by Sue Hardesty
Oh shit, Loni thought as she turned to Brad. "Where do you live?"
"Over Sunnyslope way. I came as soon as I heard about her girlfriend."
"He and James went to the school this afternoon and took the kids to his crazy mother." Chelsa was sobbing again.
"Listen, slut." Brad started toward her.
Loni stepped in front of him. She'd forgotten how thick he was. Not tall, but bulky. A dark, two day beard covered his angry face. She could smell the fear sweat coating him. "You better go on home now. It's late and you got a ways to go." Loni laid a hand on his chest, holding him back.
"No, by god." He knocked her arm away. "I came after their things, and I'm not leaving without them."
Suddenly Coco was between them, snarling.
"Yes, you are." Loni settled her hand on the butt of her gun.
His eyes jerking back and forth between the gun and the dog, Brad backed through the door with Coco closely following. "Wait just a damn minute," Brad complained. "Where's James?" He stumbled off the stoop and caught the handrail to stop his fall. When he straightened back up, his face was dark with fury. "Who the hell are you?" he spat. "I didn't ask for you!"
Good, Loni thought, signaling Coco to back off as she moved into his space and eased him toward his pickup. Too dark now to read her name tag. If he didn't see her dimples... Don't smile. "How did you manage to call the police?"
"She dialed nine-one-one, tossed her cell at me, and said, 'Why don't you get James here. Maybe he'll just shoot me for you.' So I did." He held up the cell phone in his hand.
Loni reached out. "I'll return that for you." Brad reluctantly let her take it, and she pocketed the phone. "Do you have any weapons with you?" She opened the pickup door for him.
"No," he said. "What the hell is that?" He nodded at Coco.
"Your worst nightmare," she said, "if you threaten me again." Coco stood like a statue, her golden wolf like eyes following his every move. Loni flashed the light beam under and behind the seat and in the cubbyhole. "Don't come back here tonight," she warned.
She watched the pickup pull out into the road and head north before she returned inside the house.
The Early American furnishings weren't to her taste but made a nice mix of earth tones that reflected comfort. Chelsa had stayed at the table, her head still buried in her arms.
Loni sat down beside her. "Chelsa, what's going on?"
Chelsa wiped away the tears. "He said his lawyer told him he had a legal right to the kids because of my immoral behavior." Her voice was hoarse from crying.
"Who's got custody?"
"I do. He's an abusive sonofabitch." She lowered her head again, wiping more tears on the hem of the red-checkered table cloth, leaving dark splotches. "I took it until he hit the kids. We're divorced over a year now." She swallowed a sob. "How can he do that? Just walk in and take them?"
"He can't. Same-sex relationships are legal. His lawyer is either totally ignorant, or your ex bamboozled you."
She scrutinized Loni with faint hope in her eyes. "What does that mean?"
"It means you can live with your girlfriend and your kids in the same house and there's nothing anyone can do about it."
"Then my restraining order is still good?" Chelsa asked, her eyes widening.
"You have a restraining order on him?"
"He kept threatening us. Shooting guns over the house. Swearing at me on the street. Following the kids, telling them I'm a dyke. I had to protect them."
"You're sure they're at his mother's?"
Chelsa snorted. "He doesn't want to care for them. Too cheap to pay."
"How long have you been with Lu?"
"Eight months yesterday."
"Your first?"
Chelsea lifted her chin. "Is that a problem?"
"Is it serious?
"It is with me."
"Can Lu come over tonight?" Loni said softly.
"No. She's on call the next three nights."
"Have you talked to her about this?
"No. I was afraid she'd go after my ex. Then she'd get in trouble," Chelsa said defiantly.
"Yeah, I know Lu. You just might be right."
"Can I call her?"
"Sure." Loni placed a hand on her arm to get her attention. "But right now you need to listen to me. First thing in the morning, this is what you're going to do. You listening?"
Watching Chelsa nod through another bout of tears, Loni continued. "At eight o'clock, I want you to take your custody papers and restraining order and go to the station and find Lola. Nobody else, do you understand?" Loni got another nod.
"Tell her to help you fill out a warrant. Tell her your ex-husband violated his restraining order and kidnapped your children, and you want them back. Are you with me?" Another nod. "Tell Lola to call me as soon as she gets the judge to sign, and I'll pick up the warrant and serve it. If all goes well, your kids will be home before noon."
"Are you shitting me?"
"No. Cross my heart."
Chelsa threw her arms around Loni, leaving tears on her collar. It took a few minutes to untangle from her. "Last thing," Loni said as she walked out the door. "Tell Lu to bring a U-haul." At the woman's quizzical expression, Loni said, "She'll know what I mean."
* * *
Loni picked up a badly beaten drunk outside The Oasis. Cheated in a card game, someone said. She carefully helped him to his feet and drove him to the clinic.
