Painted Lady — Peter Abresch

The Wild Wild West

Retired physical therapist James P. Dandy embarks on another Elderhostel adventure with his ladylove, artist Dodee Swisher, this time along the old Santa Fe Trail. But before the trip even gets under way, he sees a Native American woman plunge to her death from a Denver rooftop.

Jim suspects that the woman, a shaman believed to possess a priceless Mayan artifact, was pushed. Soon it's clear somebody thinks Jim knows the whereabouts of the statue -- a gold and diamond-encrusted falcon. It's a misconception that is becoming dangerous to both Jim and Dodee's well-being.

Another grisly murder occurs on the historic trail through the Wild West, and mysteries old and new find Jim caught in a shoot-out in Cimarron with a killer determined to make this Dandy's Last Stand.