Chapter Six

Friday, July 5 th .

Border Crossing. Montana/Alberta Line.

4:00 a.m.

Tammy left the ranch hoping she’d never see it again. She turned right on the county road and followed it out to the highway.

When she reached the intersection for the interstate, she took the I-15 northbound and drove just a little over the speed limit through the night.

The sun wouldn’t be up for at least another hour and a half, and she’d have a good head start on Travis or anybody he sent looking for her.

Didn’t matter if they caught up or not. She wasn’t going back to Montana. Tammy had already made up her mind when she left the hospital in Texas. Her plan was in place, and she wouldn’t deviate from the plan. Not even if she got killed in the process.

Eldon Fontana was her destiny. There was nothing she could do to change her destiny. She had to be with Eldon and that’s what she intended to make happen.

Traffic was light. She passed one or two pickups coming towards her in the southbound lane, but that was all. No accidents. The way was clear through Oilmont and all the way up to the town of Sweetgrass. She grew up here, just south of the Canadian border and she knew every inch of it.

Tammy slowed down when she saw the signs for the border crossing up ahead. Everything she needed was in a neat pile on the passenger seat beside her.

No one ahead of her in line at that time of the morning. She pulled up to the booth and handed her creds to the customs officer on duty.

He glanced at her, noticed her uniform and the smile she was giving him and handed back her ID.

“You’re clear to go, Deputy Bristol. You have a good one.”

“You too, Officer.”

Tammy smiled as she stepped on the gas and drove the sheriff’s Bronco into Alberta, Canada.

5:00 a.m.

At five a.m. Bobby Prescott a.k.a. Fletcher Bowden, and his friend Ray, stopped at the same customs station Tammy had stopped at an hour before.

While Ray held his breath and nervously fidgeted with his hands in his lap, Bobby laughed and chatted to the officer in the booth.

Their IDs were scanned and approved and handed back in short order and that widened the smile on Bobby Prescott’s face.

“Thanks so much, Officer. You have a great day.”

Bobby drove away from the border area and crossed into Alberta. “There. All good. Nothing to worry about, Ray. I told you we were going to pass with flying colors.”

“All the same, I was a little tense.”

“Tense? I could hear your heart beating on my side of the fuckin truck. We’re in Canada now and you can ease the fuck up. Nobody is looking for us up here.”

“Hope you’re right, Bobby.”

McDonald’s. Lethbridge. Alberta.

6:00 a.m.

Tammy turned her blinker on and pulled into the drive-thru line at McDonald’s. When it was her turn at the window, she ordered an egg McMuffin, hash browns and a coffee.

At the second window, she paid for her order with money out of Lucy’s wallet. The girl handed her the bag and her coffee, and she drove through to the parking lot, found a spot and ate her breakfast.

While she ate, Tammy stared at the map on the GPS screen and wondered how long she’d have to wait at the cabin before Eldon came.

“I know he’ll come looking for me. All I have to do is wait for him. It’s our destiny to be together.”

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

6:00 a.m.

Lucy woke up when her phone alarm went off at six. She always got up at six for barn chores with her brothers, and Buckshot would be waiting in the corral for his breakfast. He was always happy to see her in the morning.

As she sat up and tried to wake up, she noticed Tammy wasn’t in the bed. The sheets were cool, so Tammy had been up for a while.

“Where are you, Tammy? You’d better be here or you’re going to be in huge trouble.”

Lucy checked the bathroom across the hall and the door was open. She ran downstairs and checked the house from front to back and no Tammy.

Back upstairs, she felt a little wave of panic in her chest as she ran into Harlan and Virge’s room. She sat on the side of Harlan’s bed and touched his arm to wake him up.

“Harlan. Harlan. Wake up.”

6:10 a.m.

I opened my eyes, and I was looking at Lucy in her night shirt sitting on the side of my bed. “Hey, Lucy. Do you want to snuggle in with me?”

“Not right now. I can’t find Tammy. Get up, Harlan. I need help.”

“Aw, shit, Luce. Where did you look?”

“In the bathroom and downstairs, so far.”

“Okay, we’ll do a search for her before we wake Travis up. I don’t want to scare him for nothing. He ain’t doing the best right now.”

