Devil’s Claw

“Please don’t be coy, Sheriff Brady,” Jerry Reed said. “It doesn’t suit you. I’m talking about the diskette Sandra Ridder promised to give us. I understand from Catherine Yates that it has somehow come to be in your department’s possession. My department wants it back.”

“I’ve been given to believe the diskette contains top-secret military command and control information,” Joa

Reed seemed stu

“It doesn’t matter how I know,” Joa

Reed reached into another inside pocket and pulled out a document. “Before you paint yourself into a corner, Sheriff Brady, you may want to take a look at this. It’s a properly drafted subpoena, signed by a Federal judge, requiring you to produce the diskette and hand it over to me at once.”

He passed the subpoena across the table. Joa

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

“And wasn’t there supposed to be a cash bonus if Sandra Ridder turned the diskette over to you?”

“Really, Sheriff Brady. Our negotiations with Ms. Ridder were and are entirely confidential. They have nothing at all to do with the situation here.”

“That’s not true, Mr. Reed,” Joa

“Sheriff Brady,” he said, looking somewhat agitated that Joa

Instinct told Joa

Outside her private office, Joa

“U.S. West,” a disembodied voice said. “How can I help you?”

“I want to be co

While Joa

“What’s up?” Frank demanded, following her into the supply room. “What’s going on?”

“There’s a man in my office who says his name is Jerry Reed. He claims he’s a special investigator for the U.S. Attorney General. He comes to us armed with a subpoena and demanding that we hand over Sandra Ridder’s diskette.”

With that, Joa

“What are you going to do in the meantime?”

“Give him the disk.” Joa

Frank’s eyes widened. “You’re going to give him a phony?”

Joa

“Hello,” Frank was saying into the phone. “No, this isn’t Sheriff Brady. I’m her chief deputy, Frank Montoya. We have a serious incident unfolding here that may involve one of your investigators. I probably need to speak to someone in Operations.”

Leaving Frank to sort through the layers of Federal officialdom, Joa

“Hello.”

“Sheriff Brady,” Larry Kendrick said. “Deputy Pakin just arrived at the Yates’ place out in the Dragoons. He says Deputy Galloway’s patrol car is there, but he’s not. Neither is Catherine Yates, although her vehicle is there as well. He says her house looks as though it’s been ransacked, and there are signs of a struggle.”

Like a zoom photo lens shifting into focus, Joa

“How do we know the guy you want is the only one who’ll run over the strips?”

“We don’t,” Joa

Glancing down at the diskette in her hand, Joa

“What the hell do you want?” the detective demanded irritably once he was outside and had shut the door. “Sheriff Brady, you know better than to interrupt-”

“Shut up and give me an evidence bag,” Joa

“Me sign Frank’s name? Are you crazy?”

“Hurry, Ernie. There’s not much time. A man’s going to be leaving my office any minute. I want you and Jaime Carbajal out in the parking lot in a car and ready to follow him. Whatever you do, don’t drive out the front entrance. Da

“On what charges?”

“How about impersonating an officer, for openers?”

“Wait a minute. Are you saying Jaime and I are supposed to quit right in the middle of the interview and go chase after this other guy?” Ernie asked. “Who the hell is he?”

“It’s possible he may be a Federal agent,” Joa

Exasperated and shaking his head in disapproval, Ernie Carpenter handed over the doctored evidence bag and then headed back into the conference room for Jaime. Joa

“It took you long enough,” Reed said testily.

“Sorry about that. We’re breaking in a new evidence clerk,” Joa