Michael McGarity - Mexican Hat

"I'd like that, but I can't afford you," Omar replied with a grin.

"Nope. This murder case needs to get the attention it deserves. Unless we do something it will go on some state police investigator's back burner within a week, and that doesn't sit right with me. Now, I don't have the manpower or the specialists to solve the damn case, so Miss Cox here had an idea: we borrow the two of you and put you to work on it."

He turned to Kerney for a reaction.

"What do you think?"

Kerney looked at Stiles, who was nodding his head vigorously.

"The idea has merit."

Gatewood smiled and rested his hands on his stomach.

"I figured you boys would like the idea." "Who would we report to?"

Kerney asked.

"To me, of course," Gatewood replied.

"What you're proposing. Sheriff, is a special operation.

That calls for as much independence as possible.

If you want this scheme to have more than a snowball's chance in hell to succeed, turn the case completely over to us."

"I won't do that, Kerney," Gatewood retorted, scowling.

Kerney stood up, caught Jim's eye, nodded at the door, and smiled at Karen, who had been watching Kerney intently.

"I'm sorry you've wasted your time," he said to her.

Karen rose and held Kerney back from leaving.

"One minute, Mr. Kerney. Suppose we give you the autonomy you want, with the understanding that you are to operate strictly under the color of the law, and consult with me on all legal questions. Would that satisfy you?"

"Almost."

"What else do you want?"

"A thousand dollars to buy information."

"What kind of information?" Karen demanded.

"Padilla's murder was not premeditated. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why kill a complete stranger over a crime that, at the most, would cost a fine and six months in jail? According to Jim, money is probably the motive. There has been a pattern of organized big game and exotic animal kills that may be tied to a smuggling operation that exports rare animal parts to Asia. Information about a scam like that isn't going to fall into our laps."

Sheriff Gatewood cocked his head back and snorted.

"Charlie Perry has been working poaching cases for a couple of years now, and I've never heard him talk about any smuggling."

"It's an angle we need to pursue," Kerney replied.

"Do you assume the killer is from the area?" Karen asked.

Stiles got to his feet.

"Absolutely. Only a few people in the area even knew cougars had been trans located to Elderman Meadows."

"The poaching was done for sport, if you ask me," Gatewood said, as he pulled himself out of his chair, feeling like the odd man out.

"This smuggling notion is way off base. I think whoever shot that Padilla fella did it to cover his tracks."

Kerney concentrated his attention on Karen.

"We'll chase down any theory that holds water, but I think we need to look at them all."

Karen mulled it over before answering.

"I'll put up the money you need from the DA's account.

You'll carry a commission through my office." She switched her attention to Gatewood.

"Sheriff, I'd like your cooperation on this. If it will make you feel more comfortable, you can commission Jim and assign him to work under me."

Gatewood grunted, thought about it for a moment, and smiled shrewdly.

Karen's offer would allow him to lay off any blame on her if things went wrong and the shit hit the fan.

"I'll go along with that."

"Then it's agreed." Karen glanced from Kerney to Stiles to Gatewood and back to Kerney.

"Is that satisfactory?"

"Good enough," Kerney replied.

"I'll keep you fully informed."

"See that you do," Karen replied.

A politician's smile spread over Gatewood's face.

"I'm glad we got this ironed out. I already gave the Silver City paper a statement on your appointments."

Kerney looked at Gatewood in amazement.

"That was a stupid thing to do."

"Now wait a minute, Kerney…" Gatewood blustered.

"I'll try to get the story killed," Karen cut in, freezing Gatewood with an abrupt look.

"Good," Kerney replied.

Kerney and Stiles signed the necessary paperwork, got sworn in, and left. Kerney had a draft for a thousand dollars from the local bank tucked in his wallet. In the parking lot, Jim shook his head in disbelief.

"You played hardball in there," he said.

"I don't want Gatewood calling the shots," Kerney answered.

"Besides not being very bright, he's a politician. We're going to have to improvise if we hope to solve this case, and Gatewood would keep us on a short leash. Fill me in a bit more on Karen Cox.

Where does she get her influence?"

Jim laughed.

"Her daddy served two terms on the county commission, helped Gatewood get hired as a deputy, and supported him for sheriff when he ran for office. Edgar carries a lot of political weight. The last thing Omar wants to do is piss off Edgar or his daughter. Especially in an election year."

"Is everybody in this county in bed with each other?"

Jim grinned.

"Not me. My girlfriend lives in Silver City."

"Exception noted. Are you bragging or complaining?"

"Both. So what's next, boss?"

"You get to review every piece of paper that was found in Jose Padilla's travel trailer. I want a full report when I get back."

Jim groaned in dismay.

"You wanted to do real police work, remember?"

Stiles groaned again.

"Why did I ever say that?

And where in the hell are you going?"

"South," Kerney replied.

Earlier in the day Karen had rearranged the office so she could sit at her desk and look out the window.

The seventh judicial district operated on a circuit court schedule in Catron County, and she had a week to prepare for her first court appearance. A stack of active files filled her briefcase. She was pretty much up to speed on the contents.

She sat down, pushed her shoes off, and wiggled her toes. She hated to wear panty hose. As far as she was concerned it was the major drawback to the job.

When Kerney had stood up, ready to walk out on the deal because ofGatewood's stubbornness, Karen had momentarily lost her train of thought. The belt buckle he wore sparked a forgotten memory. At the age of twelve, she had accompanied her parents to the state high school rodeo championships in Reserve to watch her cousin Cory compete.

Afterward, she and her girlfriends giggled and fantasized for weeks about the tall, good-looking high school senior from Engle with the square shoulders and the pretty blue eyes who had beaten out Cory for the best all-around cowboy title. Kevin Kerney. She smiled at the girlhood silliness of it all.

Kerney had aged well, she decided. He was a little taller now and slightly fuller in the chest, with a flat stomach and baby-fine brown hair that was just barely receding. All in all, a good-looking man. It was Kerney's intense blue eyes that drew Karen in, and during the meeting she had worked hard to keep from looking at him. He had caught her sneaking a glance only once.

She smiled at the thought that Kerney seemed much more interested in her now than he had when she was twelve. The smile faded as Karen thought about her mother. She stopped herself from reaching for the telephone.

There was no sense in disturbing Mom with her overabundant concern. Let her enjoy her time with Elizabeth and Cody, Karen thought, as long as she is able. But how long would that be? It frightened Karen to think about it. Her mother had always been an anchor point in her life.

She pushed back the emotion and found herself thinking about her father.

He was a strong-willed man who didn't bend easily. The prospect of pressuring him to reveal the contents of the Padilla letter was distasteful, although she was still mad as hell at him for lying about it. For now, the issue could remain dormant. Karen hoped it would stay outside the scope of Kerney's investigation. But what if it didn't? How could she protect her father without violating her professional ethics?