Page 67 of River Ride

Buddy pulled the boat up close to Kody’s body and cut the engine. “He’s gonna be harder than a muskie to get into the boat.”

Buddy was right about that. Kody was waterlogged and slippery and slimy and he gave us a lot of trouble while we were lifting him out of the water.

We struggled getting Kody’s dead weight into the boat. Buddy was skilled at leaning over the side and lifting fish or nets or whatever and he helped Travis a lot. With a lot of grunting and groaning, we finally got Kody up and over.

Severely waterlogged, Kody flopped onto the bottom of the boat and brought a lot of the Milk River with him. There was a good two inches of water covering the bottom of the boat and it all came from Kody’s body.

Buddy drove us back to his marina, tied up the boat and helped us get Kody onto the dock. That’s where we sat waiting for Doctor Olsen to come from the morgue in Cut Bank.

“Thanks for your help, Buddy,” said Travis. “You be sure to bill Harrison County for the boat rental and for your time too. You helped us out a lot today.”

“Feel bad about Kody, Sheriff. Who in hell would kill a nice guy like that?”

“I’m gonna find out,” said Travis. “We all liked Kody. Somebody is gonna pay for taking him out.”

“Must have been killed somewhere past Carny’s bait shop.” Buddy frowned. “I’m trying to think what’s up there and can’t recall much of anything.”

“I’ll drive up there and have a look tomorrow,” said Travis. “Tramp over every fuckin inch of it if I have to. I’ll find the crime scene.”

“Yeah, we’ll find out where the murder happened.”

Doctor Olsen arrived a few minutes later and examined Kody Kollard’s bloated body. “I can’t see an obvious cause of death, Travis. Sorry.”

“I can wait until you examine him at the morgue, Doc, but I don’t see gunshot wounds in his chest like the other two victims.”

“I agree. This is not the same MO, and I can’t rule out accidental drowning until the autopsy is complete. I’ll get at it as soon as I can.”

“We’ll help you with the body bag and get him in the van for you before we go back to the station,” said Travis.

On the way back to the shop, Travis called Billy and told him that Kody Kollard was definitely deceased and he should proceed with the notification.

“I was hoping it wasn’t him,” said Billy.

“I think we all were,” said Travis. “Damned shame, that’s what it is.”

Walgreens. Lafayette. Louisiana.

Tammy spotted a drug store and went in to buy the medical stuff to take care of her leg like the nurse told her to do.

She grabbed a cart and leaned on it heavily while she shopped. She roamed the aisles and picked up a couple more T-shirts and then spent a few minutes in the cosmetic section buying new makeup.

Tammy hadn’t spent much time on herself since they let her out of the hospital jail, and she needed to do better. Eldon used to say she was beautiful, but he hadn’t said that lately. He was still mad at her, but he’d get over it.

Passing the pain section, she bought extra-strength Advil—large size. The pain pills the nurse had given her worked the best, but they were going fast and she’d soon be out of them. Every time they wore off, the pain in her leg drove her insane. She cursed Eldon’s dog and wanted to kill it more with every passing day.

“I ever see you again, Cleo, you are a dead fucking dog.”

Tammy left the drugstore and concentrated on finding a place to stay. Even though finding Eldon was her first priority, she had to lie down and put her leg up if it was going to have any chance of healing. Driving the Freightliner made her leg ache, and she needed a long break to get the healing started.

“I need a motel where I can park the truck in front of my room and walk right in. No stairs or long hallways.”

Gulfview Motel. Breaux Bridge. Louisiana.

Tammy didn’t find the perfect motel until she drove out of Lafayette along the I-10 and came to Breaux Bridge. There it was at the side of the highway with a red neon vacancy sign in the window.

She parked the big bruiser next to the office and limped inside to get a room. The clerk behind the desk noticed the size of the truck Tammy was driving and gave her the room at the end of the motel.

“You’ll have more room for your truck down at the far end, Miss,” said the clerk as he slid her key across the counter. “Enjoy your stay.”

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