Holding Back

by kmac9

Will Walt and Vic continue to hold back, or finally go after what they want?

7. Chapter 7

Thanks to those who reached out asking about the next chapter or looking forward to how the story will continue! I'm sorry there has been such a delay between this chapter and the previous one, but I've experienced some issues with the site this week and couldn't get this chapter uploaded until now. The good news is that I was able to start working on the next chapter (I already have three scenes written) so hopefully there won't be as much time between chapters. Thanks for reading! :)

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Vic looked up at the clock on the wall and watched the seconds hand click through its circular path. After it rounded past the twelve, she squeezed her eyes shut, her head rolling back until it collided with the wall behind her chair.

"Hey Moretti!"

Her eyes flew open and landed on the man coming through the front door.

"Hey Leo." She noticed the crispness of his uniform button-down. She hadn't bothered with ironing that morning. She hadn't felt like doing laundry lately either, so she was lucky to be wearing a clean shirt.

He tucked his cell phone into his pocket. "You here to talk to the kids from those stores that were robbed on Saturday?"

"Yep."

Placing his sunglasses on top of his head, he gave her a wide smile. All teeth and genuineness. "I'll take you back to Haskill's office."

Vic ran her hands along her thighs, and stood. Walt was already here. She had seen his truck parked outside as she came in. She could do this, right? She could see him, and work alongside him, and still keep breathing in those moments when he was close and all she wanted to do was reach out and touch him. She'd survived the first day back. She could get through today as well.

This would get easier. Eventually.

It had to.

She closed her eyes for a moment and then followed the deputy.

"Mornin' Linda." Leo gave a small wave to the receptionist before proceeding down the hallway.

He looked over his shoulder at Vic. "I'm surprised you didn't drive up with your boss like you normally do."

"Uh...no. It was just easier for us to come separately today."

The deputy came to a halt as Vic's eyes fell on Tom Haskill's nameplate next to the doorway. The sheriff's office was empty.

"Hmm." Leo stepped back and then walked over to the nearest desk. "Hey Hartley. You know where the boss is?"

"I think he stepped out to get some coffee."

"Longmire with him?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks." Leo turned back toward Vic and then nodded toward his desk as he started to walk in that direction. "Not surprising he took your boss to get some coffee. The stuff here tastes like crap. You'd think we'd do something about it, given how much we complain about it, but no one ever does."

He pulled a chair over so she could sit, and then lowered himself into his own. As she took a seat she looked over at the neighboring desk. The desktop had nothing on it other than a phone.

"Did Kurt leave?"

"Yeah, Thompson's wife got in to grad school. In California. She headed there in August. He stayed until they were able to sell their house. Left two weeks ago."

Vic's eyes lingered on the empty desk.

"You interested in the position?"

She swiveled to face him. "What? Oh...no."

"You sure? Other than the shitty coffee, it's a great place to work. Could be a good change of pace from Absaroka County."

"You think your cases are more interesting than ours?"

"We've got more people, which means more crime, and therefore more cases. So yeah...more interesting"

"I'm not sure that advertising you have more crime is a good selling point for Sheridan County." She knew what Walt would think about that. "And just because the quantity of the cases is higher doesn't mean the quality is better."

He ignored her comments as he counted off on his fingers. "Plus, our department is significantly larger, which means a bigger budget and greater resources, and our facility and technology are more advanced than what you have down in Durant."

"Probably. But we have more character."

"Yes, you do have some characters down there."

She smiled. "Hah. Very funny."

He grinned. "Well, at least think about it. Change can be good."

"Says the man who's worked here all his adult life, to the woman who moved cross country to start her life over."

He leaned forward in his seat, his forearms resting on his desk. His eyes were filled with eagerness. "Exactly! Coming from the Philly police department, Sheridan County could give you a little more of what you're used to than Absaroka County. Plus..." His eyes seemed to soften a bit. "I heard that your...situation...with your husband...has changed. Maybe the time is ripe for a fresh start."

As she was about to respond, she noticed Leo adjust his position in his seat as he looked past her shoulder.

"Mornin' Sheriff."

She froze, not turning around.

"You trying to poach my deputy?"

Her back to Walt, Vic briefly closed her eyes before turning them on Leo, who was smiling.

"Yes I am. We have a lot to offer Moretti here in Sheridan County." His eyes dropped to Vic. "But I know she likes working with you, for some reason, so you probably have nothing to worry about."

Breathe, she reminded herself. She took in a deep breath and then stood and turned around.

She brought her eyes up to Walt's, which were directed down at Kurt Thompson's empty desk. He then turned toward her, his gaze steady as he held up a coffee cup.

She reached out and took it from his hand. "Thanks."

"Tom had to make a call, but he said he could talk with us before we meet with Nick."

Vic nodded as she took a sip.

"See you around Moretti."

She turned toward Leo, taking one last look at his open face and trying to absorb some of his morning enthusiasm that she was sorely lacking. She lifted her cup to him, and then followed Walt to Tom's office.

XX

They could have used the interrogation room. The Sheridan County Sheriff's Office actually had one. Part of the 'greater resources and more advanced facility' that Leo had been referring to. But Vic and Walt had both agreed that their meeting wasn't an interrogation, and the less formal setting of Tom's office would likely put Nick more at ease.

Tom's office, much like the area outside with all the deputies' desks, was all beige walls and grey, metallic furniture. A sharp contrast to the hardwood floors and wooden furniture of the Absaroka Country library-turned-sheriff's department. In addition, the walls were lined with pictures and commendations highlighting the accomplishments of Tom and his men. Vic noted that Walt would never be at ease in an office like this.

