Ch. 15: Secrets
The last thing she wanted to do this time of the night was drive to Sheridan. Unfortunately, the businesslike voice on the other end of the line told her that they would send out the police, but they would need someone from the business to come as well. Three calls to Zeke had gone unanswered.
That created a twinge of worry in Vic, but not too much. He was a man who was as dedicated to having a good time as he was his job. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he was at a bar somewhere with his phone turned off while he tried to pick up women. She tried to call him herself with similar results as she drove along the dark road.
She left Walt to take care of baths and bedtime. She noted the look of concern on his face. Thankfully, he kept his thoughts to himself. He wasn't always the best at that. Vic had grabbed her keys, pulled on her jacket, and left the cabin to venture out into the cold night. She tugged the zipper up on her jacket and cranked up the heat in her SUV as she pulled out, her headlights illuminating the land that surrounded the cabin.
This time of the evening, there was a spookiness to the familiar landscape that was absent during the day. Before she grew accustomed to it, she found the complete darkness and the open expanses disconcerting. It took some time to adjust and there were still moments when it could steal her breath away and leave her wondering how the earliest residents handled the emptiness out here.
As she drove, she realized she was the only one on the road. Not that it was a surprise. Traffic out here was thin during the day. It could be non-existent at night. That would change once she was out on the highway and closer to Sheridan. For now, she kept her eyes on the road, watching out for pronghorn or any other animals who might wander into her path.
Her phone lay dark on the passenger seat, her hope being that Zeke would see all the missed calls. If he were to call her, she could simply turn around and go home. The farther she got from the cabin, the less likely that seemed. After a while, she resigned herself to the full drive up to the small office that Zeke maintained for his PI business.
Vic was right and more cars dotted the road as she drew closer to her destination. Traffic was still sparse, but she felt less alone knowing that she wasn't the only one who was out. Even after all this time, there was a lonesomeness to Wyoming that she hadn't ever experienced anywhere else.
Sheridan was mostly quiet as she drove into town.
From a distance, she could see the glow of blue lights as she approached the small storefront of Zeke's office. Vic parked on the street, tucked her cell phone into her pocket, and slipped from her vehicle. As she crossed the sidewalk, she was met by a young officer who looked cold and like he would rather be inside.
She could certainly sympathize with the feeling.
"Evening."
Vic slowed and her boots scraped over the concrete.
"Hey. I'm Vic Moretti. The alarm company called me."
The young officer nodded to her and offered her a polite smile.
"I'm Officer Daniels. Thanks for coming out."
Vic eyed the building.
"Find anything?"
"Not when we arrived. It does look like someone tried to break in, but the door wasn't breached."
He led Vic over and she bent down, taking in the lock. There were obvious scratches on it that were fresh. Vic pulled out her keys and unlocked the door, finding the lock undamaged by the attempted break in. She pushed the door open and the officer walked in.
"I'll have a look around just to be on the safe side."
Vic nodded.
"Want me to stay here?"
He smiled again.
"Please."
Vic leaned on the wall while the officer flipped on the lights and started looking around the empty space. The small size of the space meant that it only took him a minute or so to ensure that the office was empty and secure. Once he was satisfied, he returned to Vic.
"Looks good. You staying or you want me to wait?"
She waved him off.
"You can go. I'll lock up."
He gave her a wary look.
"You sure."
Vic nodded.
"Yep."
Officer Daniels tipped the brim of his hat to her.
"Okay. Sorry to disturb you, but thanks for coming."
"Thank you."
She watched from the door as Daniels took long strides to his patrol car and got in, no doubt ready to get back into the warmth. She continued to stand at the door as the car started off, the blue lights turning off. Once the tail lights disappeared into a left turn, Vic closed the door and looked around the office.
It looked exactly as it always did with her small desk in one spot and Zeke's messy one in another. This was yet another facet of her life that was currently in a holding pattern. She had given Zeke her notice once she decided to return to the Sheriff's department. Her intention was to work all the way through so as not to leave him in the lurch. Right now, though, she didn't know what in the hell was going to happen.
