Amazed, Joanna turned off her iPad. Every single item on her list had been handled, and Joanna couldn’t help but admire her daughter’s commonsense, get-it-done attitude. With her at the helm, not only was planning a wedding in under a month’s time doable, it was already in the bag.
Jenny left for Tucson around five. Half an hour later Butch emerged from his study.
“Where’s Jenny?” he asked.
“On her way back to Tucson.”
“Already? How did the wedding planning go?”
“It’s done.”
“Done?” Butch echoed in astonishment. “That fast?”
“Signed, sealed, and delivered,” Joanna replied.
“Amazing,” he said. “I thought it was going to be a huge ordeal.”
“So did I,” Joanna agreed.
“Did she mention how many people and what kind of food she wants for the reception?”
“The number will be right around thirty,” Joanna answered. “As for food choices? She’s hoping for Mexican, but a final decision on food is up to the FOB.”
“The what?” Butch asked with a puzzled frown.
“That means you, buddy boy,” Joanna told him. “You’re the father of the bride.”
Chapter 22
Bisbee, Arizona
Monday, December 4, 2023
The next morning, Joanna had been in her officefor only a few minutes when a call came in from the ME.
“Good morning, Kendra,” she said. “How’s it going?”
“The DNA results landed in my inbox this morning,” she said. “It’s a match. Our victim is definitely Elena Delgado’s son, Xavier.”
Joanna had never doubted that would be the finding. Still, hearing the confirmation hurt.
“Will you be handling the next-of-kin notification?” Kendra asked.
Joanna thought about that for a moment. On the one hand, since the body had been found in Cochise County, notifying the family was her department’s responsibility. In this instance, however, it seemed that having Arturo do the honors would be more appropriate. For one thing Elena already knew the man, and receiving the news directly from him in her native language might be less difficult for all concerned.
“Captain Peña is in charge of the Federales unit in Naco, Sonora,” she said. “I know he’s acquainted with the victim’s mother. I’ll ask him. I’m pretty sure he’ll be willing to do it.”
“Okay,” Kendra said, “just as long as it gets handled.”
“Once it’s done,” Joanna added, “I’ll schedule the news conference.”
“Good-o,” Kendra said.
When Arturo heard about the DNA results, he wasn’t any more surprised than Joanna had been. As for the notification?
“Of course, I’ll do it,” he agreed, “but I’m not looking forward to it. I know she’s expecting it, but still...”
“Yes,” Joanna said, “it’ll be tough, but it’ll be better if the news comes from someone she actually knows. Thanks in advance. The next thing I need to do is hold a press conference.”
