Watching her, Tate tapped a stubby pencil against his notebook. “Did he go up to her?”
“No. He held on to me, got me calmed down enough till he could make me understand—I just didn’t want to understand—that we weren’t supposed to touch her, or anything.”
“I’m told Cal has a black eye. Did he have that this morning when you started out for work?”
“No, because I gave it to him. I was half-crazy, fighting to get loose, and I landed one on him before I got ahold of myself. And I see what’s happening here.” She spoke coldly now. “And I’ve got something to say.”
“You go ahead.”
“I told Garrett as clearly as I’m telling you what happened and how. If he told you differently, he’s lying.”
As if to tamp things down, Tate tapped a hand in the air. “Well, Bo, I’m aware there’s some bad blood between Cal and Garrett.”
“Clintok poisoned it a long time ago.” Chase got to his feet, slow and easy. “It got poisoned when we were no more than kids and Clintok dogged Cal, hounded him. He was goddamn relentless. Sorry, Grammy, but that’s the word for it. He poisoned it when he and three of his asshole friends…”
When he paused again, Miss Fancy waved a hand. “Wait until you’re done to apologize for your language in the parlor.”
“It’s what they were as they jumped us when Cal and I were camping down at the river. The three of them holding me down so Garrett could pound on Cal. But it ended up with Cal pounding on him, and getting the better of him before Wayne Ricket—you remember him?”
“I do,” Tate said, “seeing as back when I was deputy, I hauled him into a cell more than once, and as sheriff I had a part in putting him away for five years for aggravated assault.”
“He jumped into it, so it was two against one. But that only left two on me, and I had some mad worked up. We licked them. After, Clintok settled for hard words—didn’t have much else, as a couple of the gut punches Cal landed had Clintok puking like a sick dog. I’m saying, if he could find a way to beat Cal down, even if it’s steering you into thinking he’d kill a woman, he’d do just that.”
Piece said, Chase sat again.
Tate sat silent a moment, studying his little book. “I appreciate the information. All right then, Bo.” Tate turned back to her. “What happened next?”
“Cal called you, and I called our security, as I had my wits about me again, so they could block off the road and keep anybody from coming along. Clintok got there first, and it was clear he wanted to push at Callen, so…”
She blew out a breath. “I said how I needed to sit, have some water, and I’d arranged for the office to send down the keys for the near cabin. I wasn’t in the mood to have the two of them snapping at each other with Billy Jean lying over there.”
“That was a smart way to handle it. I’ve got some details to get yet, and I need to talk to Billy Jean’s direct supervisor and whoever was working with her last night.”
“That’d be Drew Mathers. I’ve talked to him and the bar staff. You’ll need to do that, too, but I can tell you: Billy Jean sent the others home about twelve-thirty. She had three couples still in the bar—four of them came in as friends, and the other couple got friendly, so they stayed on. I can’t tell you for sure what time she closed down and left, but I can give you the names of the people who were in the bar after twelve-thirty.”
“That would be mighty helpful. She had a boyfriend, didn’t she?”
“They broke up. A couple of weeks ago. Chad Ammon. He’s one of our drivers, doubles as bell staff. He’s off today.”
“Is that Stu Ammon’s boy?”
“It is.”
“And would you know who did the breaking?”
“She did. He cheated on her with a girl out of Missoula—and a girl from Milltown before that—so she showed him the door. I want to say—and I know you’ll need to talk to him, too—Chad is absolutely slippery when it comes to women, but there’s not a mean bone in his body. And he was about as upset about getting the boot as he’d have been nicking himself shaving. Just something that happens.”
“Was she seeing anyone else?”
“She was, how’d she put it? Taking a breather from…” She glanced at the grannies. “A certain anatomical part. I saw her almost every day, and she’d have told me if she’d shifted her mind on that.”
“All right then. I appreciate you laying all that out for me, Bo.” After tucking his book in his pocket, Tate got to his feet. “That was fine coffee, Mrs. Bodine. I’m going to leave you all alone.”
“Are you going over now?” Bodine asked him.
“I am.”
“If I could go over with you, I can get the people you need to talk to, set up a place for you to do that.”
“That’d be helpful.”
He waited for her while she got her coat. She glanced back at her family. Nothing more to say for now, she thought, and went outside with Tate.
“I know you can’t say what you can’t say,” she began, “but it’s clear somebody went after her. I don’t know why she stopped where she did, how it happened, but it’s clear she was scared enough to run, and that means she was running from something. Someone.”
“There’s more to do before I can say whether or not that’s the case. Officially.”
“I’m asking if I should put on more security.”
“I don’t know that that’s necessary. But when something like this happens, people are going to be spooked until the answers come out. I think you should do whatever you feel’s right.”
A woman she knew was dead, and on her land, Bodine thought. She wished she knew what felt right.
*
As he loaded a docile mare into a trailer, Callen spotted the sheriff’s truck heading down the road toward the BAC.
He’d been expecting it.
He lifted the trailer gate behind the pair of horses, stepped toward the shelter where Easy LaFoy was grooming another horse.
“Going to put you to work later,” Easy told the gelding. “So you get your lazing around in now.”
“Easy, I’m going to need you to take these horses down to the center. We got a lesson in about an hour. Maddie’s going straight there for it.”
“I ain’t finished here, boss.”
“It’s all right, I’ll see to it. You get these two down there, saddle them up. Just say to Maddie that she’s to remember the rules. You can take your lunch while the lesson’s going on.”
“Okay, boss.” He stepped out of the shelter with Callen as Tate pulled up. “I guess he’s here about what happened to that girl. Awful thing to happen.”
“Yeah. You go ahead.” And Callen walked over to meet Tate.
“Cal.” Tate nodded. “How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s doing fine. She likes having a grandkid right under her feet to spoil.”
“I got one coming myself.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, first one, due in May. My wife’s half crazy already buying those onesies and teddy bears.” Tate paused, watched Easy maneuver the truck and trailer. “That a new hand?”