Virge opened his eyes. “Why are you guys talking in here?”

“Lucy can’t find Tammy, Virge. Get up and help us look for her. I don’t want to wake Dad up…just yet.”

“Just yet,” repeated Virge. “Jesus in a nutshell, don’t let this be happening.”

Virge and I pulled on jeans and ran downstairs to help Lucy. She’d already been through the house, so we went out to the barn and checked the bunkhouse and looked through the trees, and on the front porch, and in all the parked vehicles.

Even in the load bed of the trucks. She’d crawled in under the tonneau cover a couple of times to hide.

“Nowhere,” I said.

“Don’t want to tell you this, bro.”

“What?” I looked at Virge and he was white—like puke white.

“Dad’s Bronco is gone.” He pointed at the spot where the Bronco had been parked.

“Fucking hell,” I yelled just as Billy came out the back door.

“What are you yelling about, Harlan?” Billy looked at me with a frown on his face.

“Billy, we can’t find Tammy and Dad’s squad is gone. It was right there.”

“Jesus,” said Billy. “This can’t happen to Travis.” He pulled out his cell and put a BOLO out on the Harrison County Sheriff’s Bronco.

“We have to tell Dad now,” I said. “We’re wasting time.

6:30 a.m.

We ran into the house and Travis was in the kitchen sitting at the table with Annie and Rowdy drinking coffee. He was trying to be a better host.

“Bad news, Dad.”

“Don’t start the day off like that, son.”

“Don’t want to, but Tammy is gone. We searched everywhere for her.”

“Look again. She must be here somewhere.” Travis was on his feet pacing and looking like he was going to lose it.

“Something else, Dad,” I said. “Better sit down.”

Annie eased Dad down onto a kitchen chair and stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders.

“Okay, tell me, Harlan.”

“Your squad is gone. Billy put a BOLO out on it.”

“Aw, fuck.” Travis dropped his head into his hands and stayed that way for a couple of minutes. “She’ll go to Canada. Let me call Mark Garson in the border office and see what time my Bronco crossed.”

Travis stepped out onto the front porch and made the call while Virge and I got coffee and Lucy ran upstairs to get dressed.

Lucy came running down a few minutes later crying. “Mommy, you won’t believe what Tammy did.”

“What’s the matter, honey?” asked Annie. “What did she do?”

“She took my wallet, and I checked the closet to see if she took all her clothes and I think she might be wearing her uniform. It’s gone.”

“Oh, my nerves,” said Annie. “She’s driving the sheriff’s squad and possibly wearing her uniform. She had this planned. Definitely planned.”

Travis came in from the porch and said, “The Sheriff’s Bronco crossed the border point at 4:00 a.m. What time is it now?”

“Six forty-five,” said Rowdy.

“We’re almost three hours behind her,” shouted Travis. “I’ve got to get organized.”

I watched Dad come apart. He was breathing heavy and sweating like a pig, just like Billy said he did when he was going to have a PTSD flareup.

Being the calm one, Billy took over. “We can’t all go looking for Tammy. I’ll take the station. Ted and I can handle anything that comes in today. Tomorrow is Saturday, so you have three days to find her, Travis. Take the boys with you and go.”

Travis nodded.

“Rowdy and I will stay here with the kids and take care of the ranch. Do you want me to pack a bag for you, Travis?”

Dad stared straight ahead while Annie ran down the hall and did it anyway.

Virge and I ran upstairs and threw clean clothes in a couple of duffels, and we were ready to go.

“Should we bring our guns, Harlan?”

“Yeah. Just in case.”

“What a shitshow this is gonna be,” said Virge. “Dad might lose it while we’re in fucking Canada, and then what?”

“Wait until it happens,” I said. “Might not.”

“I wouldn’t bet my fucking ass on it, Harlan.”

7:00 a.m.

Annie was cooking breakfast when we left but Virge and I didn’t get any. Neither did Dad, but he looked like he was going to puke anyway.

We took our Jeep with Virge behind the wheel for the trip to the border. We’d have to change off later if Tammy was going all the way to the fuckin cabin again. No reason for her to go there. It was sitting empty. But Tammy’s head was screwed up and she might think that Fontana guy was there or something.