Vic walked over to her own desk and looked it over. She would need to get their current cases as organized as possible before she left. Not tonight, of course. It would wait for another time. Without much thought, Vic left her own desk and wandered over to Zeke's. She rarely bothered with his desk. It was a mess that only he could decipher and she generally left him to it.
Now, though, she glanced at the mass of papers and pens that littered the surface. She would never claim to be the most organized person on earth, but Zeke seemed to take it to new levels. It worked for him she supposed. He always knew what was going on and nothing ever fell through the cracks. At least, not as far as she knew.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and made a face. She needed to get back on the road. But, she continued to stand and let her eyes roam over Zeke's space. She couldn't explain the feeling that held her there. It was something she couldn't even identify. Taking her hands, she slid a few folders around. Her eyes scanned the exposed tabs that held Zeke's familiar scrawl. All of the tabs were an ordinary white. She would assume later on when she really thought it that it was the red that caught her attention.
A red tab in a sea of white ones.
Vic leaned over and looked at the print. On all of the others, entire names were written with the last name preceding the first one. On the red one, there were simply letters.
VL
Vic traced her index finger over the letters, a question forming in her mind. Taking hold of the folder, she tugged it free from the stack that weighed it down. The folder slipped loose and Vic lifted it. As she did, something dropped out of it, hitting the floor with a light metallic sound.
"What the…"
Vic looked down and around. The last thing she needed to do was lose something. A glint caught her eye and she took three steps. Kneeling down, folder still in hand, Vic reached out and picked up the small object between her thumb and index fingers. It was cool in her hands as she held it up to inspect it.
It was a key.
A small, silver key.
xxx
Walt checked his watch.
He considered calling her. It wasn't so much that he expected her to check in. He did not. It was simply a nagging worry that he was unable to shake. Not simple at all in actuality. Walt looked out the front window of the cabin out towards the road. He was met with darkness. That was pretty much what he expected.
Both kids were in bed. It hadn't taken him long to get them both done with baths and into bed. Julian was old enough to bathe himself, which freed him up to get Anna into her crib before seeing to Julian. Once the boy was out and dressed in his pajamas, Walt found him brushing his teeth diligently. Settling Julian into his bed, Walt read to him for a while.
Through it all, his ears were alert and listening for sounds of Vic pulling in. If Julian wondered what was going on, he kept the questions to himself. There was no indication to Walt that the boy was worried about Vic's absence. After a couple of chapters, Walt turned out the lights and found himself back in the living room.
It had been a nice day. Those were few and far between these days if he were being honest. Only the call from the alarm company created any discord in the day, pulling Vic away. He wondered where Zeke was. It was unlike the man to be completely out of contact. Things happened, though. He was well aware of that.
Maybe he was with a woman.
Vic passed on all the tales of the multiple women that Zeke met and romanced for brief periods of time. He was not a man who seemed to believe in commitment where women were concerned. It was something that Vic found amusing and took in stride for the most part.
Still, something about the night had him feeling edgy.
Walt retrieved his phone from the coffee table and pulled up Vic's contact information. With careful fingers, he typed out a quick message to Vic. He wasn't big on texting. Walt preferred actual communication to the less personal version that Vic was so keen on. It seemed more appropriate considering the circumstances. He could almost picture the look on her face when she realized the message was from him. The slight smile that would just barely quirk up one side of her mouth.
It would amuse her, no doubt.
It usually did.
He hit the send button and heard the familiar tone of the message sending.
It was a basic message.
"Everything ok?"
As soon as she answered him, he figured the unease in his mind would lessen. He would know that she was okay. She would probably tell him that she was on her way home. It was a ride. He knew that.
Walt set the phone back on the coffee table and lowered his frame onto the couch. He drummed his fingers soundlessly on his leg while keeping his eyes on the phone. Vic usually answered about as quick as she did everything else. She almost always had her phone on her. When his phone didn't light up with a response, he shifted on his seat.
