Ch. 14: Miles to go before I sleep

Walt reached out on pure instinct. Vic was the one closest to him in that moment, so it was Vic's jacket that he grabbed. She didn't see it coming and must've thought she stumbled based on the way that she seemed to try and retain her balance. Walt's sharp tug ensured that wasn't possible and Vic hit the snow covered ground with a grunt. In the maybe two seconds the move took, it dawned on them all that what they heard was a gunshot. The other three were down and Vic was pushing away as they all scrambled for shelter.

Shelter was found behind the trunk of a large tree for himself and Vic. Another tree offered some level of protection for Cady and Zach. Vic was so close to him that when she moved her arm brushed his chest.

"Do you know what direction it came from?"

She sounded out of breath. It was no wonder. Running for your life in the cold tended to have that effect on people.

"Same direction as the snowmobile."

"It is him."

It was part question and part statement.

"Seems that way."

The snowmobile in question had gone quiet. Another shot rang out but it harmlessly hit a tree several feet away. The miss did nothing to quell the feeling in his gut that two of the people he cared the most about in the world were in danger. Not to mention Zach.

"Fuck."

Vic muttered the curse when she heard the second shot and glanced over at Cady.

"See anything?"

The attempted whisper came out louder than intended and harsh. Cady shook her head in response.

"No. You?"

"No."

Cady shifted her eyes to Walt and posed the same silent question. He gave his head a shake as well.

"You think he's alone?"

It was another question from Vic. Walt thought about that one for a minute.

"Hard to say. The shots were both from a rifle."

"He got a snowmobile from somewhere. Maybe he's got help."

"Or he could have stolen it."

He countered her point of view with a different one. Vic's brow furrowed a bit.

"True."

Walt lifted his rifle and looked through the sights as he moved the barrel. With a shake of his head, he lowered the gun.

"I don't know."

The engine sound started humming again and Cady straightened up a bit.

"It's moving again."

Walt nodded.

"Yep."

Cady started to take a tentative step and Walt stopped her with a look.

"Wait."

She paused and did as he told her.

"We need a plan. We can't just…blindly follow and hope for the best. The four of us…it's too much noise."

Walt glanced around before looking at Vic.

"Do you have a phone signal?"

Vic tugged her phone free from her back pocket and gave the screen a quick look.

"Of course not."

The sarcasm was evident in her voice. Walt looked to Cady.

"You should try and get a phone signal. Go back the way we came. This is not a small area and we may need some help."

The man was firing at them. The rules of the game had changed.

"Me?"

"Someone. But, not alone."

"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."

It was Vic who spoke in a tone he knew well.

"That we go back and you go on."

She completed the thought.

His eyes met hers and she immediately shook her head.

"No."

The word was quick and decisive. Before he could respond she pressed on.

"You're not the Sheriff anymore. You're not even a cop."

It was a valid point if that's what she was aiming at. There was no need to start an argument with either her or Cady.

"You…come with me."

He turned his eyes to Cady and Zach.

"You two go for help. Safer in pairs."

Cady tossed Zach a look and he gave a barely there nod.

The snowmobile seemed to be moving away from them now. Walt motioned.

"Go. Now."

They did. He watched as Cady and Zach started a careful, low retreat. Cady's phone was in her hand and he suspected she would go no further than was necessary before turning back.

"Well…you got one of us out of the line of fire."

Walt turned to Vic.

"That wasn't…"

She flapped a hand at him.

"I don't care. You plan on us going after a snowmobile…on foot?"

"Do you have a better one?"

Vic bit her lip clearly giving the question some real thought.

"No."

"We need to at least keep tracking him even if we can't catch him."

"You think he's alone."

It wasn't a question.

"I only hear one snowmobile. And the shots started about the time it stopped."

Walt stepped out from behind the tree and motioned for her to come with him. Walt still held his rifle at the ready. They started moving again, this time with a higher level of caution.

They walked for a bit in silence. He could tell she wanted to say something. She was waiting. Maybe for a better moment. Maybe to be sure they weren't about to be shot at again. He didn't like the feeling of being a target. Or of Vic being one.

