AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let my son go, or I’ll shoot,” hollered Purcell. “This is your last chance. I’ll kill you if I have to.”
I stepped out the door with my Sig in my hand and said, “Drop it, Mister Purcell. Drop the gun.”
As soon as he turned the barrel of the shotgun towards me, I shot him in the knee. Down he went, pulling the trigger at the same time. The blast went wide and before he could get ready for another, I ran over and jerked the gun out of his hands.
“Billy, get Roger locked up. I’ll call for an ambulance for dear old dad.”
“Copy that,” said Billy.
When the ambulance arrived for Purcell senior, I sent Billy with him to the hospital. Purcell was under arrest and would soon be sharing space with his son. I’d give them the family rate.
After the shooting was over and things calmed down, I spent some time with Molly going over all the reports and the bookings that had to be filed. She had tons to do and Billy could help her when he got back from the hospital with Mister Purcell.
Billy only had a couple of weeks to learn all about the reports and the inner workings of the sheriff’s office. He had to get the feel of what had to be done with every call and every arrest that came into the office. He’d done very little campaigning so far and I needed to get on his ass about that too.
Glenda seemed keen on watching what was going on at Molly’s desk. Lots of wannabee deputies and that was great. I was cutting out at my earliest opportunity.
A plan was formulating in my brain and was growing stronger and becoming more real with every passing day.
I took a call in my office from Tammy’s doctor at the hospital telling me she was awake and I could see her. “I’ll be there in an hour. Thanks for the call, Doctor.”
I finished up what I was doing and got ready to leave. I was reaching for my coat when Molly called me to the squad room and introduced me to Tibor Garrison’s lawyer.
“This is Walt Thatcher, Sheriff Frost,” said Molly.
Thatcher shook my right hand and stared at the sling holding my left arm close to my body. “I’d like to have a few minutes with my client.”
“We don’t have any meeting rooms here,” I said, “but you can talk to him in the run.”
“Sure, that will do.”
I let Walt Thatcher into the run and pointed the way to Tibor Garrison locked in the last cell, the farthest away from Foster and Purcell.
“Last cell on your right, Mister Thatcher. Take your time.”
“Appreciate it, Sheriff.”
Cut Bank Hospital.
Glenda drove me to the hospital and I was getting kind of used to her sporadic driving. She’d been kind and generous to me with her time, putting her life on hold to help me through the mess I was in.
“I want to thank you for getting me through the last few hours, Glen. You’ve been great.”
She smiled at me over the console. “I like you a lot, Travis. You’re a tough sheriff and a complicated person, and I find that appealing.”
I laughed. “I bet I don’t appeal to many people.”
“Billy told me you have a wife you don’t live with.”
“That’s right. That’s not a secret. She lives in Texas and I don’t live with her because…”
“Because?”
“Because she’s too good for me. Annie is worlds above me and I destroyed our relationship. Can we please not talk about this?”
“Sure. I’ll drop you at the front door and then I’ll go get my car. I need to go home and shower and change.” She glanced down at the blood on her clothes. My blood.
“Thanks again for everything.”
