Page 35 of River Ride

“Not what I meant. I was thinking more about safety. Your safety.”

“It’s what I meant, Ray. I haven’t had sex since Tammy tried her damndest to kill me and I’m not letting you or anybody else tell me what to do.”

“I’m only trying to watch your ass, Bobby.”

The server set the pie down and Bobby began forking pie into his face. He was thinking hard on dumping Ray in Calgary.

Shell Service Center. Calgary. Alberta.

12:30 p.m.

Travis filled up the Jeep at the pumps and said we’d change drivers to keep everybody fresh. “I’ve only driven for a couple of hours, Dad. I can go a lot farther.”

“I’ll drive for a couple of hours, son. Give me something to do besides worrying my ass off over what the hell Tammy is doing. Y’all give the dogs a walk and I’ll grab us some snacks and drinks while I’m in the store paying for the gas.”

“Copy that, Dad.”

Me and Virge leashed the dogs and took them for a short run. We talked it over and agreed Dad seemed better after talking to Annie. She always did that for Travis. Tamed him down and made him calm.

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek. Montana.

3:00 p.m.

Chuck Thatcher and Terry Marshal showed up at three o’clock as requested and Molly had them sit at the empty desks in the squad room until Billy was ready for them.

Billy walked into the squad room and spoke to both of them. “Thanks for coming in, boys. I’m sure you know your friend Brian Groveman was murdered in his garage.”

They nodded their heads. Sad faces. Nervous.

“According to the coroner, Brian’s death occurred last night around midnight. More likely in a window between eleven and one in the morning. I’ll need alibis for that period of time from both of you.”

“We didn’t kill Brian,” said Chuck. “He was our friend. We’ve known him for years and have no reason to kill him. That’s just crazy if you’re thinking of me and Terry as suspects.”

Billy ignored Chuck. “I need to speak to you separately. Chuck, you can be first. Follow me to my office.”

Prescott Cabin. Sicamous. B.C.

4:00 p.m.

Dead tired, Tammy arrived at the cabin. On the way, she had stopped a couple of times for twenty minutes of sleep after she dozed off behind the wheel, and the Bronco hit the shoulder. She was lucky she hadn’t crashed on the winding roads coming through the mountains. In some places, there were huge drop offs with only a guard rail to keep you on the road.

She parked the Bronco in front of the detached garage, went inside and raised the overhead door. She pulled Travis’ squad inside and closed the door to hide it from sight.

The cabin was locked, but Tammy had the key and opened the front door to let herself in.

Exhausted, she headed for the bedroom and crashed.

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

5:30 p.m.

Like she promised Travis, Annie and the kids did the chores and took care of the horses. The kids weren’t happy that Harlan and Virge were gone, but she couldn’t help that.

Billy came home from the station and had a couple of beers on the porch with Annie, Mick and Rowdy. They discussed what they knew of the hunt for Tammy.

“How long has it been since you talked to Travis?” asked Billy.

“Several hours,” said Annie. “I’m waiting for a call back from Doctor Fielding, then I’ll call Travis and tell him what the doctor says.”

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