"You want to do this by yourself."

Vic broke the quiet with whispered words. Walt kept his eyes forward facing and searching. She sighed beside him at the lack of response. The truth was he didn't have one. She was right and he didn't want to admit that. He would rather do this on his own the way that he had so many times before. The problem was…that it wasn't his job anymore.

He had no real authority.

There were very few times that his being retired was a thing that he regretted. For the most part he liked the newfound freedom that came with not being Sheriff.

This was one of those few times.

xxx

She understood his silence on some level.

They were tracking a suspected murderer who'd already fired a gun at them. Vic didn't know whether or not Lassiter actually intended to hit them, or if he was trying to buy himself some time. The shots hadn't been all that close to them. Close enough to rattle, not close enough to harm. Maybe he wasn't a complete idiot and didn't want to add cop killer to his growing resume of crimes.

But, if he'd already murdered a woman, why care now?

Vic had worked with Walt long enough to know how his mind worked. He always struggled at being a team player even though he was the leader of the team. His preference was frequently to work alone. He got better over her time working for him. That was partially because she was adamant that working alone was stupid and dangerous and frequently inserted herself.

She knew the need still existed in him to be alone. It was why he took his trips. It was why he looked for treasure that he wasn't really interested in. For Walt, it was always the journey and never the destination. It would have been easy to get offended by it all. There was a time when she would have taken it the wrong way.

Now she understood.

It wasn't that he was trying to get away from anything. It wasn't some hidden dissatisfaction with his life. He was committed to this and to her. She didn't doubt that. There was simply something in his makeup that needed space at this point in his life.

After her failed marriage and the clusterfuck that followed, she got it.

Life could feel suffocating. It could feel all but impossible to escape from at times. She understood because she wasn't all that different. It wasn't so much that she wanted to be alone. It was more that she'd always been independent and self-reliant. It drove Sean crazy over the years. Vic wasn't sure if he was already insecure or if her lack of a need for him made him that way. She didn't care to dwell on either.

Water under bridges that were incinerated.

There was something to be said for being independent together. To crave but not necessarily need.

"Yep."

Walt spoke without warning and Vic gave him a confused look.

"What?"

"You're right."

She made that comment at least fifteen minutes ago and he was just now responding. It was such a Walt thing to do.

"It wasn't a question."

"I know."

He paused and motioned at the ground.

"Snowmobile tracks."

They couldn't hear the machine anymore, but they were still on its trail. That was Walt when it came to situations like this one. Patient to a mind defying level.

"How long do you think it'll take the cavalry to come?"

"Depends on how quick Cady and Zach got a call through."

They were moving again.

"We have to find him, Walt."

He looked at her then for the first time in a while. Their eyes connected briefly.

"We will."

He sounded confident. That might have been for her benefit more than anything, but she wanted to believe it. She certainly didn't doubt his ability.

"Where in the hell did he get a snowmobile? No one has reported one as stolen."

"That you know of."

"True, but…"

Vic paused and pushed some loose hair out of her face.

"…that seems like the sort of thing a person would notice."

"Do you think someone is helping him."

Vic shrugged.

"Don't know. That's a pretty big ask when you're suspected of murder."

Walt stopped and she nearly bumped into him. He knelt down. Vic's eyes dropped to the snow where she noticed a liquid on the snow. Walt traced his fingers through it and brought it to his nose. He looked up at her.

"His ride is leaking oil."

"Maybe it's a piece of shit like he is."

Walt swiped his hand over his pants as he stood up.

"Let's keep going. If he breaks down…"

He didn't finish the thought. She didn't need him to. If the man lost his transportation, he would lose the only advantage he had over them. He did have a head start and was clearly armed, but he would be on foot again.

Vic pulled her phone out and glanced at the screen.

"No signal."

One side of Walt's mouth pulled up into a slight smile.

"Surely you're not surprised by that."

Vic rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I was checking. You never know."