Nick Waters was currently seated to Vic's left, in the other guest chair at the desk. He was playing with the zipper of his hooded sweatshirt, and his left leg was bouncing to the point that Vic had to stop herself from reaching her hand out and placing it on his thigh.

Tom folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "Hi Nick. Thanks for coming in. This is Deputy Moretti and Sheriff Longmire." He nodded over at Walt, who was leaning against a bookshelf as he stood, hat in hand, a few feet to Nick's left.

"Deputy Moretti and Sheriff Longmire are from Absaroka County, and wanted to talk to you about the robbery of your father's store Saturday morning, as well as some similar robberies that happened in Durant yesterday."

Nick looked back and forth between Walt and Vic, and then returned his gaze to Tom. "Ok."

Vic adjusted so that she was facing Nick a little more directly. They had agreed that she would lead the interview. "Sheriff Haskill informed us that the Food Depot was robbed shortly after it opened Saturday morning, and that you were the only one working at the time."

Nick's turned toward her. "Uh huh."

She tried to keep her eyes on Nick's instead of his bouncing leg. "Do you have any idea who could have robbed the store?"

"No."

"Anyone mad at you, or your dad, for any reason?"

He paused. "Not that I can think of."

"You reported that the person who robbed the store was dressed all in black and wore a mask. Do you remember anything else about him?"

Nick looked down at his hands. Vic saw him touch the splint on his left index finger. "Not really."

After a moment he looked up, and stared at the desk in front of him. Vic's eyes followed his and landed on a coffee mug near the corner. She read the words facing them. Coffee is the lifeblood that fuels the dreams of champions. She agreed with the 'lifeblood' part and reached out and picked up the coffee Walt had brought her earlier before turning her attention back to Nick.

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Not much. He pointed a gun, and yelled at me to open the cash register and then to get down on the ground."

"Nothing else?"

"He started wrapping tape around my wrists and ankles, and then my eyes. And then started kicking the shit..." His eyes flashed up at her. "Sorry. Started kicking the crap out of me. He didn't say a word during any of that."

Vic's eyes slid to the bruises on the side of his face.

Walt placed his hat on top of the bookshelf, straightened and crossed his arms. "Did you say or do anything that seemed to set him off?"

Nick turned toward him. "He seemed kind of angry from the start, so I didn't say much. I told him it was my dad's store, and asked him to take it easy. That's when he started kicking me."

"Two other stores in Sheridan were robbed that morning."

"Yeah, the sheriff told me."

Vic pulled two pictures out of the folder on her lap and placed them on the desk in front of Nick. "Do you know either of these individuals?"

Nick looked down at the photos and then pointed to the picture of Rich Sollinger. "I don't know that guy, but Evan and I are friends."

Vic met Walt's eyes and then looked back at Nick. "His name is Rich Sollinger. He owns Rich's Auto Repair shop on Main Street."

"I've never been there."

"How close of friends are you with Evan?"

"We're good friends. Since fifth grade."

"Are you still friends now that you're out of school?"

"Yeah. Even though we went to different colleges, we still hung out. Especially in the summers, and more now that Evan's graduated."

"What kind of things do you do when you hang out?"

"I don't know...mostly mountain biking I guess. Snowboarding in the winter."

Vic moved the photos of Rich and Evan to the side and spread out five more pictures before him. "As I mentioned, there have been some other robberies and we wanted to see if you know any of the folks involved."

Nick leaned over the pictures. When he arrived at the last photo he leaned in closer. "What's this guy's name?"

"Tyler Daniels. Know him?"

He stared at the picture of Tyler for a moment. "I don't recognize the name, but I feel like I've seen him before."

"At school? Work? Around town?"

Nick squinted at the picture. "Yeah, I'm not sure where."

"We understand that you went to Sheridan high school?"

Nick looked up. "Yeah. Did he go there?" He looked back at the picture. "If he did, he wasn't in the same grade as Evan and me. We knew everyone in our class."

Walt uncrossed his arms, resting his hands on his hips. "You and Evan were pretty popular?"

Nick sat back in his chair. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Vic leaned over, picked up Andy's picture and handed it to Nick. "How about these other four? Do you know Andy Bowman? He works at the Exxon gas station on 16 that was robbed yesterday." Nick looked down at the picture in his hand and shook his head.

"Dylan Matthews? He works at the Ace Hardware in Durant." Again Nick looked at the photo she placed in his hand and shook his head.

"What about Kyle Walton? He works at the Filling Station."

"Nope."

"Tuck Jensen?"

Nick seemed momentarily startled by the name.

Vic watched his face closely. "You know him?"

He stared a moment at the picture before placing it back on the desk. "No."

"You seemed to recognize Tuck's name when I mentioned it."

"Yeah, for a moment there I thought I might, but I don't."

Vic arched an eyebrow. "Confusing him with another Tuck you know?"

Nick's eyes slid back to the picture before looking away. "Yeah...maybe."

Vic glanced over at Walt with her 'what the hell' look and then looked back toward the desk and pointed at the pictures. "Have you seen any of these guys around the store? Or been to the stores they work at in Durant? Take another look."

Nick briefly re-looked at the pictures and then back up at her. "I don't think so."

Walt, still in his hands-on-hips pose, looked down at Nick. "How many hours do you work at the Food Depot?"

Nick turned his way. "Uh...just a few hours, one or two days a week, to help out my dad. I have a job."

"Doing what?"

"I do web design work."

"Where?"

"Uh...for a company called WSC. They do contract work with other companies."

"Contract work?"

"Yup. I get assigned to projects at companies that WSC contracts with, and do the work from home."

"Full time?"

"Uh...no. About twenty-four hours of work a week."

Vic looked up from the pictures. "You didn't want a full-time job?"

"Why would I want that? I like the arrangement I have. It gives me a lot of flexibility."