If she was driving in the dark, she might not be able to respond.
His attention was drawn from the dark phone by a flash of light across the window. Walt rose and crossed the floor quickly to peer out. From the distance, he couldn't see what vehicle it was, but he assumed it was Vic. That small spark of hope was quickly dashed when he realized that he was looking at the headlights of a pickup truck and not Vic's SUV.
Walt was out on the porch before the truck ever parked.
Once it reached the light given off by the cabin's exterior lights, he could see that it was Carson Cooper in a truck he hadn't seen before. Must be a new one. There were no decals on the side just yet, but the vehicle was white giving Walt the impression it would be his duty truck. There was a light bar on the top of it.
The door opened and Cooper was out. Walt noticed immediately that the man wasn't dressed for work. He was in what appeared to be jeans he worked in and a flannel shirt with a heavy jacket over it.
"Hey, Walt."
There was something in Cooper's manner that bothered him, something that set him even more on edge than he already was. Walt stayed where he was on the porch.
"Something wrong?"
"Is Vic here?"
Walt shook his head.
"No. She went to Sheridan."
"Sheridan? Why?"
"Something to do with the alarm at Zeke's office."
Cooper studied him with curiosity.
"Where's Zeke?"
"Don't know. They couldn't get in touch with him."
Cooper frowned.
"Yeah, me neither."
He walked up the steps.
"You hear from her since she left?"
"Nope. Is something wrong?"
Cooper ran a hand over his closely cropped hair.
"Can we go in and talk?"
Walt nodded.
"Sure."
He led Cooper inside, closing the door behind them. Cooper unzipped his jacket, but made no move to take it off. Instead, he pulled a folder from inside. Walt stood opposite the Sheriff and waited for some explanation.
"What's going on?"
Cooper shifted on his feet. The man was restless and that was unlike him.
"I've got something to tell you, Walt. Something I don't really understand and that you're…"
Cooper paused. Walt kept his eyes on the man in front of him, what little patience he still possessed was wearing thin as the seconds ticked by them.
"…you're not gonna like it."
xxx
Vic studied the key in her hand.
It shouldn't have been anything to her. Whatever file this was, she hadn't seen it before. She very nearly tucked the key back into the folder, but continued to examine it. If she didn't know any better…
Vic set the folder down and reached into her pocket. She pulled out her keys and sifted through them, looking for one in particular. Vic found it and compared the two keys. They were close. Damn close.
Her lockbox key.
"What the fuck?"
Vic murmured the words to herself. Vic shoved her keys back into her pocket and grabbed the file again. With a renewed interest, she looked at the red label. The one that was different from all the others that Zeke used. He might not be organized, but he was somewhat a creature of habit. All of his files were labeled in the same manner. At least, all the ones she knew about.
Vic opened the folder and started to look at the contents. There weren't very many. On top was a sheet of paper that looked torn from a notepad, the edges ragged. She looked at the writing. Time she was able to recognize. Times that very nearly looked random as her eyes moved down them. Off to the side were letters that didn't make very much sense. Maybe some shorthand. She recognized the writing. It was Zeke's.
Shuffling that sheet of paper out of the way, she looked through several other sheets of paper. Some were simply notes that made little sense with no real context. She shifted them out of the way. It was the last sheet of paper that caught her attention.
She knew it.
She'd seen it before.
The handwriting on it was her own.
Her job application.
An odd feeling started to work its way through her stomach. A sick feeling.
"What the fuck."
She repeated the words more as an exclamation than anything else.
Vic bit down on her bottom lip, her mind reeling through the possibilities.
Her eyes moved back to the tab. VL.
Vic…Longmire?
But, that didn't make any sense. She didn't carry Walt's name. Her legal name never changed.
