A Light in the Desert

by Anne Montgomery

  The anguished cry stopped Cooper as he approached the front door. The deputy turned and watched the man rock back and forth as the chopper came closer. Elect Sun jumped to Ramm’s aid. The woman wrapped one arm around his shoulder, and spoke in a soothing manner to ease his fears.

  “No! I will not do this again!” Ramm jumped from his seat, knocking a bowl of chili to the floor. He pushed Elect Sun away. She staggered toward the sideboard.

  “Can’t you do something for him?” she implored Elect Peter. “Give him something!”

  “He’s already had the Haloperidol. But it doesn’t work instantly. Give it some time.” Elect Peter slowly approached Ramm who was now crouched in the corner of the living room, hands still covering his ears.

  “Fielding.” Cooper addressed the young officer who still sat at the table too stunned to move. “Help them get Ramm to bed, and keep an eye on things.”

  “Ye … yes, sir.” Fielding gazed down at what was left of his chili.

  “Now!”

  Cooper and Kate watched the helicopter land on the tiny flat space east of the mine site.

  “Find anything?” Cooper asked when the rotors finally slowed, and he and Kate had safely approached the bird.

  “Nada,” the pilot answered. “We’ll get started again at daybreak. There’s still a lot of ground to cover.”

  “I hope you don’t mind taking this into Phoenix for me. I know you’ve already had a long day.”

  “Where’s it going?” The pilot accepted the manila envelope. He put the package in a lockbox beside him.

  “Downtown to the Phoenix PD. I’ll have an officer waiting for you when you land. Just hand it over.”

  “Okay, I should be able to get there in about twenty minutes. The winds are being freaky, so don’t hold me to it.”

  “Get it there when you can.” Cooper waved as he and Kate scurried back out of the way.

  The rotors began to move again, slowly at first, producing the whop-whop sound that morphed into a heavy hum as the speed increased. The pilot waved, and then disappeared, obscured as a cloud of desert dust whipped and swirled from the ground. Then the helicopter lifted up as lightly as an insect, and darted out into the night sky.

  Cooper’s phone rang. “You’re kidding? I’ll head over right now.”

  “What’s up?” Kate yawned.

  “We keeping you awake?” Cooper strode quickly toward the Blazer.

  “I haven’t had much sleep lately.” She kept pace with him. “Or maybe I had too much on your couch. Anyway, don’t worry about me.”

  “I won’t.”

  They both got into the vehicle, slammed the doors, and buckled their seatbelts almost in unison.

  “Where are we—”

  But Cooper didn’t let her finish. “We’re going to the Children’s compound. It seems there’s been a sighting.”

  “Elvis?” Kate yawned again.

  “Even better. The Virgin Mary.” Cooper slipped the truck into gear and stepped on the gas.

  Kate turned toward him, cocking her head. “Don’t you think we should alert Search and Rescue?”

  “It’ll only take us a few minutes to drive over to the compound. Let’s see what we’ve got first. You’ll see what I mean when we get there. Trust me.”

  54

  WHEN THE SCREEN DOOR opened, Cooper and Kate found themselves facing the tiny shriveled form of Elect Sarah, her usual smile replaced by a look of deep concern.

  “Elect Sarah.” Cooper greeted the blind woman. “It’s Deputy Cooper. Kate Butler is also with me.”

  The woman nodded and, with a struggle, turned her walker around to lead them through the living room past the piano and drum set. The room held a faint odor of sour milk and overcooked vegetables.

  “Thank you for coming so quickly,” Elect Sarah said as they inched their way toward the kitchen.

  Cooper was surprised to see the dishes overflowing in the sink, and pots and pans still holding the remains of the evening meal on the stove.

  “You must excuse us.” The blind woman apparently read his mind. “I know things are rather untidy right now. You see we depend on Elect Sun and Elect Peter quite a bit.”

  “No problem. Things look fine.” Cooper lied.

  “I’m sure they don’t. But thank you for saying so.”

  “Elect Sarah. Where are all the others?

  “I’ll explain that in a minute. First, I need to tell you about Nunzio.”

  “No need,” Cooper said. “I already know him.”

  Kate cast him a dark look. “But I don’t.”

