Penny's Luck

CHAPTER 1

Vol. 1, Copper Stars of Cochise Series
Penny's Luck

July 10, 1983
Cochise County, Arizona

CHAPTER 1

"Come on, Beanie, we're almost there."

Penny leaned forward in the driver's seat, urging the little car to keep trying. As if in response to her plea, the dusty green Volkswagen coughed once more before the motor steadied and it chugged on up the winding highway. Following a canyon walled with rugged, rusty hills, the road formed a steep and snaky route.

As she spun the steering wheel for yet another sharp curve, a slight breeze came through the open window. The hot breath dried her face and sweat-plastered hair. Even though the sun had sunk to rest on the edge of the mountains to the west, the heat did not abate. In her rear view mirror, the distant peaks looked more like a painted stage-set than real mountains.

How good it would be to stop and stretch, to get out and move around, even to sleep for hours in a cool room. Her trip from Kansas City had been long and dreary, almost non-stop, as the July heat pounded down without mercy on the heavily laden little car. She'd been on the road almost thirty hours now, except for the short night she'd spent in a motel in eastern New Mexico. She kept praying the old Abug would make the long journey. At this point the trip felt mystical, like some sort of quest, almost part of a fantasy. 

Her friends at McDonnell Air Force Base had told her she was crazy. Maybe she was. But her divorce was final now, so she couldn't stay in Base housing any longer, and she had no desire to remain near Kansas City. When her friend Jan Perkins, also recently divorced, had called to tell her about the job with the Cochise County Sheriff's Department in Arizona, Penny hadn't hesitated. 

"I'll be there Monday," she'd promised. That had been Wednesday evening. It was now Sunday, July 10. Bisbee, Arizona lay just beyond these red hills. Bisbee and tomorrow, the first day of the rest of her life. The old cliche had never seemed so true.

Just then she heard a sharp crack, almost like a shot, and the Volkswagen wobbled alarmingly. Penny snapped out of her daydreams, clutching the wheel with sweat-slick hands. Her heart pounded. For a moment fear and memories washed over her carrying a chill even the hot evening could not dispel. Somehow, she managed to steer onto the shoulder and stop, getting out to look. Yep, it was a tire. The worn one on the right front that she'd worried about.

"Drat," she muttered. Couldn't we have made it a few more miles?  Too weary now to be anything but philosophical, she lifted the trunk lid and began to set things out so she could reach the spare. 

There wasn't room for another toothpick in the car. She hadn't wanted to leave anything. In the end, only a few pieces of heavy furniture had gone into storage because she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to reclaim them. Even after she had two yard sales and gave away a lot, there were still too many treasures she couldn't part with.

She sighed. The hurt of it all was still too near, too real. A few cars passed, shut tight against the heat. They seemed as distant as the freeway she'd left thirty miles to the north. 

She'd knelt to tighten the last of the lug nuts when a vehicle finally slowed and stopped, just behind her car. A pickup. She glanced up, with no real interest, just to assure herself no danger threatened.

When a man climbed down and walked around to her side of the car, she straightened, brandishing the jack handle. It wasn't a great weapon but better than none. She'd heard too many tales of the tragedies that befell solitary women on the road. 

"Do you need any help?" he asked, his voice low and lazy. 

"Nope. I just finished the job, if you'll notice." Ironic, that someone should stop now, when the hard, dirty part's done.

"Sorry I didn't get here sooner. That's hot work for a lady."

She stooped to lift the flat so she could roll it around to the trunk. Her left arm, the weak one, didn't want to cooperate. Clenching her teeth, she willed the numb fingers and stiff wrist to cooperate. The stranger's steady regard created an itchy feeling between her shoulder blades.

Her one quick glance had told her his eyes were an unusual amber color, almond shaped, and set deep over high cheekbones in an angular, dusky face. Another time and place, she might have found that face intriguing.

"Who said I was a lady?" she muttered, weariness dulling her voice. 

He chuckled. "Well, you might be a little young to be a real lady, but you'll get there. Here, let me do that."

When he reached for the tire, his arm brushed hers. She flinched. "Never mind. I'm not helpless. Go on and do your thing."

He drew back, a shadow crossing his face for an instant. "Whoa, take it easy. I'm not trying to hustle you. Helping people is s'posed to be my stock in trade." 

He reached into the left pocket of his faded western-cut chambray shirt and drew out a leather case, like a small wallet. Flipping it open with a deft motion, he revealed a photo ID and a badge, a bronze six-point star inscribed Deputy Sheriff, Cochise County. He bowed slightly. "Deputy Valdez Hawke, at your service." She felt herself flush, shamed by her rudeness, her paranoia. "Sorry, Deputy Hawke. I just knew I had to be careful--I've come a long way alone."

