Page 37 of Rocky Ride

“Great. That’s what we need more than anything. Billy and Harlan can look shit up but for the druggies and some of the other criminals and creepers, we need somebody to go way deeper.”

“I’m happy to try. When we moved off the grid, I left all of my equipment behind.”

“Did you…like save it in case the mountain gig didn’t work out?” asked Virge.

Sunday laughed. “Yes. I have all my stuff in a storage locker in Missoula.”

“Smart girl,” I said. “That was good thinking.”

Chores finished, we went back to the house and Billy was taking a call on the sheriff’s phone. He wrote stuff down then said to us, “Robbery at the package store in Cut Bank.”

“Huh,” said Virge.

“Molly’s day off, Harlan,” said Billy. “You feed the prisoners at the station. Virge and I will take the robbery scene.”

“I’ll take a ride to the robbery,” said Travis.

“I’ll help Harlan,” said Sunday. “I want to see the station and get a look at the prisoners.”

Sheriff’s Office. Coyote Creek.

Sunday and Butchie came with me to feed the prisoners. We started across the street picking up the breakfast containers the diner supplied on the county’s tab.

“Right now we only have two prisoners. Jerry Paige—he killed his wife in our parking lot right outside the back door of the station. And Lila Gordon—she’s the leader of a gang of women who hate strip clubs. She’s an arsonist.”

“Never heard of people who hate strip clubs,” said Sunday, “but there are groups for every topic. One more good reason to live off the grid. You don’t have to hear about stupid shit anymore. That’s the good part.”

Getting killed by a fuckin bear is the bad part.

“Yeah, we never heard of the WASC women neither until they tried to burn down Krystal’s Palace in Ethridge.”

“You live an exciting life, Harlan.”

“Not really, but I’m happy living with my dad and my brother and with Billy. I never had a family before Travis picked me up from Juvie Hall.”

“Your dad is a good person. Easy to see that.”

“Yep, he’s the best.”

Tarlow’s Beer & Liquor. Cut Bank.

Perry Tarlow stood in front of his vandalized store waiting for the sheriff to show up. Just down the street from Katie’s Good Eats, the local diner, Tarlow’s Beer and Liquor was the only package store in Cut Bank and did a thriving business.

Overnight the store had been trashed.

Perry let Billy and Virge in the front door and was about to lock it when he saw Travis struggling to get out of the truck. “I think your buddy is trying to come with you.”

“That’s Sheriff Frost,” said Billy. “He’s injured. Stay in the truck, Travis.”

Travis shook his head and kept on coming.

“I’ll get his crutch if he’s coming in,” said Virge.

“What happened to him?” asked Perry.

“Wolves got him,” said Billy. “Tore his leg up bad.”

“Fuck. Wolves? Did it happen around here?”

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