Scratchgravel Road (Josie Gray Mysteries #2)(6)

“Any idea how long she’s been outside?” Marvin asked. He pulled packs of ice out of a small freezer and laid them in between her inner arms and her body, her armpits, and her groin.

“No idea.”

He stood up quickly and headed toward the front of the ambulance. “Anybody taking the ride with me?”

Otto motioned Josie into the back of the ambulance. “Go on. See if you can get something out of her when she wakes up. I’ll get measurements.”

She nodded and stepped in beside the stretcher. Marvin turned the ambulance around and Josie shouted toward the front, “Hey! Drive like you got sense. I don’t want to end up in a ditch on the way there.”

“No worries,” he yelled, laughing at what he thought was a joke.

Sitting on a small bench beside Cassidy’s head, Josie pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She dialed Officer Marta Cruz’s number. Marta was the third member of their three-person police department. Artemis needed at least five officers to handle the recent spate of violence, brought on by the cartels in northern Mexico, but resources were scarce. Marta wasn’t due in to work for several hours. Josie hated calling her off duty, but it was an accepted drawback of police work in a small town.

When Marta answered, Josie told her about finding Cassidy in the desert beside the dead body.

“Why am I not surprised to hear this?” Marta asked. “How can such a sweet girl attract so much stink?”

“The body is a male. I’m guessing he’s been outside two to four days. Looks like he might have been an illegal making a break for it. Check with Border Patrol and ICE for any recent missing persons reports.”

She felt the ambulance lurch through the lone stoplight in Artemis and continue forward. She could see the courthouse tower out of the front window and knew they were just a block from the Trauma Center.

Josie hung up with Marta, called the sheriff’s department, and asked for Sheriff Roy Martínez. He was a burly retired marine who took his job seriously, was fair-minded, and operated on the same shoestring budget she did. The sheriff also ran the Arroyo County Jail. The majority of his staff was needed just to keep the jail running smoothly, which left Josie’s police department in charge of both city crimes and often the county calls that the sheriff’s department should have taken.

The sheriff answered with a gruff, “Martínez.”

“Hey, Roy. It’s Josie. I’m headed to the hospital with a probable heatstroke victim. And we’ve got a body in the desert.”

“I heard from dispatch. I’m headed to Marfa in about ten minutes. I’ve got a prisoner transport. The body in the desert a Mexican?”

“That’s what I’m calling for. We’re not sure. It’s your case to take at this point, but I talked to Lou this morning and she says you’ve got problems.”

She listened as he blew air out in frustration. “I got one officer in Guadalajara for his wedding and two on sick leave. Peterson called in this morning. He’s got a broken leg and won’t be back for weeks. Fell off a ladder painting his damn kitchen.” He paused. “You okay to take this one?”

“Otto’s getting measurements now. I’m hoping with some fluids Cassidy will come around and tell us something about the body. I’ll keep you posted.” She watched as the girl tried to move her arm, which was still strapped down to the stretcher. She moaned quietly and Josie took it for a positive sign.

“I appreciate it. I owe you one or two,” Martínez said.

Marvin pulled the ambulance up to the side entrance of the Arroyo County Trauma Center and killed the sirens. The building was split into two discrete halves, each with a green awning covering a separate entrance: one for the county health department, another for the Trauma Center. Mayor Moss had won a homeland security grant after 9/11, and the money was used to build and outfit a Trauma Center to deal with the increased border violence. Josie was amazed they had survived so long without the center when the closest hospital was two hours away in Alpine. It was the one credit Josie could give to the mayor.

Vie Blessings, the nurse on call, pushed through the Trauma Center’s double doors and rushed outside wearing a set of purple scrubs. Her expression was all business, but her spiked red hair and brightly colored makeup and eyeglasses indicated her real personality. Marvin met Vie at the back of the ambulance where the doors swung out as Josie stood from the bench.

“How is she?” Vie asked.

“She’s trying to move her arms some. She’s moaning too but hasn’t opened her eyes,” Josie said.

They pulled the stretcher out and the legs folded down and locked into place with a kick of Vie’s foot.

Vie nodded at Josie. “Got it from here. Give me a call in a couple hours.”

She and Marvin pushed the stretcher through the open doors, leaving Josie standing beside the ambulance in the hot afternoon sun.

Marvin called over his shoulder, “I’ll give you a ride back. Give me five minutes!”





THREE


After Josie left for the hospital, Otto returned to her jeep and sat in the driver’s seat with the air-conditioning vents pointed directly at him. He was certain Artemis would beat the record books that day. His shirt was already soaked. He pulled his ball cap off and wiped the sweat from his head with the handkerchief he kept in his back pocket. He hated wearing the Artemis PD ball cap, but he had burnt his balding head enough times that he finally started taking the extra precaution.