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That the man Brett needed to talk to answered the office phone surprised him. “Sheriff, this is Deputy Marshal Brett Rollins. Things must be bad if you’re answering your office phone.”
“Riker’s on paternity leave, and of course, Doris is on break right now. Have you found the escaped prisoner yet?” The man didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“No, but she is why I’m calling. Could I stop by and pick up the files you have on the investigation of her husband’s murder? I’m thinking I could get a clue as to where she might go from them.” Brett hoped the sheriff would be agreeable. But that depended on his mood.
“I’m always happy to help a fellow officer of the law, but you’re going to owe me.” Kennard must keep a log.
“Matt’s father believes you have Matt’s cell phone and laptop. Throw them in and you’ve got a deal.” Brett knew he was pushing his luck, but why not shoot for the moon?
“Geez, Rollins, you’ve got the nerve of a Brahman bull, but I’m feeling generous. Plus, I’d really like to catch that woman. I’ll have Doris pull everything on the case.”
“Thanks. Someone will pick it up this afternoon.” Clicking off his cell, Brett glanced at his watch. Making those calls had made him late yet again.
He dashed up the steps to the courthouse and climbed the flight of stairs to the marshals’ wing. Through the glass divider to Gabe’s office, he saw Walter Tyler. They looked deep in conversation. It surprised him that the attorney general was there, especially since Brett had just been with him this morning and he had never mentioned that he planned to pay Gabe a visit. Tyler’s bodyguard waited next to Gabe’s door.
“Nice of you to join us,” Charmaine said when he walked by her desk on his way to his own. Her long black hair had been pulled to the back of her head and was held there with a turquoise beaded barrette, which was the way she wore it most days. She dragged her leather purse from her desk drawer. “Did you hear that late last night, Dania was spotted by some state troopers at the Quick Mart about a hundred miles up the highway?”
“Really?” He shook his head like it was unbelievable.
“Yeah, I guess she hitched a ride with a trucker. Who knows, she could be in Canada by now.” Char took out a new pack of winter-fresh gum and dropped her purse back into the drawer. She stared at him as if she questioned why he didn’t have more of a reaction.
“You surprise me, Char.” He sat at his desk and turned on his computer.
“What do you mean?” Her thin brows bunched together as she pulled out a stick and offered it to Brett.
He shook his head. “Because you know I always get my man—or, rather, woman. Don’t give up on me yet.”
“I’m not. I’m just telling you what I heard. But I know it’s eating a hole in your gut that you haven’t caught her yet.” She tore the wrapper off the gum he’d declined and stuck it in her mouth.
Wanting to change the subject, he said, “I hear you caught Bertha.”
“Her boyfriend beat the tar out of Coop before he slapped cuffs on him.” She shook her head. “BB and I didn’t have near the trouble with Bertha. But sadly, the other guy with them got away. Coop and BB are in there now”—she pointed to the interrogation room—“questioning Bertha, trying to get her to flip on her boyfriend. He’s lawyered up and is in holding.”
Brett glanced at Olivia’s empty desk. “Have you heard how Olivia’s doing?”
“I stopped to see her on my way in this morning.” She leaned her elbows on her desk. “She’s weak but getting stronger. Had quite the story about Dania. Too bad she was a no-show at your market stakeout.”
“It was a very cold and long night.” In more ways than one. He wished he could tell her more. “What did Olivia say?”
Char grabbed a stack of papers off her desk and got up. “That Dania had the perfect opportunity to kill her but didn’t. Instead, she did her best to save her life.”
At that moment, BB and Coop came out of the interrogation room, grim looks on their faces.
Coop gave Brett a hello nod as both he and BB headed to Brett’s desk.
“I need to retire.” Coop walked with a limp. His right eye was black-and-blue and nearly swollen shut.
BB patted his arm. “The important thing is we got our man.” Always the person who tried to find good in every situation, BB had only a slight smile flitter to her lips, and then it vanished. She pushed her glasses up her nose and looked at Brett.
“What did Bertha tell you?” He had a feeling by their reactions that he wasn’t going to like what she said.
Coop dropped into the chair beside Brett’s desk. “That Dania Black shot and killed Ted.”
Chapter Eighteen
Dania had gone over andover Matthew’s planner. She’d made a note for Brett to look into a rancher with the last name of Skinner, but other than that, she was out of ideas.
Deep inside, she couldn’t help but think Val might know something. She hoped Brett could find out more from him. She should be the one to ask him, but with all that Brett was doing to help her, she needed to do what he’d said and stay put.
