Vic was staring at the selection of candy bars, wondering when she had last been inside the store at a gas station. She typically paid for her gas using a credit card at the pump, so it had probably been years since she'd been inside to pay at the register.
As her eyes fell on a Milky Way the ringing of her cell phone startled her.
She dug into her pocket to pull out her phone. Looking down, she saw Ruby's name on the screen.
Was Walt having Ruby call to check in on things?
She took in a breath and ran her hand down her pony tail before answering.
"Hey Ruby. What's up?"
"There's been another robbery."
Crap.
She looked across the store at Branch who was talking to Pete, the owner of The Filling Station, who had shown up five minutes earlier. Ferg was somewhere in the store but not in her line of sight.
"Another gas station?"
"No. AJ's Liquors. Walt's on his way over. He wants me to patch him through."
Her eyes momentarily grew big, and she quickly glanced down so that she wouldn't draw the others' attention.
"Oh...wait...no, I..."
She didn't know if she was ready to have him in her ear, but it was too late. Ruby had made the transfer. Vic heard the familiar static of the connection.
"Vic."
God, if he only knew what his voice did to her.
"Yep."
"Did Ruby tell you—"
"About AJ's? Yes."
"I'm heading over there now. I need one of you to join me."
He didn't ask for her specifically, like he would have before. She didn't volunteer either. She looked back down at the chocolate bars, again landing on the Milky Way, and considered taking it. She could leave a couple dollars on the counter.
"Vic?"
She closed her eyes. "I can send over Ferg."
A stretch of silence came through as a slight hum.
"Ok."
She looked over at Branch who was now at the end of the counter still conversing with Pete, and then at Ferg, who was behind the counter taking pictures. Neither looked over at her, and with one parting look back at the Milky Way, she walked over to the front door and pushed it open. There was a slight drizzle in the air, so she stayed close to the building.
She brought her focus back to the call. She needed to remain professional. Or start being professional. "Do you think what happened at AJ's is linked to these other robberies, even though it's not a gas station?"
He didn't immediately respond, and for a moment she thought he might have hung up. He had, after all, obtained what he needed when she committed to sending Ferg over. But then he cleared his throat, and she took a breath.
"It would be a strange coincidence that all three of these robberies happened in the same morning. From what you've seen so far, do you think the same person robbed both gas stations?"
It's good that one of them could stay focused. Good for the case, at least. But it kind of pissed her off that he didn't seem distracted like she was.
"I'm not sure. We have so little to go on. Especially for the first one."
Professional, she reminded herself, closing her eyes. Focused. She rubbed her eyelids, and then continued.
"There are some similarities. And some differences. But you're right. It would be a strange coincidence if these were not connected."
She thought about their usual back-and-forth on cases compared to how strained their current conversation felt. Would they ever get the former ease of their partnership back?
She briefly pinched the bridge of her nose and then lowered her hand. "I'll have Ferg bring you up to speed."
"Will you be ok without Ferg?"
"We'll be ok. Branch can stay and finish up here, although there's not much in the way of evidence. The EMTs left for the hospital a little while ago with the cashier and I'm going to head there shortly so I can talk to the kid after he's been seen by a doctor."
"Another kid at the register?"
"Yep. Nineteen years old."
There was a pause and Vic pictured Walt sucking on his lower lip as he thought through the case.
"How badly was he hurt?"
"The guy smacked the kid on the head with his gun and kicked him a number of times. I think he'll need some stitches on his face, and may have some broken ribs and some serious bruising."
She looked past the gas pumps, at the puddles near the entrance, and realized the rain had stopped. "If the same guy robbed both gas stations, why did he get violent with this cashier but not the first?"
"Did the kid resist or do something to provoke him?"
"That's why I need to go to the hospital and ask some follow-up questions once he's a little more clear-headed."
It would allow her time to get a little more clear-headed as well.
"Ok...keep me updated on what you find out. I'm pulling up to AJ's now."
"I'll send Ferg over shortly."
Another pause. Vic thought he had disconnected and was about to lower her phone when she heard Walt clear his throat again.