Vic hoped that help was on the way by now. Lassiter did have a lead on them. If they could get some more bodies out here their chances of catching him increased exponentially.

The tracks were easy to follow and there were more drips of oil that Vic found encouraging. Also frightening. A cornered man was a desperate man. A desperate man was a dangerous man.

"How does it feel?"

She posed the question out of nowhere and earned a glance from him.

"How does what feel?"

"Being out here like this. Searching for a fugitive. Familiar? Weird?"

He was quiet for a stretch. Thinking. She was sure of that.

"Both."

Vic breathed out a low laugh.

"Do you ever miss it?"

She'd asked him that more frequently when he first retired. The first few weeks has been quite an adjustment. Not just for Walt. His answer was almost always the same. A simple 'sometimes.' Over time she stopped asking and he didn't volunteer the information.

Seeing him so completely in his element made her genuinely curious.

"I don't miss being shot at."

Vic certainly didn't blame him there.

"But…this…"

She couldn't quite come up with the word that she was looking for.

"Do you miss it?"

What she really meant was the adrenaline that came with making an arrest or solving a crime. The satisfaction of giving someone or even yourself closure. Not that it always turned out that way. But, Walt had been a hunter of men for a long time.

That was something outside of the norm.

He stopped walking and peered off into the trees. Vic was starting to think that he wasn't going to answer when he finally did.

"No."

xxx

Life was a thing that happened in stages. Those stages frequently ran together in transitions you didn't always notice until it was over. It wasn't unusual to miss a stage once you were no longer in it. Even if you once believed you couldn't wait to move on.

Kids longed to be older. Teenagers wanted the freedom of adults. Young adults missed the lack of responsibility they experienced as teenagers but also craved the stability generally achieved as one matured. Middle age frequently brought a longing for a youth that slipped away before one could truly enjoy the lessons learned. And the twilight years could bring a host of regrets and what-ifs.

Or so he heard. He wasn't quite there yet.

Walt certainly had a lot of regrets. What felt like more than most. One of the lessons he learned most recently was that dwelling on them robbed you of the life that you were currently living. He was determined to have more appreciation going forward and hoped that would lead to fewer regrets when he was an old man.

Like Lucian.

He could have done the job for more years. There were certainly Sheriffs who were older than he was. But, he saw things in Lucian that he never wanted to see in himself. As much as he wanted to be alone after Martha died, he no longer felt that. He didn't want to spend his remaining years alone and isolated from everyone that he ever cared about.

For a while there…he was dangerously close.

Leaving his job was certainly a change. Change was never easy. Especially not for Walt. It brought about high levels of trepidation. But, if he was truly going to move on…if he was really serious about turning a page and having something real, he believed it was something that he had to do.

And needed to.

He felt a lot of things in the days immediately following his retirement. Hope. Fear. Everything in between.

He never felt regret.

There were aspects of the job that he missed. People that he missed.

The 'it' that Vic was talking about, though, was not one of those things.

He didn't miss the job. It was the experience that he sometimes felt a mild pang for.

He'd replaced it with other things that he found fulfilling in a way that was so much healthier. He still solved puzzles. They just weren't a matter of life and death. He could still track. Just not people. He still exercised his mind. Just not to solve crimes.

Vic was still a part of his life. It was simply in a different way.

He had done his part and it was time to pass that torch.

"He's on foot."

Walt took Vic's arm and gestured. She looked the direction he pointed to see the snowmobile in question sitting lifeless and abandoned. Walt looked around and listened. The world around them was quiet as he expected winter to be.

They approached the snowmobile with caution. Vic glanced around at their surroundings as Walt inspected the machine. Her right hand was on her holstered Glock.

"Burning oil and leaking. Must have broken down on him. Older model. No way to know if it's stolen right now."

He stepped back as Vic took out her phone and used it to take pictures of the abandoned snowmobile. When she was done she tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"It's creepy out here. Creepy and quiet."

Walt gave her a questioning look.

"Creepy?"

"Yeah. The snow makes it creepy."

Creepy wasn't the word he would use. Maybe eerie.