  “Nunzio is an elderly man who lives … well … all around here, dear.” Elect Sarah waved one frail, freckled hand.

  “He’s homeless.” Cooper turned to Kate. “But Nunzio isn’t as destitute as someone who’s living on the streets in Phoenix. He and his horse are fixtures around here. He does odd jobs for food. And the Children often help him out, though they don’t approve of his fondness for tequila.”

  “Yes, he does drink heavily.” Elect Sarah finally stepped through the kitchen doorway. “But he is a kind man, and we do what we can to help him.”

  “And Nunzio is here now with some information for us?” Cooper tried to move the conversation forward.

  Elect Sarah lowered herself into one of the green wooden kitchen chairs, and took a deep breath. “Nunzio came to tell us that he saw … the Virgin Mary out in the desert. That he gave her food and water, and left her a gold nugget. Gifts for her and her child.”

  “Has he been drinking?” Cooper asked.

  “Yes.” Elect Sarah focused her cloudy gaze over his head. “But with Kelly missing, can we afford to discount what he said?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Did he say he saw a baby?” Kate shuddered at the thought of the young girl alone giving birth in the desert.

  “No, Nunzio said the Holy Mother was with child. I took that to mean she was pregnant. He’s out back. They’re all out back.”

  Kate and Cooper found Nunzio and the other members of the Children of Light, out in the yard praying. Though their religious beliefs differed, they prayed with equal fervor. While the Children asked God for the safe return of the young girl and the baby they soon hoped to know, Nunzio ran his gnarled fingers down the wooden beads of the rosary he hadn’t touched in years, and prayed zealously for his immortal soul.

  55

  THE AREA AROUND the cabin was finally quiet. The members of the Search and Rescue team who chose to remain so they could get an early start were bedded down in trucks and vans and tents. The horses were corralled, and the dogs—valued for their tracking skills, but also loved as family pets—snuggled up next to their masters. Inside the cabin, Elect Sun slept quietly on the couch, while Elect Peter, sprawled across the armchair and ottoman, snored fitfully.

  Deputy Fielding sat next to the door outside of Ramm’s room, and hoped the discomfort caused by the straight-back wooden chair would keep him awake. With the door slightly cracked, Fielding could hear Ramm’s uneven breathing. He also noticed the wind outside as small objects periodically plinked against the house. Fielding yawned and blinked his eyes, then got up and headed into the kitchen where he knew a pot of strong, probably lukewarm, coffee sat on the stove.

  In the bedroom, Ramm bolted up, eyes wide, sweat staining the T-shirt and shorts he had no memory of changing into. He slipped out of bed and cautiously moved toward the window, his senses telling him something wasn’t right. Heavy steps sounded outside the bedroom door. Silently, Ramm moved back to the bed, sliding beneath the covers.

  When everything was quiet again, Ramm edged his way toward the slightly open door. He could only see the lower half of the man’s legs; still he knew it was a police officer camped outside.

  A sound distracted him. Ramm peaked through the vertical opening, and saw Elect Peter snoring in the chair. Retreating to the far side of the bedroom, he considered his options.

  Thoughts flashed into his mind in jumbled
order.

  Searchers were coming and going from his property. He remembered the pain of the spider bite, and the strange peace—the same warm, honey-colored feeling he’d known in Jerusalem—that had engulfed him. The girl happily modeling the clothes he’d purchased for her. Suddenly, he realized he had no idea where Kelly was. The faint smudges on his fingers distracted him, and Ramm remembered with devastating clarity that he had willingly allowed the deputy to take his fingerprints. How long ago had that occurred? He had lost all track of time. But his mind was clearer now. He recalled that Elect Peter had dosed him with Haloperidol.

  A familiar whinny wrested Ramm from his thoughts. Creeping to the window, he saw Becky, a crudely knotted rope dangling around her neck, standing off in the trees that were writhing in the wind. The Appaloosa sniffed the air that was filled with unfamiliar scents of men and dogs and horses. She pawed the ground.

  Silently, Ramm changed into a black T-shirt and a pair of dark camouflage pants. He laced up the heavy black boots.

  Dog looked up at him from the floor and whined.

