Partner In Crime

Unlike that original investigator, I saw A

That much A

It’s hard to be angry with someone who’s been dead for years. But I was. A riot of fury boiled up in my heart because A

There was a discreet tap on the door. I looked up from staring at a paper I was no longer seeing as Joa

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I assumed you knew, but I can see from your face – you had no idea.”

I shook my head. “It happened within weeks of her being released from the hospital, just prior to her marriage to Milton Corley,” I said. “How do you suppose she did it? How did she pull it off?”

Joa

I wasn’t prepared to give either A

“Then you’re right,” Joa

She’d been holding something in her hand, but I had been too preoccupied to notice. Now she passed me a new set of phone logs. Putting on my reading glasses, I sca

“Maddern’s cell phone?” I asked.

Joa

The last call had been placed on Sunday night. Looking at the time, I realized it had been placed within minutes of my call to the Co

I closed my eyes and tried to remember exactly what had gone on during that critical call. I was sure Francine Co

Bearing all that in mind, there could be no question about what I had to do next. “May I use this phone?” I asked, although I had already used it once without having asked for Sheriff Brady’s permission.

“Sure,” Joa

“No,” I told her. “That’s not necessary.”

I searched through my wallet until I once again located the list of Ross Co

“Attorney General Co

“Mr. Co

“I’m sorry, he’s not in. May I take a message?”

“No,” I said. “That’s all right.”

I dialed his cell-phone number. After ringing several times, the call went to voice mail. Hanging up, I tried the home number last. A woman answered. I wasn’t sure, but the voice didn’t sound like Francine Co

“Ross, please,” I said easily, hoping to pass for an acquaintance if not a friend.

“He’s not here,” the woman said, her voice quavering slightly. “He’s at the hospital. I’m Christine Co

“Hospital?” I asked. “Has something happened to him? Is he ill?”

“Oh,” she said. “You must not have heard then. It’s not Ross. He’s fine. At least he’s okay. No, it’s Francine.”

“What about her?”

“She’s dead. She and Ross went to lunch together. He had a wonderful time, and he thought Francine did, too. But then, when she came home, and, without even changing her clothes, she went out in the backyard and just… just…” Christine Co

I was stu

“I’m sorry,” I murmured into the phone. “I’m so very sorry.”

“Well, if you’ll leave your name, I’ll be sure to let Ross know you called.”

“No,” I told her. “Don’t bother. I’ll be in touch.”

When I put down the phone, Joa

IN NO MORE THAN TEN MINUTES, J.P. Beaumont looked as though he had aged ten years.

“Is there anything I can do?” Joa

Beaumont shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “No, wait. There is something. I’m going to need a ride. First I have to go to the hotel and check out. Then I need a lift as far as Tucson. My plane’s first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Come on,” Joa

Beaumont followed her through the building and out the office door without exchanging a word with anyone. Only when he was fastening the seat belt in Joa

“That was rude,” he said. “I should go back in and tell Frank how much I appreciated his help.”

“Don’t worry,” Joa

“He’s a good man to have on your team.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “I know.”

When they reached the entrance to the Justice Center, Joa

“Wait a minute,” Beau objected. “Where are we going? I thought the Copper Queen was the other direction. I need to check out.”

“We’re taking a detour,” Joa

After heading east for a mile or so, she turned right onto a road labeled warren cutoff.

“What’s Warren?” he asked.

“It’s another Bisbee neighborhood,” she explained. “Until the 1950s, when Bisbee was incorporated, Warren and all these other places were separate towns.”

“Oh,” he said and lapsed into silence.

Coming into town, Joa