"Vic—"
She had a feeling the next words out of his mouth weren't going to be about the robberies and she definitely wasn't ready for whatever he wanted to talk about. Not with Ferg, and Branch, and the case they were investigating on the other side of the door behind her.
"Hey Walt, I've got to go. Ferg is waving me over."
She didn't wait for his response before hanging up. Sliding the phone into her pocket she stepped back until she made contact with the front of the building. She closed her eyes and let her head roll back. A rap against the glass door brought her to attention and her eyes flew open. Branch opened the door as she straightened, and leaned out.
"Do you want to talk to Pete?"
It was a good thing she had cut Walt off.
"Does he have any ideas about who could have done this?"
Branch shook his head.
A cool breeze lifted the loose strands of her hair, sending a shiver through her, and she looked up at the stretch of sky visible beyond the gas station's overhang before glancing back at him. "I need to head to the hospital. Walt needs Ferg to help him out on another case. You going to be ok wrapping things up here?"
"Sure." Branch held her eyes for a moment and then stepped back into the store.
She could do this. Focus on the case. Be professional. Or at least act like it. Right?
Vic turned up the collar of her jacket and followed him in.
XX
She didn't like hospitals, with their depressing white walls, sterile environment, and the bad news that often went along with being here. If it weren't for her job, she'd stay as far away from them as possible. Her eyes drifted to the lone window in the room, and she realized she needed some fresh air.
Backing out of the room, Vic was startled when she collided with someone's shoulder. She turned to find Walt looking down at the two cups of coffee he was trying to steady in his hands.
"Oh. Hey." She couldn't believe that was all she could think of to say.
He looked up, and for a moment, with those blue eyes focused directly on hers, even those two words flew out of her head.
"Hey." His stare lingered for a moment longer before he dropped his eyes. After a pause he looked past her into the room she had just left and lifted one of his hands.
"I saw you in there when I was talking to Dr. Weston. Thought you might want some coffee."
"Two cups in one day. Making up for not having coffee at your house on Saturday morning?"
Shit. She hadn't meant to actually say that out loud.
He looked over at her and she cringed. The corners of his mouth turned slightly upward as he extended his arm further.
"Maybe."
She reached for the coffee, her fingers coming into contact with his. They both looked down at the cup, and then Walt dropped his hand, and took a step forward into the doorway to the room.
Kyle had finally succumbed to the medication they'd given him, and lay sleeping in the bed. His parents had stepped out to make some calls.
Walt looked back at her. "Were you able to learn anything new from him?"
Vic hesitated and then stepped next to him in the doorway.
"Kyle said he was approached from the front. Said the guy who robbed The Filling Station was dressed in head-to-toe black, and wearing a ski mask and gloves. He didn't see his face, or any tattoos or other distinguishing marks, and he didn't recognize the guy's voice."
"How much did he take from the register?"
"Not much. A few hundred dollars."
"Like the first one."
"Yep."
They stood looking into the room.
"The guy used duct tape to tie Kyle up. But if it's the same guy, this time he used significantly more than he did with the first cashier. And in addition to binding Kyle's wrists and ankles he taped over his eyes and mouth."
"Did you find out if Kyle resisted or provoked the guy in any way?"
"He said he didn't."
She turned her head and watched as Walt bit down on his lip, a look of concern evident.
Her eyes fell to his shoulder, the one she had run into just moments ago, and she had a sudden impulse to rest her hand on his arm. She turned her head away from him and squeezed her eyes shut. "How about your case?"
"It was Tuck Jensen."
She looked back up at him, her quizzical expression causing him to look down.
"The cashier behind the counter at AJ's. He's AJ's son."
Again she was tempted to place her hand on his arm. "Do you know him?"
"He's a junior at the University of Wyoming. Plays wide receiver for the Cowboys. Played here at Durant High School."
"Did you ever see him play?"
Walt nodded. "He's good. Great hands."
"What is he doing back in Durant? On a Monday? Shouldn't he be in class?"
"Tuck's been coming back on the weekends, after home games or when the team isn't playing, to help out at the store. Has been doing it ever since his mother passed away earlier this year."