Unless…
Her focus was shattered when the door opened. Vic startled and looked up nearly dropping both the key and the folder. Zeke was standing in the doorway with his eyes on her.
"Vic?"
He looked from her face down to her hands and took a step in her direction. Vic, out of sheer instinct, took a step back in order to maintain some distance between them. She held up the items in her hands.
"What is this?"
His eyes dropped again. In two quick strides, he closed the space between them and took both the folder and the key from her hands with little resistance. He set them on his desk, his back to her.
"Research."
He said the word nonchalantly as he turned to face her.
"What're you doing here, Vic?"
She blinked.
"The uh…the alarm was going off. No one could get in touch with you."
He walked around his desk and pulled open the top drawer. Reaching in, he pulled out his phone.
"Left my phone when I was here earlier. Sorry they pulled you out here this time of the night. The door looks jimmied."
Vic shook her head slightly. She was trying to maintain some sense of normalcy even though her stomach felt as though she just went down the highest drop on a roller coaster.
"Someone tried to break in, but the door was still locked when the police showed."
Her eyes moved by him to the file.
"What kind of research?"
"Into your case."
He said it in such a matter of fact manner that it caught her off guard. His tone implied she should know that. Nothing was amiss here.
"That key…"
He waved a big hand at her.
"It's not yours. It's a similar one I was using to show people."
It seemed like an acceptable answer to her question. This all felt like it could make sense. The thing was, there was a prickle up her spine that would not allow her to fully accept that.
"Learn anything else?"
"No. You should get on home. It's late."
He looked around.
"Walt at home? With the kids?"
Vic nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
She jutted her chin towards the folder.
"What's with the label?"
He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Why don't you just have my name on it?"
He shrugged.
"Just in case. I didn't want to take any chance with the law getting their hands on any of my files."
He gave her a slight smile.
"No offense."
Vic held his eyes.
"I'm not the law."
"Not yet."
There was something about him that seemed off. Zeke was generally relaxed where she was concerned. He was tense as he stood in front of her now. He lacked his characteristic charisma.
"Go on home, Vic. It's late."
She didn't move. She continued to stand and look at him.
She was startled again by the ringing of her own phone. Vic reached into her back pocket and pulled her phone out. She frowned as she read the name on the screen. Zeke shifted in her direction.
"Walt?"
"No…it's Cooper."
Vic swiped her thumb across the phone to answer the call. Just as she did, the phone was snatched from her hand.
"What the…"
She lifted her eyes to find Zeke holding her phone. He ended the seconds old call and dropped the phone on the floor. With a single move, he brought his boot down on the phone, smashing it and rendering it dark and useless.
Vic raised her eyes and stared at Zeke.
"What in the hell?"
Zeke's expression had changed. He looked…she couldn't quite place the look. Regretful?
"I'm sorry, Vic."
Zeke took a step towards her. Like earlier, she stepped back.
"For what?"
He eyed her, his eyes moving over her.
"You armed?"
There was no reason to bluff here. She was far outweighed by this man that she had never been afraid of. Not until this moment. It would take him about as much time to determine that himself as it had to destroy her phone.
She was confused.
She was afraid.
"That would be a violation of my bail conditions."
He smiled a little at her comment.
"It wouldn't be the first rule you've broken."
"I'm not armed. Should I be?"
Again, he smiled.
"It's best that you're not. Just to be on the safe side…"
He motioned at her jacket. Vic, knowing what he wanted, unzipped her jacket and pulled it apart so that he could see there were no weapons on her. He tipped his chin.
"Thank you."
He took another step and Vic found her back was to the wall and there was nowhere left to go. Zeke held up a hand as though he were trying to calm her.
"Don't worry. I don't have any intention of hurting you."
He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a zip tie.
"Zeke…"
He shook his head.
"Give me your hands."
"You just said you weren't going to hurt me."
She was hoping that Cooper would know something was wrong. Walt knew where she was. Right now, Walt knew where she was.
"I'm not. But…I need to be sure you don't try anything. Give me your hands."
