Long Range (Joe Pickett Book 20)(74)

He paused for a moment after he turned the engine off and simply sat there. It had been a very long day, and he’d yet to put it all in perspective. Sue Hewitt had died of her wounds. Judge Hewitt and Duane Patterson were distraught and on the sidelines. Nate was in the county jail charged with murder and attempted murder. And now there was a bullet hole in the pickup near his elbow.

The aroma of the pizzas he’d picked up filled the cab and made Daisy drool from the seat to the floor in long strings of saliva.

“C’mon, girl,” he said. “It’s dog food for you.”

Daisy bounded out and loped toward the house. It was hours past her dinnertime. Joe wished his life was as simple as his dog’s.

*

KINK BERAN ROSE quickly from the couch and thrust out his hand to Joe and introduced himself as Nate’s lawyer. He had an extremely strong grip Joe wasn’t ready for.

“Ow,” Joe said. “Nice to meet you.”

“And it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Beran said. “Governor Rulon thinks highly of you. He says you’re one of the good guys.”

“Appreciated,” Joe replied as his cheeks flushed.

Marybeth took the pizza boxes and placed them on the table. Liv opened them and used a butter knife to rescore the wedges.

“I’m starving,” she said with a nod to Joe as she pulled a slice from the pie. “I haven’t eaten anything all day.” Liv sat back down and Joe noticed the baby monitor on the tabletop. He could see an image of Kestrel asleep on her back. The baby was obviously in one of the empty bedrooms.

“It’s good you’ve got an appetite,” Marybeth said to her.

Liv gestured with the point of her slice toward Joe. “I’m finally optimistic. I may be getting angrier by the minute at the sheriff’s department and this entire stupid situation, but I’m optimistic.”

Joe turned to Beran for an explanation, and the lawyer told him about the witness who had contacted them. Joe fixed a light bourbon over ice and listened to Beran. Marybeth prepared plates for the three of them.

When Beran took a breath, Joe said, “Orlando Panfile? I’ve never heard of him. Where did he come from?”

“Don’t know,” Beran said. “My impression is he’s an illegal who was trespassing on the Romanowski property when he saw the county vehicle. Like he was just passing through.”

“And why would he come to Nate’s defense?” Joe asked.

Beran shrugged. “He came forward like a good citizen even though he isn’t, technically at least. Look, let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. As we speak, Governor Rulon is meeting with Panfile south of town at a rest area near Kaycee. The plan is to get the man’s statement and the best description we can get of the county vehicle he saw. We forwarded photos of Sheriff Kapelow and Deputies Woods and Steck. If Panfile can identify the man who planted the rifle, well, the shit will really hit the fan, but my client will be free. That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it?”

“My money’s on Kapelow,” Liv said from the table. “He’s the only one who benefits from making this big case against my husband.”

Joe didn’t respond. Kapelow had shocked him with his recent behavior and grandstanding, but planting evidence? Joe wasn’t sure he could go that far.

“Can you keep Panfile on ice?” Joe asked Beran.

“That’s the question,” Beran replied. “It’s up to Rulon’s persuasive powers to convince the man to stick around and testify at the preliminary hearing. You know how good Rulon is. He’s very persuasive. He can sell cheeseburgers to vegans. But we’ll see after they’ve met. If nothing else, the statement will help. It might even result in the dirty cop confessing to what he did before the hearing and the judge may vacate all the charges against Nate.”

“Lots of ifs, ands, or buts,” Joe said.

“You know how the system works,” Beran said. “All in all, I like our chances of a quick acquittal.”

They discussed where Beran could find a judge to hear the case. Joe winced when he mentioned Judge Hartsook-Carver.

“I’ve worked with her,” Joe said. “My experience with her wasn’t very good.”

“How so?” Beran asked.

“She’s a little like Kapelow. She’s a politico with her eyes on higher office. In my estimation, she’d only hear the case if she saw how it would advance her career.”

“Then leave that up to me.” Beran beamed. “I’ll frame it so she can shine when she takes down a corrupt cop.”

Joe nodded. “That might work,” he said.

He ate pizza and continued to listen while Beran discussed strategies and possibilities with Liv at the table. The lawyer was confident as well as thorough. It was obvious to Joe that Beran knew his way around a courtroom, but even more important he knew his way around a Wyoming courtroom, where long-standing relationships and connections often undergirded the outcome.

While Beran spoke to Liv, Marybeth sat next to Joe and pressed her lips against his ear.

“Beran showed up just as I was getting somewhere with the courthouse logs,” she said. “I’ll finish it when he’s gone.”

“So he doesn’t know what we’re working on?” Joe asked back.