Chapter Three
Blair trudged out of the office at five-thirty, the fluorescent lights casting long shadows across the empty waiting room behind her. Back-to-back appointments had run thirty minutes over and her neck ached from hunching over patient charts. Today had felt like wading through quicksand.
As she crossed the half-empty parking lot, her phone vibrated against her hip. She fumbled for it and her stomach dropped when she saw Hud’s name on the screen. She took a breath of the crisp evening air and pressed the green button.
“Hello, Hud.”
“Blair, are you busy?” His voice was deep and warm through the speaker.
“No, just heading home.” She leaned against her car door, the cool metal seeping through her sweater.
“Long day?”
“Some are longer than others. How about yours?”
“Still at the office.” Papers shuffled faintly in the background. “I wanted to ask if you’d like to go to dinner Saturday evening.”
“I’d love to.” The tension in her shoulders eased.
“Great. I have a reservation for six at The Hartland.”
“You made a reservation before you asked me?” A smile tugged at her lips when he chuckled.
“I figured I could cancel it if you turned me down.”
“Smart man. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too.” A brief pause. “I’m heading out of town tomorrow. Should be back in two days.”
“For a case?”
“Yes, ma’am. Need to speak to a prisoner in Deer Lodge.”
“Deer Lodge?” She frowned, keys jingling in her free hand.
“Montana State Prison.”
“Oh.” Her mouth went dry. She wasn’t sure what else to say.
“It’s about the case I took over. Nothing dangerous.”
“Okay.” She traced the outline of her car key with her thumb. “Please be careful.”
“Always. I’ll be in touch when I get back. You have a good evening, Blair.”
The line went dead, leaving her with nothing but the distant sound of traffic and a weight settling quietly in her chest.
She slid behind the wheel and sat for a moment, fingers curled around the leather- wrapped steering wheel. The sky had draped Clifton in shades of violet as she pulled out and navigated the quiet streets toward home.
Celine’s red brick townhouse was easy to love.
Climbing ivy softened its edges and window boxes overflowed with early spring blooms. Celine had moved in with Killian not long after they got together, renting the place out a few times before it sat empty, waiting.
When Blair arrived, it had felt less like renting and more like the house had simply been holding its breath for her.
She rolled into the narrow driveway, gravel crunching under her tires, and cut the engine.
Inside, she hung her sweater on the wrought iron hatrack by the door, stepped out of her sneakers and locked the world out behind her.
The living room was cool and quiet. She crossed to the fireplace, turned on the gas and struck a match, watching the flames spring to life and send dancing shadows climbing the walls.
It wasn’t a wood fire, but the flickering orange glow made the room feel warm and rustic all the same.
She trudged up the narrow staircase, the banister worn smooth from years of use, and changed out of her scrubs into soft cotton lounge pants and a T-shirt.
At the window she paused, looking out at the backyard where a bare cherry tree stood silhouetted against the darkening sky.
The thought of Hud heading to Deer Lodge made her heart tighten.
She pressed a hand against the cool glass and whispered a silent wish for his safety before heading back down.
In the kitchen she pulled a frozen meal from the freezer, set it in the microwave and leaned against the counter while the smell of rosemary and garlic filled the air. She ate on the sofa, its cushions hugging her, the fire still casting its warm glow across the room, and called Celine.
“Hey,” Celine answered. “How did the rest of your day go?”
“Long. I just got home. Hud called and asked me to dinner Saturday at The Hartland.”
“You love that place.”
“The food is incredible.” Blair sighed. “And knowing Grant Hunter owns it makes the whole thing even more exciting. I’d love to see him walk through the dining room sometime.” She laughed.
“I’ve seen him plenty,” Celine teased. “You sound tired.”
“I am. And Hud mentioned he’s heading to Deer Lodge tomorrow to interview a prisoner. It’s making me nervous.”
“He’ll be fine. The prisoner will be in shackles and Killian’s been there several times without a hitch. Hud’s careful.”
“I hope so. I don’t know how you manage it, being married to someone in law enforcement.”
“It’s their calling,” Celine said gently. “I knew what Killian did before I ever went out with him.”
Blair grinned. “But not before you kissed him.”
Celine groaned with laughter. “I still can’t believe I did that. But I’m so glad I did.”
“Me too. He’s crazy in love with you.” Blair’s smile softened. “I want that.”
“You’ll have it. And don’t let Hud’s job scare you off. What he does matters.”
“I know.” Blair set her plate aside. “Do you want to go dress shopping at Paige’s on Friday? Wednesday’s too hectic for me.”
