Rita Mae Brown - A Nose for Justice

Books by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown

Wish You Were Here Rest in Pieces Murder at Monticello Pay Dirt Murder, She Meowed Murder on the Prowl Cat on the Scent Sneaky Pies Cookbook for Mystery Lovers Pawing Through the Past Claws and Effect Catch As Cat Can The Tail of the Tip-off Whisker of Evil Cats Eyewitness Sour Puss Puss N Cahoots The Purrfect Murder Santa Clawed Cat of the Century

Books by Rita Mae Brown with Sister Jane Arnold in the Outfoxed series

Outfoxed Hotspur Full Cry The Hunt Ball The Hounds and the Fury The Tell-tale Horse Hounded to Death

Books by Rita Mae Brown

Animal Magnetism: My Life with Creatures Great and Small The Hand That Cradles the Rock Songs to a Handsome Woman The Plain Brown Rapper Rubyfruit Jungle In Her Day Six of One Southern Discomfort Sudden Death High Hearts Started from Scratch: A Different Kind of Writers Manual Bingo Venus Envy Dolley: A Novel of Dolley Madison in Love and War Riding Shotgun Rita Will: Memoir of a Literary Rabble-Rouser Loose Lips Alma Mater Sand Castle

A Nose for Justice is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright 2010 by Rita Mae Brown

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B ALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Illustrations: Laura Hartman Maestro

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Rita Mae.
A nose for justice : a novel / Rita Mae Brown; illustrated by
Laura Hartman Maestro.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-52310-5
1. Country lifeNevadaFiction. 2. CorporationsCorrupt practicesFiction.
3. Real estate developersFiction. 4. MurderInvestigationFiction. 5. DogsFiction.
6. NevadaFiction. I. Title.
PS3552.R698N67 2010
813.54dc22
2010031313

www.ballantinebooks.com

v3.1

Dedicated with Bombastic Affection
to
Mrs. Gayle Horn, MFH, and Miss Lynn Lloyd, MFH,
each of whom showed me why they cherish the ways of Old Nevada

Magdalene Reed, JeepBorn in 1924 to a poor, hardworking couple in Reno, Nevada, Jeep was bright but could not afford higher education. While serving as a WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilot) in World War II, she acquired the skills that would make her one of the richest women in Nevada. To her credit, she never forgot her beginnings nor does she ever forget a friend or an enemy.

Magdalene Rogers, MagsShes the great-niece of Jeep. When Magss parents were killed in an automobile accident, Jeep raised her and her sister, Catherine. At thirty-two, the beautiful Mags has learned some painful lessons as she saw her profession and income disintegrate as a Wall Street broker. She carries great guilt about this although she is hardly to blame for the grotesque irresponsibility of her superiors.

Catherine RogersWhile Mags is beautiful, Catherine is drop-dead gorgeous. Shes also a loose cannon, having bounced from being a character actress in Hollywood to an infamous porn star. Jeep could tolerate that. What she couldnt bear was when Catherine tried to force her to disinherit Enrique, Jeeps adopted son, a man in his fifties.

Enrique SalaberryA Basque by blood, he carries the toughness of his people. He now runs the ranch day-to-day, and loves it. Thanks to Jeep he attended college, where he studied agriculture. Hes always open to new ideas about ranching and equipment and has the enthusiastic support of his adoptive mother, whom he loves deeply.

Carlotta SalaberryEnriques wife is over the top. Bedecked with bright colors and many adornments if shes going out, she is warm, gregarious and keeps house for Jeep. She loves the old lady for many reasons, one being that when Enrique fell in love with her, Jeep encouraged the match instead of opposing it. That was thirty years ago and most WASPS would have been horrified. Without being obvious, she keeps a close eye on her mother-in-law, who while strong, is still a woman in her mid-eighties.

Deputy Peter MeadowsAlthough young to be a deputy, the sheriff of Washoe County recognized Petes ability and his gift with people. In his mid-thirties, Pete is a native of Washoe County, which he loves about as much as Jeep Reed does. Two years ago he suffered a painful divorce, but arent they all painful? Hes getting his feet under him but is still a bit wary of women.

Officer Lonnie ParrishPetes sidekick is in his twenties and full of energy. Hes got good instincts but needs some seasoning. Hes transfixed by the opposite sex.

Jake TannerUsually disheveled, Jeeps neighbor, who lives a few miles north of her ranch, has a small business using his heavy equipment to help ranchers. The word nosy was coined for Jake, and one is never quite sure what will fall out of his ever-running mouth.

Twinkie BosunIn his mid-forties, he works for Silver State Resource Management (SSRM) repairing equipment. Theres nothing the man cant fix. Good-natured and responsible, hes one of those wonderful men who just knuckles down and gets the job done.

Bunny MatthewsA year or two younger than Twinkie, hes Twinkies partner. As much of the work is heavy, and sometimes in unpleasant conditions, the repair teams usually go out in twos, unless it is a massive problem. These two are the number one team.

Oliver HitchensHes the head of equipment purchasing and also knowing what kind of pump to put where. He keeps an eye on all repairs and is so good at his job of keeping company costs down that he is endured by his superiors and loathed by those who work under him. He is one of those men who must establish his authority with other men but is a devoted husband who doesnt have a need to be authoritative with his wife. Perhaps like most smart men he realizes it doesnt work anyway.

Darryl JohnsonThe president of Silver State Resource Management believes that Reno, now at 410,000 people, can sustain a population of 620,000 people. This is in direct opposition to what Jeep and those concerned with the environment believe. They believe that water will run out. His vision for the future is different from Jeeps, but he is a good man.

Craig LockeAs Director of Acquistions for SSRM, he, too, believes Reno can sustain an extra two hundred thousand people. Hes a master at acquiring water rights and could probably sell ice to Eskimos.

George W. BallHis understanding of equipment, the demands of various terrain, and his ability to identify people who can perform difficult work under tough conditions has earned him the cumbersome title of Director of Internal Resources. George W. cares nothing for titles. He loves his job and gets along well with the guys, like Twinkie and Bunny, who get down there and do the dirty work. He endures Oliver Hitchens with a smile, when possible, because Olivers ability to save a buck for SSRM benefits the whole operation.