suggest any conclusions that might be falseâpremature, that is. But let me just level with you and tell you what weâve got.â
Something told Dan this wasnât going to be good, but he leaned forward, the elbow of his good arm on the corner of the desk.
âAbout a tenth of a mile past the accident site coming back toward town, the ambulance driver reported seeing a rampââ
âWhat kind of a ramp?â
âThe kind you drive a vehicle up onto in order to roll it.â
âYouâre saying if he hadnât rolled the truck when he did by passing out, he would have a little ways down the road anyway?â
âIt appears so.â
âSuicide?â
âWe donât think so.â
Dan waited. What a weird twist. He was thinking how nervous Chet had seemed. Preoccupied would be the best word. âSuicide makes sense,â he said, more to himself.
âUntil you realize he appeared to be following you, possibly waiting for the cut hoses on the Cherokee to strand you.â
âCome on. Cut hoses? Youâre saying I was set up to be maimed or killed?â
âThatâs certainly one interpretation weâre considering.â Sheriff Howard got up, walked to an office fridge and took out a Diet Dr. Pepper. âAnything?â He pointed to the fridge but Dan shook his head.
âYou stop for gas in Roy?â
âNo, just lunch.â
âEat at the Chill anâ Grill?â
âYeah.â
âRemember where you parked?â
âOn the street, along the east side and a couple doors down.â He waited as the sheriff sat down and made a note, then popped the tab on the Dr. Pepper and took a long swallow. âGuess I donât have to ask if you noticed anything suspicious or unusual?â
âNothing. Empty street when I came out of the restaurant. But why me, as the saying goes?â
âI think youâll need to help me with that.â
Dan sat back. He was drawing a blank. It made no sense. Unless the investigationâsomeone wanting him out of there or to slow him downâ¦afraid he might find something. Plenty of people knew he would be in town on Mondayâbank personnel and his client, for starters. But who knew heâd be coming along the back way? Up from an early morning meeting in Hobbs? And at that particular time?
âIt could be work-related. I have no way of knowing. I havenât had a chance to even begin the investigation.â
âAnd that would be investigating the robbery at Wagon Mound? The bank over there?â
âUnited Life & Casualty,â Dan held out a card, âinsured a necklace that was lost in the robberyâ¦for a Ms. Gertrude Kennedy. Yes, thatâs what brought me out this way.â
Sheriff Howard shook his head, âWhole thingâs weirdâyou hear how they did it?â Dan nodded. âGot Feds swarming all over the place. But I donât think anyoneâs come up with any answers. Not yet, anyway.â
Dan remembered that Chet had thought no one would. Thought it was an inside job. But Dan decided heâd just keep that tidbit to himself. He looked up to find Sheriff Howard staring at him.
âAnything else you want to tell me about that afternoon?â
Dan paused, âThe old guy seemed nervous, kept looking behind him. He was apologetic having to wire the door shut on my side. If it hadnât been for that, I might have had a chance to jump clear.â Dan left the impact of that fact hanging in the air and changed tactics. âBut he seemed proud of the old truckâ¦even in its condition. Said he was the original ownerââ
âHe said what?â
âTo quote him exactly, he said theyâd been together since birthâ¦I think he meant the truckâs. I took the truck to be a fifty-something Fordâhard to tell, there were some mismatched parts and others, like the bumpers, just missing.â
Sheriff