“Absolutely. Come by the shop whenever and we’ll head over. I might look for something I can wear for Killian too.”
“I’m so happy for you both. I’ve never seen you so content.”
“Me neither. You’ll get there, Blair.”
Blair yawned, watching the firelight dance across the ceiling. “I’m beat. I’ll meet you at the shop just after one.”
“Can’t wait. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She set the phone on the armrest and let the television flicker on, her eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute.
When the credits rolled she clicked it off, turned out the fire and padded upstairs.
The bare limbs of the cherry tree scratched softly against the window as she slipped beneath the crisp cotton sheets, pulled her blanket close and drifted off with Hud’s face drifting through her thoughts.
****
Hud was led along a sterile, fluorescent-lit corridor to one of the gray-walled interrogation rooms. He thanked the guard with a curt nod and leaned against the cold concrete wall to wait, his Kevlar vest creaking as he crossed his arms. He didn’t straighten when Roby was brought in.
Pale and gaunt, three days of stubble on his jaw, shackled with heavy steel cuffs and hooked to the bolted-down table.
The guard pushed him into the scratched metal chair and withdrew without a word.
Roby fixed Hud with bloodshot eyes. Hud smirked.
“What the fuck do you want?” Roby snarled, spittle at the corner of his chapped lips.
Hud pushed off the wall with deliberate slowness, boots echoing on the concrete as he crossed to the table. He pulled the chair out, turned it around and straddled it, forearms resting on the back.
“Surely you’re not that stupid,” he said quietly. His voice came out like gravel underfoot.
“I don’t know nothin’.”
“You sure as hell don’t know your grammar either.” Hud leaned forward until his face was inches from Roby’s, close enough to smell the sour coffee on his breath. “You know every damn thing. I want to know where White is.”
“He’s dead.” Roby shrugged.
“Senior, you idiot.” Hud’s palm cracked against the table, the sound bouncing off the walls. “I know he’s alive.”
Roby’s chains clinked as he shifted. “I have no idea where he is.”
“You’re lying.”
“And there’s nothing you can do about it.” Roby laughed, a hollow sound that never reached his eyes.
“You know what’s interesting?” Hud’s mouth twisted. “Some prisoners have a particular hatred for animal abusers.”
Roby sat up straight, shackles rattling. Sweat beaded on his upper lip. “I don’t think so.”
Hud leaned back with calculated ease. “You’d be surprised how the prison population feels about men who abuse or kill animals.
Livestock included. Some inmates make it their personal business to educate those people.
Creatively.” He watched Roby’s color drain to something resembling sour milk.
“A lot of them see animal cruelty as a sign of a man with no character at all. Even killers have a code. Animal abusers don’t rank high on it. ”
“Nobody knows what I did,” Roby whispered, fingers trembling against the table. “I told them I was in for attempted murder.”
“Maybe. But word has a way of traveling in places like this. And I can make sure it travels faster.” Hud leaned forward. “One phone call.”
“You can’t do that.”
“You have no idea what I can do.” His voice dropped low, unhurried.
“Talk now, or every man in this place knows exactly what you’re here for by morning.
” He let that sit in the stale air between them.
“It works the same way as being labeled a rapist. Even the coldest killers draw lines. Men who hurt animals, men who hurt children, they end up on the wrong side of those lines. And the ones who did both?” He shrugged. “They don’t last long at all.”
Roby’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Doesn’t have to. It just has to be true, and it is.” Hud stared at him. “They’ll beat you senseless given half a chance.”
Roby’s shoulders sank slowly, the fight going out of him like air from a punctured tire. “If I tell you what I know, will you move me somewhere safer?”
Hud leaned back, the chair legs rasping over concrete. “No matter where they put you, you’re a target.”
“I’m not saying a word unless we come to terms.”
“You don’t have the right to bargain.” Hud raked his fingers across his jaw. “But I’ll see what I can do.”
A flicker of relief crossed Roby’s face. “I’d appreciate that.”
“Where is White?”
Roby exhaled, eyes dropping to the grimy floor. “Last I heard he was headed to Sunburst.”
“Sunburst.” Hud’s eyebrows rose. “Heading for Canada?”
“Could be. It’s close enough.”
“We have Canadian authorities on alert. Who else is involved?”
Roby licked his dry lips. “White, his brother, two cousins and an insurance adjuster. I don’t know their names.”
“Adjuster I already know about. Anyone else?”
“Not that I know of.”