"So…"

Vic exhaled audibly.

"…this way?"

She motioned at the clear prints leading away from the snowmobile.

Walt nodded.

"Unless he learned to fly."

The comment earned him a look that told him he was being a smartass.

He tossed her a smile.

"Sorry."

Vic shook her head.

"No you're not. Let's go."

Walt dipped his face and started walking beside her.

"This snow sucks."

His height gave him a distinct advantage.

"Yep."

"Where do you think he's going?"

He had given that some thought as they trekked without any concrete answers coming to mind.

"Hard to say."

"Impossible to say."

Walt shrugged.

"I could take a guess but…there are a lot of options from here. Have you thought about how to handle it if we get to him before backup gets here?"

He knew she wasn't much of a planner. She was more reactive than proactive.

"Arrest him."

Walt tossed her a dubious look.

"You think he'll let you?"

"Let me?"

She sounded a bit incredulous at his word usage.

"I doubt he'll let me, but he's not gonna have much of a choice."

"He's armed."

He didn't believe she really needed that reminder.

"So are we."

Vic paused and looked at the ground as she walked.

"I would…rather take him in alive. Guess that's up to him."

He was confident in her abilities as a deputy. He'd relied on them. That didn't change the fact that this man was suspected of murdering a woman. He hadn't seemed to be shooting to kill earlier, but that could change if he truly felt cornered.

"Don't get weird on me."

She wasn't looking at him.

"Weird?"

"You got quiet all of a sudden and I can hear you thinking. I know what I'm doing, Walt."

"I know."

"Then why the doubts?"

"I don't doubt you, Vic. I just worry."

If his concern bothered her she didn't let on. Not really. She kept walking and there was no real reprimand in her voice. That was just Vic's brand of honesty. He figured if she could worry about him back when he was Sheriff, he was well within his rights to have the same feelings now.

"You're here."

Walt nodded.

"Yep."

"That's all the backup I need."

xxx

"Do you think we might have lost him?"

Walt didn't answer for a stretch.

"There's no way to know until this trail runs out. I do think he got a jump on us with the snowmobile."

It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but Walt wasn't in the habit of feeding her lies. This was starting to feel discouraging. Surely Cady and Zach were on their way back by now. They should have reinforcements with them. Vic just wondered if it would be too late. Walt was right. The fact that Lassiter had transportation for a while leaned the advantage heavily in his favor even though it had broken down. They'd been on foot the entire time and Walt never really changed his pace.

She understood why. That didn't make their seeming lack of progress any less frustrating. Patience was not something that Vic was known for. That was no different when it came to a situation like this one.

Beside her she could hear the steady sound of Walt breathing. It had increased over time as had her own breathing. In this cold and with this walking, it was hard not to take deep breaths.

"Feels like we're not gaining any ground."

"You don't know that, Vic. There's no way to know that. All we can do is keep tracking him."

His words did little to quell the disappointment that was blooming in her gut. She knew what he was trying to do and she appreciated it. That didn't change the way that she was feeling.

Walt held up his hand.

"Stop for a minute."

Vic came to a stop and watched as Walt knelt down and studied the prints in the snow.

"He ran here."

"Ran?"

Walt stood up.

"Yep. See how the stride gets longer?"

She could see what he was saying. The distance between prints was longer.

"Prints are deeper, too. He's definitely running."

Vic bit her bottom lip and looked into the distance.

"Wonder why?"

Walt shook his head and adjusted his hat.

"Don't know. Maybe we are gaining on him. We should…"

He paused and looked around. Vic eyed him.

"What?"

"We should be careful. We know that he's armed. If he feels threatened…there's nothing to stop him from…"

Walt's words faded. Vic didn't need him to finish the thought. She was already thinking the same thing. Lassiter was wanted for murder. That never left her mind. He was a dangerous man and carelessness was something they couldn't afford.

"Yeah."

That was her only response. Walt cast a wordless look in her direction.

"C'mon."

He started to move again and Vic followed.

