[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
was written in pencil and had a reference on it to a Bible verse.
Morgan nodded and closed his eyes. Exodus 21:12, he said. He that smiteth
a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
You did give it to her then?
Yes, Hal Morgan said. And at the time, I meant every word of it, but, like
I said, that was before I met Father Mike.
Another long silence followed. Am I under arrest then? Morgan asked at last.
No, Joanna told him. Not yet.
What s the point of the deputy, then?
Some people seem to think you re a flight risk, Joanna answered.
Some people, Morgan repeated. Like your friend Voland, for instance? What
about you, Sheriff Brady? What d you think?
For a moment, Joanna considered how she should answer. What she thought was
complicated by what she felt, and what she felt was directly related to her
own experience. On one side of the scale there was the far-too-blithe, wedding
ring- and grief-free Terry Buckwalter. On the other was Hal Morgan, a
seemingly honorable ex-cop who, almost a year later, was still grieving over
the loss of his beloved wife. Terry s reaction to Bucky s murder was totally
foreign to Joanna Brady, while Hal Morgan s continuing anguish was achingly
familiar. Based on those stark contrasts, it wasn t too difficult to see where
Joanna Brady s sympathies might fall.
Have you ever been in Bisbee before, Mr. Morgan? she asked.
Ile shook his head. Never, he told her.
Even so, Joanna said quietly, you may have heard something about me and my
husband. She paused and had to swallow before she could continue. His name
was Andy Andrew Roy Brady. He was murdered last Septem-ber seventeenth. He was
shot and died the next day the day after our tenth anniversary.
The look on Hal Morgan s face registered both surprise and pain. I m sorry,
he murmured. I had no idea.
Joanna acknowledged his condolence with a nod and then continued. His killer
was a hired gun a hit man working for a Columbian drug lord. The killer s name
was Tony Var-gas.
Why are you telling me this? Morgan asked.
The room became deathly silent as Joanna sought the courage to finish her
story. Vargas didn t go to prison, she finished at last. He died. I killed
him. I shot him.
You shot him yourself?
Joanna nodded. It was ruled self-defense, so there was never any trial, but
if I had needed a defense attorney, Burton Kimball is the one I would have
called.
Morgan s eyes narrowed. Wait a minute; a little while ago you said you
believed me.
I do, Joanna answered. But just because I do doesn t mean everyone else
will.
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Hal Morgan reached out and retrieved Joanna s business card. It was only when
he was holding it in his hand, ex-amining it, that she noticed his fingers and
saw that Hal Mor-gan was still wearing his wedding ring. Three weeks under a
year after his wife s death, he had yet to take his off. Terry Buckwalter s
was already history. The contrast was telling.
Morgan was still looking at the card when he spoke again.
I m sorry about your husband, he said. I didn t know.
Thank you, she returned.
Is that why you re helping me? Hal Morgan asked.
Joanna shrugged. Maybe, she said, standing up. If nothing else, I know how
you feel.
Won t it cause trouble for you? he asked. With your people, I mean?
She smiled. It could. On the face of it, there s certainly potential for a
conflict of interest. That s why I m not pulling the deputy, even though I
personally don t believe you need an armed guard.
It s okay, Morgan said. I understand. Then, after moment, he added, Your
homicide dick isn t going to like it when he finds out you ve referred me to a
local defense attorney.
Who s going to tell him?
For the first time there was the slightest hint of a smile lurking under Hal
Morgan s gray-flecked moustache. Not me, he said, holding out his hand.
Thanks for everything.
Joanna shook hands with him, then walked as far as the door, where she
stopped, pausing with one hand on the lever. From a law-enforcement standpoint
what she had done made no sense. On a personal level she was incapable of
doing anything else.
You re welcome, she told him. And good luck wit Burton. He s a good man.
NINE
Once back in the Blazer, Joanna radioed the department and asked to be
patched through to Dick Voland. I ve just from the hospital, she told him.
You went to see Morgan?
That s right, Joanna said. And I talked to Deputy Howell, too. She s due
to get off at three. Do you have an officer scheduled to relieve her?
Not yet, the chief deputy returned. I was was waiting for marching orders
from you. Now that I know you re not pulling the guard, I ll definitely have
someone there by three.
Still no overtime, though, Dick, Joanna cautioned. I want you to utilize
people from the regular patrol roster.
Page 79
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Right, Voland agreed. No overtime. He paused. I m really glad you ve
come around to my way of thinking on this one, Joanna. I was afraid Morgan
would stage some kind of miraculous recovery and just walk out of the
hospital. Ex-cop or not, I don t want to lose this guy. Neither does the
county attorney.
Dick Voland s voice on the radio was surprisingly cordial.
No doubt thathad something to do with his mistaken belief that Joanna, too,
had now joined the others in their conviction that Hal Morgan had murdered
Bucky Buckwalter, that the case was as good as closed. It seemed a shame to
let him know otherwise. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
was written in pencil and had a reference on it to a Bible verse.