Walt bowed his head slightly. "He usually heads back Sunday night, but it's Columbus Day, so no classes today."
Vic looked over her shoulder and down the hall. "Is Tuck here at the hospital being treated as well?"
Walt nodded. "Yep. He's even worse off than Kyle here."
She watched his chest rise and fall as he took a deep breath.
"The guy stomped on Tuck's head and broke his nose. He also crushed Tuck's hand. I'm not sure if he's going to be able to play football again."
She started to reach out, but stopped, pulling back her hand just before it landed on his forearm. "Do you think it's the same guy?"
"Tuck gave a similar description. Ski mask. Dressed all in black. Used duct tape to tie Tuck up."
"Who called it in?"
"A customer."
She lifted her eyes. "So there's a witness?"
"No. He arrived at the store afterwards and found Tuck on the floor when he went up to the counter to pay."
Vic watched Walt briefly before dropping her eyes to the coffee in her left hand.
"Branch is canvasing the area around both gas stations to see if there is anyone who saw anything that could give us more to go on. Or a video camera somewhere that captured something."
"Ferg mentioned the break-in at Ace Hardware. Do you think there's a connection?"
Vic paused to think about Walt's question. "Branch said the guy working at the hardware store at the time was in the back when the alarm went off. The employee saw someone wearing a mask and dressed all in black leaving the store when he got out front, so called it in. From that description, it could be the same guy. But he didn't take any money from the register. Branch said that the store has an active surveillance camera and that the employee who was working is going to drop off a tape at the station once the store manager gets in."
The two stood side-by-side, watching Kyle sleep from their position in the doorway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Walt turn his head toward her, so she looked up at him. After a moment he dropped his eyes to the floor and stepped back to lean against the door jamb. Her eyes went back to the kid in the bed.
"I don't know if I can be what you want me to be, Vic."
Vic's eyes darted up to his, which were now focused intently on her. But before she could say anything, her cell phone rang, drawing their attention. She hesitated, dropped her eyes and then pulled out her phone.
"Hi Ruby." Her eyes stayed on a spot on the floor between them.
"Vic, a young man from Ace Hardware has shown up at the station. Branch asked me to call you when he arrived."
"I'm on my way. Keep him there. I want to talk to him."
She remembered something else she needed.
"Ruby, can you give Andy Bowman a call and have him come in. He's the cashier from the first gas station this morning. I told him I would stop by to see him tomorrow, but that was before we knew about these other two robberies. I need to talk to him. I'll send you his phone number when we hang up."
"Sure thing, Vic."
"Thanks."
"Vic, do you know where Walt is? I can't reach him on his radio."
She paused, her eyes drifting over to Walt, who straightened and took a step toward her. "He's here at the hospital with me. Do you want to talk to him?"
He took another step closer.
"Just tell him that Sheriff Haskill up in Sheridan called again."
"I'll let him know."
The call ended, and she slid her phone back into her pocket.
"Sheriff Haskill called again."
Walt's eyes stayed on hers, and she saw him give a small nod. "Ok."
He was too close but she didn't step back. "I...I need to get back to the station."
His eyes continued to hold hers. "Ok."
She was finally able to tear her eyes away, and turned to start making her way down the hallway. Five steps in, she stopped in her tracks, and then slowly, half-turned in his direction.
"I've never wanted you to be anyone other than who you are, Walt."
And as her heart hammered in her chest, she quickly made her escape.
XX
When she walked into the office she found Ruby on the phone, and no one else in sight. Ruby covered the mouthpiece with her hand.
"He's waiting for you in Walt's office."
Walt's office. Great. She pulled her jacket off and dropped it on the back of her chair as she walked by. She could see the back of the man's head as he sat in the chair she had been sitting in when she talked to Walt earlier that morning.
As she stepped through the doorway, the man heard her approach and stood. When he turned toward her, she was surprised to see how young he was. Was everyone that worked the morning shifts in this town a teenager?
"Hello, I'm Deputy Moretti." She held out her hand.