  Ramm moved silently behind the door, and waited as Deputy Fielding slipped his head inside. Ramm grabbed the man. His first impulse was to snap the policeman’s neck. Wide-eyed with terror, Fielding kicked and twisted in Ramm’s steel grip. Something made Ramm change his mind. He dragged Fielding to the bed, grabbed a pillow, and jammed it into the deputy’s face.

  A short time later, the thrashing calmed. Ramm removed the pillow; the deputy’s breath came in ragged gasps. Ramm paused and looked at the officer who appeared not much older than a boy. He’d killed so many people, what was one more? He lifted the pillow again, but dropped it and smashed his fist into the side of Fielding’s face. A broken jaw and a concussion would keep him out for a while. He covered the young cop with the blankets.

  Ramm strapped the thick blade to his thigh, then reached into the lower dresser drawer, and peeled off a thin package that had been taped to the wood above. He folded the envelope in half and zipped the money and multiple identification papers in a pants pocket. Ramm paused for a moment, heard nothing, and moved to the window. Slowly, he eased the pane open, but stopped when Dog began to whine again. Knowing she would bark if left behind, he grabbed the animal, hoisted her up, and dropped her to the ground outside the window.

  56

  KATE SAT ACROSS the kitchen table from Nunzio, doing her best to sober him up. She poured another cup of strong black coffee. Cooper remained outside where he spoke with the rest of the Children in the hope that Nunzio might have said something about the location where he had encountered the “Holy Mother.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Cooper pushed open the screen door and let it snap shut behind him. “Kelly may be somewhere along Windmill Wash, but I can’t be sure.” He turned to Nunzio. “You can help me.” The old man took another sip of coffee, and stared back through watery eyes. Cooper tried again. “Tell me exactly where you saw the girl.”

  “The Holy Mother is by the black rocks, like I told you.” Nunzio pushed the mug toward Kate. “Don’t you have just a little tequila? I know it will clear my head.”

  “Black rocks. Which black rocks?” Cooper pulled out a chair and sat between them. “It’s a big desert and practically all the rocks out here are black. Nothing but black basalt everywhere you look. Give me something to go on. The girl might be in danger.”

  Nunzio’s eyes widened. “Danger? Who would hurt the Holy Mother?”

  Cooper took the cue. “There are coyotes out there. Mountain lions. Rattlers.”

  “Perhaps you could lead us to her.” Kate pushed the coffee mug back. “Wouldn’t you like to see her again?”

  Nunzio frowned. Kate realized the thought of seeing his version of the Virgin frightened him. She’d said the wrong thing.

  Wind lashed the side of the house.

  “A storm is coming in, Nunzio.” Kate changed tack. “We must get to her to keep her safe. Keep the baby safe. Won’t you help us find her?”

  The old man paused and stared into the coffee cup. Then, finally, he stood and steadied himself with both hands on the table. “I will!” He walked toward the door. “I will take you to her. The three of us will find the little mother. Just like the Great Kings of the East.”

  A short time later, the Blazer crawled behind Nunzio, even though he moved faster and with more determination than he had in years.

  “Just go with it.” Kate saw the frustration eating away at Cooper.

  “Why can’t he just get in the truck like a normal person?” Cooper growled as Nunzio, with the roan in tow, left the dirt trail and cut across the open desert. “I have four-wheel drive. I can go wherever he wants.”

  “Pull over.” Kate reached for the door handle.

  “Pull over? This ain’t I-10. You’re allowed to just stop anywhere you want when you’re traveling without the benefit of a real road.”

  Kate tilted her head. “It’s just a figure of speech. Quit being cranky and stop. I’ll go keep him company and see if I can get him moving.”

  “Remind me.” Cooper said as she opened the door. “Which one of the three kings are you?”

  “I am Xena, Warrior Princess. Which means someday when I grow up, I’ll be Xena Warrior Queen. And that’s about as close as I’m gonna get.”

  “Oh, Xena! Any time you want to don that leather bustier and those breast plates and boots, give me a call.”

  “Certainly.” Kate grinned. “And then I will kick your ass. Now leave me, commoner. I have work to do.”