"Gives you more time to go mountain biking and snowboarding?"

He grinned. "Exactly."

Vic turned toward Walt. "What's with kids these days...putting their extra-curricular activities before school and their careers?"

"Oh. I also do a little web design work...on the side. For local stores and restaurants."

Vic looked back at Nick. "Did you do the website for Evan's brother's bike shop?"

Nick's face lit up. "I did. Have you seen it?"

Vic smiled. "I have. The site looks great." She noticed his leg had stopped bouncing and he'd released his sweatshirt's zipper from his grasp.

"I created the website for my dad's store as well."

"I saw that one too, when I was looking up information on each of the stores that were robbed. You didn't happen to develop the websites for any of the other stores hit in Sheridan or Durant?"

Nick shook his head. "No. I haven't done any work for stores outside Sheridan." He paused. "Or for that auto place."

Walt took a couple steps toward them. "Are you a member of the Trailhead Outdoor Club?"

Nick lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck, before running it over the top of his head. "No. But I've heard of the group. Evan and his brother James run bike clinics. I help out sometimes. They get various clubs and schools reaching out to them."

Walt stepped up to the desk and pointed to Tyler's picture. "Ever come across this kid at one of the clinics? Is that why he looks familiar?"

Again Nick looked at the picture. "I'm not sure. We come across a lot of people."

"Ever do a clinic down in Laramie? With the University of Wyoming or some club down there?"

Nick eyes briefly darted over to Tuck's picture before looking away. "No. Evan and his brother stick mostly to northern Wyoming and southern Montana."

Vic noticed that Nick had looked at Tuck's picture even though they hadn't mentioned that Tuck went to UW and looked up to see whether Walt had noticed as well. She arched an eyebrow and he nodded. She turned back to Nick and stood. "Thanks for coming in today, Nick. We appreciate it. If you think of anything else, please call Sheriff Haskill, who will pass on the information to us."

Nick nodded and then stood. Vic saw him wince a little and then bring his hand to his side. She remembered he also had a couple broken ribs.

Tom walked around his desk to Nick's side. "Thanks Nick. I'll walk you out."

With a final glance over at Walt and then Vic, Nick followed Tom out of the room.

When the door closed Vic looked over at Walt, who was back to leaning against the bookshelf, and then walked over to the window to the left of Tom's desk chair. "Nick knows Tuck."

"Yep."

Still turned away from him, her eyes on the street, Vic rested both hands on her hips. "Dammit. Why are these kids trying to hide the fact that they know some of the other victims?"

"Not sure."

She turned around, her eyes resting on the photos she'd spread out on Tom's desk. "Do you think Nick knows Tyler more than he says he does?"

Walt stepped up to the desk, also looking down at the pictures. "Possibly. But unlike with Tuck, he at least admitted he recognized Tyler, so he might be telling the truth."

Vic lifted her gaze, her eyes meeting his. "There a chance he's lying to us. Hell, maybe they're all lying to us."

His hands at his waist, Walt shifted his weight to his other foot. "Yep. And if that's the case we have to figure out why."

There was a light rap on the door, and then it opened. Leo popped his head in.

"Deputy. Sheriff. Boss man says to tell you that Evan Brandt called and is running a little late. He should be here in about ten minutes."

Vic leaned back against the window sill. "Ok."

Leo looked between the two of them. "Can I get either of you a refill?"

Vic arched an eyebrow. "A refill of the shitty coffee you spoke so glowingly about?"

Leo grinned. "I wouldn't offer you coffee from here. I'd never get you to consider applying for Thompson's position if I let you try it."

Walt stepped forward. "I'm good."

A little thrown by Walt's abruptness, Vic looked over at him before looking back at Leo. "I'm good too. Nothing more for me."

The deputy nodded. "Let me know if you change your mind."

When Leo shut the door, Walt remained in the position he was standing in, his hands on his hips, and his back to her. After a few moments he turned, but instead of looking her way he brought his attention to the contents of Tom's bookcase.

Crossing her arms, she watched him scan the titles. "What do they say about him?"

"What?" He didn't look at her, his focus still on the bookcase.

"You once said that you could tell a lot about someone by the books on his shelves. What do those books say about Tom?"

Still slightly bent over, Walt turned to look over at Vic. "He appears to be well-read."

"You two should start a book club."

She noticed a small smile on his lips as he turned back to the shelves. He gave another look at the books and then returned to his position against the wall next to the bookcase before looking over at her again. "Who else would we get to join?"

Vic grinned at the glint she could now see in his eyes. "Lucian seems like he might read. Poetry at least. Or does he just write it? I can't remember."

The corners of Walt's mouth continued their upward path, as his gaze shifted toward the middle of the room. "It would turn into a drinking club if we included Lucian."

"True." She gave a light laugh as she pushed herself up to a standing position. "You'll have to ask Tom if he has any closeted readers in this bunch here." She took a few steps forward, still standing on the opposite side of the bookcase. "Although, you might have lost your only potential member with Kurt Thompson moving to California. I hear he and his wife were big book lovers."

She noticed Walt go still. "Are you...are you thinking about..."

He didn't finish his question, his eyes dropping to some spot on the floor.

"Am I thinking about what?" Her hand rested on the corner of the bookcase.

He raised his gaze and held hers for a moment, his hand sliding across the hair at the back of his neck. "Oh...uh...I didn't know if you were thinking about joining the book club as well."

Vic's brows knotted as the door opened, Tom Haskill's tall lanky frame filling the doorway.

"So what are you two hypothesizing about in here? Did you solve our mystery while I stepped out?"

His back still to the door, Walt's eyes lingered on hers for a moment, and then he turned toward Tom. "We need to figure out why these boys are not telling us the complete truth regarding who they know. We'll have to see what we can get out of Evan."

