Dead Wrong

Frank shuffled through the briefing papers. “Not much. Casey Ledford is down in Douglas.”

“Dusting Evans’s apartment?” Joa

Frank nodded.

“Still no sign of the vehicle?”

“Nope,” Frank answered. “If I was the perpetrator, I’d probably take it up to Tucson and leave it parked in plain sight somewhere where no one is going to pay any attention.”

“You’ve alerted Tucson PD to be on the lookout?” Joa

“You bet.”

There was a knock on the conference-room door, and Deputy Debra Howell entered the room. “Sarge told me you wanted to see me?” she asked.

“That’s right,” Joa

“Is something wrong?” Debbie asked.

“Nothing at all,” Joa

“Yes,” Debbie said. “I have.”

“Chief Deputy Montoya and I were wondering if you’d like to spend some time working as a detective for the next week or two with the understanding that the promotion is provisional until such time as you take and pass the exam?”

Debbie Howell flushed with apparent pleasure. “That would be great,” she said. “But how come? What’s going on?”

Joa

“It won’t come as any surprise that we’re chronically short-handed, and we need to add some depth to our investigation team. We’re dealing with an unsolved homicide at a time when one of our homicide guys may be having to take some time off. You’re the one we want to tap-if you’re interested, that is. But homicide investigators don’t punch time clocks the same way deputies do, Debbie,” Joa

“Because of Be

Benjamin was Debbie’s five-year-old son. Joa

“If you’d asked me that question two weeks ago, it would have been a big problem,” she admitted. “But last week my sister’s jerk of a husband decided he didn’t want to be married anymore. He took off and left Katy and the two kids high and dry. Rather than staying in Phoenix and paying rent she couldn’t afford, Katy decided to come back home to Bisbee. She and the kids are staying with me right now until the dust settles and until she can find a job. In other words, working late won’t be a problem as long as Be

“Today,” Joa

Joa

“A python?” Joa

“Sunrise Apartments in Sierra Vista,” Frank replied. “A cleaning crew went into a recently vacated apartment and found the snake hiding in a closet. Sierra Vista Animal Control refused to have anything to do with it. They called us, so Jea

“Great,” Joa

“For the time being,” Frank said. “They’re trying to locate the former owner. They’re also trying to find someplace that will take him in.”

“I know about Greyhound Rescue and Golden Retriever Rescue,” Joa

“Actually, I have,” Frank said. “I was checking on the Internet just before I came in here. There are several python rescues listed. The problem is, there are more pythons looking to be rescued than there are people willing to take them in, so I’m guessing we could be stuck with this guy for a very long time.”

“What do pythons eat?” Joa

“Mice, I think,” Frank answered. “Live mice.”

Joa

After another tap on the conference-room door, Kristin Gregovich entered the room. “What’s up?” Joa

“Sergeant Winston Brown from Huachuca City PD is on the line,” Kristin said. She picked up the conference-room phone and handed it to Joa

“This is Sheriff Brady,” Joa

“Where is right on Huachuca City‘s main drag,” Wi

“Where is it again?” Joa

“Corner of Highway 90 and Pershing,” he said.

“Has anyone been inside it?”

“It’s locked,” Wi

“No,” Joa

“Gotcha,” Wi

“As soon as I can make arrangements,” Joa

“Okay,” Brown responded. “I’ll tell the officers on the scene that the sheriff is sending someone to pick it up.” •

Joa

With a crew of perfectly competent people collecting the homicide victim’s vehicle, there was no need for Joa

Twenty minutes later, when her phone rang, a truculent Jea

“In San Simon?” Joa

“So that’s it, then?” Jea

“The next one?” Joa

“No,” Jea

“And how about Monty Python?” Joa

“He’s all right, too,” Jea

So’s Frank Montoya, Joa

“The problem is, they’re mostly out of state. I’m concerned about transportation issues.”