Chapter 22
Mr. Blue slept while we drove, following the river that separated the East and West Valley until the city’s lights were far behind us. A sharp turn took us southeast on Tammany Creek Road, a detour around the city instead of through it. It was the long way back for sure, surrounded by countryside from which a series of sprawling farms, ranches, and horse stables sprouted like weeds along the quiet two-lane road. The speed limit jumped to 45 miles per hour, not that I was bothering with speed limits. I called this the s**t-kicker District, and it cradled East Paradise Valley like a cupped palm for ten miles before hooking north again and climbing a short hill into The Height’s affluent residential district.
We weren’t going that far. Sixth Street dropped down from the Heights a
