Rattlesnake Crossing

'Knew what was coming?'

'That she'd leave.'

'Why?'

Crow Woman shrugged. 'She was tired. Tired of working so hard and getting nowhere. Struggling along with an operation like this is a lot different from being an Indy driver's wife. Cooking three meals a day for twenty-five or so fussy people isn't exactly glamorous, and I'm sure she thought she deserved better. She had this unrealistic idea that Danny could go back to racing any time he wanted; that he could pick up where he left off with cars and sponsors and all, and things would go back to being the way they used to be.' Crow Woman stopped. 'I don't suppose you know about any of that.'

'We know your brother is a retired Indy driver,' Joanna said.

'That news is out, then?' Crow Woman shook her head. 'That means people around here are going to know who he is.'

'People all over the country are going to know who and where he is,' Joanna replied. 'As soon as the wire services pick up on the murders, you can bet it'll go national.'

Crow Woman stared questioningly into Joanna's face. 'Did you say murders?'

Joanna nodded. 'Your sister-in-law and at least two others. One of the other two victims was found here in the immediate area. The other one was a fourteen-year-old run-away from Yuma. Her body was found up near Phoenix.'

'Then the killer couldn't possibly be one of our guests,' Crow Woman said with what sounded like genuine relief.

'Why do you say that?' the sheriff asked.

'Our guests are booked in for two weeks at a time with a tour operator out of Munich. When they leave here, they get on a bus and go straight to the Grand Canyon. Do not pass Go; do not collect two hundred dollars. Between here and there one of them wouldn't be able to stop off in Phoenix long enough for visiting a Burger King, to say nothing of killing someone.'

'If your sister-in-law worked here for you as a cook, what's your brother's function?' Ernie put in.

'Danny's my handyman extraordinaire,' Crow Woman answered. 'From the time he could walk he was taking things apart and putting them back together. It used to drive our parents nuts. He keeps the air-conditioning units running, fixes the pool filter when it conks out, looks after the grounds. But you're wrong about one thing. Danny doesn't work fin me, and Trina didn't, either.'

'But I thought…'

'We're all equal partners in this,' Crow Woman said. 'If it weren't for the money and effort the two of them sank into this place, I never would have made it. You see, the ranch belonged to my husband originally,' she explained. 'To my ex-husband, that is. You may have heard of him-Dr. Lamphere, Dr. Carlton Lamphere.'

Joanna remembered the story well enough. The scandal surrounding Dr. Lamphere and the sexual exploitation of his patients had been big news in Cochise County. But she, along with everyone else, had been under the impression that the people who had taken over the place and renamed it Rattlesnake Crossing were unrelated to the previous owner. And Crow Woman had done nothing to disspell that notion. No wonder she changed her name, Joanna thought. Under the circumstances, I would have changed mine, too.

'I'm familiar with some of what went on,' Joanna said.

'Some but not all,' Crow Woman returned with more than a trace of bitterness. 'After one paternity suit was followed by several additional malpractice suits, there wasn't much left for anybody, especially an ex-wife. By the time the attorneys finished picking the bones, the ranch here was all that was left to be divvied up by the divorce decree. The only reason I got this was that none of Carlton's creditors wanted it or could figure out what to do with it. Bottom line, I came out of a twenty-year marriage with nothing to show for my trouble but a relatively worthless chunk of Arizona real estate. But I was sitting around thinking one day and I came up with this crazy idea that maybe I could turn it into a moneymaking proposition after all. And I have. Not by myself, mind you, but with Danny and Trina's help. After Danny left racing, he wanted to find a place to disappear out of the public eye. This was as good a spot as any to do just that.'

'Let me get this straight,' Ernie said. 'Your sister-in-law has been gone for two days now, but you've already hired a replacement cook. Is that right?'

'Danny and I had to do that,' Crow Woman said. 'I can boil water occasionally. I can even peel a potato or two, but I can't cook. I've never been able to cook. So of course we hired a cook-early yesterday morning. Too late for her to help with lunch, but time enough for her to cook dinner.'

'How did you manage that so fast?' Ernie asked. 'This doesn't seem like the kind of place where people would be lined up looking for work.'

'Oh, that.' Crow Woman waved a hand dismissively. 'We already had a list of potential applicants. Danny told me weeks ago that it might come to this. That Trina might leave.'

'If he expected her to go, why did he report her missing, then?'

'Because she didn't take anything with her. Trina wasn't a woman who traveled light. She wouldn't have left here without taking her stuff. So when she did go, it was more or less what Danny expected, but she didn't do it the way he expected. Besides, if the police brought her back, maybe he could talk her out of leaving. Does that make sense?'

The outside door opened and Danny Berridge slammed his way back inside. Earlier, he had been dressed in work clothes-a short-sleeved khaki shirt, shorts, and work boots. Now he wore a light blue sport shirt, a pair of nice slacks, and dress-up boots.

'Where is she, Sheriff Brady?' he demanded. 'Don't you need someone to identify the body?'

'Yes, we do, but it might be better if you waited until we got her into the morgue in Tucson.'

'No,' he said. 'I want to do it now.'

'Danny,' Crow Woman said, 'you don't have to do that. I'll handle it for you if you want me to.'

'No,' Daniel Berridge insisted. 'She was my wife. It's my responsibility. Let's go,' he said to Joanna. 'I want to get this over with.'

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

With Daniel Berridge in the front seat and Ernie Carpenter in the back, Joanna drove the Blazer back to the crime scene. She could see as they drove up that they were just in time. Fran Daly and her two helpers were within bare minutes of loading the body into a waiting Pima County van.

Daniel and Ernie stepped out of the Blazer. Joanna was about to follow when her phone rang. 'Go on, you guys,' she said, wrestling the phone out of her purse. 'I'll take this call and then catch up in a minute. Hello?'

'Mom?' Jenny's voice was bright and chipper. 'How are you? Are you at home or are you still at work?'

The sudden shift between crime scene and domestic scene-between being a cop and being a mother-did its usual mind-bending trick.

'I'm still at work,' Joanna told her.

'But you sound funny. Strange. Like you're in a well.' The cheeriness drained out of Jenny's voice and was replaced by a certain wariness. 'Maybe your phone is weak or something. Maybe the battery is tired.'

'I'm out in the middle of nowhere,' Joanna said. 'East of Benson. The signal is probably weak. I tried to call you earlier this afternoon, but no one was home.'

'That's what I wanted to tell you about. This afternoon.'

Up ahead of the Blazer, a small procession moved toward the waiting van. The two technicians from the Pima County ME's office carried a loaded stretcher. Behind them walked Fran Daly. Not surprisingly, she was sucking on the smoldering stub of a cigarette.

When Ernie and Daniel Berridge met up with them, the little procession came to a sudden halt. Fran Daly stepped forward and nudged the lead technician out of the way. After a brief conference with Detective Carpenter, she unzipped the top of the body bag, then stood aside to give Daniel Berridge an unobstructed view.

'Mom,' Jenny said insistently, 'are you listening to me or not?'