Vic's eyes followed Walt as he leaned against the wall, on the other side of the bookcase. When he didn't look back in her direction, she made her way over to her chair on the other side of the desk.

If Tom sensed any tension between them, he didn't comment on it as he crossed the room.

XX

"Sorry. For being late." Evan Brandt stood inside the doorway, looking down at the cast on his left hand. "It's been taking longer to do things these last few days."

Evan was dressed similarly to Nick, as he stood before them in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"That's ok, Evan." Tom closed the door behind him and then pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Evan, this is Deputy Moretti and Sheriff Longmire from the Absaroka County Sheriff's Department. They are working with me because they had some robberies yesterday in Durant that were very similar to the three robberies that occurred here Saturday morning. They wanted to ask you a few questions and show you some pictures."

Evan's eyes rotated to Vic, who had taken the chair next to his. "Sure."

She gave him a smile in greeting. "Having a broken wrist must be frustrating to an active person like you. We hear you're into mountain biking."

He held her eyes a moment. "Yup."

"How did you get here this morning? Were you able to drive a car with that cast, or did you need to get a ride?"

"Oh, I...I rode my bike over. It wasn't too bad. Biking with a cast. More annoying than anything."

"We're trying to see if we can uncover a few more details about the individual who robbed your store. We've heard he was dressed in black and wearing a ski mask, but we're wondering if you remember anything else about him."

He paused and then shook his head. "I don't."

"How tall would you say he was?"

"Around my height, I think, maybe a little shorter."

"What about his build?"

"Not scrawny. And not huge. Average I guess."

"How did he break your wrist?"

"He slammed it across the corner of the counter."

"Did he say anything to you during the robbery?'

"Just a few times. To order me to do things."

"Do you remember anything specific about his voice? How deep it was? Could you tell if he was older or younger?"

"He was yelling. That's all I remember."

Vic flipped through some of the pictures in her lap that Tom had given Walt and her that morning. There were shots taken both inside and outside the bike shop. "How was he not seen by anyone coming into the store? Your store is on one of the busier streets in Sheridan. You'd think he'd stand out being dressed in black and wearing a mask."

Evan reached over and pointed to one of the photos. "He left through the back."

"Is that how he came in as well?"

"I didn't see him come in, but I think so. The back door was unlocked that morning."

Vic reached into another folder, pulled out Nick's picture, and placed it in front of Evan on the desk. "We talked to Nick earlier today. He told us the two of you are friends."

Evan nodded as he looked down at the photo.

"Do you think it strange that the stores you each work at were both robbed on the same morning? Might suggest that the person who robbed your stores knew you both."

Evan looked up, but didn't say anything.

"Can you think of anyone who has it in for the two of you?"

Evan shook his head. "No."

"Anybody from high school?"

He shook his head again.

"Any unhappy customers at the store or from one of your clinics?"

Evan rubbed the back of his ear. "Not that I can think of."

Vic placed Rich Sollinger's picture on the desk. "This man's name is Rich Sollinger. Does he look familiar?" Evan leaned over the picture and then shook his head. "They showed me his picture on Saturday, but I didn't recognize him."

"He owns Rich's Auto Repair shop on Main Street."

One of Evan's eyebrows lifted. "I...I had my car fixed there." He looked at the picture again. "He might have been the guy at the counter."

"When did you have your car fixed?"

"At...at the beginning of the summer."

"Had you had your car fixed there before?"

His eyes back on Vic, he leaned back against the chair with the right side of his body. "No, that was the first time. And that was months ago. I haven't been there since."

"Do you remember your interaction with him when you brought your car in?"

Evan pursed his lips as he thought. "Not really."

"How about Andy Bowman? He's a senior at Durant High and works at a gas station that was robbed yesterday morning."

Evan looked at Andy's picture and then shook his head.

"Dylan Matthews also went to Durant high and is now a sophomore at MSU Billings. He works at an Ace Hardware that was broken into. Ever run in to him on campus last year?"

Again Evan shook his head.

"Kyle Walton is in his second year at Casper College. Works at another Durant gas station that was robbed called The Filling Station. Know him?"

"No." He looked down at his cast while Vic brought out the next picture.

"Tuck Jensen—"

Evan shot a look at Vic without glancing at the photo, and finished her sentence for her. "…is a junior at the University of Wyoming."

"You know him." She decided to state it as a fact instead of as a question to see if he would elaborate.

He looked from Vic, to Tom and then over to Walt. "I..." Evan looked down. "I don't know him."

"You recognize his name. You know where he goes to school, and what year he is."

"He...I..." He stopped again.

The three of them waited for Evan to continue.

"He plays for the Cowboys."

Vic's forehead creased as she raised both eyebrows. "You're a fan of the Cowboys even though you went to a different college?"

He leaned forward in his seat, placing his elbows on his thighs and staring at a stack of papers on the desk. "We were big Cowboys fans growing up. Both my father and my brother James went to UW for undergrad. My school didn't have a football team, so I've stayed a UW fan. James has taken me to a game every year since he went there. I've seen Tuck play."

"Have you met Tuck?"

He looked back at Vic. "No."

Walt rested his left arm on the front corner of the bookshelf. "So how does Tuck know who you are?"

Evan straightened, his eyes flashing toward Walt. "What?"

"He recognized your picture when we showed it to him."

"He did?"

"So how do you know him? You must have met before."

"I don't. We haven't."

Vic stood up, turned around and leaned against the edge of the desk, looking down at Evan. "Did you play football in high school? Maybe your teams played each other."

He looked up at her. "No. I'm not really a team sport player. I like watching them, but I stick to the individual ones."

