A Light in the Desert

by Anne Montgomery

  46

  THE FADED, DECADES-OLD station wagon crawled to a stop when the cabin came into view, a trail of dust floating cloud-like, marking the path the vehicle had taken up the mountain.

  “Is this it?” Elect Sun searched the area, hoping for a familiar face.

  “We followed Tom’s directions. That spot we passed down the hill has to be the Rowley Mine. And I don’t see any other inhabitable buildings around.” Elect Peter slipped the handwritten map into the passenger-side visor. “Let’s go.”

  Elect Sun gave the old beater some gas.

  The only answer to their knock was a scratching sound at the door. She tried again, and this time the dog barked. “Jason,” Elect Sun called out. “Jason, are you here?”

  She reached for the door handle, turned the knob, and pushed the door open.

  Jason Ramm, completely naked, stood staring out the picture window at the valley and the mountains beyond. He did not turn or acknowledge them.

  “Oh!” Elect Sun turned away.

  Elect Peter moved toward the window. “Jason, are you all right?”

  When he received no answer, the doctor placed one hand on Ramm’s shoulder and walked around to face him. “Let me help you, son.” He took Ramm by the arm.

  Ramm flinched away from his touch, and grasped the damaged arm to his chest. Elect Peter gently took hold of Ramm’s hand.

  “Don’t you know who I am?” Ramm said.

  The doctor ignored the question and led him over to the couch.

  “Please sit down, Jason. Let me take a look at your arm.”

  Elect Peter had momentarily forgotten about Elect Sun. Now, he saw the shock on her face. The doctor guided Ramm to the couch and covered his lap with a blanket.

  “Elect Sun, see if you can find a robe or some pajamas for Jason.” He nodded toward what appeared to be the bedroom door.

  Elect Sun, who had been frozen in her spot, blinked and quickly left the room.

  The doctor turned his attention back to Ramm. He switched on a lamp to examine the wound. “It’s a spider bite. Did you see what kind of spider bit you, Jason?”

  No answer.

  Elect Sun returned and handed over the white terrycloth robe she’d found.

  “I’ll need to clean Jason’s arm. Could you get some warm water and towels?”

  Elect Sun left the room again without a word.

  His eyes searched the coffee table where the contents of the first aid kit were scattered.

  After Elect Sun placed a bowl of water, a bar of soap, and a towel between the two men, she watched Elect Peter bathe the wound. “Shouldn’t we get Jason to a hospital?”

  “Don’t you know who I am?” Ramm gazed at the woman.

  Elect Sun stared into his eyes. Her hand flew to her chest, the breath caught in her throat.

  Elect Peter observed the exchange. “Elect Sun, look at me.” Her eyes remained fixed on Ramm.

  “Sun!”

  Grudgingly, she turned to the doctor.

  “Let’s do what we can for him here. I’m fairly certain he’s not in any immediate danger. I’m sure he’s uncomfortable, but a spider bite is rarely lethal.”

  “You must know me,” Ramm beseeched her.

  Elect Sun witnessed such total despair in his eyes she was unable to move.

  “Why don’t you see if there’s any tea in the kitchen?” The doctor examined the wound. “Make a pot. It will do us all some good.”

  Elect Sun backed away slowly, but stopped abruptly by the bedroom door.

  “What is it?” Elect Peter ripped open an alcohol-soaked pad and applied it to the bite.

  Elect Sun disappeared, returning moments later with a shoebox marked Reebok, Ladies 8.

  “Kelly’s been here.” She held the shoebox out for him to see. She went back into the bedroom, and this time came out with a handful of girl’s clothes. “I went straight to the closet for the robe,” she explained. “I didn’t see these in the chair by the bed. They still have tags on them. Why would Jason buy Kelly clothes if he intended to harm her?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer.

  “Kelly! Kelly!” Elect Sun charged out the front door to search for the girl.

  Elect Peter continued cleaning the wound. “Where is Kelly, Jason?”

  “Don’t you know who I am?”

  Elect Peter sighed. “Let me see if I can find you something for the pain.” The doctor rummaged through the medications on the table. A brown plastic bottle with a white child-protective cap caught his eye. Since the container was empty, he was about to toss it aside, but the name on the label stopped him: Haloperidol.

