Page 31 of Travis

“Well, a whole lot of shit went down with both Greg and Hanna today, but I’m more worried about her. Evidently she thinks that her sister is going to sabotage the wedding.”

“How?” Sara asks through furrowed brows.

Becky goes on with a convoluted story about Hanna’s selfish, twisted sister, who sounds every bit as sick as a sister could get.

“But did you find out anything about Greg?” I ask carefully, not wanting to downgrade her worry.

“Oh, that.” She smiles, exasperated. “Besides the fact that he and Hanna had a thing once upon a time?”

Sara’s jaw drops. “Are you serious?”

Becky nods. “Oh yeah. It just keeps getting better.”

I’m getting frustrated. Something about Greg makes my skin crawl and the girls are getting off on high school shit. I decide it’s a waste of time to stick around for any longer, and that I’ll have to utilize my own resources in this case. “Okay. I’m gonna go and give you two ladies some privacy.”

“Okay.” Sara smiles.

I purse my lips warmly at Becky and she does the same. A piece of me warms inside. No matter what we’ve been through, to me, a smile from her is a reward. “I’ll see you.”

Ron is in the kitchen, assembling chip bowls on the table. “You ready?” He asks me.

“No, man. I’m sorry but I’ve got to go take care of something.”

He looks at me like he knew it all along. “Sure, man. You finish early come on back. We’ll probably still be here.”

“Thanks, man.”

I hop into my truck and head to the sheriff’s office. There’s a girl in there that flirts with me when I see her for her riding lessons. I know it’s manipulative but it’s also shrewd. I need to know about this guy and I’ve got to pull out all the stops. I know she’s working tonight, because when she was in earlier, she made a point of telling me that if I wanted to stop by, that she would be there. When I enter the small building, you can hear a pin drop, but it looks sort of like Sara’s house, in that Christmas decorations are strewn about the place.

There’s garland taped to the ridge of the counter, and I see that Evelyn is on the phone, but her eyes light up when she sees me. A finger in the air indicates that she’ll be a minute, and I nod, walking away a little, to give her privacy. There’s garland taped to the dingy drop ceiling, making the place look like it’s been decorated with stuff from five-year-old Dollarama crap. If I listen closely, I can hear Christmas music playing softly overhead. When I hear her hang up, I turn back around. “Hi, Evelyn. I hope I'm not bothering you.”

Her face turns pink. “No, not at all, Travis. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“What can I do for you?” Evelyn is sweet. Very pretty, too. With long, natural eyelashes, reddish blonde hair, and green eyes. And I know that she’s no slouch, either. Good at riding, too.

“I was wondering if you could tell me if someone has a criminal record.”

A look of concern with a hint of intrigue crosses her face. “Who were you looking at? Surely, nobody at the ranch.”

I lift a hand. “No, nothing like that. It’s someone my wife...err...my ex...err...Becky...hired.” I stammer. It’s the first time talking about her as my ex, and it’s unnerving. I suddenly feel sick.

“I heard about that, Travis. I’m so sorry.” she says, apologetically.

“Thanks. I guess everyone in town knows now.”

She grimaces, as if regretful, but she isn’t denying it, either. Smartly, she changes the subject. “So, what’s his name?”

“Um, Greg Tubman. Can you look him up?”

Evelyn thinks it over for a moment. “Tubman. I think I’d remember a name like that.”

“Yeah, me, too. He’s not from here. That’s what worries me.”

Her gaze moves to her computer. “I’m not supposed to do this, but as long as nobody comes through that door, it’s okay.”

“Your secret is safe with me. And thanks.”

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