Watching Walt work was something she never got tired of. It was one of the things she missed since his retirement. He was good at his job. The best that she knew and that wasn't an exaggeration. As long as she'd been doing this job both in Durant and back in Philly, she'd seen a variety of cops who did the job for a myriad of reasons. She could always tell when someone came by their talent naturally and when it was something they had to work at and learn.

It came naturally to Walt. He possessed an instinct that he relied on and his mind was as quick as anyone she'd ever known. Being Sheriff was a job that he was born to do. Vic didn't know any other way of putting it. It was good to see that the skills were still there. Maybe all of his treasure hunting excursions and all the reading he did were paying off. Time away had not dulled the sharp blade of his mind.

"Do you hear that?"

Vic couldn't help but have her own thoughts interrupted by a sound in the distance. It sounded out of place in a way she couldn't yet name. They both stopped. Walt cocked his head.

"Yeah…sounds like…"

He left the thought incomplete as he struggled to hear. It was Vic who finished it before he did.

"Moaning?"

She was unsure and her voice reflected that. Walt looked down at the snow. He was still listening. After a moment he looked up and met her eyes.

"It does."

They continued on with a heightened level of caution. It didn't take them long to find the source of the sound and piece together exactly what was happening. The land that stretched out before them dipped and created a hill. In his dash through the trees, Lassiter must not have realized that until it was too late and the ground gave way beneath him.

From their perch at the top, Vic and Walt could see him lying on his back in the snow. The rifle he had been carrying looked as though he must have let go halfway down. It was lying harmlessly on the snow a safe distance away from the man who had continued to tumble.

Vic unsnapped her holster and pulled her Glock free. They didn't know for a fact that the rifle was the only weapon the man had. She was not willing to take the risk or make an assumption that could get one of them shot.

"Lassiter."

Vic called to him. She'd been right about the moaning. The man's leg was at an odd angle and she was willing to bet that it was broken. That introduced a whole new set of issues as he would have to be gotten back up and somehow taken out of here.

"Cole Lassiter."

She called to him again and his head turned in her direction. Her gun was lifted and aimed at him. Lassiter held up his gloved hands.

"I'm not armed."

The angry man from earlier who refused to be of any use seemed to have been sapped from him. The man she was looking at now was one who was in dire circumstances and a great deal of pain.

"I'll go down and bring him up."

Walt offered Vic his rifle. She took it with her free hand.

"Hang on."

Vic holstered her Glock and lifted the rifle.

"Open your coat and let me see."

"You gotta be kidding me."

Vic shook her head and took aim with the rifle.

"I'm not. Open up your coat and sit up."

"My fucking leg is broke."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

She heard him grumble something unintelligible and he pushed up to a sitting position. Lassiter opened up his coat and held it. Vic didn't see anything that looked like a weapon, although from this distance it was impossible to be sure.

"Happy?"

He called to her. Vic shrugged.

"I would be happy not chasing your ass through the snow. See where that got you."

He grumbled again. She looked to Walt.

"Be careful. He could still have something on him."

Walt nodded and started carefully making his way to Lassiter. Vic kept the rifle trained on the man.

"Someone is coming down. If you do anything stupid…I'll shoot you."

Lassiter's eyes met hers and held there long enough to be intentional. She got the feeling he was used to intimidating those around him and didn't like it when he was unable to do so. Walt's progress was purposefully slow. He did still have his Colt if he needed it.

She watched as he cautiously reached Lassiter and waited. He seemed to say something that she couldn't hear from where she was. She suspected it was a strongly worded warning. Lassiter replied as Walt reached down and hauled the man up by his arm. Lassiter winced.

"Vic!"

Vic jumped and her attention diverted behind her.

Cady.

She was accompanied by Zach and three other men who were wearing HP uniforms. Vic felt relief surge through her.

"Lassiter is there."

She pointed at Walt helping the man gain his balance.

"Did he fall?"

Vic nodded as the highway patrolman moved by her and began down the slope to assist Walt in bringing Lassiter up.

"Yep. Think his leg is broken. We heard him moaning and found him lying down there. The rifle is…"

Vic pointed.

