Devil’s Claw

“It’s still a hassle.”

“So’s having Dick Voland show up at your office asking for copies of your prints,” George countered. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay,” she replied without enthusiasm. “We’re trying to get a handle on that case that turned up over by Pearce.”

“Sandra Ridder?”

“That’s the one.”

“I had pla

“That’s fine,” Joa

After she finished talking to George Winfield, Joa

She started to fill out the form. Would she attend? Yes. Would anyone be accompanying her? Yes. What kind of accommodations did she require-single or double? Smoking or nonsmoking? Two double beds, queen, or king? Frustrated, she tossed down her pen and reached for the phone, but when she picked it up to dial Butch’s number, there was no dial tone.

“Hello?” she demanded into the silent receiver. “Hello? Hello?”

“Does this mean great minds think along the same lines?” Butch Dixon asked.

“My phone didn’t even ring.”

“That’s right,” he said. “I dialed and you answered before the ringer had a chance. Who were you calling?”

Joa

“So can we both say we’re sorry at the same time and get this over with?” he asked. “And will you have a late breakfast or an early lunch with me? And could we do it right now, since my parents just called from El Paso? I’d like to have one last quiet meal for just the two of us before all hell breaks loose.”

Relief washed over her. “Yes, yes, and yes,” Joa

“Good. How soon can you get away?”

Joa

“You mean you weren’t calling to apologize?”

“I was calling for both reasons,” Joa

Butch laughed. “In that case, when’s the conference?”

“The week before Memorial Day. We finish up on Friday. It’s up at Page. We could probably stay gone over that three-day weekend, too.”

“Just you and me?” he asked.

“As long as we can find someone to take care of Je

“Sounds good. Only what’ll I do all day while you’re in meetings?”

Joa

“Wives?” Butch interrupted.

“It does say ”wives,“ ” Joa

“I’m not used to it yet, either,” Butch said. “Now, what does it say again?”

“That wives will be offered their choices of several tours, including a bus trip to Canyon de Chelly, visiting a trading post on the Navajo Nation, and possibly doing some antiquing.”

Butch sighed. “Well,” he said. “That’s a relief, anyway.”

“What’s a relief?”

“I was afraid you were going to tell me we’d all be doing makeovers and having our colors done.”

“I’m hanging up now,” she told him with another laugh. “See you at lunch.”

When she went back to working on the correspondence, it was with a good deal more energy. She started by filling out the registration form and authorizing the check that needed to go with it. Then she marched through the stack of mail. Would she come speak to the Willcox Kiwanis Club? Would she agree to be marshal of the Tombstone Heldorado Parade? Would she come to Douglas High School to be a part of their career-day program?

Responding to those requests and putting the various appointments into the calendar, Joa

How will Butch react to all those demands on my time? she wondered. He had been understanding enough in the past, but that was when they were just dating. Would his attitude change once he was at home keeping di

Finished with as much paperwork as she could handle right then, Joa

“Sorry,” Kristin said hurriedly. “I didn’t see you. Did you want something?”

“I’m going to lunch,” Joa

“All right,” Kristin said. “Any idea when you’ll be back?”

“Probably no later than twelve-thirty.”

Joa

Kristin flushed. “He’s fine,” she stammered.

Joa

Out in the parking lot, Joa

On her way to Daisy’s Café, a place that seemed to be her home away from home these days, Joa

“Did you tell Terry Gregovich to keep an eye out for Big Red?” Joa

“Lucy’s hawk? I think so,” Frank answered. “But maybe not.”

“Is Terry going back out there to look some more?”

“I don’t think so. As I told you, he and Spike worked pretty much all day yesterday. They put in some pretty long hours. My understanding is that he’s taking some comp time off today.”

“And chewing up my secretary’s workday by calling her on the phone,” Joa

“Want me to talk to him about that?”

“No,” Joa

Butch was waiting for her on the sidewalk outside the restaurant. “Your mother called after I got off the phone with you,” he said, as Junior Dowdle led them to a booth in the far back corner of the room.

“What did Eleanor want today?”