He nodded as he stepped back, pocketing the badge case. "No problem. If you really don't need help, I'll be going. I'm due on shift in a couple more hours and I've still got a few things to do. Welcome to Cochise County anyway."

Penny exhaled a long sigh. "Thanks. I--well, thanks. Nobody else even stopped to ask. I guess the paranoia goes both ways these days."

He nodded. "You're right to be careful, of course. I can't deny that. You had no way to know who I was. No offense." He lifted the tire, swung it smoothly into the trunk, and then headed back to his truck. As he pulled away, he looked back to wave and smile, leaving Penny feeling suddenly even more alone.  

She loaded everything back in, a bit haphazardly compared to her first careful packing job. Somehow the trunk shut, anyway. Starting the VW, she crept on up the mountain. The car felt the leveling off before she did and began to roll gradually faster. Now the highway ran downhill, through a tunnel and on down a long winding grade overlooking Bisbee. 

In the deep twilight, the old mining town looked vaguely Mediterranean, like the seaside villages of Italy and Greece she and Craig had visited when he'd been stationed in Europe, part of a past no longer relevant to her life.

She had almost memorized Jan's hand-drawn map. She saw it now in her mind as she drove alongside the gaping dark hole of the Lavendar Pit, once an active copper mine, and continued around the traffic circle where highways 92 and 80 came together. Her route was the second right out of the circle, leading to the areas once known as Bakerville and Warren. 

Jan had explained the modern town of Bisbee took in a number of communities that had once been separate towns in the heyday of the rich mining district. The area was full of history, legend, and romance. Penny found these tales of a romantic past very appealing.

Dusk had become dark when she finally reached the small mobile home park where Jan lived with her two daughters. Jan, too, had been a military wife stranded by a divorce--but at Arizona's Fort Huachuca instead of the Midwest. She was busy making a new life for herself. 

Her offer to provide Penny a temporary haven and a new start was typical of her outgoing and generous nature. It also reflected the strong friendship the two shared, dating back to their first meeting in Army Basic Training some eight years earlier.

Penny parked beside the blue mini-pickup Jan had described over the phone. As she shut off the VW's engine, the door of the mobile home burst open. Two little tow-headed girls, a Siamese cat, a nondescript dog, and a slender blonde woman erupted out to envelope Penny in a flurry of hugs. 

Their warm welcome erased most of the nagging doubts Penny had been trying to ignore. Six arms enfolded her at varying heights while the two animals tangled around her legs.

Jan stepped back, a smile lighting her face. AGosh, it's good to see you again! Come on in out of the heat. You must be exhausted! Do you have an overnight case you need to bring in right away? We won't worry about the rest until morning."

Penny rummaged a moment behind her seat and came up with the small bag which held her toiletries and an oversized tee-shirt she used as a nightgown. "This will do for now. You're right--I'm done in. Didn't realize just how done in until I stopped. I won't want to drive again for a month!"

Jan led the way up the steps to the small deck at the front door, chattering cheerfully. "The girls flipped a coin to decide who's room you'd get to use. Julie won, so she moved in with Sally. We already had the trundle bed for overnight guests--slumber parties and all--so it'll work out just fine."

She waved Penny toward the center of the living room. "There, the coolest spot in the place. Sit under the fan but don't get chilled. These evaporative coolers work really well until the humidity gets high. Fortunately here in the high desert, that doesn't happen often. We're almost a mile high here, too, so it cools off pretty quick after sundown."

Penny dropped into the sagging chair Jan indicated and stretched out her long legs, flexed her weary hands, and yawned before she could lift a hand to hide it.

"It isn't the company," she apologized, "or anything like that. I ought to go wash--I had to change a tire just across the mountains--but I don't think I can get up!"

Jan laughed. "Don't worry about charm and manners tonight, lady! I'm just glad you're here, safe. That was quite a trip. After you said you were coming, I started to worry. Silly, wasn't it? But I felt like it would be my fault if anything went wrong. It's an awfully long way to drive an old car. But you're here. You're really here!"

As Jan paced around the small room, too exuberant to sit still, Penny had to feel better, buoyed by her friend's infectious cheer. She recalled then why and how they had become such good friends when they met at Army Basic Training several years before.

AOh Penny, it's going to be fun, just like old times! This is a fantastic town, too. Really, the whole area is just great. I wouldn't think of bringing the girls up in a city now. But you're exhausted. Let me go make sure there are towels and all. You can take a quick shower and then we'll have a bite to eat."

* * *

It was still early when Jan cracked the door open the next morning. "Good mornin', sleepyhead. Feeling better?"

Penny stretched and swung her feet off the bed. "Yeah, I really am. It must be your mountain air."

"Take your time getting up. I've got to run the girls over to daycare. Then we'll have breakfast and get you up to the courthouse for that interview at 1000. I'm not on duty until 1400, so we have plenty of time." With that, Jan shut the door and her quick footsteps clattered down the hall.

