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“I’ll get them, Bonnie.” I waved Billy over. “Drive Bonnie home while I finish up here and then we’ll move forward.”
“Copy, boss.”
I watched as Billy helped Bonnie out of the store, his arm supporting her as she stumbled from exhaustion. It pained me to see how shaken she was, but I knew it was necessary to get her out of the store and away from the gruesome scene she had just witnessed.
As soon as Billy left with Bonnie, I had a minute to pull out the scrap of paper she’d written the tag down on. I punched the letters and numbers into my phone and the light blue pickup she’d seen the robbers jump into belonged to a guy named Roger Purcell. The address on the registration was for a rural route outside of Valier, southwest of Coyote Creek.
Sorting priorities in my head, I figured it was more important for Billy and I to head down to Valier right away instead of tracking down witnesses who had run from the scene. Talking to the witnesses was something Molly could do and I called the station and set her on it.
“Sheriff, I heard about Tim and Savanna. Worst thing that ever happened in this town.”
“A bad day, Molly. Lots for all of us to do.”
“How can I help you, Travis?”
“While Billy and I are tracking the robbers, I need you to call in the two people who were in the store when the robbery went down. They didn’t stick around and we need their statements.”
“Yes, we do. Did you get their names?”
“You may know them. Liz Miller and Seth Thomas.”
“I know them casually. I’ll contact them right away and have them come to the station and give their statements. You and Billy be careful. Please.”
“We will.”
Billy drove the squad with the dented front door, and as we got further out of town, the roads became snowier and harder to navigate.
“We’ve got to find his fuckin mailbox,” said Billy. “That’s all we’ve got to go on.”
“Snowplow knocked a few of them off their posts and they’re sitting on the snowbank.” I pointed to a couple as we went by.
“I don’t think that map woman has ever set foot up here in God’s country,” said Billy.
“We’re looking for Purcell.”
“Be a bitch if he lived with somebody else and his name wasn’t on the fuckin box.”
My cell rang and it was the call I was waiting for. “Jack, what’s going on at the hospital?”
“Savanna is out of the operating room and they took her to intensive care. No visitors today. Call tomorrow for an update on when we can see her. That’s all I know for now.”
“Sometime tomorrow,” I repeated.
“Yeah. Long time to wait.” Jack sounded tired.
“Go to the Run, Jack. Billy and I will come as soon as we can.”
“Where are you now?”
“Down near Valier looking for a guy named Roger Purcell.”
“Don’t know him. Is he the guy who stabbed Savanna?”
“Don’t know. The other guy might be Burke Foster. Not a positive ID on him, but a guess from Bonnie.”
“Red beard?” asked Jack.
“Yeah, Bonnie said he had a red beard.”
