Thank you so much for your feedback on this split approach to the story! I love that both story lines have fans. Work is caught up and I am glad to get back to reading and writing more this week.
Barlow Connally paid to have David Ridges murder Martha Longmire. He couldn't believe it. Branch had been eerily calm as he recounted the story of his father's confession and subsequent attempt to kill him. Ferg had listened closely to everything Branch had told him but he was still having a hard time wrapping his brain around Branch's revelation that it was his father who was ultimately responsible for Martha's death. As if that wasn't shocker enough, Barlow had tried to kill his own son when he confronted him about it. Now Barlow is in the emergency room getting stitched up after Branch knocked him down to keep from getting shot. Ferg hoped Branch wouldn't go off the deep end again over this. Right now he seemed to be displaying a level of insight that quite frankly Ferg had never seen from him. Branch had been distracted by something the entire time Ferg had known him. Usually it was his own ambitions and desire for recognition. It has always been obvious that Branch didn't have the greatest relationship with his father but Ferg hadn't known it was as bad as it apparently was. Maybe Branch craved approval from everyone else because he never got any from his father. Whatever the case, Branch appeared as calm and focused as Ferg had ever seen him.
Branch goes back to the ER to stay with Barlow and Ferg walks back to check on the girls. He peeks in the door and sees Cady asleep in the chair. He quietly slips in. Finding a blanket on the shelf he gently places it over Cady and watches her sleep for a moment. He is in awe of how beautiful and selfless she is. She gave up her celebration with Henry to help him bring Vic to the hospital and then volunteered to stay with her. He's feeling guilty about not having headed right out to look for her father, but he thinks she will understand when she hears the latest development in her mother's murder. An important part of being in law enforcement is being able to quickly prioritize necessary tasks. Getting a murderer and potential flight risk behind bars trumps trying to find a sheriff from whom no one has heard anything for just a few hours. And he would look for Walt, he just needed to take care of some things first. He silently asks for her forgiveness before kissing her lightly on the head, something he wouldn't have the guts to do if she were awake.
Turning to Vic he looks at her lying in the bed and starts to feel very overwhelmed. This is all a bit much for him to handle on his own. Normally after hearing news like he just did he would check in with Walt, share the information and see what to do next or he would talk to Vic about it if Walt wasn't around. Now Walt is MIA and Vic is sedated in a hospital bed recovering from a brain injury. Pair that with Branch's suspension and he's left to run the entire Sheriff's Department of Absaroka County on his own. He isn't sure if he's up to the task but he knows he has no choice. This is make or break time for him. Now is when he will prove to everyone whether he is worthy to wear his badge. Most importantly, he will prove to himself if he deserves that privilege. He has to get somewhere quiet to think and plan. He takes Vic's hand and squeezes it before leaving the room.
As he walks down the hall he starts making a mental list of things he needs to take care of starting with finding a suitable cell for Barlow Connally. Barlow had suffered a laceration and mild concussion from hitting his head when Branch knocked him off balance but was not injured severely enough to be admitted. They don't have the staff to house a prisoner at the station right now. He needs another option. He decides to call the Tri-County Jail and see if they have space available. He steps outside the entrance doors to make the phone call. Once he secures a spot for Barlow he places a call to the Highway Patrol. He didn't trust Barlow before but now that he's tried to kill his own son, he really doesn't trust him. He decides the smart thing to do is to have backup just in case Barlow tries something desperate. He meets two patrolmen at the front doors of the hospital and they accompany him to Barlow's room where Ferg arrests and cuffs him. He reads him his rights and walks him to Vic's truck for the transport. After Barlow is securely in the hands of Tri-County, Ferg heads back to the station. There's paperwork that needs to be completed and filed. At least he knows he's good at that part of the job. He'll start on it tonight but he wants to be thorough and has asked Branch to come in first thing in the morning so he can make sure he gets his statement of what happened exact. Then he'll make a call to the DA's office so charges against Barlow can be filed right away.
Before that though he needs to see whether Henry's had any luck with locating the Sheriff. He calls Henry on the way up the stairs at the station. He knows if anyone can track down Walt, it's Henry.
"Hello."
"Henry, have you been able to find Walt yet?"
"I have not but I do have some ideas of where to look. I have decided to start eliminating those possibilities starting in the morning. With no moon out it will be much more difficult to track him tonight, but I am hoping he will show up before then." Henry does not share his concerns about where Walt may have gone or what he may be up to. He thought it best not to raise suspicions about something that may not be true.
"I'd like to help you look for him tomorrow but I have a few things I need to do first. Can you come by the station about 9? I'm not going home tonight so I should be able to have everything lined out by then."
Henry wanted to get an earlier start but he remembers how helpful Ferg was the last time they worked together. He also knew if his suspicions about Walt were correct, he would need Ferg's help, "I will see you at 9."
Ferg hangs up and walks over to the file cabinet to start pulling paperwork that needs to be completed. He wants to get as much filled out as possible before he hits the bunk and tries to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.