Dead to Rights

No sooner was she clear of the hamlet of Elfrida than she saw the fallacy in Dick Voland’s plan. In an otherwise black sky, a pulsating halo of red and blue light threw the silhouetted shadow of Township Butte into sudden sharp relief. The mountain may have hidden Deputy Casey’s vehicle, but not the pulsingly eerie glow from his flashing emergency lights. And if, from miles away, Joa

“Lost radio contact,” Joa

“Hold it,” Tica said. “I’m getting something.”

During the seemingly endless pause that followed, Joa

“What the hell happened?”

“Morgan rammed the patrol car,” Tica Romero answered. “Flipped him right over. According to Deputy Long, he’s pi

Even as Tica spoke, the flashing lights of Deputy Casey’s patrol car appeared from around the curve and came speeding south. Between Joa

“And the suspect?”

“Gone,” Tica answered.

Except it wasn’t possible that he was gone completely. “He didn’t come north past Deputy Casey?”

“Not so far.”

And no vehicle had come southbound toward Joa

Her first urge was to go racing off to the scene, to do what she could to help Deputy Long. But the truth was, help for him was on the way-both in the form of Deputy Casey and the emergency medical technicians from Douglas. Joa

Forcing herself to respond logically, Joa

As Joa

Forcing herself to be patient, Joa

“Got him!” Joa

Racing back to the car, she fastened her belt before slamming the car into gear. The tires sprayed rocks and dirt high into the air behind her as she plunged forward onto the high-way. As soon as the Blazer was safely back on the pavement, she switched on the radio.

“Suspect vehicle, missing one headlight, is eastbound on 181, probably two to three miles east of 191.”

“Copy,” Tica replied.

“Contact the Highway Patrol,” Joa

By then, she had reached the place where Deputy Casey’s patrol car was pulled over on the shoulder of the road. Neither Deputy Long nor his wrecked vehicle was visible from the Blazer until Joa

“I just drove by Deputies Long and Casey,” Joa

“Deputy Long is conscious and talking,” Tica replied. “The ambulance is still a good fifteen minutes out.”

Fifteen minutes! In a situation like that, fifteen minutes could mean the difference between life and death for Deputy Casey. And fifteen minutes was a terribly long time for Joa

“As soon as emergency crews reach the scene, tell Casey to follow me on 181. I’ll need him for backup, but not until someone’s there to take care of Deputy Long. Got that?”

“Got it,” Tica replied.

Gripping the wheel, flying toward the looming darkness of the Chiricahuas, Joa

It had been years since she had traveled Highway 181 hut she knew it all too well. It led to a place in the mountains where volcanic activity, combined with wind and water erosion, had carved a forest of spindly rhyolite columns and magically balanced boulders. As a child, that part of the Chiricahuas had been Joa

Now, for the first time since that fateful Sunday afternoon, Joa

Joa

Not bloody likely, she muttered under her breath. With that, she reached again for the radio.