  Ten minutes later, Elect Sun returned. “She’s not here. Jason’s truck isn’t here either.”

  Ramm reached over with his undamaged arm and grabbed the empty Haloperidol container from the table. Dried blood stained his knuckles. Elect Peter stood and backed away, and for the first time noticed the smudge of blood on the carpet.

  47

  LATER THAT DAY, Elect Sun busied herself cleaning the shelves where the Children kept the food they preserved. She dusted jars of carrots and corn, pickled peppers, strawberry jam, and dried dates. It had been agreed that she would meet with Deputy Cooper at the compound, while Elect Peter stayed at the cabin to tend to Jason and await Kelly’s return.

  When Kate and Cooper arrived, she met them out in the yard. Before she had a chance to speak, the deputy handed her a photocopy of a drawing.

  “Do you know him?”

  Elect Sun looked at the sketch. While the drawing was far from perfect, she had no trouble recognizing the face.

  “Yes. I do.” She handed the paper back to Cooper. “It’s Jason Ramm.”

  “You know where he lives?”

  Elect Sun nodded. “Peter is with him now. He suffered some kind of a bite and … isn’t himself.”

  “What does that mean?” Kate asked.

  But Cooper jumped in before Elect Sun could answer. “Does he have the girl?”

  “She’s up there. Somewhere. But I couldn’t find her.” Fat tears streaked her cheeks.

  “Then how do you know she’s there?” Cooper asked.

  “Clothes. Jason bought her shoes and clothes. So that means he had no intention of hurting her.” Elect Sun looked hopeful.

  Cooper ran his hand through his hair. “Let’s go. You need to take us to the house.”

  “Please, Deputy Cooper. Don’t have him arrested. I’m sure he was only trying to help Kelly.”

  Kate and Cooper followed the ancient blue station wagon.

  “That’s right, Buddy.” Cooper kept his eyes on the road as he spoke to his boss on the radio. “He’s been holding her in a cabin up above the Rowley Mine. Send some backup.”

  “Is the guy armed?” the captain asked.

  “I’m not sure, though I’ve been told he’s been incapacitated by some kind of insect bite. I’m guessing he’s pretty under the weather, so I’m not too worried. Elect Peter’s up there tending to him.”

  “And why doesn’t that make me feel better? I’ll send up some support.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Why do you think he took her?” Kate asked.

  “Hell if I know. Maybe he’s got a thing for pregnant women.” Cooper saw the uncomfortable look on Kate’s face. “You know as well as I do, Media Girl, there are all kinds of sickos out there.”

  “Okay, but let’s assume there might be another reason besides deviant sexual practices. Maybe he was trying to help her.”

  Elect Sun veered off Painted Damsite Road onto a barely discernable track. The path was hidden by desert foliage and a rise in the landscape, but once they traveled over the top, the narrow road became clear. Kate noticed Cooper didn’t even flinch when making the turnoff.

  “Been out here before, Coop?”

  “Several times. Every couple of years, some rockhound gets stuck at the Rowley. We usually end up having to pull them out of the main shaft. Never fails to amaze me what those
guys will do for a rock.”

  “I’m not sure what might persuade me to intentionally crawl down a deep dark hole in the ground,” Kate said. “Cold hard cash maybe. They after gold?”

  “Nope. Something called wulfenite.”

  “Wulfen-what?”

  “Wulfenite. An old miner told me there used to be huge pieces of the stuff out here. Big transparent orange crystals. I’ve seen some specimens taken out of the Rowley in the Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix. They’re really quite beautiful. No one finds pieces like that anymore. Still, collectors will put themselves in harm’s way for small pieces of the stuff.”

  They took a sharp turn. The Rowley Mine’s head frame loomed before them.

  “Is that what the original miners were looking for?”

  “The wulfenite crystals? No, they were looking for lead,” Cooper explained. “One retired miner told me he watched over thirty tons of concentrated wulfenite go into the crusher. I told that story to some collectors I met up here on a rescue, and I swear I saw tears in their eyes.”

  “Kind of like my grandmother,” Kate said.

