Long Range (Joe Pickett Book 20)(46)

“So, Ron Connelly, aka the Mad Archer . . .” she said. Joe could hear her tapping on a keyboard.

“You can finish your lunch first if you want,” Joe offered.

“That’s okay,” she said with a smile in her voice. “Vanessa packed me a salad, so I don’t mind pushing it aside.

“So Ron is an Okie, as you know. He was a rough guy and he had a whole list of write-ups the first year he was here. He was reprimanded for assault, stealing phone minutes from other inmates, and thievery. But in the last year he’s really straightened up. He claims he finally found God, and both the psychologist and I believe him. There’s a recommendation in his file that he be moved from C to B in the next few weeks.”

Joe said, “He used to like to kill and maim animals by shooting them full of arrows and leaving them to die.”

“Yeah, I know. But his sheet has been absolutely clean for a year and he’s organized a Bible-study group in C pod. He’s got a parole hearing scheduled for December, so maybe that’s what actually inspired him, but I think he’s sincere.”

“That’s interesting,” Joe said. “I hope you’re right. Is there anything in his record that would make you believe he still has it out for the judge? Or that he’s got people on the outside who would kill for him?”

“No,” Vieth said with clarity. “He’s kind of a loner. He doesn’t seem to have a network like that at all. His only friends on the inside are the guys in his Bible-study group. And he rarely gets visitors, so I don’t know who he’d conspire with to go after a judge.”

“He can make phone calls, though,” Joe said.

“Yes, and we monitor them. He talks to his mother in Tulsa every week or so, but he’s never had a conversation with her that we’ve flagged. It’s all very mundane.”

“What about social media?” Joe asked.

“Our policy is that blue and red shirts have limited access to the internet on a time-reserved basis. We have filters on what they can see and they’re not allowed to post anything. Ron’s still orange, so he doesn’t get access at all. I just don’t think Ron is your shooter, Joe.”

“What about Dallas?” Joe asked.

Vieth whistled, and said, “Here’s an example of two inmates going in opposite directions when it comes to behavior and rehabilitation. Dallas is a piece of work, as you know. He’s been moved from red to orange recently, and he’s cooling his heels in E pod because he assaulted a couple of guys. He stomped one of them bad enough, the guy had to be airlifted to a hospital in Denver.”

Joe felt a chill go through him. E pod was where the most dangerous inmates were sent. Dallas Cates was tough, violent, and a keen manipulator of other men. He’d surrounded himself with gullible hangers-on during his days as a rodeo star. If he’d recently become more unstable, that wasn’t good news for anyone.

“Dallas is one of the leaders of the WOODS,” Vieth said.

“What’s that?” Joe asked.

“Whites Only One Day Soon,” she answered. “Our very own white power gang.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah, we’ve got ’em. We’ve also got the Hispanic La Familia, the black Brothers in Arms, and the Native American Warrior Chiefs. Believe me, we keep a really close eye on them. Dallas jumped a couple of the Warrior Chiefs. That’s what got him in trouble.

“Rodeo cowboys versus Indians,” Vieth said. “Welcome to the New Wild West.”

“Man,” Joe said. “I was hoping he’d see the light and come around.”

“He’s got plenty of time to think about it in isolation,” Vieth said. “You’d be surprised to see him now. You might not even recognize him with his shaved head and prison tats.

“I never want to completely give up on an inmate turning the corner,” Vieth said, “but I’d say Dallas Cates is as close to a no-hoper as you can get. He belongs here. He’s the kind of guy who reminds me why we have prisons. I fear the day that he gets out.”

“So do I,” Joe said.

“You should,” Vieth said darkly. “Your name is mentioned several times in his file. He vows that he’s going to come after you, the prosecutor, and the judge.”

Joe paused. He asked, “Do you think Dallas has connections on the outside who could pull a trigger on Judge Hewitt?”

“Impossible to say,” Vieth said with a heavy sigh. “The WOODS are a fairly new gang here. We don’t know how well established they are beyond the prison walls. But I suppose it’s possible you’ve got a member or two up in your county.”

“We’re looking for a team of two,” Joe said.

“That really complicates things, doesn’t it?” she asked rhetorically. “This thing happened with your judge was just a couple of days ago, right?”

“Yup.”

“Dallas has been in isolation for a month and a half. No visitors, no phone calls. He couldn’t have given the order recently, is what I’m saying. If he’s the guy behind the shooting he would have had to set it in motion back in August or September before he was confined to E pod.”

Joe thought about it. Although he couldn’t rule Dallas out completely, the timeline of when Cates went into solitary and when the shootings took place in Twelve Sleep County were a real problem. Would a shooter—even if he was sympathetic to Dallas’s new ideology and under his influence—wait forty-five days to do Cates’s bidding? Without even checking in with the man? Would a team of two men?