The young man blinked, and then grasped her hand with his. "Hi."
"Deputy Connelly told me that you'd be bringing over a video recording from the hardware store."
"Oh...yes." The kid reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. "My boss made you a DVD." He hesitated and then handed it to her.
"What's your name?"
"Dylan. Uh...Dylan Matthews."
"How long have you worked at the hardware store, Dylan?"
"Uh...three years. Now that I'm in college I only work summers, holidays and the occasional weekend, like this one."
"Where do you go to school?"
"I'm a sophomore up at MSU Billings."
"But you grew up in Durant?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Branch...Deputy Connelly told me you were in the back of the store when the alarm went off."
"The store wasn't open yet. I was in back doing inventory when the alarm went off."
"What time did you arrive at the store?"
"Around 7:30."
"And the alarm went off?"
"Um...a little after 8:30. We open at 9:00."
"Did it seem like the guy set off the alarm getting into the store or leaving."
"Leaving, I think." Dylan dropped his chin. "I think he just walked in. I forgot to lock the front door back up when I came in this morning."
"If the door was unlocked, how did he set off the alarm?"
"He tried to leave through the back door. It has a separate alarm which I had not disarmed yet. When the alarm went off and I came out, he made a run for the front door. That's when I saw him. Or the back of him."
"Did you see any part of his face, or remember any distinguishing feature or anything specific about what he was wearing?"
Dylan shook his head. "He was all in black. And had a ski mask on. I only got a glimpse of the back of him as he left."
"You haven't been able to find anything that he took?"
Dylan shook his head again. "The registers were still empty because it wasn't time to open up yet, so there was no money for him to take. And nothing in the store seemed to be missing or out of place. At least nothing obvious."
Vic raised her hand holding the envelope with the DVD. "Have you watched this?"
Dylan shook his head. "No."
"Do you know Andy Bowman?"
His eyebrows knotted. "Uh...no. I don't think so."
"Kyle Walton?"
"No...actually, yes. I know who he is. We were in the same grade at Durant High. But we weren't friends or anything."
"Tuck Jensen?"
Dylan paused. "Everyone knows who Tuck is. He played on our high school football team, and now has a football scholarship at U-Dub."
"Were you two friends?"
"No. He probably doesn't know who I am. He was a grade ahead of me." He paused, his forehead creasing. "Do you think one of those guys was the one who broke into the store?"
Vic scanned his face. "No. We've had a few break-ins this morning. They were the ones working at the other stores." She paused a moment. "Are you heading back to Billings today?"
He nodded.
"If I have additional questions, how can I reach you?"
"On my cell."
"Ok." She turned to walk him to the door. When they reached Ruby's desk, she picked up a blank post-it and pen and handed them to Dylan. "Write your number down."
The door behind them opened, and Vic turned to find Andy Bowman, the cashier from the Exxon station, walking in. Dylan and Ruby both looked up, and then Dylan brought his attention back to Vic, handing her the post-it note.
"You've had an...unusual day. Are you going to be ok driving to Billings by yourself?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well, thanks for dropping off the video. And drive safely."
"I will."
With that he turned, walking past Andy and out the door.
She stared down at the phone number Dylan had scrawled on the piece of paper and then lifted her head.
"Hi Andy."
Andy looked at Vic and then at Ruby and then back at Vic. "Hi."
He still looked a little shell-shocked from the morning's events, so Vic walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Let's step into the office over here so you can sit down. I have a few more questions for you."
She guided him over to Walt's office and directed him to the couch.
XX
At the sound of the door opening, Vic looked up from her laptop.
Ruby stood. "How is Tuck doing?"
Walt removed his hat. "It's been a tough morning for him. And AJ."
He glanced over at Vic before returning his attention to Ruby. "Any messages?"
"Just a lot of concerned people, calling because word is getting around about the robberies."
Walt turned to the coat rack, removing his jacket and hanging it up, along with his hat. Pushing through the swinging door, he glanced at the two empty desks.
"Branch and Ferg still out canvasing?"
"Yep."
"They find anything?"
