“Why?” Joanna asked. “I’m a student here. I know the campus is pretty well shut down for the holiday weekend. All I wanted to do was show the place to my daughter.”
The other woman was wearing a name tag of some kind fastened to her lapel. Only then did the distance between them close enough that Joanna could read what was printed there. DETECTIVE CAROL STRONG, CITY OF PEORIA POLICE DEPARTMENT.
A chill that had nothing to do with the weather passed through Joanna’s body. “What’s wrong?” Joanna asked. “Has something happened?”
“A woman was hurt earlier this morning in an automobile accident,” Carol Strong answered. “She was hit by a car.”
“Leann?” Joanna asked, feeling almost sick to her stomach. “Leann Jessup?”
Carol Strong frowned. “Do you know her well?”
“We’re friends,” Joanna began raggedly. “At least we’re starting to be friends. She was supposed to come to the Hohokam this afternoon to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. Is she all right?”
“At the moment she’s still alive,” Carol answered. “She’s been airlifted to St. Joseph’s Hospital and admitted to the Barrow Neurological Institute. She should be out of surgery by now.”
As if not wanting to hear any more, Jenny slipped her hand out of Joanna’s and walked away. She stood on the grassy patch in the middle of the jogging track, watching a long freight train head south along the railroad tracks. Shaking her head, Joanna stumbled over to the edge of the breezeway and sank down on the cold cement.
“I warned her not to go jogging so late at night,” Joanna said miserably. “I tried to tell her it was dangerous.”
“What’s your name?” Detective Carol Strong asked, sitting down on the sidewalk’s edge close to Joanna but without crowding her.
“Joanna Brady. I’m the newly elected sheriff down in Cochise County.”
“And you’re a student here?”
Joanna nodded, giving the detective a sidelong glance. “Leann and I are here attending the APOA basic training course. Classes for this session started last Monday.”
Carol Strong seemed to consider that statement for a moment. “And you’re also staying in the dorm?”
“My room’s just beyond Leann’s, between hers and the student lounge.”
A slight, involuntary twitch crossed Carol Strong’s jawline before she spoke again. “I see,” she said. “I suppose that figures.”
Then, after a pause and a brief look in Jenny’s direction, she added, “Is there anyone over at the hotel right now who could look after your little girl for a while?” she asked. “If so, I’ll be happy to give you a lift long enough to drop her off. Then we can go by my office to talk. I’m going to need some information from you. The sooner, the better.”
“Jenny’s grandparents are there, but I don’t understand why ... “
“Sheriff Brady,” Detective Strong began, and her voice was grave. “It’s only fair for you to know that we’re not investigating a simple traffic accident. Your friend Leann wasn’t injured while she was out jogging. She was hit by a car after falling of a moving pickup. She was naked at the time. Both hands were tied behind her back with a pair of pantyhose.”
