“I’m sure.”
“But that means we have to come up with two names-one for a boy and one for a girl.”
“That’s right,” Joanna agreed. “So start thinking.”
They had driven into town in separate cars. When lunch was over, Joanna kissed Butch goodbye in the parking lot. While he returned to High Lonesome Ranch, Joanna headed for the department. She felt slightly guilty about showing up late on a day when there was bound to be so much catch-up paperwork to do, but then again, she didn’t feel that guilty.
She was at her desk and surveying the damage when Andrea Mossman called. “I heard about it on the news,” she said. “I just got off the phone with Denny.”
“How’s Nathan?” Joanna asked.
“About how you’d expect. He’s pretty broken up.”
‘And your grandmother?”
“She’s a tough old bird,” Andrea said. “She’s doing remarkably well.”
“I have a note here from my chief deputy,” Joanna said. “Police officers in Obregon have been dispatched to the ranch to notify Kelly and …”
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“… and Dad’s other wives,” Andrea supplied.
“Do you have any idea what kind of arrangements will need to be made as far as your father’s remains are concerned, once the autopsy is done and the body is released?”
“I don’t care what happens to him,” Andrea said. “And I doubt Grandma does, either.
Talk to his other families. If they want him, they can have him-as long as they pay for shipping. I already discussed this with Grandma. She’s not paying a dime, and I’m not either.”
“What about Cecilia?” Joanna asked.
“Grandma and I have an appointment with a GPS caseworker later on this afternoon.
I wanted to talk to them before somebody brings Cecilia out of the Lassiter compound.
Cecilia hasn’t ever met me, and she probably has no idea her grandmother even exists.
But if Grandma and I can help her, we will. I do have some experience with this kind of thing.”
“What about the boy?” Joanna asked.
“What boy?” Andrea returned.
“Josiah. The one in the Lassiter compound who helped Pam Davis and Carmen Ortega film the wedding.”
“We’ll try to get him out at the same time,” Andrea said. “If old man Lassiter figures out who was responsible, he’ll make his life hell.”
As if it wasn’t already, Joanna thought.
After she got off the phone, the day turned into a marathon of paperwork. In addition to the usual day-to-day e-mail and correspondence, there were reports to be read-reports from Jaime Carbajal and Ernie Carpenter. And there were case-clearing phone calls and faxes back and forth between the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Trotter’s office over in Hidalgo
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County. Joanna should have felt triumphant, but she didn’t. Too many people were dead-too many lives ruined. Clearing cases under those circumstances made for hollow victories.
It was almost three o’clock when Kristin came into the office. “Sorry to interrupt, Sheriff Brady,” she said. “But there are some people here to see you.”
“Who?”
“They wouldn’t give their names.”
They would have if you’d tried a little harder, Joanna thought wearily.
Sighing, she rose and followed Kristin back out into the lobby. Outside her office, she found two Hispanic women-a young one and one much older-seated side by side on the love seat facing Kristin’s desk. They were both dressed in black. The younger woman’s hair was loose. The older one’s hair was in a long gray braid that was wrapped around the top of her head like a silver crown. Over her head and shoulders she wore an old-fashioned mantilla.
The younger woman rose and stepped toward Joanna, holding out her hand. “Sheriff Brady?”
Joanna nodded.
“My name is Gabriella Padilla. This is my mother, Ramona Quiroz. Maria Elena Maldonado, the woman who died after that car wreck the other day, was my cousin, my mother’s sister’s child.”
“Oh, yes,” Joanna said. “Won’t you come in?”
Gabriella went back to her mother and helped the old woman rise to her feet. Her hands and fingers were twisted and gnarled by arthritis. It was painful for her to walk and painful to watch her do it. Gabriella led her into the inner office while 352
Joanna hurriedly pulled out a chair at the conference table, which was far closer to the door than the chairs in front of her desk.