  “How so?”

  “When she was a little girl, coal was delivered down a chute into her basement. One day she went down and discovered a huge piece that had split in two. She found a perfect fern fossil imprinted on both sides of the rock.”

  “Did you see it?” Cooper turned the Blazer past the Rowley Mine outbuildings.

  “Nope, she said it was winter and the house was cold. She threw it into the furnace with all the other hunks of coal.”

  48

  ELECT PETER SAT ON the front steps of the cabin and watched as the old station wagon and the deputy sheriff’s vehicle pulled to a stop on the gravel drive.

  “Has Kelly come back?” Elect Sun called from the open window of her car.

  “No, I’m afraid not.” The doctor shook his head.

  Cooper, Kate, and Elect Sun got out of their vehicles and mounted the steps, but Elect Peter held his arm out to stop them. “Please, wait.”

  “What? What is it? Is Jason worse?” Elect Sun asked. She tried to push past him, but Elect Peter grasped her by the shoulders. “Just hold on a minute. I need to explain.”

  “Move aside, please! I have to speak to Ramm, and I have no time to screw around.” Cooper pushed past Elect Peter.

  “Wait!” The old man surprised them with the intensity of his demand. “Remember, deputy, I’m a doctor. I want you to know what you’ll be dealing with.”

  “Is he armed?” Cooper asked.

  “No.”

  “Have you seen any weapons in the house?”

  “No. None.”

  “Take me to him, or I’ll find him myself.” Cooper placed both hands on the old man’s shoulders and moved him from the doorway.

  Jason Ramm stood before the picture window. He wore a heavy white cotton robe. His feet were bare. A large, mixed-breed dog lay beside him.

  “Are you feeling better?” Elect Sun walked toward him.

  Ramm stared at the woman. He raised one hand, reached over, and touched Elect Sun gently on the cheek. “Don’t you know me? You, of all people.”

  Kate appraised Ramm—the wet hair slicked back from an angular face, intense blue eyes, the tall, lean frame.

  “Mr. Ramm, we need to know where the girl is,” Cooper said brusquely.

  Ramm turned around, his gaze settling on the deputy. “The girl?”

  “Kelly Garcia,” Kate said.

  “I don’t know her. But I hope she comes to know me. And all of you, as well.” Ramm clasped his hands together as if in prayer. “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

  “Matthew 18:3,” Elect Peter said without hesitation.

  Elect Sun took a deep breath, then looked from Ramm to Elect Peter and back again.

  Ramm walked toward Cooper with his arms held out, palms turned up. “So, you have finally come to arrest me. I have been waiting.”

  Cooper never hesitated. He stepped over and pushed him onto the couch. The taller man fell without resistance. “Cut the crap, pal. We’ve got a sixteen-year-old pregnant girl up here somewhere, and I think you know where she is. Tell me now, because the longer you wait, the worse it’s going to get for you.”

  “I know nothing of this girl.”

  “Deputy Cooper! Jason was bitten by an insect. Probably a brown recluse.” Elect Peter pointed to the man’s bandaged arm. “While it’s rare for serious harm to come to the average person when this happens, some people are more highly affected than others.”

  “Okay,” Cooper said. “I’ll play along. Like some people can die from a single bee sting or from breathing peanut dust on an airplane. So, what?”

  “My point is, Jason is obviously suffering from some kind of reaction to this bite and to—”

  “What?” Cooper demanded, unable to control his growing impatience.

  “His lack of medication.” Elect Peter went to the coffee table and retrieved the empty vial of Haloperidol. “I found three bottles in the first aid kit and two more in the bathroom. All empty.” He handed the container to the deputy.

  “What is it?”

  “An anti-psychotic drug.”

  Cooper turned the bottle. “There’s no name on it. Nothing that says Ramm was given a prescription for this stuff. There isn’t even a pharmacy name.”

  “I realize that,” the doctor said.

  “So, where’d he get this and why is he taking it?”

  Elect Peter spread his hands.

  “Your opinion then, Doctor, is that the combination of going off the drugs and the bite may have pushed him over the edge?” Kate watched Elect Sun sit on the couch beside Ramm and take his hand.

