Desert Heat

“Do you hear that, Andy?” she asked. “Hang on. For God’s sake, please hang on.”

But if Andy heard her, it didn’t show. Sadie whined and crawled closer on her belly until her nose touched Joa

A shiver of despair shot through Joa

All up and down the lonely stretches of the Sulphur Springs Valley, howling coyotes took up this new refrain. Somehow the sound of it snapped Joa

Heedless of the blood, she bent over her husband’s inert form. Afraid of hurting him but knowing being too tentative could prove fatal, she placed both hands on his lower rib cage and pressed down sharply. Then, molding her lips to his, she tried to force the life-giving air back into his lungs.

“Don’t leave me,” she whispered between breaths. “Please don’t leave me.”

TWO

An ambulance and two Cochise County Sheriff’s vehicles arrived almost simultaneously followed by an officer from the Arizona Highway Patrol. When the arriving officers scrambled toward them down the embankment, Sadie barked frantically. Joa

Clutching Sadie by the collar, Joa

She was still standing there looking down at them when Ken Galloway found her. “How bad is it?” he asked.

Shaking her head was all the answer Joa

Ken took her arm. “Come with me,” he said. “You’re better off not watching.”

Holding her solicitously, Galloway guided her through the growing collection of haphazardly parked vehicles that already littered the area around the bridge. He opened the rider’s side of his still-warm patrol car and eased her into the seat. She was shaking violently. Inside her head chattering teeth rattled uncontrollably.

“My God, Joa

He disappeared, returning moments later with two blankets and a cup of coffee. He handed her the coffee then wrapped the blanket around her legs and tossed the other one over her quaking shoulders. Joa

“He stopped breathing,” Joa

“You’ll be all right here alone?”

She nodded. Ken strode to the head of the bridge and then disappeared down the bank. He came back a few minutes later, shaking his head.

Joa

“Barely. At least they’ve got his heart beating again. You kept him going long enough for them to be able to do that.”

Joa

With a grateful sigh she took a first tentative sip of coffee, letting the hot liquid warm her chilled body from inside out. She drank with-out ever taking her eyes off the path that emerged from the wash just at the end of the bridge abutment.

“I can’t believe it,” Ken Galloway was saying, although Joa

“The truck was locked and he was outside it,” Joa

“No. You gotta be kidding.”

“I’m not kidding.”

Ken Galloway shook his head. “Jesus, Joa

With that, Ken Galloway hurried away. Left alone on the sidelines, Joa

Joa

With eyes glued to the top of the path, Joa

“Dick Voland called me at home,” he said gruffly. “I can’t believe this. I came as soon as I could, Joa

“All right,” she whispered.

“And Andy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why the hell didn’t they leave the engine ru

Joa

“Here. Give me your cup,” he said. “I’ll go get you a refill on that coffee.”

McFadden returned and handed her a second cup of coffee, this one far stronger than the first. Joa

Joa

“Somebody told me he’s been shot. How bad?”

Joa

“Damn! Could he still talk when you got here? Did he say anything at all? Tell you who did it?”

“No. Nothing.”

“You got in the truck?” McFadden asked. Joa

“The doors, I guess. And the radio. That’s all I remember touching.”

“I’ll be right back,” McFadden said. He marched away from her and disappeared into the wash. He returned a few minutes later, puffing with exertion.