"Vic, I appreciate the offer but this is really a personal matter and not a county matter."
"What?"
"I told you before it's not the right thing to do. Doing this on the clock."
"We all know how my last 3 day weekend turned out and if you took that shit out of my vacation bank you're going to have a lot more to worry about than some psycho killer in the mile-high city."
"Vic, I can't ask…" she interrupts me.
"Walt, stop being so fuckin' stupid. Even the Duke had help. How many times have you seen Rio Bravo? If Feathers doesn't grab the shotgun the Duke is dead. So shut it." Her eyes glare at me and she walks over to the felony flat wall. Arms folded, feet spread, she's ready. "What have you go so far."
Quickly realizing I will not win this battle, "Well, I think someone out to hurt me hired this meth-head, Miller Beck, to kill her and make it look like a robbery gone bad."
"Ok, why would someone want to do that? They have something to lose or something to gain, right?
"Right. That could be personal satisfaction in hurting me which is why I think Malachi and Jacob Nighthorse are involved in this somehow."
"David Ridges?"
"And David Ridges especially since he killed Hector. Hector, the one man who could have saved Henry."
"Ok let me get this straight. You think Malachi and Jacob Nighthorse conspired and had Martha murdered all the way in Denver and used David Ridges and this Darius guy as henchmen."
"Something like that" I hear myself smack my teeth. It's a habit I have developed lately when I put the pieces together in my mind.
"Walt, since this is my time and not county time, I'm not your deputy. I'm your friend."
I turn to face her not sure what's coming next. My hands rest easy on my hips.
"Yup"
"Ok, have you considered that Martha was the target and not you all along?"
I hold my head down concentrating on my ropers. Vic, confirming just how smart she is.
"Yup"
"What would have made someone so angry they would kill her Walt?"
"Money"
"As in casino money?"
"Yup"
"Which leads us back to Malachi and Nighthorse"
I shake my head in the affirmative.
"Walt, ok, look I get where you are going with the conspiracy theory but shit Walt you know there's no way 4 crazy motherfuckers can keep these kinds of secrets for so long. I'm not buying it. Who else stands to profit or who else stands to lose?"
The corners of my mouth turn up just a bit because that super brain of her is in overdrive.
"Barlow Connally"
"Motherfucker. Connally construction!"
"Yup" I walk over and close my office door, despite the lateness of the hour, as I can never be sure who will walk in.
"Vic, if the casino wasn't approved then Barlow would stand to lose tens of millions of dollars of profit in the construction of the casino. Martha was a vigorous opponent of the casino and that made enemies."
"How did that make you feel as Sheriff?"
I am blind-sided by her question but look down over my shoulder at the top of her head while she stares at the suspect wall. Her question rocks me just a bit but the fact that I want to tell her the truth about my feelings rocks me even more.
"As Sheriff, I had to be careful to be transparent in any dealings with the Rez. I was more flexible in my dealings with them because I didn't want them to think I was using the influence of my office in anything political."
"How did it make you feel as a man. As her husband?"
This time I looked at her until she looked back.
"Proud."
Vic's face softened and she turned back toward the wall. I felt her fingers on my hand and I didn't know what to make of it. She stared at the wall as she spoke.
"Walt, I am so sorry for all of the pain and for losing Martha." She grabbed two of my fingers and held onto them. "Whether you realize it or not you have a lot of people who care for you and who love you." Now she had my whole hand in hers, " You are my best-friend." She turned to face me. "Now me and the rest of those that care about you and love you are going to help you get these motherfuckers."