"Not really. But I might have. I've been watching the video from the break-in at Ace Hardware."
Walt sat on the corner of her desk, and she turned her laptop so that he could see the screen. She moved the slider bar to the left to rewind the video and then pressed play.
The angle of the camera had the front door and both registers in view. The store was empty, but then a figure appeared outside the glass front door. Dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, the figure paused, looked to either side, and then opened the door and stepped in.
The figure walked right past the registers without even looking at them, and then disappeared from the camera's view.
"Is this the only angle?"
"Yeah. They only have one camera. Just wait, he returns."
After a couple minutes, the sound of an alarm came through the laptop speakers, and a few moments later the figure came back into view. As the figure ran out the front door, Vic turned to Walt. "Did you see that?"
"Yep. Can you rewind it and pause?"
She rewound the video, and just before the individual got to the door she paused it. The masked person had his head turned toward the camera, as if he knew it was there. Around his right forearm were three rolls of duct tape, which had not been there when he entered the store.
Vic watched Walt as he stared at the screen.
Standing up, he looked down at Vic. "Can you print a picture of that?"
She stood. "Um...yeah."
With brisk strides, Walt disappeared into his office.
Vic watched his retreating back, and then turned to her computer and sent a picture to the printer. Grabbing the printed picture, she walked into Walt's office, finding him standing in front of the wall he tended to use as his 'murder board' when trying to solve more complicated cases. He had posted four note cards with the names of each of the locations of the robberies. Below each note card was another note card listing the name of the employee that had been in the store at the time of the robbery.
Vic tore a piece of tape from the dispenser he had placed on the nearby table, and added the picture of the masked individual she had printed in the column with the Ace Hardware information.
Walt looked closely at the picture and then pulled out another note card, wrote on it and taped it to the wall.
He had written the time stamp from the picture on the card. 8:37. Vic took the pen from his hand and added 8:33 to the card. The time the masked individual had entered the store.
Walt pulled out another note card, took the pen back from Vic, wrote on the card and then added it to the wall below Tuck Jensen's name. Vic leaned in and read the card. 9:15 - 9:40.
"Tuck doesn't remember the exact time of the robbery, but he remembers a customer paying at the counter about fifteen minutes after he opened the store at 9:00. The customer who called the Sheriff's department when he discovered Tuck called around 9:45, and thinks he arrived at the store around 9:40. So the robbery happened somewhere in-between those two customers."
Vic looked over at the first column. "Andy said the robbery at Exxon happened between 6:15 and 6:30, even though he didn't end up calling us until a little before 7:30."
Walt leaned in, taped a note card below Andy Bowman's name, and added this timeframe information.
Vic looked at the note card with Kyle's name. "Branch called the station around 9:25 to report the robbery at The Filling Station. Kyle's a little foggy, but thinks the guy came into the store around 8:15."
Walt wrote the times down and added the card to the wall, before turning towards Vic.
"So he hit The Filling Station around 8:15, and then left in time to get to the hardware store by 8:33."
Vic nodded. "He stole three rolls of duct tape from the hardware store, but had already completed two of the robberies. Did he use a lot of duct tape on Tuck?"
"He had Tuck bound pretty well, but I would say he used less than a roll on him."
"Then why did he steal three rolls?"
They both stared at the wall, Walt with his hands on his hips, Vic with her arms crossed.
Walt shifted his stance. "Can you print each of their driver's license pictures, so we have a face to go with each of the employees?"
"Sure."
Vic turned and headed for the door. She returned with the driver's license pictures, as well as a picture of the outside and inside of the two gas stations, the hardware store and the liquor store. She added the pictures to their growing collection of information.
Walt had filled in a card that listed 'black clothing, ski mask, gloves and duct tape' and placed it at the top, above all the other cards. He had also listed the approximate dollar value that had been taken from each of the registers on separate cards, with a zero listed for the hardware store. And he had written 'injured during robbery' on Kyle's and Tuck's cards.
Vic glanced in his direction. "They all go to, or went to, Durant High School."