"Like mountain biking and snowboarding."

"Yeah."

"So where else might you two have met?"

"I...I..." He paused, his gaze dropping to his lap. "I can't remember meeting him."

"Has he been to your store or one of your clinics?"

"I don't think so."

Crossing her arms, she looked down at Evan's bent head. "Are you lying to us, Evan? We're starting to get a feeling that you boys are hiding things from us."

Evan's head snapped up. "I have never met him, I swear. I'd remember if he'd been in one of our clinics." He shifted to look over at Walt. "Wait. You said he recognized me. How did he say he knew me?"

Walt scanned Evan's face. "He also insisted he has never met you."

"Then how do you know that he recognized me?"

Vic picked up the pictures of Tuck and Nick. "It was clear in your body language that you recognized Tuck even if you hadn't said anything. Tuck had the same reaction you just had, as well as your friend Nick. When we asked Tuck how he knew you he denied it. Nick denied that he knew Tuck even though he clearly reacted when we brought up Tuck's name. Why do you think those two aren't telling us the truth?"

Evan looked down as he dug a finger into the opening of his cast to scratch some out of reach spot. "I don't know Tuck. That's the truth. I've seen him play, but have never met him in-person. And Nick's never said anything about knowing Tuck." He looked up. "Maybe...maybe I mentioned Tuck to Nick after coming back from a UW game. Maybe that's why he recognized Tuck's name."

Walt sucked in his lower lip as he continued to watch Evan closely.

Vic picked up Tyler's picture. "Do you recognize Tyler Daniels? He was a freshman when you were a senior at Sheridan."

Evan looked at the picture, his brow furrowing. "We went to high school together?"

"You don't recognize him?"

"Actually I do, but not from high school. He came to one of our clinics earlier this year."

Walt stepped closer to the desk, causing Evan to look his way. "Tyler is a member of the Trailhead Outdoor Group. Are you familiar with it?"

"Yeah. I never joined, but did some of their mountain bike trips during my first couple years of college. The group was started by a few guys up at MSUB. My brother and I did a bike clinic for their group this year." He paused. "Yeah, I think that's where I came across this Tyler kid."

"When was the clinic?"

Evan leaned back as he thought. "I think it was a Saturday in early May. I can't remember the date."

"Where did you hold the clinic?"

"Zimmerman Trail, in Billings, not too far from campus."

Walt's brought his hands to his hips as he looked down at Evan from where he stood near the corner of the desk. "Do you remember any of your interactions with Tyler that day?"

Evan rubbed his hand through his hair. "Not really. I don't remember him saying much. But I remember him volunteering to be the first to do some of the drills."

"What kind of drills?"

"Cornering. Uphill and downhill switchbacks. Learning how to fall off your bike. Stuff like that."

"Was he any good?"

"Yeah. That kid seemed to have no fear. Just launched himself into all of it."

Walt briefly looked up and off to the side before returning his attention to Evan. "Did your brother James interact with him?"

"I'm not sure. He never mentioned it if he did."

"Was Nick helping you out that day? Did he talk to Tyler?"

"Nick was there, but I don't know whether he talked to Tyler."

Evan's eyes drifted back to the pictures in Vic's hand.

"How...how badly was Tuck hurt yesterday?"

She stayed on his face. "The guy broke Tuck's nose and smashed his hand."

Evan dropped his chin towards his chest, his eyes briefly closing before looking up and out the window behind Tom.

"Do you have any idea who's doing this? Why they're doing this?"

Vic returned to her chair. "That's what we're trying to figure out. Which is why we need all of you to be honest about who you know and how you know them. It can help us find connections that could lead us to the person responsible for all this."

Evan leaned back in his seat.

Vic placed the photos back on the desk. "Is there anything else you'd like to add, Nick?"

"I...uh..." He looked between the three of them. "No."

"Ok." She held his gaze for a moment. "If anything does come to you, please reach out to Sheriff Haskill. We're working this case together, so he'll keep us updated."

She stood and waited for Evan to do the same.

Tom came around his desk, placing a hand on Evan's shoulder as he guided him to the door. "Thanks for coming in Evan."

When the two had left, Vic walked over to the window, placed both hands on the sill and looked out. A moment later she heard the door open behind her, and turned around to find the office empty.

Confused by Walt's sudden, unannounced departure, Vic made her way across the room. Just as she reached the doorway, Walt walked back in, almost colliding with her.

"Sorry." He paused a moment before walking over to the table in the corner. Vic followed, coming up to his side as he revealed a stack of post-it notes and a couple pens in his hands. He placed the post-its down and pulled the top one off the pile.

Vic leaned over the table. "What are you doing?"

He removed the cap from one of the pens and began writing. "I'm trying to keep all the connections between these eight straight. Thought it might help to write them out."

Walt placed a post-it note with Nick's name on it on the table and pulled another sheet from the stack. Once all eight names were written down, he stepped back.

He pointed to the post-it with Nick's name. "Evan knows Nick, but none of the others claimed to."

"Well we haven't talked to Rich Sollinger yet. And I still need to show Andy the pictures of the Sheridan folks to see if he recognizes anyone, but I'm guessing neither of them know him. Or at least I'm anticipating they will claim they don't know him."

"What about Dylan?"

"Since he's back at school in Billings, I emailed him the pictures. He said he didn't know any of them, including Tyler."

"Ok, we'll confirm with Rich and Andy, but for now let's assume that the only one admitting to knowing Nick is Evan."

He looked at the other post-its. "We do, however, know that Tyler was at the bike clinic back in May, and that Nick helped out at the clinic, and somewhat recognized Tyler's picture when we showed it to him. So Nick has a connection to both Evan and Tyler."

