Nevada Rose by Jerome Preisler

Author:Jerome Preisler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2008-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

“We’ll take the cutoff onto Blue Diamond Road,” said the deputy from behind the Cherokee’s steering wheel. His name was Todd Barrett, and he was on strict one-day loan from the Clark County Sheriff’s Department. “That’s maybe another couple miles ahead of us.”

“How long till we reach the Belcher quarry from there?” Grissom asked.

Barrett shrugged. Tanned, blond, and sinewy, he had a thin, chiseled face with sharply prominent cheekbones and wore a pair of mirrored Ray Ban aviator sunglasses.

“Depends what kind of untidiness the flood left us to deal with,” he said, spurs of sunlight flashing off his shades. “Those BLM maps of yours say the camp’s on that hogback west of the village, pretty much across from Spring Mountains. It’s damn steep, and likely as not, whatever way your prospecting brothers used to get up there would’ve been washed out by water running down the slope.”

“What are the odds we can find a track that’s passable?”

“I’m not a betting man. But if I was, I’d say there’s bound to be some dirt roads and washes that aren’t blocked with debris.”

Grissom was thinking Barrett at least sounded as if he knew the territory, an absolute plus considering that he was their guide for the day.

They rolled along Highway 160, Grissom in the passenger seat beside the thirtyish deputy, Sara riding in back with a pair of loaded knapsacks. Geared up with shotgun racks, a dashboard computer, and a rooftop light bar, the 4x4 patrol Jeep bringing them out into the mountains, like Barrett, was a somewhat grudgingly provided loaner from the undermanned county cops.

“At least we haven’t had to deal with much road work,” Sara said. She leaned forward, recalling the trip she and Gris had made to the Sunderland Trailer Court. “It looks like the water’s path might have run clear of this stretch.”

“I’m not sure about it being that as much as the local pols knowing who butters their bread. You have a lot of major taxpayers building their homes around here these past few years, and you should’ve seen how fast the state crews got down to making their repairs after the rains.” Barrett glanced at her in the rearview. “Once upon a time, there was so little traffic this far out toward the valley, a boulder could have sat in the middle of the highway forever before anybody scared off the turkey vultures came to roost on it. But it’s so built-up nowadays we’re practically in the ’burbs…drive at rush hour, you might even hit an honest-to-God traffic jam.”

Sara considered that. “I’m not sure whether it sounds like you prefer the boulders and turkey vultures or the taxpayers.”

Barrett gave a small chuckle. “I like peace and quiet,” he said. “Never had to chase down one of those buzzards for speeding or a DUI violation.”

Sara smiled at that and rested back in her seat.

They rode on for a while in silence. Marked by a gas station and convenience store, the cutoff was just shy of two miles

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