Missing and Endangered (Joanna Brady #19)(102)
During the party Joanna saw a sparkle in Kendall’s blue eyes that hadn’t been there before. She spent much of the party glued to Jackie Puckett’s side. Izzy and Lyndell Hogan might have offered the children a permanent safe haven, but it was Grandma Puckett who had first come to their rescue. That obviously counted for something.
When Kendall wasn’t plastered to Grandma Puckett, she was in her bedroom playing Uno and Chutes and Ladders with Denny. The two of them hit it off like longtime pals. Meanwhile loner Peter was content to be out in the backyard throwing either tennis balls or Frisbees, all of which Coon obligingly returned every single time.
On Christmas Eve, Joanna received a surprise gift in the form of a phone call from Claire Newmark, her closest ally on the board of supervisors. “I think we’ve finally got the votes,” Claire said. “Your budget request, bodycams included, should sail through with no problem.”
“Thank you so much for letting me know,” Joanna said gratefully.
“And how’s Deputy Ruiz?” Claire asked.
“He’s home and recovering well, as far as anyone can tell.”
“Thank God for small favors,” Claire said. “I’m so glad to hear it.”
Christmas Day itself was an absolute circus. Since Beth had never before experienced a full-on family Christmas celebration, she seemed taken aback by the chaos that left the entire living room awash in discarded wrapping paper. The next-to-last gift wasn’t under the tree because it was on it. It consisted of a tiny box with Joanna’s name on it. Inside were a pair of eye-popping emerald pierced earrings.
“To match your eyes,” Butch told her when she delivered a thank-you kiss.
Finally only one unwrapped gift remained—Beth’s. On Christmas Eve, Butch had made a quick trip to Tucson to bring it home. Jenny, knowing what was up, was the one who delivered it into Beth’s hands.
“What’s this?” Beth asked.
“Open it,” Jenny urged. “You’ll see.”
Beth did. When it became apparent what it was, she looked at Jenny in dismay. “An iPhone?” she asked. “But I thought I wasn’t supposed to have one of these.”
“Mom talked to Agent Norris. With Gerard Paine under lock and key and with his network shut down, she says there’s no reason you can’t go back online, as long as you have a new number, new address, and all new passwords.”
That afternoon the entire household, including Carol Sunderson and her two boys, gathered in the family room to eat popcorn and watch a DVD of The Wizard of Oz.
“The wizard really was creepy,” Beth murmured as the credits rolled. “I see now why you wanted me to watch it, and I’m glad Dorothy and Toto took him down.”
Chapter 54
The evening of Ernie’s retirement party, the kids all stayed home and had pizza while Butch and Joanna, dressed to the nines and with Joanna sporting her emerald earrings, headed for the Rob Roy. Joanna had made it known that uniforms were banished for the evening. Everyone had been directed to show up in their best bibs and tuckers while off-duty officers from Pima and Graham counties were handling patrol duties throughout Cochise in order for Joanna’s people to be able to attend the festivities.
The Carpenters had outdone themselves. Ernie showed up looking amazing in a tuxedo with a beaming, evening gown–clad Rose on his arm. Joanna knew they had to be dealing with a tumult of conflicting emotions right then, but none of that showed. They’d made up their minds about how they would deal with the situation, and they carried it off without a hitch.
As promised, the food was great, and considering who-all was in attendance, Myron Thomas made sure no one was overserved in the drinks department. The end-of-the-evening roasts were hilarious and delivered with the kind of laughter, jabs, and barbs that can only be shared among people who’ve known and cared for each other for years.
Joanna was the next-to-last person to speak. She didn’t even try to do a roast. “When I came here nine years ago, I was a babe in the woods. I knew nothing about law enforcement, but yet all of a sudden I was the sheriff. If it hadn’t been for people like Frank Montoya and Dick Voland,” she said, nodding to each in turn, “I wouldn’t have made it. They, along with Ernie here, taught me everything I know.
“Yet it turns out those other guys were both short-timers. Frank and Dick didn’t hang around for the long haul, but you did, Ernie, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Go if you must. Have fun. I’m just not too sure I believe all that stuff about your going fishing.”
She sat down to a round of applause, and Ernie himself stood up. “I’ve worked for the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department most of my adult life,” he said. “When this little red-haired dynamo first turned up on the scene, I figured we were close to bottoming out. But you know what? I was dead wrong about that. So I’d like to propose a toast to Sheriff Joanna Brady, the best boss I’ve ever had.”
Epilogue
New Year’s Day was supposed to be a holiday, but since Tom Hadlock had covered Christmas Day, it was Joanna’s turn to handle this one. She was in the office that Monday afternoon, but things were blessedly quiet. Kristin was off, and only a skeleton crew was at work out in the front office. Sunny Sloan was on her way to Peoria, where she was due to start classes at the Arizona Police Academy the following day.