"Which is pretty much the case for everyone in this town since it's the only high school." Despite his statement, Walt stood and wrote 'Durant High School' below each boy's name. He then wrote 'Junior at UW' on Tuck's card.
Vic grabbed the pen from Walt's hand and wrote 'Senior at' on Andy's card in front of 'Durant High School,' '2nd year at Casper College' on Kyle's card, and 'Sophomore at MSU Billings' on Dylan's.
Staring up at the wall, Vic stood back and placed her hands on her hips. "Did the guy who robbed these places just happen to choose stores with kids at the register, or did he choose stores because he knew there would be kids at the register?"
She leaned back against the table, gripping the edge with both hands, and then felt Walt's shoulder brush against hers as did the same beside her.
He rubbed his hand along his jaw as he scanned the note cards and pictures. "Did he choose to rob the stores in the morning because he knew there would only be one employee in the store, and few if any customers?"
"Did he choose stores that didn't have a video camera, or working cameras, or was that just luck?"
"Or did he disable the cameras as he planned these robberies?"
She turned toward him. "If he was so concerned about cameras capturing his thefts, why would he steal from the hardware store that he seemed to know had a camera? And deliberately look at the camera as he left the store?"
Walt continued to look at the posted information. "Why would he choose to rob these stores in the morning, when the registers would likely have lower amounts of cash compared to later in the day?"
She returned to looking at the wall. "Why would he choose to rob all the stores in one day instead of spacing them out?"
"Why the escalating violence?"
"Why these specific stores?"
"And is he done? Is that why he stole more rolls of tape?"
They both continued to lean back against the table, the wall with their limited data before them. Vic hoisted herself up to sit more squarely on the table, and crossed her arms. She looked at Walt out of the corner of her eye and thought about the fact that they had gotten some of the rhythm of their partnership back. She turned back toward their handwritten notes. Maybe that was how she was going to get through this. How they were going to get through this. By focusing on the work.
Her stomach rumbled and she saw Walt raise his wrist to look at his watch.
"Oh, I forgot to give this to you earlier." Vic looked over as he pulled a Milky Way out of his shirt pocket. "I know it's one of your favorites and saw it on the counter when I was ordering our coffee at the hospital..."
She paused as her eyes unexpectedly pricked with moisture. She took the candy bar from him and looked over at the left-most set of cards and pictures so he couldn't see.
"Thanks." She blinked a few times to help clear her eyes, and then looked back at him. How was she ever going to be able to focus just on the work?
The phone on his desk suddenly rang, cutting through the silence. Walt held her gaze for a moment, and then blinked and stood. Crossing the room, he picked up the phone.
"Sheriff Longmire."
Walt paused to listen to the caller.
"Hello, Tom."
He listened, bringing the hand not holding the phone to his hip.
"Yep."
He looked over at Vic. "Can I put you on speaker phone? I have Deputy Moretti with me."
"Sheriff Haskill," he mouthed to Vic, before punching the speaker phone button. Vic walked over to Walt's desk as Tom Haskill's voice came through.
"How are you doing Vic?"
"You mean other than the insanity of working through some crazy shit today?"
Tom laughed.
Vic leaned against the side of Walt's desk, staring out the window. Walt stood near the phone, but then walked over and shut his office door, and started pacing in front of the couch.
"What's going on Tom? Must be something big to call me three times today."
"I heard you had a little activity going on this morning in your neck of the woods. The first time I called today was to talk to you about the activity that's been going on in my neck of the woods. I called these last two times because I'm now wondering if the activity is related."
Walt came to a stop and looked over at Vic. Vic's eyes widened and then she turned her head toward the phone.
"You've got a shithead robbing stores up in Sheridan, and using duct tape to tie up the cashier?"
"Yes. Saturday morning somebody hit a convenience store, a bicycle shop, and a car repair shop. Duct tape was used in all cases."
Walt continued pacing and Vic followed his movement. "Was it a kid in his late teens or early twenties working when each store was robbed?"
Tom paused for a moment. "It was a kid working at the convenience store and the bicycle shop, but the employee at the car repair shop was in his late forties."