  “Certainly, anyone taking this type of medication should be under the care of a physician, especially when they are contemplating going off the drugs. The bite? It might have nothing to do with his reaction at all, or it may have been a catalyst.”

  Ramm gently extracted his hand from Elect Sun’s grip, and slipped from the couch onto his knees. Ignoring everyone in the room, he began to pray.

  Elect Sun’s eyes welled. “There is another explanation.” Tears fell freely down her cheeks. “Did it ever occur to any of you that he might … be …”

  “Might be what?” Cooper eyed the praying man.

  “The Messiah.” Elect Sun dropped to her knees.

  49

  NUNZIO MARTINEZ EDGED his way slowly down the rocky side of the wash. The incline was not steep, but Nunzio was old and not as sure footed as he once was. The ancient roan, following on a rope behind him, was nearing twenty and had been bleached almost white by the desert sun. The horse suddenly jerked back, almost wrenching the lead from his gnarled hands.

  “Stop it, you ugly old caballo! What is wrong? What is it you smell? What is bothering you?”

  The horse was agitated, but Nunzio’s constant companion was old and often cranky. He reached into the pocket of the threadbare coat he wore regardless of the temperature and patted the half-empty bottle of cheap tequila. “At least, I have something to improve my mood, you old witch.”

  The horse fell back into step. What had disturbed her? Since he was almost blind and, as usual, quite drunk, he couldn’t tell. Nunzio had been moving since dawn, and because he had no watch, he wasn’t exactly sure how long he and the horse had been walking, but his feet told him this might be a good time to rest a bit. There was a dry, shady creek bed not far away that was perfect for a siesta.

  Despite his failing eyesight, Nunzio knew he could find the spot. He had been traipsing all across this desert since his mining days in Ajo, the tiny southern Arizona town named for the garlic bulb and famous for the mammoth pit that, in its heyday, was the oldest continually operating copper mine in the state. But when the metal’s price fell, work became hard to get in Ajo, and Nunzio’s feet carried him to a farm labor camp in Hyder. The migrants we
re paid $2.65 an hour to work in the fields, and charged $8.00 a day for their room and board—shacks with no air conditioning or conveniences of any kind. Nunzio’s peers were skid row alcoholics culled from missions in Phoenix, whose post-expenses earnings ended up mostly at the Whispering Sands Bar that stood behind their dilapidated dwellings. But in 1978, three workers dropped dead, a combination of intense heat and excessive drinking. The camp was shut down, and Nunzio had nowhere to go.

  Fortune smiled on the old miner the day he found the horse. Her owner had died, and when his children came to claim the man’s trailer, they simply left the little roan prancing around the corral that had been pieced together from barbed wire and saguaro bones. Nunzio led her away that day. She was his only family now.

  Again the horse stopped short, sniffing and snorting as she smelled the air. Nunzio looked back at the animal and all his worldly possessions. Saddlebags, blankets and plastic bags sprouted from her back and flanks. Water bottles, wrapped together with bungee cords, dangled from her neck. A large green mesh bag he’d found at the dump contained empty aluminum cans, Nunzio’s main source of tequila money. In a city, the old man might have appropriated a grocery cart to carry his property, but out in the desert, the horse was infinitely more sensible.

  Nunzio cocked his head. The music drifted to him on the breeze. The horse pricked up her ears. “So, I’m not crazy then. You hear the music, too, my old friend.”

  When the animal began moving toward the sound, Nunzio could think of no reason not to follow. He trailed the horse out of the wash, and saw a jumble of rocks—some as big as cars—all haphazardly piled together. And the ancient saguaro was there. The giant cactus with so many limbs that was almost two-hundred-years old. Nunzio had used the towering plant as a landmark many times on his journeys. He had once found shelter from a desert storm in a small cave somewhere nearby.

  The music was louder now, and Nunzio recognized the words as Spanish with a smattering of terms he didn’t know. A different horse whinnied loudly. Nunzio, startled by the appearance of the Appaloosa, jumped back, slipped on the scree, and fell on his bony hands and knees. Rising slowly, he approached the other horse, reached for the rope halter, and ran his leathery hands down the animal’s neck and flanks.