Chapter Twelve

Monday, September 30th.

Coulter-Ross Ranch. La Grange.

Me and Virge both got to sleep in our own rooms at Annie's ranch. Her ranch house was as big as a castle and the sheets on our beds were soft and smelled nice.

We were up at our regular time and went to the barn with Lucy and Jackson and Davey and helped them with their chores.

They had a lot more horses to feed and muck out than we did. We had three horses in total, and Mom had about two dozen beautiful Appaloosas.

Virge was in love with the horses, and I could hardly get him away from the foals in the big square stall at the end of the aisle. My brother really needed his own horse, and I was saving up to get him one so we could ride together on our ranch.

After breakfast, Annie wanted to talk to me and Virge in her office about finding Tammy.

"How are we gonna find her, Mom?" asked Virge. "I've been thinking on it, and I can't see how."

"Two things are against us already," said Annie. "Tammy has a head start and we don't know which direction she went. But in our favor is this, and it's a big one."

"What's gonna help us?" I asked. "I can't think of anything."

"Law enforcement is going to help us," said Annie. "Now that Tammy is a kidnapper and she's added a couple of felony assaults, she's considered armed and dangerous and all of law enforcement will be watching for her."

"Never thought of that," said Virge. "When we're looking for somebody in Northern Montana, ain't nobody helping us."

"A coast-to-coast warrant has been issued for Tammy's arrest and we can be fairly certain some cop will spot the truck and call it in."

"Do you think she'll try to go back to Canada?" asked Virge.

"No telling what her plans are. Tammy isn't using her head right now. She shot two people and took Bobby Prescott out of a hospital against his will. This isn't just another foolish mistake. This is a criminal act, and this time Tammy will be going to jail when we find her."

"Unless she's gone completely off her nut," said Virge.

"Uh huh. Then she'll go to a prison facility for the criminally insane. There's one near the ranch. Ten minutes down the road."

"Do we just sit around and wait until we hear something?" I asked.

"Nothing else we can do, honey. It's pointless to drive around looking for her."

"She might text me," I said. "She used to text me all the time…before she lost it."

"Aw…" Annie said, "I can tell how sad and upset y'all are about your sister. We'll find her."

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

Filling in for the boys, Billy handled the barn chores on his own. He rushed into the house when he finished and washed up for breakfast.

Walking into the kitchen he complained to Travis, "The house is too quiet without the boys. I don't like the feel of it."

Travis stood at the stove hovering over a pan of sizzling bacon and eggs. Trying to make light of the emptiness both of them were feeling, he said, "Think of all the money we'll save on groceries."

Billy laughed. "Yeah, there's that. Those boys can eat." He poured himself a coffee and sat down at the table.

Travis put plates of food in front of them and a stack of toast in the middle and sat down on the other side of the table.

Billy asked a question that had been on his mind since the boys left. "Can I ask why you sent the boys to Texas?"

Travis threw up his hands. "I fuckin panicked, Billy. I figured it would be best for them with me screwing up every way possible. I'm a shit parent. Just look at Tammy. She's completely out of control and that has to have a lot to do with me."

"Don't think so," said Billy. "All her crazy stuff started with her being snatched off the side of the road. Since that happened, she shot the kidnappers and ran for it. Then she kidnapped Bobby Prescott twice. Something snapped, Travis. She ain't right since that trauma. Before that, there wasn't a damned thing wrong with her."

"What if there was?" asked Travis. He sat holding his fork in the air. "What if there was something out of whack ever since Tibor, and the second time around clinched it and pushed her right off the track."

Billy thought about it and nodded his head. "Yeah, I can see where that's a possibility. Those five years she was held prisoner by Tibor Garrison could have already done serious damage to her brain."

"Yeah," said Travis. "That's what I'm talking about."

"Shit," said Billy.

Lake Charles. Louisiana.

I walked out of the Big Wheel restaurant with breakfast and coffee for me and Bobby. Balancing the food and the coffee tray, I made my way through the cab of the truck to the sleeper.

Eldon's brown eyes were open, and he gave me a funny look—like I was a stranger to him. "Where are you taking me, Tammy?"

"I heard guys talking in the convenience store and the bayou is a great place to hide out when the cops are after you." I unwrapped my fried egg sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"No, Tammy. There is no great place to hide from the cops. No matter where we go, they'll find us."

