Chapter 5

"What's going on?" I asked Deputy Letter.

"They raided Edward James Allen's house. There was no one there but it appears there had been a struggle. The SBI lab guys took lots of samples. They are going to be checking for DNA matches." Letter said.

"So what are they thinking," I asked. I almost hated to hear it.

"From the neighbors they heard that the husband and wife fight all the time. They have been expecting something violent anytime now," Letter informed me.

"What I don't understand is why the SUV was left at the boat ramp?" I asked.

"They are thinking 'family annihilator'," he said.

"That's not believable," I suggested.

"I know, but everyone is struggling to make sense of it. Anyway you and I need to get ready to go out and patrol the roads," he informed me.

"Right, lets go out and do our part, even if it isn't part of the main investigation," I said.

"Porter," Simpson said from his office when he looked up and saw me. I went to the door. "Good work on the SUV. It might end up being the break in the case. We will know for sure when the lab get finished with the DN A testing."

"Good, I look forward to hearing," I said.

Deputy Letter and I went out on patrol. I was a little unhappy about being pushed aside, but it was to be expected. It's how men did things, not that a woman wouldn't have done the same or worse. The truth is people just didn't like to share their toys, We could all remember those feelings from our childhoods.

I checked the boat ramp while I was out. I found that all the evidence tape had by strung and then picked up. It was as if the car hadn't been there at all. I didn't really care all that much. It was a job, I loved it but it was still a job.

"Hello," I said into the cell phone.

"Hello Sylvia, how about you meet me for breakfast. I can't sleep so I thought we might get together," the much older Simpson asked.

"Ordinarily I would say sure, but I think it would be a bad idea since we work in the same place. I would prefer ours be a strictly professional relationship." I said.

"Oh alright," was his reply to me. "Have it your way."

"Don't worry, I will," I said that as I hung up on him. Simpson was more than twice my age. If he had been Sherlock Holmes maybe, but he was just your typical less than inspired detective.

I stopped at the truck stop convenience store for a cup of coffee at 2AM. I stood in the parking lot with the Styrofoam because I didn't want to spill it on a clean uniform. Lots of people smiled at me as they passed me heading into the store.

"Sheriff, my name is Boyle, I operate a delivery service. I just wanted to say hello. I thought it might be nice, so that when you see me running around these hills you might stop and say hello," the man in his late twenties and very clean cut said to me.

"Well fine, hello then?" I said. "What is it you deliver."

"Legal papers, things that need proof of delivery. I also pick up cars now and then and other valuable. I more or less serve court papers."

"Well Mr. Boyle I'm surprised there is that much work," I said honestly.

"Yeah, I do have to scramble to make it sometimes," he said.

"So okay Mr. Boyle what can I do for you? You do want more than to just say hello," I said.

"Okay, I'm going to take possession of a very fancy truck in about two minutes. I just thought I would give you some advanced notice in case the present occupant thinks it's not the right thing to do. Give it up to me that is," he said. He gave me a really good look at the document.

I nodded to him. "Okay, if he kills you, I promise to arrest him," I said.

"What more could a man ask," Boyle said. "It's James by the way."

"Then if he kills you James, I promise to arrest him," I said. I sat in my SUV and waited to see what would happen.

James walked to a very fancy looking pickup truck with a rear cab and dual rear wheels. It had to be a very expensive pick up truck. It looked as though it had everything available sandwiched onto it.

"You Martin Thomas," James Boyle asked in a voice loud enough for me to hear.

"Who wants to know," the man in the truck asked.

"I'm going to take that as a yes. You need to get out of the truck," Boyle said.

"Oh why is that?" Thomas asked.

"Because the truck is being repossessed," Boyle said it then handed him a copy of the pick up order,

"You ain't taking my truck," Thomas said,

"Actually I am," Boyle said. "So get out of the truck and hand me the keys."

"You are out of your fucking mind," Thomas said.

Boyle reached over and opened the driver's door. Thomas was not belted in, He could have driven off and there was nothing Boyle could have done, but he had to play whose are biggest. When he climbed down from the truck and moved toward Boyle, Boyle pressed a stun gun against him. Thomas went down like a tree,

Boyle got in the truck and drove it away. Someone else drove a really beat up old Honda civic away following close behind.

Since I didn't really want to get involved, I sat in the parking lot to finish my coffee. Martin Thomas came around very quickly. He was on his cell phone making a call and screaming at someone. Pretty soon someone drove up and allowed Martin Thomas into the car. The woman drove Martin away and I left shortly thereafter. I had seen a very well done repossession. If Martin had approached my SUV, I might have had to investigate it, but he took it like a man once it was over.