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“No, I don’t want him with Thorn. That would be way too comfortable for him—for both of them. For now we’ll put Raza in with Garrison.”
Billy raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Didn’t think of that, but scaring the crap out of him might work.”
“Okay. Let’s lock them up and drag our asses up to Oilmont. I have to drop off a case of beer to Jud Winedot while I’m up there. I owe him one for finding the truck.”
Before we left, I went to the squad room and told Molly details on everything that was happening. She and Tammy were eating donuts at the front desk and drinking coffee.
Max and Sarge were sticking close and waiting for bites of donuts. I had to disturb them, but I wasn’t keen on them having sugar anyway. It wasn’t good for them. “Come on, doggies.”
Thorn Ranch. Oilmont.
On the way to the Thorn ranch, I dropped off Jud’s beer at the county yard for him and left it in the office. I couldn’t leave it on his porch in this weather.
Ten minutes outside of Oilmont we arrived at the Thorn ranch. Billy pulled up close to the house and we knocked on the door.
Robert wasn’t happy about letting us in. He and his wife Gail were in the middle of eating lunch when we barged into their kitchen.
“Go ahead and finish your lunch, then we’ll take y’all to the station. You are both under arrest for suspicion of facilitating a homicide and for moving a dead body.”
“Under arrest?” Gail immediately began to whimper and she said, “You said they’d never find out, Robert.”
“Shut up, Gail. They don’t have any evidence or they would’ve arrested us before now.”
I smiled. “The wheels turn slow, don’t they?”
The Thorns decided they couldn’t eat any more of their lunch and Billy encouraged them to get their coats on and lock up the house.
Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.
“Back again, Molly,” I hollered from the back door and she came to see if she could help Billy with the new bookings. Molly would be the one keeping Billy on the straight and narrow after I was gone.
Gail Thorn was in tears and shaking pretty badly at the thought of spending a night in jail. She was obviously pissed at her husband for getting them mixed up in Chris’s murder, but the reason they were mixed up in it wasn’t clear yet. At least not to me. There had to be a reason. Some kind of payoff for the Thorns—or Thorn owed Raza a favor. Had to be a reason.
I had a coffee in my office while the fingerprinting and the mug shots were taking place. Tammy came in and asked if we were going home soon.
“Yep. As soon as the new prisoners are locked up, we’re out of here. One thing we have to do on the way home is pick up the horse trailer for Outlaw.”
“Did you buy it?”
“Yep. It’s ready for us at the feed store.” I checked my phone and Savanna had left a message. “We’ll hook onto it and tow it home.”
“Outlaw will be so excited.”
“Don’t think so. He don’t like tight spaces like that, Tam. Go see if Billy is ready to lock the Thorns up. I’ll come and help him.”
Tammy was back in a flash. “Yep, he’s ready.”
I unlocked the run and we put Gail Thorn in with Suzie Concordian. “There you go, girls. You can have some girl talk while you wait for your arraignments on Monday morning.”
“We have to stay in here for two days?” screamed Suzie.
I smiled thinking Miss Suzie would soon be losing her shit and we’d have all the evidence we’d need.
“Judges don’t work on the weekends,” said Billy.
I opened the last empty stall and shoved Robert Thorn in. The door clanked shut and had a sound of finality to it. Made me smile.
“Y’all will get supper later on and you won’t see me until tomorrow. Enjoy your evening.”
