the eyes.
“Thanks, boss,” he murmured. “Appreciate
it.”
After he left, Joanna dimmed the lights and
returned to the couch. She sat there for a long time with one hand
resting on her extended belly. It was night and almost bedtime, so
naturally the little person in her womb was wide awake and raising
hell. With Ernie gone, Lady once again emerged from the bedroom and
cuddled up into a gray-and-white ball on the couch beside her.
“Did you know you’re unsanitary?”
Joanna asked, absently stroking the Australian shepherd’s
long soft coat. In answer Lady rolled her blue eyes in
Joanna’s direction, thumped her cropped tail, and sighed
contentedly.
Half an hour or so later, Joanna got up and waddled
off to bed. She was sound asleep when Lucky and Tigger began
barking furiously. Getting up, Joanna staggered out of bed in time
to see Butch’s Subaru drive into the yard and come to a stop
next to his parents’ RV. Joanna hurried to the door to meet
him as he came into the house.
“Congratulations, you big nut,” she
said, kissing him hello. “Welcome home, but I thought I told
you to stay where you were. What time is it?”
“Three,” he said. “Three
forty-five, to be exact.”
“What time did you leave El Paso?” she
asked.
“Better you should never know,” he
said. “I’m taking the Fifth. Suffice it to say, though,
there wasn’t very much traffic and zero enforcement. I left
the banquet as soon as I could. I wasn’t about to leave you
alone and in my mother’s clutches any longer than necessary.
How are things?”
“Fine,” she said. “Come on.
Let’s go to bed. You must be beat.”
“I am,” he agreed. “And I’m
very glad to be home.”
Once in bed, Joanna curled up next to Butch.
Comforted by her husband’s radiating warmth, she was soon
sound asleep and slept better than she had in months.
On Sunday, Margaret and Don declined to go to
church. After fixing them breakfast, Joanna, Jenny, and Butch were
more than happy to leave their guests on their own for a couple of
hours. That morning, Butch had put out one of their homegrown,
freezer-wrapped beef roasts to thaw. After church they stopped by
Safeway to pick up fresh vegetables and salad makings. Then they
called George and Eleanor Winfield along with Jim Bob and Eva Lou
Brady and arranged for an impromptu late-afternoon dinner party.
Joanna hadn’t intended to be doing nonstop entertaining the
last weekend before the baby’s official due date, but there
didn’t seem to be any choice. Besides, there was always the
dim hope that adding more people to the mix might help dilute
Margaret’s ever-toxic presence.
Butch was putting the finishing touches on a roast
beef dinner when Frank Montoya called. Briefly Joanna brought him
up-to-date on Ernie’s revelations. “You want me to talk
to Debbie about the prospect of her becoming a detective?”
Frank asked.
“No,” Joanna said. “Ask her to
see us when she comes on shift tomorrow. We can talk to her
together. Anything else going on?”
“Not much,” Frank told her. “I
had three deputies patrolling that northeast sector last night.
Nothing at all turned up in San Simon. As far as anyone could tell,
there was no unusual traffic coming and going from Roostercomb
Ranch. The whole area was dead as can be. With that in mind,
I’m thinking we should probably drop the increased
surveillance. After all, Patrol is stretched so
thin…”
“No,” Joanna said. “Leave it as
is again tonight. Maybe Sunday is when the O’Dwyers do their
thing.”
“Maybe,” Frank agreed grudgingly.
“But I doubt it. I can’t help wondering if Jeannine has
her facts straight.”
“Let’s give it another day,”
Joanna said. “And pray the rest of the county doesn’t
go haywire in the meantime. That’s not too much to ask, is
it?”
“We’ll see,” Frank said
ominously. “We’ll know more about that come tomorrow,
when the reports are in and it’s time for the
“Thanks, boss,” he murmured. “Appreciate
it.”
After he left, Joanna dimmed the lights and
returned to the couch. She sat there for a long time with one hand
resting on her extended belly. It was night and almost bedtime, so
naturally the little person in her womb was wide awake and raising
hell. With Ernie gone, Lady once again emerged from the bedroom and
cuddled up into a gray-and-white ball on the couch beside her.
“Did you know you’re unsanitary?”
Joanna asked, absently stroking the Australian shepherd’s
long soft coat. In answer Lady rolled her blue eyes in
Joanna’s direction, thumped her cropped tail, and sighed
contentedly.
Half an hour or so later, Joanna got up and waddled
off to bed. She was sound asleep when Lucky and Tigger began
barking furiously. Getting up, Joanna staggered out of bed in time
to see Butch’s Subaru drive into the yard and come to a stop
next to his parents’ RV. Joanna hurried to the door to meet
him as he came into the house.
“Congratulations, you big nut,” she
said, kissing him hello. “Welcome home, but I thought I told
you to stay where you were. What time is it?”
“Three,” he said. “Three
forty-five, to be exact.”
“What time did you leave El Paso?” she
asked.
“Better you should never know,” he
said. “I’m taking the Fifth. Suffice it to say, though,
there wasn’t very much traffic and zero enforcement. I left
the banquet as soon as I could. I wasn’t about to leave you
alone and in my mother’s clutches any longer than necessary.
How are things?”
“Fine,” she said. “Come on.
Let’s go to bed. You must be beat.”
“I am,” he agreed. “And I’m
very glad to be home.”
Once in bed, Joanna curled up next to Butch.
Comforted by her husband’s radiating warmth, she was soon
sound asleep and slept better than she had in months.
On Sunday, Margaret and Don declined to go to
church. After fixing them breakfast, Joanna, Jenny, and Butch were
more than happy to leave their guests on their own for a couple of
hours. That morning, Butch had put out one of their homegrown,
freezer-wrapped beef roasts to thaw. After church they stopped by
Safeway to pick up fresh vegetables and salad makings. Then they
called George and Eleanor Winfield along with Jim Bob and Eva Lou
Brady and arranged for an impromptu late-afternoon dinner party.
Joanna hadn’t intended to be doing nonstop entertaining the
last weekend before the baby’s official due date, but there
didn’t seem to be any choice. Besides, there was always the
dim hope that adding more people to the mix might help dilute
Margaret’s ever-toxic presence.
Butch was putting the finishing touches on a roast
beef dinner when Frank Montoya called. Briefly Joanna brought him
up-to-date on Ernie’s revelations. “You want me to talk
to Debbie about the prospect of her becoming a detective?”
Frank asked.
“No,” Joanna said. “Ask her to
see us when she comes on shift tomorrow. We can talk to her
together. Anything else going on?”
“Not much,” Frank told her. “I
had three deputies patrolling that northeast sector last night.
Nothing at all turned up in San Simon. As far as anyone could tell,
there was no unusual traffic coming and going from Roostercomb
Ranch. The whole area was dead as can be. With that in mind,
I’m thinking we should probably drop the increased
surveillance. After all, Patrol is stretched so
thin…”
“No,” Joanna said. “Leave it as
is again tonight. Maybe Sunday is when the O’Dwyers do their
thing.”
“Maybe,” Frank agreed grudgingly.
“But I doubt it. I can’t help wondering if Jeannine has
her facts straight.”
“Let’s give it another day,”
Joanna said. “And pray the rest of the county doesn’t
go haywire in the meantime. That’s not too much to ask, is
it?”
“We’ll see,” Frank said
ominously. “We’ll know more about that come tomorrow,
when the reports are in and it’s time for the
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