Dad sat in the passenger seat. Lowered the window and lit up a smoke. He wasn’t saying a goddamned thing.

I sat in the back seat with Max and Sarge trying to think of what the hell we should do.

Border Crossing. Montana/Alberta Line.

7:45 a.m.

“Pull over there next to the office, Virge. I’ll go in and talk to Mark.”

Virge parked and we went into the customs office to ask questions.

“Is Mark here?” Travis asked the woman at the front counter.

“He’s just coming on duty, sir. I’ll get him for you.”

Mark came out of the back office with a coffee in his hand and grinned at Travis. “Hey, Sheriff. Got something going on?”

“Yeah, nothing good, Mark. Believe me. My squad was stolen, and I think it might have crossed here a few hours ago.”

Mark moved to the computer on the end of the counter. “Plate number?”

Travis told him the tag number and Mark typed it in. “You’re right. I wasn’t on duty, but that vehicle crossed at four a.m.”

“Any clues on where the driver might have been going?”

“Only the officer who cleared the vehicle and the driver would have had a conversation like that.”

“That person still here?”

Mark shook his head. “Nope. Shift has changed. Sorry.”

“Okay. Thanks for your help, Mark.”

“Hope you get your truck back, Sheriff.”

“Yeah, the county will be hoping for that too.”

We ran back to the Jeep and had a little discussion as we crossed the line into Canada.

“I think she’ll go back to that cabin, Dad. Where else would she go?”

“Yeah, I thought of the cabin in British Columbia first off, but then I wondered about the trailer where we found the dead guys. That was a big trauma for Tammy, and she might feel she has to go back there.”

“I don’t think she would go back there, Dad. She ran from there after she killed those guys.”

“Maybe not, but I’m thinking it’s close and we should check it first before we go hundreds of miles in the opposite direction.”

“I see what you’re saying, Dad,” said Virge. “Cross it off before we go on to door number two.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Okay. Taking the highway up to Taber,” said Virge. “We’ll check the trailer park first.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

8:00 a.m.

“Morning Billy,” said Molly. “Only you this morning? Where is everybody?”

“It seems Miss Tammy took off in the middle of the night while we were all sleeping.”

“Oh, no. I was afraid of that. She seemed so unstable when I saw her here.”

“Worse than that. She took her uniform and she’s driving the sheriff’s squad. It’s been confirmed that she crossed into Canada.”

“No.” Molly reached for a tissue. “This is so hard for Travis, and Tammy has put him through so much already. I don’t know how he’s holding together.”

“That may be a secondary problem, Molly. Hope it doesn’t happen, but we cannot rule it out.”

“I understand.”

“Billy,” Ted walked into the squad room with a coffee in his hand, “only you and me today?”

“We’re it, Ted.”

“What should I start on, boss?”

“Go back to Brian Groveman’s place down at the Pass and see what you can find. Do a search of his house. We’ve got to find that guy. He knows something about Wayne Treadway’s death, and we need to talk to him.”

“Copy, boss. I’ll go look for him.”

Steve’s Big Wheels. Lethbridge. Alberta.

8:30 a.m.

Ray and Bobby shared a table in the busy truck stop. Ray had relaxed a little after Bobby gave him a calling down about his constant worrying and they’d been getting along better.

The pretty server brought them their lumberjack breakfasts, topped up their coffee and they dug in.

“I love this Canadian syrup,” said Ray. “I could almost drink the stuff.”

Bobby laughed. “You could use a few pounds, Ray. Maybe you should take a few swallows.”

They were almost finished their second cup of coffee when a couple of Lethbridge city cops came in and sat at the counter.

Ray started to fidget, and Bobby warned him off. “Don’t do it, Ray. Coffee and donut time for those guys. Don’t spoil if for them by acting like an asshole.”

Bobby waved their girl over for another coffee refill and they stayed put until the cops left the truck stop.

Shell Service Center. Calgary. Alberta.

9:00 a.m.

