"Good."
"Interesting that you felt the need to explain."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
Bishop looked toward Ethan.
"Tell him what you told us."
Ethan's throat tightened.
Victor was staring at him now.
Not smiling.
Not pretending.
The message in his eyes was clear.
Say one word and you'll regret it.
Mason saw the look.
He reached for Ethan's sleeve.
But Ethan had already spent the night making terrible decisions because he was afraid of Victor.
He looked at Bishop.
Then at Nora.
Then at the broken glass.
Finally, he faced the man who had ruined his life.
"You told me to do it."
Victor gave a short laugh.
"What?"
"You said the diner kept cash overnight. You told me there wouldn't be many customers."
Victor's face hardened.
"Ethan, you're clearly not thinking straight."
"You gave Mason the revolver."
"That's ridiculous."
"You gave it to him in your garage."
Bishop looked toward Cole.
"Still on the phone?"
Cole nodded.
"Dispatcher has our location. Deputies are coming."
Victor took a step backward.
"This is insane."
Roy folded his arms.
"Funny. We were thinking the same thing."
Victor looked toward the door.
For the first time since entering the diner, he seemed uncertain.
Then he said something that made Ethan go cold.
"Careful, boy. You don't know what happens to people who tell lies about me."
Bishop's expression darkened.
"Is that a threat?"
Victor forced another smile.
"Of course not."
But the security camera above the counter had recorded every word.
And that camera was about to become the most important witness in Red Mesa.
Deputy Sheriff Elena Torres arrived at the Silver Spur Diner at 1:19 a.m.
She was thirty-eight years old and had spent eleven years patrolling the county's back roads, trailer parks, construction sites, and isolated service stations.
She knew that the desert produced two kinds of emergencies.
The ones that happened because nobody was around.
And the ones that happened because the wrong people were.
When dispatch told her there had been an armed robbery involving several motorcycle club members, she requested backup.
She expected injuries.
She expected shattered furniture.
She expected to find at least one suspect unconscious on the floor.
Instead, she entered the diner to find two young men sitting at a table, six bikers standing nearby, and a gray-haired waitress offering cups of water to everyone.
Elena stopped just inside the doorway.
"All right," she said. "Who's going to explain this?"
Bishop raised his hand.
"That would probably be me."
Elena recognized him immediately.
"Mercer."
"Deputy."
"What happened?"
"Two young men made a terrible decision."
She glanced at Ethan and Mason.
"Those two?"
"Yes."
"And the firearms?"
Roy gestured toward the far end of the counter, where both had been secured away from the suspects.
Elena looked at the broken glass near the ceiling.
"Was a shot fired?"
"One," Nora said.
Elena turned toward her.
"Anybody hit?"
"No."
"Thank God."
Elena called another deputy inside to secure the weapons and separate the witnesses.
Within minutes, the quiet diner became a crime scene.
Names were collected.
Statements were taken.
Photographs were made.
Ethan and Mason were handcuffed.
Mason started crying when the metal closed around his wrists.
Ethan tried to comfort him.
"It's okay."
Mason shook his head.
"No, it's not."
Ethan could not argue.
Victor remained near the entrance, insisting he had arrived by coincidence.
Elena listened without interrupting.
Then she asked a simple question.
"Why were you here at one in the morning?"
Victor straightened his jacket.
"I was checking one of my trucks."
"Where?"
"On the highway."
"Which truck?"
"A disabled vehicle."
"Where exactly?"
Victor hesitated.
Elena waited.
"About ten miles east."
"Do you have the service ticket?"
"I can get it."
"Please do."
Bishop watched from the counter.
He had dealt with enough police officers to recognize a competent investigator.
Elena wasn't interested in theatrics.
She was interested in facts.
Nora approached her.
"Deputy?"
"Yes?"
"There's something you should see."
She pointed toward the small black security camera mounted above the register.
Elena followed her gaze.
"That working?"
"Every night."
"Does it record audio?"
Nora nodded.
Walter added, "We installed a new system last summer. Saves everything to a recorder in the office."
Elena looked toward the shattered advertising sign.
"Did it catch the gunshot?"
"Every second," Nora said.
Victor's expression changed.
Elena noticed.
"Something wrong, Mr. Harlan?"
"No."
"You look concerned."
"Just worried about the people here."
Elena nodded thoughtfully.
"That's considerate."
She turned to Walter.
"Can you show me the recording?"
The office was barely large enough for two people.
An old desk stood beneath a window overlooking the parking lot. Boxes of invoices occupied one corner. A desktop monitor flickered beside a dusty printer.
Walter sat down and opened the security software.
Several camera feeds appeared.
One showed the front entrance.
Another showed the dining room.
A third displayed the parking lot.
Elena leaned forward.
"Go back to twelve-thirty."
Walter adjusted the recording.
There was the sedan crossing the road.
Ethan and Mason stepping out.
The two young men approaching the door.
Elena watched them enter.
Watched Ethan raise his gun.
Watched Nora freeze behind the counter.
Watched the riders remain seated.
Then she saw Bishop stand.
The recording continued.
The first shot made Walter flinch, even though he knew it was coming.
Elena's expression hardened.
She watched the rest.
The suspects surrendering their weapons.
Victor entering.
The confrontation.
And finally, Ethan accusing Victor of arranging the robbery.
Elena said nothing for a long time.
Then she pointed toward the screen.
"Can you play that last part again?"
Walter did.
Victor's voice came through the speakers.
His questions.
His denials.
His warning.
Elena watched the way he looked at Ethan.
Then she rewound the recording.
"Again."
Walter replayed it.
She leaned back.
"Mr. Briggs, I'm going to need a copy of this entire recording."
"Of course."
"And please don't delete anything."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
When Elena returned to the dining room, Victor was speaking quietly into his phone.
He ended the call when he saw her.
"Everything settled, Deputy?"
"Not quite."
"I should be going."
"I need to ask you a few more questions."
Victor sighed.
"Look, I have a business to run in the morning."
"So do the people you just interrupted."
His eyes narrowed.
Elena continued.
"Did you lend money to Ethan Cross?"
Victor hesitated.
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Fifteen hundred."
"How much does he currently owe you?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Interest. Fees. Missed payments."
"Approximately?"
Victor looked toward Ethan.
"Eight thousand, give or take."
Elena raised an eyebrow.