BooksBarbecue
Back The Runaway
Chapters (80)
  1. Cover
  2. TITLES BY NICK PETRIE
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  79. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  80. What’s next onyour reading list?

On the phone, June was silent for a moment, either still typing or waiting for a response, then laughed. “I just got a text from Dinah. She says, ‘Please take that man off my hands for at least a week. He’s driving me crazy.’ I guess that’s a yes.” June paused to type again. “Okay, what else?”

“See what you can dig up about a guy named Roy Wiley. He’s a former Minneapolis police officer, maybe late twenties? He owns a property in Nebraska, I don’t have the address but I can send you the location when we stop, along with a couple other names.”

“Got it. Anything else?”

“Yes.” Peter glanced at the young woman in the passenger seat. “Can I ask you to talk to Helene? She doesn’t exactly trust me. Having met her husband, I can’t say I blame her.”

“My pleasure. Give her the phone and don’t eavesdrop.”

Peter did what he was told.

When it came to June Cassidy, he’d found that was usually the best course of action.

42

June was good with people. It didn’t take long before the words were pouring out of Helene. Peter wasn’t going to drive with his fingers in his ears, so he couldn’t help but listen. It wasn’t hard to get the picture.

A young woman tried to get herself free of a predatory boss and took a chance on the wrong person. A worse predator. The fact that she’d joined Roy in robbing houses was on her, for sure. Legally, the murder was, too. Peter understood why the law was written that way, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. Not when Roy was still out there, looking for Helene. And Peter, too.

They talked for less than ten minutes. Peter didn’t know what June had said, but whatever it was, it seemed to have helped. Helene still kept hold of the black revolver, but she wasn’t pointing it at Peter anymore. At least not directly.

After that, they drove in silence.

Bobbie had told Peter that she lived south of Highway 52, off the Tabor Rec road. He didn’t have to look long to find her mailbox and the modest hand-carved sign for dirt works excavation and drainage.

Flanked by broad, muddy fields, the long driveway led past a modest brick ranch-style house to an enormous metal barn, painted hot pink and lit up like daytime by a half-dozen bright sodium lights. The buildings were tucked into a notch in the trees, so you couldn’t see the road, and behind them the land fell away in wrinkled folds toward Lewis and Clark Lake, formed at a wide spot in the Missouri River when the Corps of Engineers dammed the river at Gavins Point.