  An hour later, frustrated from driving at a crawl and unable to sustain the image of Kate dressed in Xena garb, Cooper stopped the Blazer just as the police radio came on.

  “Coop! It’s Buddy. It seems Christ has risen.”

  “What?”

  “Ramm attacked Fielding and took off. The kid can hardly talk. He’s got a broken jaw and a concussion.”

  “How long has Ramm been gone?” Cooper rolled down the window and waved Kate back to the truck.

  “We’re not really sure. Elect Sun woke up and found Fielding unconscious under the covers in Ramm’s bed. She alerted the Search and Rescue guys who were camped out there. They called it in.”

  A gust of wind blasted the Blazer, buffeting the truck with pieces of rock and sand. Cooper scanned the horizon. In the east, lit by the moon, he saw the reddish dust rising hundreds of feet into the sky. “Shit! Looks like we’ve got a haboob heading our way. Damn! We’re tracking Nunzio back to where he says he saw the girl, and I was just going to ask you to send out the choppers.”

  “Nunzio? That sounds like an adventure.”

  “Trust me, it is. Can you get the guys airborne?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll check out the storm and do what we can.”

  “Hey, Buddy. Do we know if Ramm’s armed?”

  “Negative. We just have to assume he is. Now, give me your location and I’ll roust Search and Rescue and send you some backup.”

  57

  RAMM MANAGED TO SLIP past the sleeping searchers by leading the Appaloosa up over the rise behind the cabin. Once they were a good distance away, he checked the horse for injuries. Finding none, he mounted up.

  It would be impossible to track Kelly properly from the cabin without being seen, so all he could do was make an educated guess. The girl had only been on a few short walks outside, all to the area just below the Rowley Mine.

  Because of his need to skirt the cabin, an hour passed before Ramm reached the wash. Once there, he examined the edges of the streambed where small stones rested in a plethora of white sand. It would be here on the sides of the wash—away from the center where large tumbled rocks cluttered the area—that he might be able to discern which way Kelly had gone.

  Ramm got down on his hands and knees, and studied various depressions in the moonlight. A number of horses had been in the wash recently. Trackers probably, but not Becky.

  Without warning, the light was extinguished. Ramm looked up. Fast moving
clouds darted across the sky obscuring the moon. Then the clouds skipped away and the luminosity returned. Ramm saw the storm coming in hard from the east—a great roiling cloud blotting out everything in its wake. The wind was harsh now. He could smell earthy odors coming from above where they didn’t belong. Ramm had to work fast, but tracking wasn’t a process that could be hurried.

  Finally, a hoof print caught his eye. He pressed his face close to the ground. The sand was harder here and it held the print well. He found what he was looking for—the nick. Ramm had carved small grooves into Becky’s shoes—all at three o’clock—so she’d be easy to track if she ever got loose. He saw another print and then another and discerned where the horse had traveled up over the edge of the wash.

  Ramm moved more quickly now, concerned the dust storm would rip the tracks and any other clues from the ground, send them spiraling into the air, eliminating all hope of finding the girl before daylight. He noticed a broken branch hanging from a palo verde tree, one that had grown low to the ground and could have easily been snapped by a horse’s hoof. He checked the broken edges. A fresh cut.

  Ramm climbed the rocky slope. No longer in the protected confines of the wash, he was hit hard by a gust of wind; still he guided the horse in a straight line past scraggly mesquite, unforgiving fields of cholla, and a few scattered saguaros including one exceptionally large cactus with myriad limbs.

  Then he heard something. Dog barked and bolted. Ramm tried to filter out the extraneous noises, but the wind was too intense. He kicked the Appaloosa sharply with his heels and followed the dog.

  Ramm kept pace with the animal as she raced toward a pile of boulders. Then a CRACK split the air. Becky reared. Ramm clung to the horse, lying flat. Was someone shooting at him? But when Becky spun around, Ramm saw the giant saguaro. He watched the cactus tilt in a slow-motion fall to the rocky ground, shallow roots no longer able to bear such massive weight in the face of the oncoming haboob. The ancient monster had finally given up its hold in the earth, and the crash was like the downing of a small plane. The giant shaft split apart, scattering broken limbs across the desert floor.