Vic picked up the other pen, leaned forward and wrote the two names on Nick's post-it. "And Nick reacted when we mentioned Tuck's name, even though Tuck claimed not to know him." She added Tuck's name to the list.

She straightened and turned her attention to the post-it with Evan's name. "The Sheridan individuals all have a connection with Evan. Nick is his friend, Tyler participated in his bike clinic, and Rich's auto shop fixed his car." She wrote the three names below Evan's name.

Walt pointed to Tuck's post-it. "And there is a connection between Evan and Tuck. Something more than just Evan admitting he's a fan of the Cowboys."

Vic added Tuck's name to the list. "I'll check with Andy, but I'm guessing, similar to Kyle and Dylan, he won't recognize Evan."

With his hands on his hips, Walt looked down at the table. "Rich is connected to Evan through the work his shop did on Evan's car, and to Tyler, as Tyler's mom's boyfriend. But no one else has recognized him." Vic wrote the two names down on Rich's post-it.

He tapped Tyler's post-it. "Tyler has a connection to the other three Sheridan individuals, even though he admits to only knowing Rich, but so far we have nothing confirmed regarding how he might know the kids in Durant." Vic added the three names to Tyler's post-it.

Vic pulled out her notebook. "Andy didn't recognize Kyle or Dylan, but knew who Tuck was, since he was a popular football player."

Walt looked over at her. "Kyle recognized Andy enough to call him a loser."

Vic wrote Tuck's and Kyle's names on Andy's sheet. "I'll check with Andy to see if he knows any of the four from Sheridan."

She looked back at her book. "Dylan recognized Kyle, since they were in the same grade, but said they weren't friends. And he recognized Tuck, again because of his popularity as a football player. Other than those two, he didn't know the others." Vic placed Tuck and Kyle on Dylan's list.

She flipped a page and then leaned over and started writing names on Kyle's post-it. "Kyle recognized Andy. He knew who Dylan was, although, like Dylan, said the two weren't friends. And he was on the football team with Tuck, although a year behind him. He didn't recognize any of the four from Sheridan."

Walt placed both hands on the table. "Tuck knows Kyle, recognized Dylan's name, and didn't remember Andy, who would have been a freshman at Durant his senior year. And then of course, Tuck recognized Evan, although he denied knowing him. He said that he didn't know Nick or Rich." Vic wrote the information down beneath Tuck's name.

Vic ran her fingers across the post-its for the four from Sheridan. "So, Evan and Tyler are connected to everyone in Sheridan." She then brought her focus to the other four post-its. "And Kyle, and to some degree Tuck, are connected to everyone in Durant, if you count Andy recognizing Tuck as a football player despite Tuck not remembering Andy."

Walt lifted Evan's and Tuck's post-its from the table. "And the only connection between those in Sheridan and those in Durant, right now, is through Evan and Tuck, who recognized each other. And possibly through Nick and Tuck, although Tuck claimed not to know Nick."

Turning her head, Vic looked up at Walt as he returned the two post-its he was holding. "We don't have any insight into how Tyler is connected to anyone in Durant, which doesn't help support our suspicion that he is involved with all the robberies."

She looked back at their notes on the post-its. "Is Tyler tied to the Durant kids through the Evan and Tuck connection, and we just have to figure out how he fits in and why the hell these kids are lying about it?"

She cupped the side of her neck with her hand as she continued to survey their notes. "Or is the person that Tyler is working with to pull off these robberies the connection to Durant?

She looked up. "Or is it something else altogether?"

Walt rubbed his hand across his jaw. "We don't have the connection yet, and we don't have motive for any of it. Tyler briefly crossing paths with Evan and Nick at the mountain bike clinic in Billings doesn't give us any insight into why he would do this."

Vic ran her hand along her ponytail as the two stared at the eight post-its in silence. With her focus still on the table she blew at a few strands of hair that had fallen in front of her view. "This reminds me of those logic problems we did as kids where you filled out the grid based on the clues that were given, and then attempted to deduce who was connected to each other."

He half-turned. "I was always good at those."

A pause and then she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Me too."

He smiled a small smile at her, and she couldn't help herself from wanting more. She took a step closer as she fingered the stack of small yellow sheets sitting near the edge of the table. "Where did you get the post-its?"

He turned fully toward her, his eyes on her face. "I have my source."

"Does Ruby know that you have relationships with other receptionists on the side?"

"As long as I am loyal to her, Ruby does not care what I have to do to get the job done."

"But does she know these other receptionists offer you post-its? I thought that was Ruby's sacred territory with you."

Walt's grin grew. "As you can see the post-its Linda gave me were blank. Ruby has nothing to worry about. No note-passing is going on behind her back."

There it was again. That warm smile of his that pulled her in and made it so easy and so damn hard to be around him right now. It was like a magnet pulling her in, and she took another step closer. "Ah, so I got you to admit your source was Linda."

"Sorry it took me so long. I needed to talk to one of my deputies about another case." Sheriff Haskill strode into the room and up to the table.

Vic watched Walt's smile fade as he turned away from her, slipping back into sheriff mode.

Tom looked down at the post-its. "What have you two been working on?"

XX

Sheriff Haskill stood with his back to the window. "Rich. Thanks for agreeing to talk to us. This is Deputy Moretti and Sheriff Longmire from Absaroka County. They're in Sheridan today to talk with you and the two other victims from Saturday's robberies. They had some similar robberies in Durant yesterday, and we want to see if we can find a connection so we can figure out who did this."

Rich Sollinger glanced between the two of them. "Is Tyler behind the Durant robberies as well? The bastard."

Standing on the opposite side of the hospital bed from Tom, Vic took a step closer. "We don't know who is responsible yet." She watched Rich closely. "Tyler has alibis for that morning."

