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?

Even curled around his balls, she knew it was Bogaloosa by the glossy black mustache and the smell of wintergreen Skoal that seeped from his pores. He wore ratty jeans and a white undershirt that showed the soft mound of his gut. His feet were bare.

He’d had no idea what was coming for him, she thought. None of them had.

Roy rolled him over and cuffed his hands behind his back. “On your feet, Deputy. You owe the lady an explanation.”

Bogaloosa’s eyes were stuck on Roy. Helene stepped in and kicked him in the ribs with her aunt’s hiking boot. “Don’t be scared of him, you fucker. Be scared of me.”

68

PETER

Keeping his speed down, Peter approached the small square building. It had a distinct backward lean and a pair of antique gas pumps in front. According to the state of Montana, it was called Bogaloosa’s Crossroads, but the faded sign along the road said Bogaloosa’s Gas and Grocery in uneven hand-painted letters. June had found both the store and his farm by searching her databases using his name.

Behind the building, poorly hidden, was a four-door pickup with a push bumper, a lightbar, and a sheriff’s logo on the door. Through the window, Peter caught a glimpse of a young woman with long black hair behind the counter. Helene’s successor, he thought. Flee while you can.

They had met Lewis and Bobbie in a dirt lot behind the fairgrounds outside of Circle, Montana. The four of them stood around the Chevy’s square hood drinking cold coffee as June pulled up a satellite image on her laptop.

“Two ways to drive in.” Peter pointed at the screen. “From the driveway on this road to the north, and along this tractor path from the east, by the store. On the other two sides, it’s all hills with no vehicle access for miles. Helene is too pregnant for a hard hike, so they won’t like that route.”

“But you could walk across those fields,” Bobbie said. “They’re wide open.”

“And that’s what we’ll do,” Peter said. “Move in slow and careful and see what we can see. We get close, June will call the sheriff and let him know where we are.”

“Are the locals taking this seriously?” Lewis asked.

“Hard to tell,” June said. “Campbell talked to Janacek about eight hours ago. He told Campbell he’d put two people at the house overnight, with a pair of state troopers coming in to spell them in the morning. I guess it’s a long drive from pretty much anyplace.”

“They found Frank,” Peter said. “Dead. Couple of kids went to play in the woods and found him with two dead women. Initial ID is the aunt and her assistant. So we’re down to Roy and Helene, as far as we know.”