Ernie laughed. “Supposedly, but nobody rushes those guys down at INS. I’ve gone to them for records before. Just getting an answer to a simple question could take months, even with the MJ boys working on it.”
The Multi-Jurisdictional Force was a recently created task force designed to counter criminal activity along the Mexican border, including unlawful enterprises that often crossed jurisdictional boundaries. One MJ squad was based out of the Cochise County Justice Center. Joanna knew about it, but only distantly. It was one of those aspects of her new job that she had expected to have time to research between Election Night and being sworn in sometime in January.
“Maybe you can get someone from there to pull a string or two,” she suggested.
“Don’t hold your breath,” Ernie said sourly, getting up. “But I’ll give it a whirl.”
He was already at the door when Joanna remembered the magazine.
“You don’t read People by any chance, do you?”
Ernie shook his head. “Not me. I’m more into Smithsonian and Home Mechanix,” he smiled. “Last month they had a great article on building decks. Why do you ask?”
Joanna leaned down, reached into her purse, and was about to haul out Helen Barco’s dog —eared magazine when she thought better of it.
“Never mind,” she said. “There’s an article in one of them I thought you should read, but you already have enough to do. I’ll try to scan it some time tonight. If it looks as though it has any bearing on the case, I’ll get it to you first thing in the morning.”
“Good,” Ernie said, heading out the door “What I don’t need is one more thing that has to be done tonight.”
The intercom on Joanna’s desk buzzed loudly. Without having been given proper operating instructions, Joanna wasn’t able to figure out how to make it work. Giving up, she finally walked over to the door and threw it open.
“Yes?”
“There’s someone out here waiting to see you.”
“Who?”
Before Kristin could answer, a young woman rose from one of the chairs across the room and hurried forward, hand extended. Short, stocky, well dressed, and very businesslike, she seemed vaguely familiar, although Joanna couldn’t quite place her.
“Sue Rolles,” the woman said with a winning smile. “I’m a reporter for the Arizona Daily Sun.”
“A reporter. I’m afraid you need to talk to Chief Deputy Voland. He’s the one handling the press on today’s glory-hole cases.”
“This isn’t about those,” Sue Rolles said. “It’s something else entirely.”
Joanna led the way back into her office and motioned the visitor into a chair. “Have we met be fore?” Joanna asked. “You look familiar.”
“We didn’t exactly meet,” Sue Rolles replied. “We ran into one another back in September in the lobby at University Hospital in Tucson. But we were never properly introduced. Since then, I’ve spent a good deal of time here in Cochise County working on a special assignment.”
“What kind of assignment?”
“The sheriff’s race.”
Joanna Brady had been in office for only one day but she had been around law enforcement long enough to suspect ambush journalism.
“That’s funny,” she said. “I don’t remember your ever asking for an interview with me.”
“It’s not that kind of article,” Sue Rolles said quickly.
“I see. Exactly what kind is it then?”
Sue Rolles shrugged. “You know how it is. people are free to say things before elections that they can’t or won’t say afterward. My editors wanted me to survey some of the people who work here to get an insider’s view of how people would react depending on which of the three candidates was actually elected.”
“In other words,” Joanna interjected without humor, “you’ve been out stirring up a hornet’s nest in advance of my taking office.”
“Oh, no. Not at all.”
“What, then?”
“Since you’re the first woman to hold this office in the state of Arizona, there’s a good deal of interest, especially since most of the officers who will be reporting to you are men.”
“So?” Joanna asked warily.
“Do you see a problem with that?”
“Not particularly. I’ve addressed that question on numerous occasions during my election campaign. Crime is the problem. Gender is not the problem.”
“Even though some of your officers might be vocally critical of your… law-enforcement abilities?”
“The voters of this county didn’t expect me to know everything the first day I walked into this office,” Joanna countered. “You and I both know there’s a learning curve on any new job. I believe the people who elected me were bargaining for a hard worker. They want me to uncover any problems that may exist in this agency and to find solutions to them. That’s what the people wanted and it’s what I expect to give them.”