Tammy had been up most of the night and she needed sleep. She checked how much cash Lucy had in her wallet and it wasn’t a lot. After she filled up the Bronco, forty dollars might not be enough to get Tammy to Sicamous to the cabin where she needed to be.

“I need to make this money last. I can’t afford to sleep in a hotel.”

Groveman Residence. Black Eagle Pass. Montana.

9:15 a.m.

Ted parked his truck in Brian Groveman’s driveway and had a look around. The place was dead quiet, and he didn’t like the feel of it.

The house was unlocked, and he thought they locked it when they left, last time they were there. Maybe not. A quick run through the bungalow produced nothing. Brian wasn’t in the house, and he hadn’t left any clues behind.

Ted moved on to the garage and had better luck there, if you could call it that.

“Aw, shit. Look at that.”

Ted whipped out his phone and called Billy.

“Ted, any sign of Groveman at his place?”

“Yep, there’s a sign of him, boss. Ain’t a good sign, but I found him. Brian is dead in his garage. He’s lying next to his freezer.”

“Stay there and hold the scene. I’m coming.”

“Copy, boss. You calling the Doc?”

“Yep. I’ll do it on the way, and I’ll have Molly search for Groveman’s next of kin.”

“See you when you get here, boss.”

Trailer Park. Taber. Alberta.

9:30 a.m.

The trailer park in Taber hadn’t improved one bit since we were there the last time to view the guys Tammy killed. The yellow crime scene tape across the front door was still there but sagging and giving the impression that nosy neighbors might have sneaked in for a peek.

The front door was locked when I tried it. Travis nodded and headed around the back to let himself in. We waited on the front step until Dad opened the door for us.

Inside, the smell triggered my gag reflex and I wanted to puke. Blood, decomp, death all blending together into something gross. We didn’t hang around too long reminiscing about the assholes Tammy had capped after they raped her.

“She’s not here. You were right, Harlan.”

“You were right too, Dad. Better to check it out while we were close than find out later she was hiding here, and we drove past it and went all the way to fuckin B.C.”

“Disgusting place to hide out.” Virge made a face. “Nobody is ever gonna live in this trailer ever again.”

“We wasted time stopping here,” said Travis. “Like Billy said, we have today and the weekend and then we have to go back to work.”

I didn’t remind Dad that Sunday was Lucy’s barrel racing rodeo in Great Falls that we were supposed to be going to. I’d pretty much convinced myself I was going to miss it. There was no possible way to get to the cabin in Sicamous and get back to the ranch by Sunday morning. Too fuckin far.

“Who’s turn is it to drive?” asked Travis.

“I can keep going,” said Virge. “I’m soon gonna need food though.”

Travis laughed. “We’ll grab breakfast in Lethbridge before we head up to Calgary.”

“Copy that,” said Virge. “I think I can make it to Lethbridge if my strength holds out. Least it ain’t snowing this time around.”

“I don’t want to think back on that nightmare trip,” said Travis. “Better not to remember it at all.”

“Hope this ain’t a replay, Dad,” said Virge. “Don’t have a good feeling about it. Not at all.”

“I don’t disagree, Virgie,” said Travis. “Ain’t good.”

Groveman Residence. Black Eagle Pass. Montana.

10:15 a.m.

Ted sat in his truck smoking while he held the murder scene and waited for Billy.

Twenty minutes later, Billy parked behind Ted and they both jumped out of their trucks.

“You said he was in the garage?”

“Yep, laid out in the garage.”

“Guess on the COD?” asked Billy.

“Chest wound,” said Ted. “Can’t say it matches the three to the heart on Treadway, but it’s a similar pattern.”

“Shit,” said Billy. “You’re thinking it was the Carpenters.”

Ted shrugged. “No idea, boss. The Doc will have a better idea. This wasn’t a case of trespassing or poaching, so it might not be linked.”

“Groveman is linked to the same group of hunters,” said Billy, “so there is a thread connecting them.”

They walked to the garage and Ted opened the side door. The overhead door was down.

Billy had a look at Brian Groveman’s body and while he was in the garage, he opened the lid of the chest freezer.

“All the meat is gone, Ted.”

“No shit? I didn’t open the freezer, boss.”