"Hey, Loni." Ronald held the drunk away from him, fanning the booze smell away as he led him into the exam room. "Heard about Chui. You know what happened?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Heard he was arrested."
"No shit? Did you hear why?" Loni asked, surprised.
"Nope."
Loni was speechless. She gathered her wits and went back to her patrol.
* * *
After a long early morning, Loni got a call.
"You there, girl?" It was Bobby's voice.
Loni hated anyone calling her girl, especially when she was already cranky. It was time for her shift to end, and she wanted to get off the road. "What?" she snapped at Bobby.
"Don't forget that domestic at the Carter ranch. Off Wilson Road."
"Cheez. Two domestics in one night."
"Yeah," he answered. "How lucky is that?" He signed off laughing.
Loni didn't even bother with a retort. She was too used up from adrenalin highs and lows and it was already too hot to live.
Turning around, she headed back up Harquah Hills Road toward a clump of buildings in the distance. The ranch sat on the north side up against a black hill to take advantage of the shade. A windmill slowly turned. The large main house was surrounded by three smaller ones where the hired help lived. Her favorite barn was behind the house. Its weathered red was almost rust color from years of heat and dust storm sand blasting. Standing majestic high, its twelve-to-one peaked roof had a pointed overhang with a pulley and ropes hanging into the large hay door. Below the hay door were the huge double sliding doors. One stood open and a small backhoe sat in the opening. Loni wasn't sure if it was coming or going. Limbs from mesquite trees formed a large corral on the back of the barn.
The main house was a fifties one story ranch house in a U shape. A few tired pomegranate bushes lined the rock walkway into the house. Surrounding the buildings were dusty, dry salt cedars.
Danny Carter was an energetic, hardworking man with a funny, highly volatile wife. She had been a year ahead of Loni in school. Not friends, they still hung out together in study hall and the gym, sometimes catching each other's back against the rule makers. They shared books, dirty jokes, and test answers. Loni actually looked forward to seeing her again, really hoping this call was nothing serious. When she knocked on the door of the main house, Danny opened the door and reached out, dragging Loni inside. "Look at that. I want you to arrest the bitch."
"Hello to you too, Danny. How the hell are you?" She stared around and saw dirty clothes scattere
d all over the floor. "Where is Juanita?" Nothing else seemed to be out of order. Nothing on the tops of furniture but the usual lamps and clean ashtrays. Loni studied Danny. "What I see is dirty clothes all over the floor. Anything I'm missing besides Juanita?"
"Look!" Danny sputtered, pointing at the clothes. "She did this."
"Why don't you just pick them up? They're yours, aren't they?"
"Are you that stupid? Look!" He pulled on a pair of Levis that wouldn't budge. "They're nailed to the goddamned floor! The crazy bitch nailed my clothes to the floor and ran home to her mama!" Pacing and kicking at the dirty clothes, Danny worked himself up into a rant.
Loni fought a giggle. "Can I ask why?"
"She got tired of me stripping and dropping everything when I came in."
"Let me make sure I understand this. As soon as you hit the door, you started undressing and dropping clothes?"
"So? What's wrong with that? It's what I've always done."
Loni let that one go. "How long has she been doing this?"
"Four days."
"She's been nailing your clothes to the floor for four days?"
"Well yeah. I'm about to run out."
"Yep." Loni counted. "Four Levis and four shirts. Four briefs. Eight socks." Loni shook her head. "Danny, you know I can't arrest Juanita for this. But what I can do is not write up the report and save you the embarrassment."
For the first time, Danny stopped and stared at her. "Loni? Is that you?"
"Yeah, Danny, it's me."
"You left for California twenty years ago. What are you doing back here?"
Laughing, Loni corrected him, "It was only ten years, Danny."
"Heard you became a big shot detective out there. Why'd you come back here?"
"My grandma had a stroke. Had to come back and look out for her and my granddad."
"Life's a bitch, ain't it." He walked over to the door and opened it for Loni. "I'd appreciate it if you forgot about this." Danny ducked his head. "Not one of my better moments, huh?"
"Done, Danny." Loni punched his arm as she nodded at the clothes nailed to the floor. "Got to admit, though. Juanita always was damned creative."
"Bye, Loni." He slammed the door in her face, and she drove away, still laughing. It was the first time she had felt like smiling since she got out of bed. It felt good.
* * *
Walking through the door of the station, Loni looked at Lola, hoping for some kind of signal. Lola frowned in warning, but Chief was already in her face. "Girly! Finding wetbacks ain't your job!" Chief yelled at Loni. "Yer interfeerin' got Chui in trouble."
Oh, god. Loni cringed at the word "wetback." "What are you talking about?"
The scowl on Chief's face added new wrinkles over the old ones. "Got a call from Border Patrol."
