So only one more chapter to go after this one. How do you like the solution? Hope it surprises you as much as it did me while writing it :D
Art drove them to a diner and after a huge plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and two bagels along with a half liter of coffee, Raylan began to feel more like himself again. He could concentrate much better now and the light-headed feeling vanished.
"How about the fugitive? Have you found her yet?" he asked as he finally put knife and fork away. They had eaten in silence, Raylan figured that Art was either way too tired for talking or that he simply wanted to wait until he had finished his meal.
"Still no trace of her. Could be anywhere. I hope she won't hear about the events at her former home...if not there might still be a chance that she'll turn up there. We have eyes on the house all the time." he sighed. "We could really need Tim with this, gonna have to split up and visit every person in and around Lexington that have a connection to the Bells. We better get back to the office again if you feel up to it. You had enough to eat?" he managed a little smile.
"I'm stuffed. Let's go."
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Rachel stepped on the corridor and approached them fast. She had a very concerned look on her face.
"Raylan! Are you alright?" To his surprise she quickly hugged him.
"I'm fine, Rachel."
"Art told me what happened...I shouldn't have left you there..." she cried.
"You didn't have a choice, calm down."
"What's this?" Rachel pointed to his neck. Raylan had almost forgotten about the colorful bruise which had formed there during the night. He wasn't sure whether one could still make out the mark of the needle there. If he was very unlucky this could jeopardize his story.
"Ah, it's nothing..." he quickly covered the bruise with his hand, rubbing it slightly. "Must've happened when Bell and I were brawling..." Rachel seemed satisfied with that explanation but he caught a glimpse of Art's alarmed and suspicious expression. That wasn't good. Raylan quickly strolled towards his desk and sat down behind it to avoid more of these looks.
"Any news?" asked Art as Rachel also placed herself on her chair.
"Still nothing...Just came back from Christian Bell's parents, I also visited this friend of him. They seem to be the only persons he has contact with, which could also know Susan. But his parents and also his buddy said they haven't seen Susan Bell for years. I also quickly searched the apartments, no trace of her." she sighed. "I guess she's not as dumb as we thought she'd be. She's propably planning to lie down low some place else before paying her husband a visit."
"Letting the waves settle..." muttered Art.
"Clever girl..." Raylan had to admit. "So what we're gonna do next?"
"Guess the next step would be to put her face in the local news...TV and papers. I tried to avoid it 'cause it's not gonna get any easier when she knows we're actually looking for her...if she doesn't know already." said Art. "Well, I'll go and make the calls..."
He disappeared behind his office-door.
"So what exactly happened?" asked Rachel immediately. Raylan raised his eyebrows in suprise.
"Didn't Art tell you?" "Just a very short version...what means basically only that you shot Bell in the knee and escaped."
"Well, that's about it, there isn't much to tell. Right after you left I tried to get a hold of his gun...didn't quite work out we ended up on the floor struggeling and Bell somehow threw me against a table or something like that. Next thing I know is me being down in that shabby basement."
"And how did you shoot Bell? You didn't have your gun on you." wanted Rachel to know. Raylan started to think of a plausible answer what caused his head to ache some more. But before he could answer the questions he heard footsteps on the corridor. And some heavy coughing right after that. It sounded oddly familiar. He turned around in his chair to look at their visitor and found out that it was in fact Tim Gutterson. He looked even worse than the day before with his nose galled red from the use of too many handkerchiefs and a pale face. His hair was messy and he was wearing grey sweatpants and a slightly shabby looking pullover.
"Tim? What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to take the rest of the week off." called Rachel out. Their colleague grinned a very wide grin which suddenly made him look a bit healthier.
"I brought you guys a present." he stated with a very hoarse voice. "You might want to go get Art."
"What is it?" Raylan was very curious now. The grin got even wider, almost splitting his face in half.
"Well, I got one Susan Bell sitting in my car!" he finally gave away. Complete confusion followed. Rachel quickly went to tell Art.
"How in the world did you do that?" their Boss seemed very happy, relieved and devastated the same time.
"I drove to a pharmacy this morning to get some nose spray and something against that shitty cough when I suddenly saw her there. She kinda shows the same sympthoms like me, you shouldn't get too close to her if you ask me."
"Wait a moment..." Art raised a hand to stop Tim's report. "How'd you know what she looks like?"
"Rachel kept me posted."
"He asked me to. Wouldn't stop calling me after he heard what happened to Raylan." admitted Rachel in defense."I sent Tim a photo of her some time in the early morning."
"Alright...I get the picture. And you just saw her standing there in the line at the pharmacy?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened. I checked the photo on my phone again and when I was sure that it was her I quickly showed her my badge and convinced her to follow me back to the car, where I kept my cuffs."
"Convinced her?" inquired Raylan who was also grinning by now. "I may have used my gun for it." admitted Tim. "You had your gun and badge on you for buying some stuff at the pharmacy on your day off?" asked Art unbelievingly.
"Well, you never know..." All of them burst out laughing. Raylan had to admit that even himself maybe wouldn't have taken his weapon to a pharmacy.
After that Raylan and Rachel accompanied Tim down to his van to find Mrs. Bell sitting in there hands cuffed to the steering wheel. She was a rather small lady, very slim and with long blonde hair. She could have looked pretty it her face wouldn't have that very resentful look on it. She looked older than she actually was, the time in prison had caused many creases to form on her face. Raylan cut her loose but decided to immediately cuff her again because she made an attempt to punch him on the nose. Fortunately Rachel had seen it coming and stopped her flying fist in the air. With her hands cuffed again Susan Bell tried to spit on them until Raylan quickly turned her around in a direction in which she wasn't facing anyone of them. So now she had to be content with calling them some of the nastiest names Raylan had ever heard – even in Harlan.
They brought her back in the office and into one of the cells.
"Very well." Art looked clearly relieved. "State troopers are already on their way to escort her back to the border. I got enough of this case." He turned around to face Tim. "Good job, Tim. Very good job. But now I want you to get back home and rest. I don't wanna see you here again 'till you stopped looking like Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, understood?" Tim chuckled a bit.
"Yeah, I'm outta here. You guys should also take a break, look pretty worn-out. Especially you two." He eyed his boss and also Raylan.
"Get lost." said Art harshly but with a smile on his lips. Tim waved them a goodbye and left. Art's expression became grave again as soon as the doors had closed behind the younger marshall. He turned to face Raylan.
"Can I speak to you for a minute? In my office."
"Uhm, of course..." muttered Raylan with a very bad feeling in his guts.
"Rachel, could you start the report for this one? The sooner we're done here, the better."
"No problem." she placed herself behind her desk and turned her computer back on while Raylan followed Art in his office.