After she heard Jan's truck drive off, Penny pulled her wrinkled shorts on under her tee-shirt and ventured out to the car. One large suitcase lay  on top in the trunk--the right one, she hoped. She dragged it out and lugged it back inside. Rummaging through the tightly packed clothing, she found a light blue sun dress with a white bolero jacket, not too badly wrinkled.

She hung them up to steam while she showered. After she blow-dried her short cinnamon-colored hair and got it fluffed up becomingly, she dressed. She went out to the living-dining room just as Jan returned.

Jan's gaze traveled over her swiftly. "Wow, you really look sharp! Let's go have some coffee and a bite to eat. You know I've always loved to eat breakfast out."      

Jan wore a pair of trim khaki colored slacks with a peach polo shirt which set off her petite blond beauty. They hopped into her mid-sized pickup and drove up Bisbee Road to the Copper Tree Cafe. Two Bisbee police officers in uniform were having coffee at the counter. They looked up as the two walked in.

"Hi Jan, what's new? Who's your friend?" one asked.

"Hello guys. This is Penny Keller. She's going to be the new graveyard dispatcher up at the Sheriff's Department. Penny, this is Benny Garcia and Floyd Guthrie, a couple of Bisbee's finest."

Short, husky Benny sported a dashing moustache and a roguish grin. He made a production of shaking Penny's hand.   

"Welcome to Bisbee, Penny. Look at that gorgeous hair. There's a new >Copper Queen' in town--what you do for the scenery, Lady! Where have you been all my life?"

Penny had to giggle, but suppressed it quickly when the other partner, tall and lanky, brushed his hand against hers and mumbled "Pleased to meetcha". After one quick glance, he dropped his gaze to the floor and began to fiddle with the buckle of his gun belt. They were Mutt and Jeff, two total opposites, and yet somehow well matched.

"We're going to have a quick bite and then Penny has an appointment at the Courthouse. See y'all later," Jan said. She steered Penny toward a booth in a back corner of the restaurant.

"They're good guys," she explained, "but right now I want you to myself. They ought to get back on duty anyway. I probably just saved their tails a good chewing if the sergeant caught them loitering over coffee, talking with us. Benny's the department clown, and Floyd is so shy--with women, at least--that you wonder how he does his job, but they're good officers, as small town cops go." 

As she slid into the cracked vinyl benches, Penny felt as if she'd stepped back in time about twenty years. The place looked and felt like a fifties diner. Belatedly, she tuned back in on Jan's running chatter.

AI am having the time of my life, Penny! I never planned to be a police officer, but it just worked out. Actually, I had a pretty good background for it, with my tour in the Army as an MP and then the legal clerk training I had. After Jeff and I split up, I had to find a job, and this just happened, you know, like serendipity. But I love it. And now this opportunity for you. 

Isn't it fantastic?"  

Jan's blue eyes sparkled with excitement. Penny almost forgot her own case of nerves, sharing the contagious cheeriness, but she had to inject a note of caution.

"You're talking like this job is a sure thing, Jan. I haven't even been interviewed yet, much less selected!"

Jan grinned. ADon't worry, you'll get it. They don't have anyone else with any training in town, much less experience. They'll bless the day you walked in, believe me."

In spite of Jan's confidence, Penny had a stomach full of butterflies as they entered the

courthouse an hour later, pushing through the massive copper doors. The Cochise County Courthouse was an art-deco masterpiece, a classic of the 1930s architectural style. Ordinarily, Penny would have given in to admiration of the lovely old building, but right now her nerves were so tense she could spare little notice for her surroundings.      

Although Penny tried to think positively, doubts kept crowding in. I'm darn near broke and it's a cinch Green Bean won't make any more 1500 mile trips soon. Even if I could get back to Mom's home in Texas, there aren't any decent jobs in that little dried up town. I hate to live on charity and Jan's salary as a rookie in this small town can't be too spectacular. This had better pan out.

"We've got to go to personnel first," Jan said, interrupting Penny's worries. "And then you can go for the actual interview. It's pretty informal, nothing like civilian personnel on an Army or Air Force base."

"Thank gosh for that!" Penny exclaimed. "I don't want to fill out papers for three hours. I'd be a basket case." They entered a small office, Jan leading the way to the counter.

"Hi, Bets. This is Penny. I told you about her Friday,   remember?"

The woman in the personnel office was petite and dark. The nameplate on her desk said

"Betty Lopez". As they approached She looked up with a wide smile which lit her fine featured face.

"Hello Jan, and you too, Penny. That was a pretty fast trip, wasn't it? You were in Kansas City on Friday, or I thought that's what Jan said."

"That's right," Penny replied. "Jan said hurry, and I did!"

