The sheriff car pulled up to the gas station in Goodwell. The door opened and Red got out of the car and walked into the store. He took off his hat and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief from his pocket. He walked back to the cooler and grabbed a Coke off the top shelf.
He popped the top as he made his way up to the counter. “How’s it going, Cole?”
“Not bad, Red, how about you?”
“Hot. Been a scorcher the past couple a days.”
Colten kept flipping through the magazine on hand as the cop took another sip from the can, staring out the window through his Ray-Bans.
A voice through static jumped out of the radio on Red’s belt. He responded and listened.
“There ain’t nothing out here, boss.”
“Where you boys at?”
“Almost up to Sandy Valley. The boys are about ready to call it a day.”
“All right.”
Colten looked up from his reading. “You looking for something?”
“Looks like bodies now.” Red put his radio back and took another swig of Coke.
“Found a car abandoned out by Shiloh. Nice one. Blue Mustang. Turned out to be a rental from Vegas. Couple from out east rented it a few days ago. James got some of the guys from over at Gladys’s to go looking for them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it seems some fool tried to off-road the sucker. Did a pretty good job of it. Got about fifteen miles off the nearest road.”
“Now that don’t make much sense, does it, Red?”
“Can’t make sense out of these folks, Cole. Probably lost his money in town and wanted to go out in style. Anyways, we’re out looking for ’em now. Not sure what we’re going to find though.”
“Car was empty?”
“Yeah, looks like they got it stuck and then decided to walk it out. Pretty long walk though.”
“Well, one thing for sure, you get rid of a fool, three more to take his place.” Colten lit up a cigarette with a grin.
“Yup. We’ll find ’em sooner or later. Ship ’em back home UPS and all. Anyway, coming from Vegas and ending up past Shiloh, they might have passed through here. You remember seeing folks like that come by?”
“Naw, I don’t think so.”
“All right,” Red said, putting the can down and placing a dollar on the counter. “I better head up there. Make sure them boys haven’t turned this into a party. If you think of anything, be sure and let me know.”
“You got it, Red.”
Colten eyed the police cruiser as it pulled onto the road away from the gas station. It always made him a bit uneasy whenever the cop came into the store, but he was a firm believer in keeping those most threatening close to the vest.
He remembered the incident with Jack a few days before and smiled to himself. Guy like that, car like that . . . due a beatdown if I ever saw one. Well, can’t get much more beat down than dying of the heat in the Mojave.
Colten took a toke from the cigarette and exhaled with deliberate pleasure.
“I hope you died slow, Jack.”