"There are places," I mumbled. "I heard about them."

Bobby struggled to sit up a little so he could drink his coffee and Tammy didn't offer to help him. "I don't feel much like eating."

Tammy turned and stared at Bobby like he wasn't even there.

"Tammy, listen to me. I want you to call the cops and tell them to come and get me. I'm just starting to heal, and I need to be in a hospital. You're going to kill me out here on the road."

"Shut up, Eldon. I'm the one in charge." She pulled colored brochures out of her jacket and shoved them at Bobby. "This is where we're going. It will be safe there and you're going with me. I'm doing this for you."

Bobby glanced at the pictures. "This is a fishing camp in the swamp."

"You like fishing, don't you?"

"I guess it's okay. Only fished a couple of times."

"Eat your breakfast. I need a smoke. Be back in a minute."

If I could get out of this truck, I'd be gone. Tammy has lost it and she's going to get us both killed.

Death by fuckin cops.

I jumped out of the truck thinking Eldon was acting weird. Why would he say a stupid thing like we should call the cops? He was losing it.

Down the row from where I was parked, a couple of drivers were smoking and talking. I figured if they knew Louisiana, they would know good hiding places in the bayou.

"Hi, guys." I stood close to them and lit up a smoke. "You guys know any good spots in the bayou where the cops won't find you?"

One of them laughed. "Why are you asking that, little girl? Are you an outlaw?" They both laughed and that pissed me off. My hand wandered to the gun in my waistband, and I thought about shooting both of them for laughing at me. I could hardly keep from doing it.

"What if I am?"

More laughing. "You don't look like much of a badass, little girl."

"You done laughing? Where should I go?"

The guy with the big beer belly hanging over his belt buckle chuckled and said, "There are lots of places between here and the Gulf where people have gone, and nobody ever heard from them again."

"Tell me how to get to one of those places." I tossed my butt to the pavement and stepped on it.

"You can't get there on your own. You need a guide. The swamp is rough when you run out of road. Bandits, gators and snakes. Guys who will kill you for a pack of smokes."

"You guys know any guides?"

"A couple. Fishing guides know the swamp like the back of their hands, and they know all the good spots. A lot of the remote places, you can only get to by boat."

"How do I find me a good guide?"

"Follow signs for fishing camps or stop into a bait shop or an outfitters store."

"Thanks."

Beer belly pointed at my truck. "That your Freightliner?"

"Yep."

"She's a beauty."

Beer belly sneered, "Bet she ain't paid for, truck like that."

I shrugged and went back to the truck. The truck was probably paid for. Eldon paid attention to details like that. I jumped into the driver's seat and cranked the engine up. Time to go find us a guide.

"Where we going, Tammy?" hollered Eldon from the sleeper.

"We're going fishing."

Sheriff's Office. Coyote Creek. Montana.

Billy and Travis sat in the office trying to figure out the murders. They went over every piece of evidence they had—and it wasn't much—all of it adding up to nothing.

"Who should we interview next?" asked Travis.

"We have no real suspect," said Billy.

"Wishing we did won't make it happen," said Travis. His cell rang and he checked the screen. "Cut Bank Tribune."

"Wyatt the Weasel." Billy laughed. "Screw him. He gets nothing from us."

Travis answered and put the call on speaker. "Wyatt?"

"Thanks for taking my call, Travis. I wasn't sure you would."

"Didn't want to."

"I want to apologize for involving Stacey in the case. Since she didn't get to see Paula that day and she didn't pass any information to me, no harm was done. I don't want our working relationship to be damaged by one little mistake on my part."

"We have no relationship anymore, Wyatt. We're done."

"Come on, Travis. Don't make me beg."

Travis pressed end and that was the end of Wyatt Thompson.

Billy shook his head. "That guy is so desperate for headlines, he probably killed those three people just to get a story."

They both laughed and then Travis thought about it a bit more and raised an eyebrow. "What if he did do that?"

Billy shrugged. "I was only kidding."

"I know you were, but what if it was a third party?"

Billy thought about it. "Like whoever did the killing didn't even know the victims? A paid assassin."

"Uh huh. Arms' length and that's why we can't connect the fuckin dots."

"The killer drove to the trailer when the scene was set, killed Alex, Harry, and Carla, and then left the state. We'd have no chance of catching him."

