Desert Heat

In the note, Lefty had warned Andy to keep whatever was going on between them a secret. Andy had certainly complied with that request, at least as far as Joa

It wasn’t until the third reading that the name “York” registered. Andy and Lefty had been pla

Sitting there, she tried to remember what had happened in each of her encounters with the man. What if he was the one who was actually behind all this and his questions about possible insurance fraud were only a device to throw suspicion in someone else’s direction. He had been with her at the Arizona I

So what did an ordinary citizen do if they suspected a federal peace officer of wrongdoing? Did you go to the local authorities, someone you knew and trusted like Walter McFadden or Ken Galloway? Did you tell them what you knew and hand over your evidence, or did you go looking for someone else, someone further up the DEA chain of command and report your suspicions to him?

Regardless, Joa

Then, she picked up the address book once more. No matter how much it hurt, it was time to find out. For years she and Andy had argued over his unorthodox filing system. They kept separate address books because he, with-out a truly bureaucratic mentality, kept things filed under first names rather than last. With trembling fingers, she turned to the “C” page, and there it was, at the very bottom, the single name Cora with two phone numbers, both with Nevada prefixes.

Fighting back tears, Joa

There was a slight pause. For a moment Joa

Joa

“You don’t know me,” the woman replied, “hut I need to talk to you about your husband.”

Instantly Joa

“What’s your name?” Joa

“Tammy Sue Ferris,” the woman said, this time with no hesitation whatsoever.

Sure it is, Joa

“I believe I know who killed him,” Tammy Sue answered.

Not trusting her ears, Joa

“I said I think I know who killed him,” Tammy Sue replied. “In the hospital.”

A storm of questions roared through Joa

“I can’t go to the police.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I do and Tony finds out, he’ll kill me.”

“Who’s Tony?”

“The man who killed your husband, Mrs. Brady”

The killer had a name and this woman knew it? Tell me who he is. How do you know he did it? Did you see him?”

“Not personally, but I know he did.”

“You’ve got to talk to the police,” Joa

“No, please. No police!” the woman returned. “If you call the police, I’ll disappear. You’ll never hear from me again.”

Joa

“What do you want then?” Joa

“I want you to help me work a deal.”

“What kind of deal?”

“With the cops.”

“What kind of deal?” Joa

“I have something of Tony’s,” Tammy Sue explained. “Something important that the cops are going to want.”

“‘That’s simple enough,” Joa

“I want them to buy it. I need the money.”

“Wait a minute. You’re saying you have an important piece of evidence, and you expect to be paid for it?”

Although the young woman seemed to be speaking in dead earnest, for some reason Joa

“This is Cochise County,” Joa

“Oh, they’ll buy, all right. Once they know what I have, somebody will be willing to buy, but I have to stay alive long enough to negotiate. That’s where you come in.”

“Me?” Joa

Tammy Sue Ferris took a deep breath. “I already told you. Tony’s a killer. If you can put him in prison for killing your husband, then he won’t be able to come after me. That’s the only way I’ll be safe, if Tony’s dead or in jail.”

Suddenly Joa

“II you didn’t see him do it, how do you know this Tony’s responsible?” Joa

“He got paid for it,” Tammy Sue answered. And when he saw on the news that your husband wasn’t dead…”

“He got paid to do it? Why would someone pay to have Andy killed?”

“‘That’s what Tony does for a living. He kills people.”

“But who does he work for?”

“I don’t know, not for sure. Drug dealers most likely. They’ve got plenty of money.” Joa

“Are you going to tell me about the money?” she asked.