"…there. You'll want to have one of those guys grab it for evidence."

Cady nodded.

"We're already having the snowmobile towed back. I didn't think we were ever going to catch up with you."

Vic offered her a smile.

"Seemed like you were taking your time."

Cady huffed out a breath.

"Yeah…that's it exactly."

xxx

"I don't think my feet are ever going to warm up."

Vic sat on the couch with her feet pulled up clad in wool socks. She had showered and changed since coming back to the cabin and Walt had a fire going he hoped would help with that exactly. It had been a cold, draining night and day for her and he was glad that she was finally home and able to take a break.

Or as much of a break as she could with all that was going on.

Her murder investigation wasn't the only issue in their lives.

"They will. Eventually."

Vic rolled her eyes at him.

"Encouraging."

He took a seat beside her on the couch.

"Figured you would be asleep by now."

Vic shrugged.

"I'm tired. Not sleepy though."

"You need some sleep."

She ignored the comment and readjusted her position on the couch so that she could lean her head back and still look at him. He opted not to pursue that any further. She had eaten the dinner he threw together after the long hike back to what she referred to as 'civilization.' Lassiter had been transported to the hospital to have his leg taken care of and the HP said they would provide a guard outside of his room until he was able to be released to the county.

It was as good an ending as they were going to get for tonight on that front.

Walt tried not to think about everything else that was going on in the background of their lives. The phone calls, the notes, Lily going missing. It was all still there and wasn't going to miraculously go away.

"Something wrong?"

Vic picked up on his quiet and the thoughtfulness she must have seen in his face. She used one foot to prod his leg and draw his attention to her.

"Just thinking."

"That's obvious. About what?"

Walt sighed.

He didn't want to get into this tonight.

"Going to bed."

Vic tilted her head and her eyes stayed on him.

"That's a lie. That's not what you were thinking about."

She was right.

"No, it's not. But we should."

Without waiting for her to reply he stood up and gave her a look that was loaded with expectations. She didn't move at first and he thought she might challenge him. It would be completely in character. She wasn't happy with his deflection. That showed, as most thoughts did, on her face.

Finally, she moved to stand up.

Almost as soon as Vic was on her feet, there was a knock on the door. Walt's head swiveled in that direction as he lifted his watch and looked at the time. It was late for company. Vic raised her brow.

"Expecting someone?"

"No."

Another knock sounded as Walt walked towards the door. He paused at the door and tipped his head in close.

"Who is it?"

"Jim Wilkins."

Vic sighed behind him.

"Shit. What does he want?"

Walt unlocked and opened the door to see Wilkins standing on his porch still in uniform.

"Evening, Walt."

"It's late, Jim."

"I need a few minutes of your time."

Vic stepped up and folded her arms over her chest.

"No more questions without a lawyer."

Wilkins' eyes flicked to her and back to Walt.

"I'm not here to question you, Walt."

There was a brief hesitation before he spoke again.

"I don't think you had anything to do with it. Not now."

Walt studied the man. He didn't trust Wilkins. Not after everything that transpired in the aftermath of Tucker Baggett's murder. But, he'd know the Sheriff for a long time. A good bit of their collective careers. There was something in that moment that came across as honest. The words were tinged with something Walt couldn't give a name to just then.

He stepped back and gave Wilkins room to enter the cabin. Vic didn't say anything, but it was clear by her expression and her body language that she wasn't happy about his choice to talk to Wilkins.

"You better be telling me the truth, Jim."

Wilkins removed his hat.

"I am, Walt. Mind if we sit?"

Walt nodded and took a seat on the couch where he was joined by Vic. Wilkins took the chair across from them.

"Sorry to come by so late. But…"

He glanced around.

"…you weren't around earlier. I understand you caught your fugitive."

He spoke directly to Vic. She dipped her chin.

"We did."

"Good. He sounds like a dangerous man."

Wilkins redirected to Walt.

"Did Lily Bader seem off to you when you saw her recently?"

Walt frowned.

"Off how?"

"Just…different."