"The person we want is the one who hired the killer," said Billy. "We need to go back and talk to Tim Perkins, Dave Turcotte and Paula Fleming again."

"Yep. When you have nothing—start over."

Fleming Residence. Valier.

With the radio playing, Ted was almost asleep in his truck when he heard Paula Fleming talking to somebody. He jerked awake and paid attention to what she was saying.

"Tim, are you coming to Harry's funeral tomorrow? I don't think I can get through it on my own."

"Dave isn't coming?"

"No. He doesn't think it would look right."

"He's worried about people's opinions? I can't picture him saying that, Paula. Are you sure?"

"He's not coming but I hope you are."

"Yes, I'm coming. I can't afford a funeral for Alex. I'm having him cremated. Best I can do."

"What about Carla?"

"Her funeral was yesterday. Her parents took care of it."

"Was it sad for you?"

"I didn't bother going after what Carla did to me. Why would I go to her funeral?"

"Yeah, I guess. She was a cheater. Looking at it that way, why am I going to Harry's funeral?" Paula laughed.

When the call ended, Ted called Travis to tell him what he'd heard.

New Iberia. Louisiana.

I punched the address of the fishing boat charters into the GPS and followed the directions to a place called New Iberia.

Passing lakes and rivers in the area, I saw all kinds of places advertising boat rentals, fishing gear and bait shops with pictures of worms and frogs staring at me with big smiles on their faces. Creepy.

Keeping an eye on Eldon in the rearview, I saw he'd fallen asleep. That's what he did most of the time. Sleep. He was no fun anymore.

The next bait shop I came to, I pulled the truck over, parked and ran inside. The dirty little shack smelled like swamp water and dead fish and man sweat. I gagged and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Help you, girl?"

An old guy stood behind the counter doing something with feathers. "You need bait? Nice fresh night crawlers."

"No thanks. No bait. What I need is a guide. Do you know of any around here?"

"Sure, you go on down Route 90 and that's where you'll find Carl Levron. He lives just past Calumet, and you couldn't get yourself a better guide than him. Born in the swamp and lived there all his life. He knows it better than most."

The old guy pointed to the wall at the end of the shack. "One of Carl's cards might be on the bulletin board. Take a look."

"Thank you." I checked the small piece of cork board glued to the wall and took the card.

I gave the old guy a wave and ran to the truck. Eldon didn't wake up when I jumped in and slammed the door.

Reading from the card, I punched in the new address and cranked up the engine.

Levron Residence. Calumet. Louisiana.

Carl Levron, the best guide around, lived in a little shack on a dirt road outside of Calumet.

A pickup took up all the space in his short driveway and I had to park my truck on the side of the road. That left a space so narrow, I figured nobody could get by until I moved the truck.

I knocked on the door and when it opened, I took a step back. Carl was a huge guy with a black beard and bushy black hair. Small black piggy eyes. He wore denim overalls and a flannel shirt even though it was about a hundred fuckin degrees in Louisiana.

Sweat dripped down the back of my neck from under my long hair and I felt like cutting it off. Maybe it was a good idea. Nobody would recognize me. I'd dye my hair blonde and be home free.

Big Carl boomed out a question, "What you want, little girl on my step?"

I held up his card in my defense. "I'm looking for a guide, Carl. Are you available?"

"Huh. You don't look like no fisherman to me."

"I don't want to fish. I want you to take me to a safe place where nobody can find me or my husband."

"You running from the cops?"

"Maybe. I need a quiet, safe place where Eldon can heal up."

"What's wrong with your man?"

"He got himself shot and he ain't better yet."

"You got money? I don't work for free."

"How much do you charge?"

"Two hundred a day plus boat rental."

"How long will it take to get there?"

Carl shrugged. "Depends where I decide to take you, I guess. Probably about a day and a half from here. Five hundred cash should cover all of it."

"Okay. Seems like a reasonable amount. Can we go soon?"

Carl laughed. "How close are the cops on your beautiful ass, little girl?"

"Haven't seen any yet, so I think I'm way ahead of them."

"Best way to be," said Carl. "Let me get some gear together and we can shove off. Can I ask why the fuck you're driving a Freightliner into the bayou?"

"It's our truck. Mine and Eldon's. We're long haulers."

"Until he got shot," said Carl.

"Yeah, until he got shot."