Billy scrolled to Kody Kollard’s number and gave him a shout. “Kody, I’m here at Brian Groveman’s place—the guy with the freezer full of out-of-season meat.”

“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. Is he home now?”

“Yeah, he’s here Kody, and he’s dead. You didn’t confiscate the meat that was in the freezer, did you?”

“Nope, I wanted to talk to Groveman first. Ticket him, pull his license and take his rifle, then I’d take the meat and give it to the food bank or take it to the res. Like that.”

“Okay. Just checking on where the meat went. I’m waiting on the coroner. I’ll be in touch.”

“Sure, waiting to hear from you, Billy.”

Billy called Molly next. “Molly, see if you can get hold of Chuck and Terry. I forget their last names. Those friends of Wayne Treadway’s.”

“I know who you mean, Billy. I have their numbers from the last time I called them.”

“I want them in the office at three o’clock to answer some questions.”

“Copy that. I’ll call and have them here at three.”

“Thanks, Molly.”

Doctor Olsen arrived and while he examined Groveman’s body, Billy and Ted went through the house one more time looking for anything useful.

“Do you have your print kit with you, Ted?”

“In the truck. You want me to get started, boss?”

“Start in the garage.”

“Copy that, boss. Let me go get my gear.”

Steve’s Big Wheels. Lethbridge. Alberta.

11:30 a.m.

“You boys are in luck,” said Travis. “This truck stop offers an all-day breakfast.”

“I’m ordering pancakes,” said Virgil. “That will keep me going for a while.”

“Check the menu, son, you might want to order more than just pancakes.”

The server was quick to bring coffee and fill our cups and I was dying for caffeine. “What are you ordering, Dad?” I added a creamer to my coffee and took a sip.

“Don’t feel much like eating, Harlan.” Dad wiped the sweat off his forehead and pushed his long hair back from his face.

I glanced at Virge, and he nodded. Dad was showing all the signs Billy warned us about. He was coming undone, and it was all Tammy’s fault.

When we caught up to her, I planned to give her a good calling down for causing our dad so much fuckin stress. Didn’t she care about the man who saved her fuckin life and gave her a home?

After polishing off our big breakfast, me and Virge leashed Max and Sarge and walked them around the huge truck stop property. We made sure they drank water before putting them back into the Jeep. Hot as hell in Canada in July. No idea why I thought Canada would be cold all year long.

My turn to drive and I was turning the key to start the Jeep when Annie called to see how we were doing so far. Dad put the call on speaker so we could all hear her talking to us.

“I wasn’t sure you had Chance Fielding’s number with you, Travis. Do you want to write it down? You many need to call him when you find Tammy.”

“I’ll write it down,” said Virge in the back seat. “I’ve got a pen. Go, Mom.”

Annie recited the cell number and Virge got it down.

“Could you call him, Annie-girl, and explain what happened so far? I don’t think I can handle talking to him this morning.”

“Okay. I’ll try to get ahold of him and call you back.”

“Thanks.” Dad put his head in his hands and stayed that way while I drove north on route two heading for Calgary.

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

12:00 Noon.

After talking to Travis and hearing the shakiness in his voice, Annie called Lakeview Hospital to talk to Chance Fielding, Tammy’s psychiatrist. She relayed all the new developments and when she was finished, the doctor was clearly surprised.

“I’m absolutely stunned this is happening, Annie. I was positive Tammy was ready to leave the hospital.”

“She’s devious, Chance, and a lot smarter than she likes to let on. I believe she had you snowed for quite some time.”

“I hate to think any patient could fool me to that degree. I’m trained to see through their lies and deceptions. I’ll go back over my notes from her last two months of sessions and see what I can pick up.”

“Okay, thanks. Let me know if you come up with any clues as soon as you find them.”

“I will.”

Stampede Truck Stop. Calgary. Alberta.

12:00 Noon

Ray and Bobby stopped for lunch in Calgary. Thousands of tourists were pouring into the city for the stampede and traffic was heavy on all the major highways.

The ten-day yearly rodeo competition Calgary was famous for was underway and the city was geared up for it. Banners and signs everywhere you looked.