The three laughed companionably. "You just have to fill out one short form," Betty said. "From what Jan has told me, that's a lot easier than applying for civil service."

"For sure," Penny said, rolling her eyes. "I've been through that ordeal a time or two."

A few minutes later, she and Jan walked up the broad stairs to the Sheriff's Office on the second floor.

" Lt. Peter Lawson, who serves as chief criminal deputy , handles most of the administrative stuff like hiring, I understand," Jan said. "He's a real hunk. Watch out, Penny!"

Penny pulled a face. "Ha, just what I don't need! I've had my fill of Rambo types. You know how Craig was, and he just kept getting worse until he positively lived and breathed 'Macho'."

"Good morning, Jan," the pleasant-faced older woman greeted as the two entered the outer room of the Sheriff's Office complex. "What can I do for you today?"

"Nothing for me, Mary. This is Penny Keller. She's come to interview for the dispatch job. Is Lt. Lawson in?"

"It's nice to meet you, Penny. I'm Mary Williams, secretary to Sheriff Corbin and Lt. Lawson, and gal Friday in the department. Let me see if Lt. Lawson can see you now." She rose from the desk and disappeared through a doorway to the rear of the room. In a moment she returned.

"You can go on in, Penny. He'll see you right now."

Jan grinned and flashed a thumbs up sign. "I'll wait downstairs," she said. "That way I won't keep Mary from her work."

Penny walked slowly into the inner office, unsure what to expect. Lt. Peter Lawson stood as she entered the room, his head brushing the light fixture which hung over the desk. He was a tall man, broad shouldered but slender, with a shock of unruly honey-colored hair, a ruggedly handsome face that belonged in a Marlboro ad, and a pair of blue eyes that might be termed "steely" when he was acting the stern lawman.

"Good morning, Ms. Keller," he said. "Mary tells me you're interested in our dispatch vacancy."

"Yes sir," Penny responded, trying to sound courteous yet business-like. With a quick glance around the room, she took in the training certificates and shooting awards which established this man's impressive credentials. They--and he--were almost awesome.

"Tell me a little about your experience, " he said easily, waving Penny into a chair at the side of the broad desk.

She took a deep breath and then began. "I spent two of my three years in the Army as a dispatcher, six months for the motor pool and the rest with military police. Then, as a civilian, I worked for two years as a dispatcher for the security police at McDonnell Air Force Base."

He steepled his fingers, looking at her attentively over them. "Hmmm, very good. Was that recently?"

"I haven't worked in two years. I took off on maternity leave and then stayed home with my baby for six months. He was killed in a car accident a few months ago. I--I just got divorced and decided it was time to move on and make a new start." 

Her voice didn't break, but she had to bite down hard to stop the tremble that began in her lower lip. I've blown it now. He's going to think I'm a teary eyed weakling. I've got to learn to act cool and unemotional.

AI see--and I understand. I'm sorry about your son. That has to be a hard thing to get over."

His tone was so gentle, she braved a quick glance, surprised to see what appeared to be genuine sympathy in his frosty eyes. Maybe he wasn't a total Rambo after all, but she wasn't going to soften up too much to a man who looked like a stereotype western hero. That would be dangerous.

"Do you have your radio operator's certificates?"

She pulled the envelope from her purse and drew them out. "Right here." She handed the documents him. When their fingers brushed as he took the papers from her, she made herself hold steady and not jerk back, as instinct prompted.

He only glanced at the certificates and sat them aside. "Does working nights or graveyard present a problem to you?"

Penny shook her head. "Not at all. I realize the new person usually has to fill in wherever, especially at first. Since I have no responsibilities now except for myself, I can work whenever I'm needed."

He smiled slightly. "When could you start?"

Her heart gave an involuntary leap. He sounds pretty positive. She risked a smile. "In about two hours if I had to. I could start next shift, or even right now, if I need an orientation before I assume the duties."

"Well, we won't ask that," he said. "In fact, you can have a couple of days to get settled. Didn't I hear something about you coming from Kansas? I'd like for you to come in Wednesday for orientation. You'll work the balance of the week with our head dispatcher and then you'll start on the graveyard shift next Monday. Let me have that form from Personnel. I'll sign it to make your appointment legal. I'm sure Betty will fill you in on all the details about benefits and such. That's not my bailiwick. Welcome aboard, Ms. Keller."

"Thank you, Sir. It feels pretty good to be employed again."

"I'm glad we can be of assistance in that area."

Penny looked at him sharply.  Is he being sarcastic or not? She was obviously dismissed, at any rate. As she left, she exchanged a few words with Mary, and then hurried down stairs to find Jan and share the news. Maybe Jan's optimism was valid after all. So far everything was going very well. So farCbut experience warned her that was the time to be careful and wary. Disaster had a way of sneaking up when you were not watching and kicking terra firma right out from under your feet.