R.P. Dahlke - Dead Red 04 - A Dead Red Alibi Read Online Free PDF

Karen, “can you tell me what the deputy meant by mules leaving dead bodies in mine pits?”
    “ Wishbone and Cochise County have always been a corridor for immigrants out of Mexico and Latin America, but in the last few years we’ve seen a real uptick in drug-dealers using them to backpack the stuff across the border, hence the term mules . If the border patrol spots them, they will abandon their packs and run. But every once in a while, we find one of them murdered and dumped in a mine pit.”
    “That’s awful.”
    “The sheriff’s department gets weekly calls for human remains in the desert, too. The county tries to repatriate the bodies, after all someone is missing them and it’s the right thing to do. But it isn’t always possible.”
    “Why not?” I asked.
    “The coyotes lift cash, wallets, ID’s, anything of value before they abandon the body to the elements.”
    I glanced over at my dad slumped against the door, his eyes closed. He had exhausted the last of his reserves.
    “Karen,” I said, “my dad has a heart condition. Do you think when the EMTs get here they could take a look at him, check his blood pressure or something?”
    At the mention of his heart condition, he awoke. “Now don’t go making a fuss, Lalla. I’m all right. I’m just a bit tired.”
    Karen turned her head around to look at me. “I think it’s safe to say that we can’t count on Deputy Dumb-Ass. I’d call someone, but Dumb-Ass took all of our cell phones. Oh well, service isn’t worth a damn out here anyway.”
    A light winked on in one of the cabins, and from this angle I could see the man in the barn. He held a welding rod and torch, and he was working on a bronze sculpture of a horse.
    “That’s odd,” I said. “There appear to be people here, yet no one seems to be curious as to why there are deputies outside?”
    Karen looked up. “What? Where?”
    “Well,” I said, pointing, “there’s a man working in the barn, and someone’s in one of the cabins, but no one’s interested as to why two county deputy cruisers are parked outside?”
    She blinked at the scenery. “Yeah. That doesn’t seem right. Which reminds me, my husband’s going to be home from work soon and wanting his supper. Still, it might be fun to watch Deputy Dumb-Ass get his comeuppance.”
    I leaned forward resting my arms on the backrest. “What do you mean?”
    “Ian Tom is chief homicide detective with the county. He’ll sort this mess out soon enough,” Karen said, crossing her arms over her chest.
    The doggy smell and cramped space in the back seat was beginning to get to me. “I’d like to stretch my legs .”
    “ Uh?” Karen said, rubbing at her eyes. “Oh, sure. Dumb-Ass putting you in the back like you’re the criminals. What the hell, let’s all get out. We’ll take Matilda for a walk, and if the idiot shows up, I’ll tell him she was about to pee on his front seat.”
    Dad grunted his disgust at the locked door, then seemed to remember that he was in a patrol car. He stretched and yawned, and thanked Karen for letting him out.
    I shivered in the cooling air . We were higher up, closer to the mountains and quicker to become shadowed.
    “I’d offer you my coat,” Dad said, putting an arm around my shoulders, “but I think I left it in the Jeep.”
    “I’m okay ,” I said, watching Karen’s heeler intent on a new target.
    “I’m not sure what she’s after, ” Karen said, “but let’s check it out.”
    She gave the dog a command and Matilda lurched forward, weav ing back and forth on her lead.
    “Don’t you want to let her go, Karen?” I asked.
    “She’s also fond of chasing rabbits, so probably not a good idea.”
    Matilda circled around and headed back to the house, then angled off toward the cabins. She leaned forward, panting in her eagerness to get to the target.
    “There!” I cried. “There’s somethi ng on the ground by that tree.”
    Karen patted Matilda, gave her a treat, and stared at the