They ordered the lunch special and every time the waitress came to their table, Bobby flirted with her. A cute girl with short dark hair and dimples, she came by when they finished eating, asked about dessert and Bobby ordered cherry pie.

While she was gone to get the pie, Ray shook his head. “You shouldn’t be flirting with the servers, Bobby. That will make them remember you and that’s the last thing you want if the cops are nosing around.”

“How do you know what I want, Ray? Ever think I might want to wait until Linda has a break, then take her out to the truck for a quickie?” Bobby laughed. “Guess she’d be remembering me then, wouldn’t she?”

“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.”

Billy nodded. “This is a mess.”

“Can you manage the office without Travis?” asked Annie.

“Sure, but he’ll be stressed about being away and not knowing what’s going on. We have a second murder and I’m not telling him about it until he’s back. Nothing he can do from miles away, so it’s better if he doesn’t know.”

“That’s true,” said Annie. “It would be pointless to tell him and only intensify his stress.”

Revelstoke. British Columbia.

7:00 p.m.

Ray parked the truck in front of the restaurant Bobby said he’d been to before. “We’re only an hour away from the cabin, so we won’t have to get a hotel. I’ll call my real estate agent from here and tell him we’ll meet him at his office tomorrow morning around ten.”

“Don’t you think the cops will have eyes on the cabin, Bobby?”

“No, it’s been too fuckin long. They can’t afford surveillance lasting that long.” He laughed. “Even for a bad-ass like me. It ain’t worth it.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Ray.

Best Western. Revelstoke. British Columbia.

9:15 p.m.

Travis drove up to the front entrance of the hotel and shut off the engine. “Enough for one day, boys. We’re only about an hour or two from Bobby Prescott’s cabin and it’s pitch dark. We’ll eat dinner and get some sleep and start again in the morning.”

“Dogs are hungry too,” said Virge.

“Snap their leashes on and I’ll go in and get us a room.”

“Copy that.”

Dad hopped out of the Jeep and went into the hotel while me and Virge got the dogs leashed, ready for a short run.

“I don’t like the way this is going,” said Virge. “It feels all wrong.”

“In what way?” I didn’t get the warning vibes like my brother did.

“Tammy ain’t better, Harlan. She’s doing something weird, and it ain’t by chance.”

“You saying she planned to run from us when she got to the ranch?”

“She planned all of it when she was in the hospital. I think she did it all on purpose,” said Virge. “She acted like she was better and scammed her doctor, so they’d let her out on parole. She’s going after Eldon Fontana again.”

“No. I don’t think she’s that smart.”

Prescott Cabin. Sicamous. B.C.

9:30 p.m.

“This is a beautiful location, Bobby,” said Ray. “Even in the dark I can tell how nice it would be living up here.”

“I loved it before my life got torn apart by that bounty hunter and by Tammy.”

“You’ve told me all the stories, but I can’t picture a nineteen-year-old girl almost killing you.”

“Wouldn’t want to go through that again,” said Bobby. “What a fuckin nightmare that girl is. Funny thing is, she seemed nice and normal when I first picked her up on the side of the highway.”

“One point against picking up hitchhikers,” said Ray.

Bobby laughed as he stuck his key in the lock and turned the handle.

9:32 p.m.

Tammy sat in the dark waiting.

She’d seen the headlights come in and she watched the truck park in the driveway. A pickup. Eldon was driving and he had another guy with him.

She pulled out her gun, made sure it was ready to fire and stood next to the wall near the front door.

Eldon was talking to his friend about her while he was getting the door open, and Tammy didn’t like what she heard.

He called me a nightmare. That can’t be right. He loves me.

Bobby opened the door and let Ray walk in ahead of him. The lights flicked on…

Bang.

Ray dropped onto the pine floor, his lifeblood leaching into the polished wood.

Bobby stared at Tammy not quite believing he was seeing her standing in front of him with a gun pointing at him. “Close the door and turn off the lights.”

“You shot Ray, you crazy, crazy girl. I’ve got to get him to a doctor.”

“Too late for that, Eldon. He’s dead.”

Tammy swung her gun hard and hit Eldon on the side of the head. He hit the floor next to his friend.

Out cold.