Dead Wrong by J. A. Jance

be written off. Still,
whatever happens, I don’t want to leave you
shorthanded.”
    “Don’t worry, Ernie,” she said.
“We’ll manage. The important thing is for you to do
whatever you need to do in order to get better. How’s
Rose?”
    Ernie Carpenter used the back of one meaty paw to
swipe at something in the corner of his eye. “She’s a
brick,” he said, his voice breaking. “I mean,
she’s always been there for me, but now—” He
broke off, shaking his head, and took another sip of the beer.
    “Anyway,” he continued after a short
pause, “all this sort ofgot my attention.
Made me realize that I’m not gonna live forever. Last night
Rose and I went to a meeting in Tucson. It’s a support group
for people who’ve had prostate cancer. That’s why I
wasn’t home when you called about going to Sierra Vista. So
today I got to thinking. What happens if I don’t make it?
What happens if the seeds don’t work? Jaime and I have been
working all right together. We’re a good team, but
considering what all’s been happening around here lately,
you’re going to need another couple of detectives. Have you
thought about that?”
    “Some,” Joanna said. “Why? Do you
have a suggestion?”
    Expecting him to tick off a couple of the male
deputies, Joanna was surprised by his answer. “Debbie,”
Ernie replied with conviction. “Debra Howell. I know
she’s fairly new and all that. She’s also a single mom,
which would make the extra hours tough at times, but I think
she’d be able to figure out a way to make it work. You of all
people would know everything there is about that juggling routine,
but Debbie’s got a good head on her shoulders, and
she’s a real team player. That’s what this business
takes—a team effort.”
    “She’d have to pass the exam,”
Joanna said.
    “That won’t be a problem,” Ernie
said. “She’s been studying. I’ve actually been
giving her some coaching on the side.”
    Joanna laughed. “After all the grief you and
Richard Voland gave me when I first showed up, now you’re
tutoring a female deputy to help prepare her for the detective
exam?”
    The smallest hint of a smile tweaked the
turned-down corners of Ernie Carpenter’s mouth.
“Well,” he said, “after all, you turned out all
right, didn’t you?”
    “You think she can pass?”
    “Absolutely. And not just barely, either.
She’ll ace the damned thing.”
    “When are you planning on going in for
treatment?” Joanna asked.
    “As soon as they can get me scheduled,
probably sometime late next week.”
    “And you’re thinking we should bring
Debbie in on a provisional basis to help out with what we have
going right now?”
    Ernie nodded.
    “Anyone else you think we should look
at?” Joanna asked.
    “My next choice would have been Dave
Hollicker, but you already tapped him for crime scene
investigation, so he’s on the team anyway. Beyond Debbie,
though, with so many of the experienced deputies off in the
reserves, pickings around the department are a little
thin.”
    Joanna and Frank Montoya had arrived at much the
same conclusion—that pickings were slim. And she had
discounted approaching Debbie Howell about the possibility of
becoming a detective for exactly the reason Ernie had
mentioned—the fact that she was a single mother. Joanna hoped
Ernie was too involved in his own difficulties to notice the flush
of embarrassment that flooded her face.
    “I’ll take it under advisement,”
Joanna said. “But don’t say anything to Debbie about it
until after Frank and I have a chance to discuss it.”
    “Right,” Ernie said. “I
won’t breathe a word.”
    He stood up. “I’d better be
going,” he said. “It’s getting late. I’ve
taken up enough of your time.”
    At the door, Joanna reached up and gave Ernie a
hug. With the baby in the middle, it was an awkward, lumpy gesture,
but Ernie seemed to appreciate it.
    “Good luck,” she whispered.
    There was another meaty paw swipe to