Page 44 of The Girl from Devil’s Lake (Joanna Brady Mysteries #21)

Bisbee, Arizona

By the time the conversation with Luke Running Deer ended, Joanna was pulling into her parking place at the Justice Center.

She was glad she’d heard the man out. For decades he’d needed to tell his story to someone who was actually listening, but now Joanna’s head was on fire with everything that had to be done.

As soon as the outside door to her office closed behind her, Kristin showed up. “Everyone’s in the conference room.”

“Good,” she said. “Tell them I’m coming, but first I need to make a call.” To say nothing of gather my thoughts , she told herself as she dialed Anna Rae’s number.

Once the call was answered, Joanna quickly recounted both her meeting with Craig Witherspoon as well as her long conversation with Luke in which he’d told her about the missing knife, ending by saying, “We’ll handle the search warrant on this end if you can come up with an arrest warrant.”

“Will do,” Anna Rae said. “I’ll get Philip Dark Moon on this right away. Assuming he’s able to get one, I’ll have it sent to your department so you can take Roper into custody.”

“Good deal,” Joanna said.

The call ended then, but for a minute or so after she was off the phone, Joanna remained seated at her desk, giving herself time to do some strategic thinking.

Having warrants in hand would be great, but her main concern was Stephen Roper.

Not only did she need to figure out how to keep track of his whereabouts until those warrants could be issued, but also how to handle him once he realized law enforcement was closing in.

Would he come quietly, make a run for it, or put up a fight?

Knowing she had to be prepared for all contingencies, Joanna squared her shoulders and headed for the conference room where she found the place already jammed.

The previous conference room meeting had been limited to her top officers and the investigation team.

This one included everyone. Her deputies had shown up without any idea as to why they were being summoned, and now they needed an explanation.

Looking around the room, however, Joanna couldn’t help but wonder if Marliss Shackleford’s source was sitting there along with the rest of her team.

Before speaking to everyone else, Joanna addressed her chief CSI. “Casey, do you happen to have your iPad with you?”

The question was strictly rhetorical since Casey was never without her tablet, but she obligingly held it in the air.

“In a few minutes, I’m going to need a Google map of Bisbee and its surroundings up on this screen,” Joanna said, pulling it down. “Can you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Casey said.

“All right then,” Joanna said, turning back to the others.

“First off, thank you for showing up even though you were given no specific reason for doing so. Here’s the deal.

I’m sure you’re all aware that we’ve been investigating the death of a child, Xavier Delgado, of Naco, Sonora, whose body, stuffed in a duffel bag, was found in flood debris in the San Pedro last Saturday.

We’ve since learned that Xavier is most likely the latest victim of a serial killer who has been living and working in Bisbee for decades. ”

“Did she just say serial killer?” The question came from someone in the far corner of the room who turned out to be Deputy Sunny Sloan.

Sunny’s husband, Dan, was the only one of Joanna’s officers ever to die in the line of duty.

At the time of his death, Sunny had been pregnant with their only child.

Knowing all too well what it was like to be a widowed single mother, Joanna had eventually offered Sunny a job working as a civilian clerk in the department’s public office.

She had done that for a number of years before becoming a deputy.

For the past several, she’d served as a sworn officer.

“Yes, Sunny,” Joanna replied. “I said serial killer. I’ve just come from a meeting with the county attorney. With his blessing, as soon as Deb Howell can prepare the documents, she’ll be going to Judge Norman Askins requesting a search warrant on the home of our suspect, a Mr. Stephen Roper.”

That news was met with gasps of shocked surprise. “The guy who used to teach chemistry at Bisbee High?” someone asked.

“The very one,” Joanna answered. “The same one who, since his retirement, has built a good-guy reputation around here by playing Senor Santa Claus for a charity called Hands Across the Border while delivering food and other necessities to impoverished migrants stuck in Naco, Sonora. Two weeks ago today, on the day Xavier disappeared, we have eyewitnesses who place the boy inside Mr. Roper’s refurbished food truck eyeing a pair of high-topped sneakers in the hours before he disappeared.

“During the course of the autopsy, Dr. Baldwin discovered details that made her suspect the killer might be a repeat offender. That suggested the possibility that an unidentified DNA profile from a previously unsolved crime might have been uploaded to CODIS. Without enough probable cause to initiate a search warrant requiring his DNA, on Tuesday Detective Raymond staged a middle-of-the night trash raid at Mr. Roper’s residence, the contents of which he delivered to the DPS crime lab in Tucson.

As far as I know, they have not yet developed a DNA profile, but using AFIS, they found a match to an unsolved homicide that occurred in North Dakota in 1962.

“The victim in that case, Amanda Hudson, was Lakota. As a result, her case falls under the purview of MMIV—the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Victims Task Force, a federal agency operating all over the country. I believe that MMIV’s field officer for North Dakota, Philip Dark Moon, is currently seeking an arrest warrant on Stephen Roper, which, once forwarded to us, we should be able to execute.

“At this time, we also believe that not only is Mr. Roper a suspect in both the Delgado case as well as in Ms. Hudson’s, but that he may be connected to several more as well.

That’s why we’ve kept our investigation so close to the vest. We didn’t want him to have any idea that we had him in our sights until we had enough probable cause to search his residence if not actually arrest him.

“My hope is that he can be taken into custody without incident. But as my dad used to say, ‘Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.’ That’s why you’re all here. On the off chance that Mr. Roper decides to either resist or make a run for it, you’re here to stop him.

“Casey, could we have that map now please. First let’s focus in on the area just north of the golf course in Naco.”

While Casey brought up the map, Joanna located a pointer.

