There was high excitement and energy in the office when she returned from the Bee, full of pancakes, good coffee, gossip and a Danish in a crisp paper bag for Ruby. It sounded like everyone was talking at once, so they didn't hear her come in the side door. Vic had to yell for their attention

"HEY!"

Everybody was gathered around Ferg's computer, bunched up shoulder to shoulder. They turned to face her and after a startled pause all started talking AT her just as loudly. She handed her parcel to Ruby with a small smile and held up both hands

"HEY! Hey! One at a time, like in kindergarten" pointing at Ferg who was literally bouncing with excitement

"Tell me, SLOWLY what is going on" but Ferg shook his head and stepped back behind Leon and gave him an unsubtle push forward and hissed "you found it" loud enough for the room to hear. Vic rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, resisting the urge to tap her toe, the energy in the room was infecting her too

"Did someone run over a chicken again?"

Leon's voice was quiet and intense "Sheriff, you need to hear this," Ferg bustled to the computer, clicking with the mouse and suddenly a slightly hollow sound came through the speakers, and then two familiar voices started talking. Branch and Barlow were a distance away from the phone, but both voices were clear and distinguishable, as well as what they were saying. It was inconsequential chit chat interspersed with a PULL! then a loud BANG as a shotgun went off. Vic remembered they had been clay shooting and was about to interrupt and ask what was so exciting when Branch said

"Last year I discovered Big Pines was one of Jacob Nighthorse's shell corporations. He owns it."

The room was silent as the conversation played out in its sad and sordid way, they all knew the conclusion and yet everyone jumped when the final gunshot rang out. There was a long pause and then Barlow called in the shooting and halfway through that the recording stopped.

Shaken, Vic looked at her assembled team, rocked by the implications of what she had just heard, Barlow's confession recorded, Nighthorse's potential innocence of Martha's murder and finally a conclusion to the hell they were all living.

She surveyed the eager faces awaiting her next move and mentally steeled herself, they were so very close to bringing this one home, but it had to be perfectly executed.

"Ferg, I want copies of that recording put into evidence, I want one transported to Gillete for their evidence and one locked in the safe in the Mayor's Office.

Ruby I need you to call Rawlings and get Barlow into maximum security isolation and I need a judge to hear this immediately, find me the closest one please.

Huey and Duey, man the desk and handle the calls, you guys are flying solo today for a bit.

Leon you are with me.." Vic paused for a long moment but still holding eye contact

"This might be the break we need to close this case and find justice for both Martha and Branch, there are two murders we are solving here and a lot riding on this. So no cut corners, everything is by the book, we want everything to be squeaky clean when the lawyers get their sticky fingers on this, are we clear?"

A murmur of Yes Ma'ams and the team dispersed to their individual tasks, Ruby already on the phone, Ferg turning to his computer and Leon waiting for her next instruction

"Leon grab your kit and meet me at my truck, I just need to make a call."

After all this time she knew the number by heart now, and dialled it from the phone on her desk and Henry's familiar cultured tones echoed down the line

"It is a beautiful day at the Red Pony and Continual Soiree!"

"Henry it's Vic"

"Sheriff, what can I do for you this lovely day?"

"I need to warn you, we may have solved the case and have enough evidence for a conviction"

There was a long silence and Henry sounded very thoughtful

"It's an ongoing investigation so you can't share details but you want me to know so that I can make sure a certain person of interest doesn't interfere or cause further trouble for either the Department or himself?"

She breathed a sigh of relief, Henry's mind reading skills obviously extended beyond Walt when required "Yes and if you could find some way to let Lucian know as well I would appreciate it, I'm going to be a bit busy here for a bit."

"Always a pleasure to assist Absaroka Counties finest, Sheriff Moretti, I am on my way"

"Thankyou Henry, that makes me feel a lot better."

His voice softened as he said quietly "I know Vic, I know."

Leon was sensibly waiting in the shade of the trees near her truck, his two large grey toolboxes at his feet and he was scrolling through something on his phone as she walked with quick strides across the street. He tucked the phone in a pocket, stooped to pickup the boxes and met her at the truck, and stowed them in the back seat. She waited til he was settled before pulling out, and flicked on the sirens and lights and sent them barrelling out of town at high speed, heads turning at the noise and cars randomly pulling over to avoid them.

She waited, concentrating on her driving and avoiding the traffic and eventually the question came

"Sheriff where are we going and why such a hurry?"

He had almost waited too long, and she switched off the lights and noise, pulling into the long curving driveway that lead up to Branch's rather elegant and palatial house. Elegant in that western way with lots of exposed beams, stone fireplaces and dead animals on the walls, palatial in that no one on a Deputy salary could ever have afforded it.

She had taken time to grab a key from Ruby, everyone had stashed spares at the office for emergencies, and no one had thought to remove Branch's from the stash. It certainly WAS an emergency now and Vic's hand shook slightly as she fitted the key into the lock and opened the door. Because the crime scene was elsewhere, and they had a fairly likely candidate for the crime, no one had considered examining here for evidence, apparently that had been a mistake.

Finally Vic turned to Leon and answered "Branch made a reference to a video, I haven't seen this video and I really really want to right now. No one has been here since he ….died… so I assume they were here."

Its not my fault this time, I wrote this DAYS ago but have been unable to log in to upload it, kept getting error messages.