Vic kept her hands at her side. Zeke released a sigh.
"Vic, don't make me…please."
He sounded as serious as she had ever heard him. Vic raised her hands and Zeke secured them in front of her with the zip tie.
"Hope that's not too tight."
"Do you really care? Zeke, what the fuck?"
He looked down and took her bound hands. He gave her a tug, pulling her towards him.
"You'll find out soon enough. For now, we got to get out of here."
xxx
Whatever hopes he had of a quiet night dissipated.
"This can't…"
Walt stopped talking as he studied the pictures that Cooper had produced. They were grainy, low quality pictures. But, with some tweaking, he knew what he was looking at. He knew who he was looking at.
Walt looked back at Cooper who was sitting stiffly on the couch, clearly a cocktail of worry and confusion. The very same that was currently swirling through Walt.
Cooper nodded slowly.
"It is, Walt. I don't know what it all means, or how it fits together. But, it is."
Walt chewed the inside of his cheeks as his eyes returned to the pictures.
"Zeke?"
"Yeah. These pictures came from a gas station across from the store where the key was made. That is Zeke going in around the same time the key was made. I showed his picture and they were pretty sure it was him."
"Thought you said they couldn't ID him."
"They could once they saw a picture. We can't ignore this, Walt."
"I know. But…why?"
Cooper shook his head.
"I don't know."
Walt handed him back the pictures and stood.
"Does anyone else know about this?"
"I called Cady. She was working late."
"Whitlock?"
"Don't know. I sent Cady the pictures and she said she would call him and get him back in the office. This is what we've been looking for. But…"
Walt inhaled deeply.
"Where is Zeke?"
A new sense of urgency was starting to creep in.
"I don't know. You just said no one could reach him."
"Vic is in Sheridan at the office. She needs…"
Cooper rose and put a hand on Walt's shoulder.
"We need to get up there. You call Cady and tell her you need her to watch the kids. I'll call Vic and tell her I'm sending her this in an email."
Walt nodded and grabbed his phone at the same time that Cooper did.
Cady answered on the first ring.
"Dad?"
"I need you, Cady."
"I'm already on my way to the cabin. I got Whitlock and he's on his way in."
"Really?"
For some reason that surprised Walt.
"Yeah. I didn't tell him what we had. Just that he needed to get his ass up and out."
Walt would have smiled under other circumstances. She had come a long way as Sheriff.
The call ended and he looked to Cooper who was looking at his phone.
"Did you get her?"
Walt was already moving to get his Colt from the bedroom.
"She answered, but…"
Walt stopped and looked at Cooper.
"But what?"
Cooper shook his head slightly.
"The call…ended?"
Walt honed in.
"What do you mean ended?"
He didn't bother trying to keep the alarm out of his voice.
"Like maybe she dropped her phone. The call cut off."
Walt turned away and retrieved his Colt. Slipping his holster onto his belt, he shoved his feet into his boots and grabbed his jacket and hat.
"I have to go."
For a minute, it looked like Cooper might try and stop him. Truthfully, he had no real legal authority. Cooper was the one with a badge. He must have known, though, there was no stopping Walt.
Cooper nodded to Walt.
"Go. I'll be behind you as soon as Cady gets here. I'll call the police up in Sheridan and get them over there."
Walt pulled the door open.
"Thank you."
With that, he was gone, the door closing hard behind him. He was behind the wheel of the Bronco and firing up the engine faster than he thought possible. The tires threw up gravel and dirt as he backed up, put the vehicle into drive, and hit the gas.
xxx
"Was all this you?"
The sick feeling of surprise had passed somewhat.
Vic sat in the passenger seat of Zeke's old truck as he drove down the highway. Zeke gripped the wheel tight with one hand, the other hand rested on his leg with his fingers typing out a restless rhythm. His eyes were fixed on the dark road that stretched out in front of them. Her hands were still bound up with the zip tie and sat in her lap. She felt restless as well as helpless. She was still trying to shove puzzle pieces into places they didn't seem to fit.
