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was all Doggett could think of to say. “Why would I wanna go and kill some low-life dope dealer?”
    “Cuz you’re dealing, too, maybe?”
    “That’s some crazy talk there, boy,” Doggett said.
    Doggett quickly got into his car and sped off. It reminded Nail of the same way he had pulled off the last time he had seen his boss angry and in a hurry.

June 2 would prove to be the mother of all Mondays. Tony would never forget the date or what happened. His car sputtered to a stop a mile east of Odessa. He wondered what was wrong with it for just a moment, and then he heard a car door shut behind him.
    “Tony Nail?”
    “Yes, officer?” Tony said.
    “Step away from the car,” the tall, thin policeman said.
    “Car broke down, sir. I was about to call someone for help,” Nail said.
    “Turn around. Hands on the car.”
    “What’s the problem, sir?” Nail asked.
    “Tony Nail, you’re under arrest for the murder of Junior Walker. Anything you say will be held against you in a court of law.”
    Nail tried to say something, to form words in his mouth, but nothing came out.

CHAPTER 4  
    I t was just before eight o’clock Monday morning when Alex Wallace walked into Trask’s law office. It was June 3. Garrison had created his own daily calendar about his faith. Today’s reading said, “We know we have a Christian God because He sent his only Son to save us from ourselves.” Garrison had created 365 sayings about God and faith to make the calendar. He was serious about his spiritual life. Alex learned this early.
    She had also learned twice from her college professors: “If you’re early you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late.” And that invariably added up to about three days of her life spent waiting for people who were on time.
    “Good morning, Ms. Wallace.”
    Garrison was again taken aback by the woman’s beauty. Over the next few weeks, he would be equally captivated by her intellect, not to mention her life story.
    That Monday morning proved a turning point for both Garrison and his new investigator. It didn’t take long for him to pull the trigger on the deal that would make Ms. Wallace his new lead detective. Make that his only detective. Trask thought with a woman like her, with her intelligence and the commitment he would soon find in her, it would be almost like having two, maybe three investigators.
    “I can only pay you forty-two grand a year,” Trask admitted.
    “I’m not worried about the money, Mr. Trask.”
    “Please, it’s Garrison,” he said, a hint of a smile on his face.
     
    In the course of the last hour, Alex began telling her story and why she had developed such a desire to scale down to a smaller town. Trask found part of what she was saying a little hard to believe, but he decided to withhold judgment. She had seemed to have taken it upon herself to try to singlehandedly bring an end to drug trafficking into the U.S. from South America and Mexico. Doing so had almost gotten her killed more than once. Garrison didn’t yet know with absolute certainty what had brought her to Midland, but he figured before long she would offer that up as well. What he did learn after that first morning was shocking enough itself. Her courage alone was enough to take a risk and hire her on the spot.

Just after Alex Wallace walked out of Garrison’s office late Tuesday afternoon, the phone rang. It had become unusually busy for a Saturday morning.
    “Garrison Trask?” he answered.
    “Garrison? Tony Nail,” he said.
    “Tony, how are you?” Garrison said. “You OK?”
    “You got a few?” Tony asked.
    “For you, Tony, absolutely,” Trask said.
    “I was arrested last night,” Tony said, knowing that his attorney friend had always been a get-to-the-point kind of guy. Garrison was floored by this news. Civil disobedience just wasn’t in Tony’s makeup.
    “Talk to me,” Trask asked.
    “That’s it, I can’t. I don’t know why I am being blamed for this,” Nail