"So you've seen the lardass? He hasn't even had the decency to call his mother throughout all this. And of course he hasn't shown any concern for how I'm doing. The only reason we know Tyler came back from his hiking trip on Saturday is because they told us he came into the Sheriff's Office to answer questions. Who am I kidding? That little shit never calls his mother when he's out on those damn treks of his."

Vic was concerned that they were getting the man riled up in his current condition. He had casts on both his left leg and hand. Bruising was visible across the part of his chest that was exposed, and he had a black eye. She recalled from the case file that he had cracked some ribs as well. She briefly looked at Walt, who stood near the foot of the bed, before looking back at the patient.

"Mr. Sollinger."

"Call me Rich, sweetheart."

She ignored the 'sweetheart' comment as well as Walt's clenched jaw. "Why are you so adamant that your son is involved?"

"He's not my son."

"Sorry, your girlfriend's son."

"The kid hates me."

"Well, even if that's true, it doesn't mean that he did this. And hating you wouldn't be motive for the other six robberies."

"And he's goddamn obsessive."

"Obsessive?"

"The asshole obsesses about everything. Joanne is at work today, but if she was here she'd back me up. Before I was in the picture he obsessed about his fathering leaving the two of them. When his dog died, he got obsessed with death. When he decided to finally lose weight, he obsessed with his diet and working out. When he got into all that outdoor stuff he does, he was obsessed with it. Saving money to get all the gear. Redecorating his room with his new heroes and activities. Spending all his free time doing hikes, and climbs and bike rides. And now he's decided to drop out of school because the goddamn obsession continues."

"What does that have to do with the robberies?"

"Tyler becomes absolutely fixated on things. Like his hatred for me. Like losing weight. Like taking on any challenge presented to him. So if he made up his mind to do this, to rob my store, the little shit would do everything in his power to see it through. If there were others he was angry with, he'd obsess about it and very likely come up with a way to get revenge for however they wronged him. So maybe the son of a bitch got it into his head to not just rob my store, but to try to get away with robbing several. In retaliation. Or for the challenge. To prove he could do it."

"As I mentioned, there's proof that Tyler was hiking during the robberies on Saturday. How do you explain that?"

"I'm sure Tyler found a way to make people believe he was hiking. Did I tell you how smart that pisser is? Back when he cared about school, he got straight A's."

"He has witnesses that say he was hiking with them. And Instagram uploads. Is there anyone you can think of who Tyler might have worked with to pull this off? Any of his friends?"

"You'll need to talk to Joanne about his friends. The loser never brought any of them around to the house, so I'm not sure if he actually has any."

Walt rested his hands on the end of the bed. "What about his girlfriend? Do you know her?"

Rich looked to the foot of the bed where Walt stood. "What girlfriend?"

"The one with the dog."

"If Tyler actually has a girlfriend, it's news to me."

Walt paused as he looked down the bed at Rich. "If Tyler is involved, did anything happen recently? Did you say anything to him or do anything that might have triggered...this?"

Rich sat up in the bed, cringing slightly at the movement. "Why is this my fault? I'm not responsible for what that freak's done."

She gritted her teeth as she watched Walt's grip on the bed tighten. She took a deep breath. "Does Tyler's mom believe he's involved in these robberies?"

Rich snorted as he pushed back into his pillow. "Of course she'll never admit it."

Vic took out pictures of Nick and Evan. "Sheriff Haskill probably already showed you these pictures, but we want to see if you remember anything. These are the boys that were working in the two other stores that were robbed on Saturday morning. Nick Waters and Evan Brandt. Have you seen them before? Maybe in the shop? Or hanging out with Tyler?"

Rich barely glanced at the pictures. "Like I told Sheriff Haskill, I don't know them."

Walt stepped closer. "Evan told us that he got his car fixed at your shop at the beginning of the summer."

Rich's eyes darted from Vic to Walt. "He did?"

"Yep."

Vic held up Evan's picture and Rick snatched it from her hands.

"Ok. Yeah. I remember him. His car needed some bodywork done."

Walt's hands went to his hips. "How long did you have his car?"

"A couple days, I think."

"Was there someone with him to give him a ride home?"

"No, he came by himself. The reason I didn't recognize this kid the first time I saw this picture is because when I met him he had all these cuts and scrapes all over his face and arms. They looked damn painful, and yet he got up on his car, took his bike down from his bike rack and rode it home. He must be an adventure nut, like Tyler. Takes these crazy falls, and gets right back in the saddle."

"Do you remember anything from your conversation with Evan?"

"We didn't talk much. He walked us through the damage when he dropped it off. I called him to talk through the repair work that was needed and how much it would cost. And then he picked it up."

"Have you seen him since then?"

"No."

"And this other kid? Nick? Are you sure you haven't seen him before."

Rick looked more closely at the picture. "No. He doesn't look familiar."

Vic pulled out the pictures of the four Durant kids and placed them on the tray in front of him. "These are the individuals that were working in the four stores that were robbed in Durant yesterday. Andy Bowman. Dylan Matthews. Kyle Walton. Tuck Jensen. Do you recognize any of them?"

Rich looked at each picture. "No." He looked across the bed at Walt. "Did any of these kids bring in their car to be fixed at my shop?"

"None of them mentioned it, but we'd like you to check your records. We'll write down the names for you."

Gathering the pictures and returning them to the folder, Vic looked up at Rich. "Is there anything else you've remembered about the robbery since talking to Sheriff Haskill?"

He let a breathy laugh. "Shit. I've been thinking of little else since. I'm not sure how I'll ever get those images out of my head. The son of a bitch yelling. The bat." He looked to the side. "But I haven't been able to remember any new details."