"No."
His answer came quickly and tersely.
"Then…what in the hell are you doing?"
Zeke shook his head.
"This wasn't supposed to happen?"
"What, Zeke? You fucking kidnapping me?"
She couldn't hold in her frustration. Zeke gave her a quick look.
"I'm not…kidnapping you."
She held up her hands.
"What do you call this?"
"I'm trying to figure this out. It wasn't supposed to go this way."
"What wasn't supposed to be this way?"
Zeke waved a hand at her.
"Just be quiet, Vic!"
She sighed and looked out the window. She knew where they were. Not that it was doing her any good in the moment. It might later on. Vic took a deep breath. Her phone was gone, smashed on the floor and left. It would be obvious that something happened. Hopefully, Cooper would know that something was wrong. Hopefully, he would call Walt.
She couldn't quite figure how Zeke played into all of this. She just knew it had to have something to do with her arrest and the murder of Garrett Perry. Vic looked his way and wondered how much she really had to lose in all of this. Would he hurt her? At this point, she had no idea.
"Did you kill Perry?"
Zeke gave her a sharp look.
"No!"
His answer was quick.
"Who did?"
"You don't want to know, Vic. The less you know, the better off you are."
"Really? Because this feels pretty shitty right now."
She tried to steady her own breathing. Spiraling was not going to help. She needed to keep her wits about her. She needed to stay in control of herself as much as possible considering everything that was happening.
She set her jaw and turned her eyes back to Zeke.
"Are you going to kill me?"
He looked her way again before turning his eyes back to the road.
"No…I don't want to hurt you. I never did."
"Forgive me if I don't believe you."
"You will."
"Sure."
Silence settled over them. Vic turned her attention back to the road. They were still on the highway and she wondered where they were going. The route they were on would eventually take them to Cody. Surely, he didn't plan to stay on main roads, though. At some point, there would be a BOLO put out for her and everyone knew what Zeke drove. At some point, he would either need to change vehicles or he would have to take backroads where they were less likely to be spotted by the highway patrol.
With his background and extensive knowledge of law enforcement, Zeke would know that.
"Did you set me up for murder?"
She couldn't keep the disbelief out of her voice.
"No. It wasn't…"
He stopped and brought both hands up to the wheel. With a suddenness she didn't see coming, he jerked the wheel and hit the brakes at the same time. The truck slid onto the side of the road and Vic was shoved up against the door by force. Without her mind even processing the move, her bound hands found the door handle and pulled. This truck had no automatic locks. The door opened and Vic found herself on a slight incline as they were on the edge of a ditch. She more or less tumbled out of the truck even as Zeke reached for her across the cab. His fingers brushed her sleeve, but missed.
Vic scrambled for purchase on the ground, trying to get her feet under her. She heard Zeke's door open and close and the heavy tread of his boots as he came around the front of the truck. She was just getting on her feet when he grabbed the back of her jacket and slung her towards the truck.
There was no give in the metal and Vic's back hit it with a thud. Zeke took hold of the front of her jacket and held her there. From his pocket he withdrew a revolver. Vic's eyes widened as he brought the gun around, aiming it just by her head.
"Stop, Vic. I don't want to hurt you."
He said the words with force. Vic could feel her heart thumping hard in her chest, her breathing coming fast as the adrenaline coursed through her.
"Get off of me!"
She pushed at him, but with her hands secured, she was no match for a man his size. His grip tightened.
"God damn it, Vic. Stop."
He released her momentarily, brought his free hand up, and slapped her hard across the side of her face. The blow sent sparkles through her head and her eyes snapped close for just a minute. When she opened them, Zeke had resumed his hold on her. The gun was still in his hand. His face was flushed with anger.
"I don't want to hurt you."
Funny coming from a man who just had.
Vic's chest heaved hard. Zeke tilted his head slightly towards her.