"Wait in the truck and I want the first two hundred before I turn a wheel."

"I'll get the money for you."

Carl went inside to get ready, and I jumped into the truck to get his money. I crawled into the sleeper and opened the cupboard where Eldon kept his lockbox full of cash.

I knew the combination, but I tried to hurry and made a mistake. I started over and Eldon woke up.

"What are you doing, Tammy?"

"Getting the money to pay our guide."

"Where is he gonna guide us to? Have you gone completely nuts, Tammy?"

"Nope. I'm getting us to a safe place, and you should be thanking me, Eldon."

"I thought you were a smart girl when I first met you, but now you're different—and not in a good way."

"You've changed too, Eldon. You said we were getting married and now you say we're not. Broke my heart when you said that to me, but I love you and I'm still trying to help save your life."

"You're not helping me or yourself, girl. You shot a fuckin Texas Ranger and every cop and sheriff across the fuckin country is looking for us."

I laughed. "We're just like Bonnie and Clyde, Eldon. Did you know they died in Louisiana? That's why I came here."

"Jesus, Tammy. You have gone bonkers."

Carl stomped out of his house carrying a duffel. He tossed his bag into his truck and strode over to my window. He grinned at me and held out his hand for his money, giving me kind of a creepy feeling.

I handed him the two hundred. He counted it and nodded before shoving it into the pocket of his overalls.

"Follow me. The road will get narrow and rough in a bit. When we get to the boat launch, you'll have to park the truck and leave it."

"Okay. I can lock it up. Let's go." I started the truck and waited for Carl to back out onto the road.

"I don't want to die in a stinking swamp, Tammy."

I smiled in the rearview and ignored Eldon. He was going to thank me later.

Dry Run Roadhouse. Montana.

On the way home from the station, Travis and Billy stopped in for a pitcher of Miller. They sat in a booth and talked about Harry Fleming's funeral the following day.

"We have to go to the funeral," said Billy. "We might pick something up from Paula or Tim. We need something, Travis. We need a goddamned suspect."

"Yeah, we'll definitely go. The killer or killers—plural—will probably be there. All we have to do is pick them out."

"Shouldn't be too hard," said Billy.

Travis waved Tessa over and ordered a second pitcher, and she was back with it when Olivia called.

"Olivia?"

"Travis," was the only word she said before sobbing.

"Aw, Jesus." Travis couldn't talk to her and ended the call. He stared at the screen feeling worthless and full of guilt.

"What's going on?" asked Billy.

"No more women for me, Billy. I'm done."

Billy smiled. "Until the next one."

Travis glared. "Don't piss me off, Billy. I fuckin mean it."

Bonaventure Boat Rentals. Louisiana Bayou.

The sun had gone down, and twilight brought a heavy blanket of mist to the swamp. Animal noises I didn't recognize came from the river and scared me a little. Big grunting sounds and splashing around. Sounded like something big.

Carl pointed to where he wanted me to park the truck, and when I got out he said we'd gone as far as we could go until morning.

"Okay. Me and Eldon can sleep in the truck. Where are you gonna sleep, Carl?"

"In my friend's house." He pointed to a house down the road close to the rental building.

"Okay, see you in the morning."

I climbed into the sleeper with Eldon, and he was full of questions. "Tell me what's going on, Tammy."

"We're sleeping in the truck just for tonight and tomorrow morning, Carl is taking us by boat to a place where nobody will ever find us."

"I'm not going with you, Tammy. Your plan is insane, girl. I'd rather die right here in my own truck than have a gator drag me by the leg into the fuckin river."

"Now you're the one talking crazy, Eldon. We're gonna be safe where Carl is taking us. No alligators are gonna eat you."

Eldon shook his head. "You don't get it, Tammy. There is no place more dangerous than the bayou."

"I'm not afraid. I have my gun."

"Give your head a shake, Tammy."

"I'm taking you with me, Eldon. I got you this far and I'm taking you the rest of the way. This is our final journey together. Just like Bonnie and Clyde."

"Yeah, well I'm not about to end up like Clyde Barrow, Tammy. You can be dead like Bonnie Parker if you want to. We'll see what happens in the morning, crazy girl."

"Shut up, Eldon. Go to sleep. I don't want to listen to you bad-mouthing me no more."

"Have it your way, Tammy." Eldon sighed and turned his back to her.