Damn. "Chief. Border doesn't do the —"
"Listen to me," Chief interrupted, rubbing his protruding belly. "No! No! No! What part of no don't you understand?" His face turned a deeper purple. Before she could answer, he limped back into his office.
* * *
Tully was watching Loni as she walked into the task force meeting and sat down. She knew he had heard Chief yell at her, but this time he didn't react. The tension in the air was worse than usual. Even Tully wore a serious expression on his face.
Carl came in and sagged down in his chair. "The feds arrested Chui for transporting illegals into the country. One of the coyotes turned him in, and another made a deal." Carl gazed at Loni. "They read the reports you sent and set up a sting operation. Chui was providing illegals to a drug ring raising sex enhancing plants. On my ranch."
Carl rubbed his face hard and leaned his elbows against the table as though he needed all the help he could get to sit up. "We were also beginning to believe the bad meth was manufactured there, but the problem was we couldn't raid my ranch until we found everyone involved. State's saying to stand down until they figure out the delivery route, how many planes are involved, and where the cocaine comes from." He sat back and stared at Loni for a minute, his expression a mixture of anger and sorrow. She didn't know whether it was directed at Chui or her. He stood. "Rest of the meeting is cancelled." He turned and walked out.
Tully passed by Loni's chair as she waited for everyone to leave and reached out a hand, patting her shoulder. Sighing, she stood as the room cleared and followed Tully out to see a smiling Lola come out of the judge's office jingling all her bracelets and handing Loni a warrant. "You owe me," Lola warned in jest. "Don't think I won't collect."
"Yes!" Loni stuck her fist in the air and did a tap dance around Lola. "Something good's gonna come out of this day yet. Call Chelsa, will you? Tell her the kids will be home soon."
"Good luck," Lola said with an indulgent smile. "Let me know what happens, okay?"
"Of course." Loni pocketed the warrant. "Is Chui upstairs?"
"Yes. They're packing him up now for the ride into Phoenix."
"I hoped he might be undercover. Guess not, huh?"
Lola shook her head.
"Guess I'm in a spot of trouble with the boys."
"Probably," Lola said sympathetically.
"Where's James?"
"I don't know. Ask Carl."
"What happened with the O'Neals yesterday?"
"Had to let them go." Lola shrugged. "Lack of evidence."
Worried about Carl's ranch, Loni decided to change the subject. "Hey. Do you do any computer work with the Apache Web Server program?"
"No. Why?"
"Well, Maria's sister in LA ordered this book online and sent it to me for my birthday. She thought it would help me learn to cook with Shiichoo." Loni showed Lola The Apache Cookbook. "But when you open it up, it explains how to get the most out of the Apache computer language."
Flipping through the book, Lola broke up in laugher. Finally she put her head down and pounded the desk.
"It's not funny!"
"Yes, it is." Lola handed the book back, swallowing her laughter. "That's a classic. Have you told Maria's sister yet?"
"I don't think she'll find it as funny as you do." By now Loni was laughing, too.
"Well, I'm glad you're laughing. So different from the first day you walked in here. Do you remember?"
"How could I forget? The first thing Chief said when I walked into his office was 'Holy shit, you're a girl!' Then he got up and left me sitting there."
Lola chuckled. "And when he asked why I didn't tell him you were a girl, I thought he was going to fire me on the spot."
"Yeah. And the longer I sat there waiting for him to come back, the more I knew I was in deep shit. Especially after I read the framed posters on his wall. I can still quote the one over his desk, 'Every day of my life forces me to add to the number of people who can kiss my ass.'" Worried, Loni added, "I know you've got my back, and I hope you don't get fired for helping me." Glancing around to make sure they were alone, Loni leaned over and hugged Lola. Hugging her back, Lola fit into Loni as though she had always been there. She felt so good, Loni wanted to hang on, but she made herself step back and let go.
But Chui saw them anyway. He shuffled by them in chains and said nothing. The fire was even gone out of his eyes as he looked away, fear on his face.
"Do you think the boys will ever forgive me for Chui?"
Lola's face sobered. "It may be awhile, but they'll get over it."
Ignoring the heat, Loni trotted to the police lot for her truck. She wanted at least one good thing to come out of this day other than the hug from Lola. Heading up Caliente Butte to get the kids, she wound around one ostentatious house after another until she arrived at the Taylor home. Parking in the shade for Coco, she left the windows down and walked by the two story white pillars to the double front door and rang the doorbell. Sensing someone peering at her through the peephole, she rang again.
"What do you want?" A shrill voice came through the intercom beside the door. "I didn't call you."
"I've got a warrant, ma'am." Loni unfolded it
and tilted it toward the camera eye at the top of the door. "I need you to step out."
The door opened a crack, and Loni saw part of Mrs. Taylor's face. That same sour expression hadn't changed a bit since she was Loni's high school typing teacher. The skin was stretched across her face like a skeleton's grimace. "I called my son," she warned. "You better leave now."