Morgan nodded and closed his eyes. Exodus 21:12, he said. He that smiteth
a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
Page 77
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
You did give it to her then?
Yes, Hal Morgan said. And at the time, I meant every word of it, but, like
I said, that was before I met Father Mike.
Another long silence followed. Am I under arrest then? Morgan asked at last.
No, Joanna told him. Not yet.
What s the point of the deputy, then?
Some people seem to think you re a flight risk, Joanna answered.
Some people, Morgan repeated. Like your friend Voland, for instance? What
about you, Sheriff Brady? What d you think?
For a moment, Joanna considered how she should answer. What she thought was
complicated by what she felt, and what she felt was directly related to her
own experience. On one side of the scale there was the far-too-blithe, wedding
ring- and grief-free Terry Buckwalter. On the other was Hal Morgan, a
seemingly honorable ex-cop who, almost a year later, was still grieving over
the loss of his beloved wife. Terry s reaction to Bucky s murder was totally
foreign to Joanna Brady, while Hal Morgan s continuing anguish was achingly
familiar. Based on those stark contrasts, it wasn t too difficult to see where
Joanna Brady s sympathies might fall.
Have you ever been in Bisbee before, Mr. Morgan? she asked.
Ile shook his head. Never, he told her.
Even so, Joanna said quietly, you may have heard something about me and my
husband. She paused and had to swallow before she could continue. His name
was Andy Andrew Roy Brady. He was murdered last Septem-ber seventeenth. He was
shot and died the next day the day after our tenth anniversary.
The look on Hal Morgan s face registered both surprise and pain. I m sorry,
he murmured. I had no idea.
Joanna acknowledged his condolence with a nod and then continued. His killer
was a hired gun a hit man working for a Columbian drug lord. The killer s name
was Tony Var-gas.
Why are you telling me this? Morgan asked.
The room became deathly silent as Joanna sought the courage to finish her
story. Vargas didn t go to prison, she finished at last. He died. I killed
him. I shot him.
You shot him yourself?
Joanna nodded. It was ruled self-defense, so there was never any trial, but
if I had needed a defense attorney, Burton Kimball is the one I would have
called.
Morgan s eyes narrowed. Wait a minute; a little while ago you said you
believed me.
I do, Joanna answered. But just because I do doesn t mean everyone else
will.
Page 78
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Hal Morgan reached out and retrieved Joanna s business card. It was only when
he was holding it in his hand, ex-amining it, that she noticed his fingers and
saw that Hal Mor-gan was still wearing his wedding ring. Three weeks under a
year after his wife s death, he had yet to take his off. Terry Buckwalter s
was already history. The contrast was telling.
Morgan was still looking at the card when he spoke again.
I m sorry about your husband, he said. I didn t know.
Thank you, she returned.
Is that why you re helping me? Hal Morgan asked.
Joanna shrugged. Maybe, she said, standing up. If nothing else, I know how
you feel.
Won t it cause trouble for you? he asked. With your people, I mean?
She smiled. It could. On the face of it, there s certainly potential for a
conflict of interest. That s why I m not pulling the deputy, even though I
personally don t believe you need an armed guard.
It s okay, Morgan said. I understand. Then, after moment, he added, Your
homicide dick isn t going to like it when he finds out you ve referred me to a
local defense attorney.
Who s going to tell him?
For the first time there was the slightest hint of a smile lurking under Hal
Morgan s gray-flecked moustache. Not me, he said, holding out his hand.
Thanks for everything.
Joanna shook hands with him, then walked as far as the door, where she
stopped, pausing with one hand on the lever. From a law-enforcement standpoint
what she had done made no sense. On a personal level she was incapable of
doing anything else.
You re welcome, she told him. And good luck wit Burton. He s a good man.
NINE
Once back in the Blazer, Joanna radioed the department and asked to be
patched through to Dick Voland. I ve just from the hospital, she told him.
You went to see Morgan?
That s right, Joanna said. And I talked to Deputy Howell, too. She s due
to get off at three. Do you have an officer scheduled to relieve her?
Not yet, the chief deputy returned. I was was waiting for marching orders
from you. Now that I know you re not pulling the guard, I ll definitely have
someone there by three.
Still no overtime, though, Dick, Joanna cautioned. I want you to utilize
people from the regular patrol roster.
Page 79
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Right, Voland agreed. No overtime. He paused. I m really glad you ve
come around to my way of thinking on this one, Joanna. I was afraid Morgan
would stage some kind of miraculous recovery and just walk out of the
hospital. Ex-cop or not, I don t want to lose this guy. Neither does the
county attorney.
Dick Voland s voice on the radio was surprisingly cordial.
No doubt thathad something to do with his mistaken belief that Joanna, too,
had now joined the others in their conviction that Hal Morgan had murdered
Bucky Buckwalter, that the case was as good as closed. It seemed a shame to
let him know otherwise. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]