Desert Heat

Without saying a word, Angie stepped into the shower, pulled the door shut, and turned on the water full blast, hoping the steaming water would somehow clear her head.

As a working whore in L.A., she had been busted more times than she could count-often enough to have learned the cops’ tired right-to-remain-silent speech by heart. In fact, she could recite the whole thing from begi

But now we were talking about murder, and this was far more than just a right to remain silent. Silence was now an absolute necessity. Not only would anything she said be held against her, in the wrong hands, it could also prove deadly.

Silently, standing under the ru

NINE

Coming down Tombstone Canyon with Je

Joa

Preoccupied with berating herself over neglecting the cattle, Joa

“Somebody’s here,” Je

Clayton Rhodes, a wizened eighty-six-year old neighbor from up the road, stood on Joa

For a moment all the adults stood still, watching the antics of the girl and the dog, then Eva Lou hurried forward to greet Joa

“I can’t believe it,” she murmured over and over. “I just can’t believe it.”

Joa

“How did you hear?” Joa

Eva Lou shook her head, and wiped her tears on the tail of her borrowed apron. “Jimmy and I were on our way home from Tulsa when a police car pulled us over in Lordsburg. At first we couldn’t figure out why they were stopping us, if Jimmy was speeding or what. But then the officer told us what had happened. It was such a shock. Someone from the sheriff’s department here must have called over to Lordsburg and asked them to keep a lookout for us.

“When he told us we were already too late, we just pulled over on the side of the road and bawled like a couple of babies. That young officer was so nice. He waited right there with us and wouldn’t let us leave town without buying us a cup of coffee.”

Ken Galloway had walked up beside the two women and stood there awkwardly, holding Joa

Joa

“Oh, we’ve already fed the dog,” Eva Lou said quickly as they trooped toward the house. “After Lordsburg, we didn’t see much point in going on to Tucson. We thought we’d just come on over here and look after things for you. But Clayton got the jump on us. He was here and had the cattle fed and watered. He was about to take Sadie home with him to feed her as well.”

Joa

“Thanks so much, Mr. Rhodes,” Joa

He shied away from her thanks like a spooked pony. “Nothin’ to it,” he mumbled reticently, tipping his hat and edging off the steps toward the safety of the gate. “Nothin’ to it a-tall.”

On the top step of the back porch, Joa

“I didn’t know if you and Je

Ken Galloway shook his head. “No, thanks. Appreciate the offer, but I’ll just head on home.”

“Now, Mama,” Jim Bob Brady warned. “Don’t go pushing food and drink on people. They just this minute stepped inside. Give them a chance to catch their breath.”

Joa