"I don't want to hurt you."
His words were quiet now, eerily so. Vic leaned her head back against the truck with a light thump. He held up the gun so that she could see it.
"This…isn't meant for you."
Vic narrowed her eyes as he tucked the gun back into his pocket. Keeping a grip on her, he gave her a push.
"Get in."
"Zeke…what are you doing?"
"Just get in."
He pushed at her. Vic resisted.
"Did you set me up?"
He shook his head.
"No. It wasn't…"
He stopped again.
"We have to go. Get in the truck."
"No."
He gave her a long look.
"Vic…"
She could detect the edge of a warning in his words.
"Zeke…I…trusted you. What the fuck is happening here?"
Something seemed to drain out of him. He looked down and she knew that he was thinking. He raised his hand and wiped his face.
"Get in the truck and I'll explain it."
"If you want me back in that truck, you're gonna have to force me."
"I don't want to hurt you."
"You just fucking did."
She spit the words out.
"They'll find you, Zeke. I don't know what in the hell is going on here. But, they'll find you. Cooper has probably already called Walt. You know that Walt will come."
"I know."
He dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. He looked down and stepped back.
"Fuck!"
He sounded out of breath and defeated. Zeke shook his head and stepped farther away again. He reached into his pocket and she tensed with the thought that he might be reaching for the gun again. She didn't believe his continued insistence that he didn't want to hurt her. Even if he thought he meant it, there was a desperation in Zeke that scared her shitless.
This was not the man she knew. It was not the man she'd worked for all this time. She trusted that man. She liked that man. She considered him a friend. This person in front of her was someone that she did not know and that scared the hell out of her.
This didn't seem possible, yet here they both were.
To her relief and further confusion, it wasn't a gun he pulled from his pocket. It was his phone. He looked at it as though considering his options. Then, he raised his eyes and looked her directly in the face. Their gaze held for a few seconds before Zeke spoke again.
"Whatever you hear from this point forward, remember that I never thought it would lead to this. I never intended for you to get hurt. I didn't know."
Vic tilted her head.
"Didn't know what?"
She appealed to him. The adrenaline rush had passed her by as well as the immediate fear that he was about to shoot her on the side of the road and drive off. If he was going to kill her, he would have likely already done it.
"I can't…I don't have time. You're right. Walt will come. So will half the cops in this part of Wyoming."
He held the phone up so that it was clearly in her line of sight. Then, he turned and threw the phone into the darkness. Vic's head turned automatically, watching the small phone disappear with an arc that ended in the brush that grew off the road.
She turned her eyes back to Zeke and knew they were full of questions. He seemed to know what she was thinking. Zeke gestured at the truck.
"I am going to drive away. Go get the phone and call Walt. By the time they get here, I'll be gone."
Vic held up her hands. Zeke shook his head.
"No. Sorry. I can't make it that easy. Got to buy myself some time."
He paused, keeping his eyes on her.
"Whatever you believe, Vic, I am sorry. This was not how this was supposed to go."
His cryptic words did little to quell the storm that was going on in her mind.
He backed away from her and in the direction of the driver's side door. He was still looking her way when Vic heard a crack that made her flinch. Her body jerked with a sickening anticipation that never came.
Zeke jerked and his eyes widened. His eyes were fixed on Vic for a handful of seconds, his mouth open in sheer surprise. Slowly, his chin dipped and he looked down, taking in his own body. A dark stain was starting to spread across his jacket.
Blood.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out. He started to take a step when another crack rang out and Zeke jerked again. This time, he dropped, his eyes sliding away from her. He went down to his knees, then sprawled out face first on the ground, his hands gripping at the dirt.
After that, he went still.
She heard footsteps out in the darkness and pushed away from the truck. A shadow emerged and she squinted. The figure moved close enough for her to see his face and her stomach dropped all over again.
He still held a rifle in his hands when his eyes met hers.
Vic swallowed, her mouth dry.
"Motherfucker."