Walt halted and rubbed a hand over his eyes. "I take it you haven't found the culprit. Did you get a good description from anyone?"
"The only description I could get out of them was that the guy was dressed all in black and was wearing a ski mask."
Walt looked over at Vic. "How much money did he get from the tills?"
"Just a couple hundred from both the convenience store and the bike shop. He got more at the car repair shop because he made the employee...actually, it was the owner...open the safe."
Vic furrowed her brow. "Anyone get hurt?"
"All three of them. He whipped them with his gun. Kicked them repeatedly. Used a bat he found behind the counter on the guy at the car repair shop after he opened the safe."
"Shit."
"Exactly. See enough similarities between our cases to feel they're connected?"
Walt stepped forward, stopping in front of the phone. "There are definitely enough similarities to make me suspicious. But there are also a few outliers that raise questions. Your victim in his forties is an outlier. Ours were all between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. We also have a couple outliers. A store from which no money was taken. And a cashier whose register was robbed, but who was not harmed. We need to figure out why these outliers exist."
Vic leaned closer to the phone. "Do you have any suspects?"
"The owner of the car repair shop accused his girlfriend's son, but the kid had an alibi for the morning. So we pretty much have no one right now."
Vic looked up and caught Walt staring at her. His eyes quickly shifted back to the desk.
Vic turned back to the phone. "What was the kid's name?"
"Which kid?"
"The son of the girlfriend that the car repair shop owner blamed."
He paused. "I think it was Tyler."
"How old is he?"
"I want to say he is nineteen or twenty."
"What was his alibi?"
"He's part of some hiking club, and they were on a hike that morning. Other members backed up his story and he had pictures to prove it."
Walt straightened. "Could you send us those pictures?"
"I could dig them up."
"Send Ruby everything you have on the three cases, including Tyler's pictures."
"I'll get everything to you as soon as I get off the phone. Do you have any suspects for your cases?"
"Nope. But maybe something in one of those files will help."
"Well, keep me updated on any new developments, and I will do the same."
"Thanks for reaching out, Tom."
"Thanks for finally being around long enough to answer, Walt."
Walt hung up, bowed his head for a moment, and then walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out. "Ruby, Tom is going to send some files over. When you get them, can you make copies for me and Vic? And he's going to send pictures of a kid named Tyler. Can you print those as well?"
He stepped back in the office, closed the door and walked over to where Vic was sitting on his desk. He stopped in front of her, took a step forward, but then looked past her, to their collection of note cards and pictures on the wall.
Vic shifted her position to look in the same direction. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking we're going to need answers to those questions we raised earlier."
"Which ones do you think are the most important to answer?" She turned back toward him, surprised at how close he was now standing. She gulped, and again wondered how she was going to focus just on the work. Especially when he invaded her space like this.
Her movement caught his attention, and he looked down at her. Her breath hitched, and her eyes lowered. She followed the stubble along his jaw to his lips, and then risked looking back up. His piercing blue eyes were still on her and she trembled slightly under his unwavering gaze. A crease formed between his brows.
She took a juddering breath. "What?"
His lips parted but no words formed.
There was a rap on the door. Walt quickly broke eye contact, took two steps back and turned toward the doorway, his hand going to the hair at the back of his neck.
"Come in."
Ruby opened the door, stepped in and looked back and forth between them.
"Sheriff Haskill sent the files, which I'm printing right now. I printed Tyler's pictures first."
She handed the pictures to Walt. He had barely looked at the first picture before his head snapped back up and he started walking toward the door. "Grab your jacket, Vic, and whatever pages have printed so far from Haskill's files."
Vic stared quizzically over at Ruby. "Where are we going?" she shouted after him.
"To lunch."
Vic walked over to her desk and picked up her jacket. "Did you recognize someone in those photos?"
"Yep." Walt looked back at her as he placed his hat on his head. "And I know someone else who may recognize him as well."
I finally had some time to write a chapter this weekend (plus I was in Denver this week and may have been inspired by the mountains in the distance)! Thanks for your patience. Hopefully the extra-long length of this chapter slightly makes up for the amount of time you had to wait.