Outlaw Mountain

“Let it go,” Joa

“Wetherby’s out in Sierra Vista,” Monica replied. “‘They handled both my folks’ funerals. I know they’ll do a good job.”

In other words, Monica still cared enough to send the very best-to want her philandering husband’s funeral arrangements to be dignified.

“I’m sorry,” Joa

For the first time, Monica Foster softened. Her eyes welled with tears. “It is,” she said. “It hurts like hell.” And then she was gone.

As soon as Joa

“This is Joa

“Sure,” the receptionist said. “I can pencil you in, but I don’t have access to her official calendar. There could be a conflict that I don’t know about.”

“That’s all right,” Joa

Just then Joa

“Joa

“No. What’s going on?”

“I just had a call back from Al Paxton, the computer nerd at Holloway/Rimblatt Pharmaceuticals.”

“And?”

“We are, if you’ll pardon the expression, a couple of smart cookies. That particular numbered batch of insulin went first to a distributor in L.A. who ships to drugstores all over the Southwest. From there it went to the O.K. Pharmacy in Tombstone, Arizona, where Cletus Rogers just happens to have his insulin prescription filled on a regular basis.”

“How very interesting,” Joa

“Wait just a minute,” Fran Daly complained. “I no sooner finish telling you you’re smart when you start acting like a complete fool. You don’t mean that, do you?”

“No, I don’t mean it at all,” Joa

“I’ll say,” Fran agreed. “That man bugs the daylights out of me. Don’t you dare invite him along.”

“Believe me,” Joa

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

It was high noon when Joa

“I can see Ernie didn’t let any grass grow under his steel-belted radials,” she said pointedly as she sat down.

“When the boss offers to meet for lunch, I figure it must be important,” Ernie countered.

“Important,” Joa

Nancy returned to the table and sloshed a brimming coffee mug onto the table in front of Joa

“Is the mayor around?” Joa

The hostess responded with a narrow-eyed glare. “Mr. Rogers wasn’t here five minutes ago, when he asked,” Nancy said, jerking her head in Jaime Carbajal’s direction. “And he still isn’t.”

With that the hostess turned and flounced away from the table.

“What’s the matter with her?” Joa

Jaime shrugged. “Who knows? I asked about Clete when I first showed up, and the woman nearly bit my head off.”

Whoever had designed the menu for the Grubsteak had been cute enough to create entree items with names that matched a selection of local mining claims. When the waitress came around with her pad, Joa

During the course of the meal, Joa

Ernie pushed back his chair. “I suppose we’d better get with it. Do one of you want to ask the lady where Clete Rogers is, or should I?”

“You go right ahead,” Jaime said with a smile. “I believe in taking turns. This Bud’s for you.”

The third time around, Nancy’s reaction was downright explosive. “What the hell’s the matter with you people? I’ve already told you, Clete isn’t here!”

“How about telling us where he is then?” Ernie prodded gently. “It’s about his mother, you see. That’s why we need to talk to him.”

To Joa

“I’m scared to death something awful has happened to him. I thought about breaking the window in the door and letting myself in to see. But the thing is, if nothing’s wrong, he’ll be furious. He hates it when i fuss over him or when I do something he calls fussing. But what if he’s passed out, or even worse? What if he forgot to take his medicine?”

“His insulin?” Joa

“Yes. His insulin. Ever since that business with his mother, he’s been so upset that his whole system has been out of whack. He hasn’t been able to stabilize his blood sugar. What if he forgot to give himself an injection and he’s gone into diabetic coma or something? Or maybe he got mixed up and gave himself too much. Either way, it could be bad for him real bad. I know he’ll be all bent out of shape with me for telling on him like this, especially if it turns out to be a false alarm. He hates it when people treat him like an invalid. But you people are all cops, aren’t you? If you break into his house to check on him, it’ll be all right. It’s not like you’d be going in to steal something. I just want to know that he’s okay.”

When Nancy finally stopped talking long enough to draw a breath, Joa

“What do you think?” Ernie asked.