Walt's brow furrowed with thought.

"I haven't seen her in a long time. We didn't exactly keep in touch and she lived in California. I wouldn't have known if anything was off about her. Did you ask her brother about this?"

"I did."

"What did he say?"

Wilkins was quiet and Walt suspected he wanted to keep that information close to his chest. Walt wasn't anyone in a position of authority. Wilkins wasn't under any obligation.

"He can't help you if you keep things from him."

Vic spoke beside him. Wilkins shifted in his seat and seemed to shift gears.

"Has anything else unusual been going on?"

Walt kept his own expression neutral and hoped Vic managed the same. He did feel her stiffen slightly and hoped Wilkins didn't notice. Walt leaned forward slightly.

"You said you weren't here to ask questions."

"I'm not. Not really. It's just…"

Wilkins went quiet and Walt could see him struggling. Wilkins clearly knew something, but was hesitant to say what exactly that was. The question he just posed struck home for obvious reasons. There had been something else going on. Lily being connected with it was not something that crossed Walt's mind. Even thinking about it now he didn't see how they could be related.

He and Lily hadn't ever been anything other than friends. That was at best. There was no good reason for her to behind the phone calls or the notes that had been delivered.

That he knew of.

"Walt?"

Wilkins noticed that Walt had receded into his thoughts. Walt blinked back into the moment.

"Vic's right. If you're not willing to tell me what you think is going on, there's nothing I can do for you."

"It's an ongoing investigation."

Walt started to stand. He knew exactly what that meant.

"Then…."

Wilkins held up his hand.

"Just…wait."

He looked between the two of them.

"I was doing some digging into her life in California. Made some calls to friends, coworkers. That sort of thing. She hadn't mentioned to anyone here that she was fired from her teaching job."

That was news.

"Fired?"

"Yes. About a month ago."

"Do you know why?"

"Still trying to fully understand it. They were reluctant to cast her in a bad light. Apparently she wasn't fulfilling her contract obligations. She was missing classes, late on reporting grades, not showing up to her office at all. Sounded like she was given a couple of warnings and then let go. Thing was…before that she was an impeccable employee as far as I can tell. No problems or complaints."

Vic picked at her nails beside him.

"Seems kind of off that they would just fire her if she didn't have a history."

"That's what I thought. That makes me think there's more going on than anyone is letting on. I was curious if she said anything at all to you that might be relevant."

Walt shook his head.

"She didn't. Just talked about how much better the weather was there than here. I got the impression that she was satisfied where she was."

"And she didn't…"

Wilkins' eyes shifted to Vic again.

"…make any…romantic gestures towards you? At all?"

"No."

Vic cleared her throat.

"She showed up here fairly early in the morning looking for him. That struck me as…odd."

"What kind of sense did you get from her?"

Vic's shoulders rose and fell.

"She seemed a little surprised to see me answer the door."

"Did she make you uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable? No. She was…polite. Left her card and asked me to tell Walt that she stopped by."

"She didn't seem hostile towards you at all?"

"No. Do you think her coming to Durant had something to do with Walt?"

"Possibly."

"But you're not going to say what?"

Wilkins very nearly smiled at Vic.

"Not right now."

He stood up.

"But…maybe when the two of you share more…I will."

He placed his hat on his head as both Walt and Vic stood up.

"Sorry for coming by so late. Thank you for your time."

With that, he was gone. Walt stood by the door for a moment after he locked it behind Wilkins, his mind churning.

"He knows something."

Vic agreed.

"Yeah, he does. Walt, that question about anything else going on…"

She bit her lip and her expression darkened.

"I don't see how Lily could've had anything to do with the calls and letters. It just…"

Vic shook her head and cut him off.

"Don't. Unless you know that for sure. Don't. I don't think we can rule anything out."

Walt pressed his lips together. He knew that she was right. He should keep an open mind. It just didn't seem to fit. Not in his mind. In one of the moments where it seemed like Vic was actually reading his mind, she spoke in a low voice.

"I'm not sure you knew her, Walt. Not really. Not after all this time."