tell me in front of your buddies or y’all can wait until y’all have your private interview.”

“I want my private interview,” said Tim. “I’ll go first.”

“Tim wins the lottery,” said Travis. He unlocked Tim’s cell and marched him out of the run. “This way, Tim.” Travis showed Tim into the break room. “Coffee? Have a seat.”

Tim sat at the table with his hands folded in front of him. Travis hadn’t bothered to cuff Tim Perkins because he could take Tim with one hand tied behind his back—if the need arose.

Travis put a mug of coffee in front of Tim, closed the door and sat down.

“Have you got something to tell me that’s going to get you out of here, Tim?”

“I hope so.”

“Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“I never knew Harry’s wife, Paula, until she came to my brother’s trailer a couple of times when me and Carla were over there.”

“Okay, that sounds like the truth…so far.”

“When Paula came looking for Harry, she’d be fuming mad at him because he didn’t come home for dinner after she made it. Then after she drove all the way up to the trailer to get him, Harry would be high and in party mode and he’d start hollering that he didn’t want to go home with her. That would make Paula madder still.”

“How many times did that happen?”

“Two or three when I was there. Might have been more when I was at work. I don’t know.”

“Then what? Where’s your story going, Tim?”

“Then she stopped coming and never came looking for Harry again. Alex would nag on Harry and razz him about Paula giving up on him…and like that.”

“Do you think she gave up, Tim?”

“Yep. It was true. Harry told Alex it was true. Paula wanted a divorce, and she was moving on with her life with somebody who treated her better than Harry ever did.”

“Who was that person, Tim? Big Dave Turcotte?”

“One of the guys Paula was seeing was Big Dave. He was the only one Harry knew about.”

“Why did they still live together if they were getting a divorce?” asked Travis.

“It was Paula’s house and she wanted Harry to move out, but he had no place to go except Alex’s trailer. Harry told Alex hedidn’t want to be divorced from Paula. He wanted to work it out with her.”

“How could they work it out if Paula was seeing two other men?” asked Travis.

“I don’t know,” said Tim. “But Harry loved his wife, even if he was a shitty husband to her.”

“Who was the second guy Paula was seeing?”

Tim shrugged. “I don’t know. Kind of a mystery and Harry was doing his damndest to find out who it was. Harry got himself sober and started acting like a private eye or something. He’d leave the house in Valier and then sneak back and watch his own house to see what Paula was doing.”

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