The Longmire Defense: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson

Author:Craig Johnson [Johnson, Craig]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Crime, Suspense
ISBN: 9780593297315
Google: UnWiEAAAQBAJ
Amazon: B0BQ9ZG7Z3
Barnesnoble: B0BQ9ZG7Z3
Goodreads: 70584063
Publisher: Viking
Published: 2023-09-05T05:00:00+00:00

9

“What’s this?”

“The coffee maker.”

I stared at the newfangled black box that sat on the counter and felt as if I were being overwhelmed by progress. “What was wrong with the old one?”

She was in the process of gathering up her things and leaving. “Nothing, but that nice young man from Cheyenne ordered this one and had it delivered.”

“How does it work?”

She pulled the strap of her purse onto her shoulder and walked over, with Dog trailing along. “You push that button there.” She pointed at a knob on the left. “You can dial down the strength of the coffee by turning it. It makes a really good cup, but we’ll have to start using whole beans.”

“I’ve got an entire freezer full of them.”

“Cady?”

“Yep.” Pulling a mug off the rack, I placed it on the tray. “Heard anything from Vic?”

Ruby pushed the knob and we listened to the beans grind. “She dropped her truck off over at Michelina’s, and Jim called to say it was fixed.”

“What was wrong with it?”

“The check-engine light had come on, so I guess she brought the truck in and was going to pick it up on Monday.”

I watched the mug fill. “Monday.”

“Yes.” She studied me. “Why are you drinking coffee this late in the afternoon?”

“I think I’m going to drive down to Cheyenne.”

“Well, you’ve been talking about it.”

“I figure I can light a fire under Woody if I hand deliver that rifle. Besides, I want to meet this Wiltse woman and some of the other players in the PWMTF saga. Is Barrett coming in?”

She looked at the old Seth Thomas on the wall that was showing us it was two minutes away from closing time or whatever closing time was in our line of work. “Should be here any minute.”

After the coffee finished brewing, I took a sip and had to admit that it wasn’t bad. “Do you ever miss being married, Ruby?”

She thought about it. “Well, Roger and I were married for twenty-six years before he passed and I missed him terribly, but then I just got used to being alone.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten used to being alone.”

“Are you okay?”

I turned to her. “Yep, why?”

“You just seem out of sorts.”

“Vic mention going somewhere or anything like that?”

“No, why?”

I thought about keeping it to myself until I knew the entire score but decided to go ahead and tell my trusted dispatcher to see if between the two of us we’d be able to puzzle it out. “I was just over there, and all her stuff is gone.”

She stared at me, taking a moment before speaking. “Her house?”

“Yep.”

“What do you mean, gone?”

“Furniture, everything . . . The place is empty.”

For a moment, Ruby looked like I felt. “You mean, she’s gone?”

“Sure looks like it.”

She studied me for a moment more and then turned, starting back for her desk. “I’m calling her.”

“No.”

“I’ve got her cell number.” She picked up the receiver, running a finger down the list taped to her desk and began punching numbers.

I walked over and calmly pushed the tab and disconnected the call.

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