“Okay,” she said, pointing, “this dirt road leading off to the right from Naco Highway is Country Club Drive. There are five or six residences on the street. Mr. Roper’s is the last one on the right.

At the moment he’s most likely still in Naco, Sonora, operating what’s called the Free Store, which he does every other Friday.

He usually crosses back into Arizona between two thirty and three.

With any kind of luck he’ll do the same thing today and simply go back home.

Before he arrives, I want to have surveillance set up on Country Club Drive so we’ll know if he takes off again.

“As I said, he’s currently in Naco, Sonora. While there, Captain Arturo Pena of the local Federales contingent assures me that he has officers keeping an eye on him. In the event that he decides to head south and tries to flee into the interior of Mexico, the Mexican authorities will intercept him.

“My guess, though, is that if he’s going to make a run for it, he’ll do so on this side of the border.

From his residence, there are essentially four ways for him to get out of Dodge—westbound on Highway 92 toward Sierra Vista, westbound on Highway 80 toward Tombstone, eastbound on Highway 80 toward Douglas, or eastbound on Border Road toward Paul’s Spur and eventually to eastbound Highway 80.

I want units with stop sticks located at strategic points on all those routes.

“Sunny, you’re to handle Border Road. Just beyond the overpass in Bisbee Junction, there’s a cattle guard followed immediately by a sharp left turn. If you set up there, just beyond the cattle guard, he won’t be able to see you until he comes over the overpass and is right on top of you.”

Sunny nodded. “Will do,” she said.

“Deputy Creighton?”

Bill Creighton raised his hand. “Where do you want me?”

“You’ll be stationed just inside the entrance to the Justice Center to stop him if he heads east on Highway 80. And Terry?”

The jail commander had responded to Joanna’s summons along with everyone else, and he quickly raised his hand.

“If and when we know Roper’s on the move,” Joanna continued, “I want you and Mojo to leave the jail for just long enough to provide backup for Deputy Creighton.”

“No problem,” Terry Gregovich said. “Will do.”

“Deputy Frosco?”

Deputy Richard Frosco was a Bisbee native but a relative newcomer to Joanna’s department.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“I want you set up on Highway 80 north of the tunnel at the intersection of Highway 80 and Old Divide Road.”

“Got it,” he said.

“Deputy Nunez,” she said turning to Manuel Nunez.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I want you to set up on the far side of Willson Road on Highway 92. That’s the only backdoor route out of Naco that intersects with 92.”

“Okay,” he said.

“All of you stay tuned to your radios, but remember there’s to be no mention of Roper’s name over the airways.

He’s only ‘our subject.’ People listen in on scanners, and I don’t want him alerted to what’s going on.

If and when he leaves his residence, as soon as we determine what vehicle he’s in and which route he’s taking, we’ll let you know.

If he isn’t coming your way, pack up, leave your assigned post, and head for wherever he’s going.

All of you go on ahead now. I want you in position and set up ASAP. ”

Hoping one of the departing deputies wasn’t her leaker, Joanna waited until they were gone before turning to Detective Carbajal.

“From the moment Roper crosses the border, I want him under surveillance. Jaime, you know the Naco area better than anyone else here. That’s your part of this operation.

If he leaves Naco and goes to his residence, let us know.

If he heads somewhere else, let us know that, too.

As soon as Garth and Deb have the search warrant in hand, they’ll be situated somewhere on Country Club Drive, but I want you parked along the Naco Highway.

That way, if and when Roper leaves his residence, you’ll be able to tell us which way he’s going. ”

“Got it,” Jaime replied. “Want me to go now?”

Joanna nodded. “Yes, please,” she said, “on the off chance Roper decides to leave Naco, Sonora, earlier than usual.”

Once Jaime did so, Joanna turned back to the people still in the room.

“Garth and Deb, you’re with me back in the bullpen.

We need to discuss the contents of that search warrant.

As for the rest of you? I want you to hang out here until something happens.

You’ll be on standby until we know where you’re needed, either to assist with executing the search warrant or, if we end up with an arrest warrant, in handling the takedown, whichever comes first. Who does what will depend on the situation on the ground.

I want all of you here ready to gear up and deploy at a moment’s notice. Is everybody clear on that?”

She waited for answering nods. “Okay,” she said. “Thank you. Let’s get this guy, but be safe.”

With that she headed for the bullpen with Garth and Deb on her heels. Deb sat down in front of her computer, opened it to a standard Search Warrant form, and began filling in the details.

“What are we asking for?” she wanted to know.

“The usual,” Joanna said. “We want to search his electronics, his residence, any out buildings, and any and all vehicles. In addition, we’re specifically looking for a shoelace with traces of bleach on it, an ivory-handled switchblade knife, a gold wedding band, and a Cub Scout Wolf pin.”

“Whose knife and whose ring?” Deb asked with a frown.

“The switchblade belonged to Amanda Hudson. It was missing when the Grand Forks Coroner’s Office returned her personal effects to the family.”

“And the wedding ring?”

“That belonged to a woman named Lucille Hawkins, Stephen Roper’s step-grandmother who died after a fall at her home in 1956 when Stephen was eleven.

He was the one who called it in. The deputy who responded to the scene always thought Stephen had something to do with it, but her death was ruled to be accidental. ”

“Her wedding ring went missing from the crime scene?” Deb asked.

“It certainly did,” Joanna replied, “and guess who was accused of stealing it?”

“The deputy?” Garth asked.

Joanna nodded. “And you’d better believe he’s still pissed about that.”

Minutes later, Garth and Deb took the warrant in search of Judge Askins, leaving Joanna alone in the bullpen. She stood there for a moment thinking about what to do next, but there wasn’t really a choice. She had a new fistful of missed phone calls to return, and it was time she got started.