Dead Wrong

“And what are we looking at here?”

“The road’s paved for a mile or so, then there’s a Y. The left-hand fork peters out at the begi

“Not so far,” Joa

When they reached the Y, Deputy Thomas stood on the brakes hard enough that the seat belt clamped tight across Joa

“Okay,” Joa

“I was just talking to DPS about that. They have one on the scene of a fatality wreck near Marana. Someone from the state patrol will see if they can break away from there and get back to me on it. Frank’s just now coming through Benson. So is Jaime Carbajal, but in the meantime, you and Deputy Thomas are pretty much on your own.”

“I already figured that out,” Joa

“She stopped off at the rest stop to interview the mother.”

“Great,” Joa

“Hold on.” There was another long pause.

Watching the cloud of dust rising skyward ahead of them, Joa

“Slow down,” she said. “If we push him too hard, he’s liable to go off the road.”

Shaking his head, Thomas slowed to a slightly more moderate but still dangerous fifty.

Larry Kendall came back on line. “Ha

“Okay. Have Debbie find the mother a Kevlar vest and bring her in this direction. If this thing turns into a standoff, I want her on hand to talk to her kids.”

“Will do,” Larry replied.

By now Mescal Road was rising abruptly into the foothills. As it wound back and forth, the dust cloud was still visible but only intermittently. Carefully Joa

“Is this thing clean?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Thomas replied. “How much longer?”

Looking at him, Joa

The man was scared to death, she realized, and rightly so. She was scared, too, but she didn’t dare show it, not with Deputy Thomas looking to her for confidence and direction.

“Not long,” she assured him. “According to Dispatch, the road should end in another seven or eight miles. I doubt the suspect has any idea that’s going to happen, and it’ll be a rude awakening for him. When the road does end, one of two things will happen. He’ll either abandon the kids and take off on his own, or he’ll grab one or both of the kids and try using them as human shields. It’ll be one or the other,” she added grimly. “There won’t be any middle ground.”

“So what do we do?”

“We get as close as we can. If he takes off without the kids, I’ll use either your rifle or my Glock to bring him down.”

“And if he uses the kids?”

Joa

“Sheriff Brady,” Larry Kendrick cut in. “DPS reports that their helicopter is on its way, but it’s probably a good forty-five minutes out.”

Too little too late, Joa

“Great,” she said into the mike. “I have a feeling we’re going to need them.”

The Yukon rounded a sharp turn and almost smashed into the Caravan, which was now stopped and sitting perpendicular to the roadway. On the far side of the vehicle, Joa

“Stop!” Joa

Joa

“No! No! No!” came the scream. “Let me go! Let me go! Go away!!! I want my mommy! I want my mommy!”

All Joa

Knowing that the minivan’s sheet-metal body wouldn’t adequately protect the children from flying bullets, Joa

There was a screech of pain as the bullet smashed into the man’s ankle. The unexpected blow forced the suspect backward and sent him sprawling onto the ground, where he lay for a moment, bellowing with a combination of rage and pain. Then, with a purposeful roar, he flopped over on his belly and scrambled toward the fallen gym bag. Instinctively, Joa

“Stop right there,” she ordered. When he didn’t, she shot again. This time the bullet kicked up a cloud of dirt and gravel inches from his face. Even at that distance she knew who he was from Frank Montoya’s mug shot. She had been right. The car-jacker was none other than Antonio Zavala.

Howling in pain once more, he stopped and lay still.

“Freeze,” Joa

That’s one smart kid! Joa

“You shot me, you bitch!” Zavala groaned, writhing on the ground. “I’m hurt. I’m bleeding. I’m go

“If you move again, you’re going to lose your life,” she told him. “Face on the ground; hands over your head.” Deputy Thomas materialized at her side. “Cuff him,” she added.

As Deputy Thomas complied, Joa