Vic dropped her gaze. She felt Walt's eyes on her, and looked up to find he had taken a step around the corner of the bed toward her. She pulled her shoulders back as she looked over at Rich. "Thanks. Please let Sheriff Haskill know if you remember anything you think might be helpful."

"Believe me, if I remember anything that would prove the shithead was involved, I'll let you know."

XX

Vic pulled into a spot to the left of Walt's Bronco in the Sheridan County Sheriff's Office parking lot. Putting her truck in park, she leaned forward and lay her forehead against the steering wheel.

"Do I sound like him, Walt?"

"Sound like who?"

She closed her eyes. "That asshole, Sollinger."

"What do you mean?"

"I curse. A lot. Hearing those words come out of his mouth...Am I an asshole like him?"

"Of course not."

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm not."

She slowly opened her eyelids and turned her head toward the passenger seat where he sat. He was looking at her intently.

"You're nothing like him. You don't say things to be derogatory or malicious."

She sat up, looking out the windshield. "My attitude can be rather...negative...sometimes."

"Your view on things is nothing like his. And you would never use some of the words he used, or say them about those close to you."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "You didn't hear what I was calling you this weekend."

The sides of his mouth lifted. "I can imagine. And I probably deserved it."

She breathed out a small laugh. "I can't believe Tyler is our main suspect and he's potentially done, or at least been involved in, these terrible things, but I was in there feeling sorry for him."

Walt paused in thought. "Sometimes the perpetrators are also victims. Sometimes they become perpetrators because there are victims."

Vic sat back, her head coming into contact with the headrest.

"What if Tyler's not guilty?"

"If that's where the evidence leads us, then that's where it leads us. It's like the logic problems you mentioned. We'll piece all the evidence together until we get to the truth. It may implicate Tyler, or it may exonerate him."

Her head still against the headrest, Vic looked out her driver-side window. "This week has really sucked so far."

A pause. "Yep."

"And I'm not just talking about the case."

He paused again. "I know."

She rolled her head to look at him. "And it's only Tuesday."

He held her eyes.

After a moment he shifted in his seat. "Rich Sollinger mentioning the bat, and not being able to get the image out of his head...did that...did that bring back memories of Chance Gilbert and that day at his compound?"

She closed her eyes as her answer.

The two sat in silence.

After a minute or so had passed, she felt his fingers on her elbow. When their gazes met, she saw a look in his eyes that she couldn't read, but that sucked her in. Made her stomach flip. He suddenly broke eye contact, looked down at his hand on her arm and then quickly pulled it back. He turned away from her and stared at the dashboard. She started to lean in toward him, but stopped herself from placing her hand on his arm, reminding herself that the ball was in his court. That the next move was his. She dropped her eyes and leaned back into her seat.

She'd really been struggling the last couple days back at work.

Part of her wanted there to be as much distance as possible between them. So she could get through this without getting more hurt. Without the constant reminder of what she couldn't have. Of what they'd never be. This part wanted him to get out of her truck so she could be on her way. So she could push him out of her mind. Or at least try...without him present. So that she wouldn't have to experience these looks that falsely gave her hope, and tore her up on the inside.

Yesterday she'd done a good job of putting up a wall. Of keeping space between them. But today...

Part of her clung to the hope that if she stayed in his presence, and gave him enough time, that he'd come around to seeing what they could have...what they could be...together. This part wanted to be near him. To reach out and touch him. To have him reach out and touch her. And not remove his hand. To smile that smile that softened his eyes. Today, this side of her was pulled in every time there seemed to be a moment...of connection...of possibility...between them.

Walt straightened, and without looking at her, reached for the door handle.

"Uh...I should head out." He opened the door and then paused. "See you back at the office?"

Maybe the first part was right. Maybe distance was the key. If she let herself hope and get close again, she was bound to get hurt...further. And maybe the next time she wouldn't survive. She was barely holding it together now. She needed to protect her heart. Things were painful enough already. She didn't think she could take another dose of rejection.

She turned toward him. "Actually, when I get back to Durant I'm going to track down Andy Bowman. Show him the pictures of the Sheridan folks and see what he says."

He held her gaze. "Ok."

Was the look that flashed across his eyes disappointment? Shit. There she was hoping again.

His gaze drifted to her windshield, and she looked in the same direction.

"You going back into the office?"

"Yep. I'll see if Branch or Ferg have learned anything new, and check in with the deputy Tom has watching Tyler."

There was a rap on the window beside her. Walt looked over, as she turned her head. Leo stood on the other side of the glass.

As she lowered the window she heard the passenger door open further. She looked to her right and saw Walt getting out of her truck.

"You two taking off?"

"Hmm?" She distractedly turned back toward Leo, finding his forearms crossed as he leaned against the opening of the window. "Oh...yes. We're heading back to Durant."

"Haskill didn't come back with you?"

"He stayed back at the hospital to check in on another patient."

Leo nodded. "Well, good luck with the case on your end."

"Thanks."

With a smile he pushed off the door and straightened. "Give me a call or stop by the office when you want to talk more about Thompson's position."

She laughed. "When? Not if? You sure are confident."

His smile broadened as he shrugged his shoulders. He turned and headed toward the stairs to the building, calling over his shoulder. "I say it like I see it."

Vic watched Leo enter the front door and then turned toward the Bronco. Walt sat gripping the wheel, his gaze directed toward the entrance.

He stared out his windshield a little longer, and then, without glancing her way, looked over his right shoulder and reversed the truck out of the parking spot. As she watched his vehicle disappear from her rearview mirror, she ran both hands over her face.

Shit. Regardless of whether she was pushing him away or getting pulled in, she wouldn't be able to keep him out of her mind. It was going to be a long drive back.