Dead to Rights

“Who’s buying the place?” Dick asked. “Most likely someone from out of town.”

“Mother didn’t say,” Joa

“It’s probably not that important,” Voland said. “But I’m going by the department on my way home. If Ernie’s still there, I’ll let him know.”

“While you’re at it, there’s something else I forgot to mention,” Joa

“Peter Wilkes!” Dick scoffed. “Isn’t he one of the”-he paused, searching for some kind of acceptable phraseology-”gay blades,” he said finally, “who started the Rob Roy in the first place?”

Joa

“What would he have going with Terry Buckwalter, then?” Voland asked.

“I don’t know,” Joa

“Wait a minute,” Voland said. “Aren’t you reaching on this one?”

Joa

“What do you mean, reaching?” she asked.

“Look, Joa

“Sympathy!” Joa

“You shot Tony Vargas dead, but it wasn’t a premeditated thing. Hal Morgan came here to Bisbee with every intention of doing exactly what he did-of taking the law in his own hands. This afternoon and tonight, I sent those two deputies over to Saginaw, just like you wanted me to. They didn’t find anything, Joa

The heat Joa

“Leaving no stone unturned isn’t ridiculous,” she said curtly. “It’s called doing a thorough investigation, Dick. At before you start casting aspersions about who has and who hasn’t lost perspective, you might consider that, if nothing else, I’m looking at Hal Morgan with a presumption of i

“Right,” Dick Voland said. “I’ll make sure to pass the word along.”

The food was ready to be put on the table. “Would you like something to eat?” Joa

“No, thanks,” Voland said. “In fact, maybe I’d better head out and get on this right now. After all, I wouldn’t want any of these valuable leads to slip through our fingers.”

The sarcasm in Voland’s last sentence wasn’t lost on Joa

Even so, she didn’t want him to go away angry. She followed him as far as the back porch. “Thanks, Dick. Especially for dropping everything and coming as soon as Je

He looked back at her. “You don’t have to thank me,” he said. “Of course I came. It’s my job.”

Shaking her head, Joa

“I was watching out the window when Detective Carpenter took Mrs. Green out of the house and put her in his car,” Je

“I don’t have any idea, Je

“Will she have to go to prison?”

“Maybe. That’ll be up to the judge to decide,” Joa

“Will she have to go to court?”

“Most likely.”

“But she’s poor, isn’t she?” Je

“I think you’re right,” Joa

“So how will she pay for a lawyer then?” Je

“If she can’t pay for a lawyer, the judge will give her one. That’s called a court-appointed attorney.”

“And she doesn’t have to pay then?”

“No.”

All of Je

“Mad?” Joa

“I heard him just before he left. It sounded like he was yelling at the top of his lungs.”

“We were having a discussion,” Joa

“About what?”

“About how to do things,” Joa

“Well,” Je

Joa

“Do you remember all those old Calvin and Hobbes books that your dad loved so much? Remember how Calvin never wanted to let Susie in his club?”

Je

“Dick Voland reminds me a little of Calvin. He liked the department a lot better when it was a private club with no girls allowed.”

“If he doesn’t like you, why doesn’t he quit and go work somewhere else?” Je

“It isn’t quite that easy, Je

“Still,” Je

Joa

“Sort of like sticks and stones can break my bones?”

“Exactly,” Joa

Ignoring her overloaded briefcase, Joa

She and Andy were together once again. The two of then hand in hand, were strolling through the dusty midway the Cochise County Fair while Je

The two of them had stopped beside the carousel why Je