A tiny provincial airport in the desert north of Tucson. The land was flat and sandy, creosote and cactus. Loose volcanic rock that looked like it fell there red-hot yesterday. A litter of jackrabbits bounded off on the side of the road. They arced away through the arms of a giant prickly pear, its spiked pads bordered with the bite marks of wild desert pigs. 8 am. It was a strange place for someone to need a cab.