Bad Medicine (41 page)

“Looks like we have one car too many,” Justine warned, looking through her binoculars. “There’s a pickup approaching slowly from the south, driving on the access road parallel to the power line.”

TWENTY-THREE

Using the rifle scope, Ella zeroed in on the third vehicle, which had stopped. “Neither your binoculars nor this rifle scope is powerful enough to give me a clear look at that driver. With everything tinted green on this scope, it’s hard to make out details.”

“How do you want to play this?”

“We wait for Blalock to meet his contact. You watch them, and in the meantime, I’ll keep
my rifle trained on the guy who took the back way in. He may only be there to eavesdrop.” Ella watched the third driver get out of his truck and head up the line of transmission poles. “He’s got at least two hundred yards between him and Blalock, but he’s narrowing the gap fast. And forget the eavesdrop theory. He’s carrying either a rifle or shotgun. There’s no scope.”

“Blalock’s just met Joe
Bragg,” Justine confirmed.

“I wish I knew who this third guy is. He’s staying low and he keeps his face and silhouette in the shadows of the poles, like a pro,” Ella said. “I should have pressured Dwayne to carry his radio anyway.”

“Blalock is staying near his vehicle. Good move. Now if he can just keep his man from walking out into the open between the vehicles.”

“We’ve got trouble,” Ella
said. “My man just stopped by a pole and is using it to support his rifle. He’s going to go for it.” Ella took aim. “I have to take him out.”

“It’s well over two hundred yards, and he’s halfway behind that pole. Maybe you should fire into the air. That’ll warn Blalock.”

“No. The sniper could still take his shot.” Ella focused on the shadowy figure. As the man’s head lowered so he could sight
down the barrel, Ella squeezed the trigger.

The crack of her rifle shattered the stillness. Ella saw the man drop like a sack of flour as the bullet sliced through him. Quickly glancing over at Blalock and Bragg, she saw that they’d hit the dirt and taken cover. “He’s down and our guys are safe. Here are my keys. Go get the Jeep and call it in. I’m going over on foot.”

Ella half slid down the
hill, then jogged toward the power line. As she approached the sniper’s position, she stopped behind a pole, waiting for Justine. Her assistant drove up five minutes later, illuminating the scene with the Jeep’s headlights. “I’m covering you,” Justine shouted, and Ella could see her behind the Jeep’s door, pistol ready.

As Ella moved forward, the figure bathed in blood remained motionless on
the ground. Kneeling down by his side, she felt for the pulse point at his neck. “He’s dead.”

She rolled the man over and recognized Truman. “I’m not surprised,” she whispered, then moved away.

Blalock pulled to a stop in his own vehicle, showering the area with dust which drifted across the headlight beams like mist in a horror movie. “You fired, so I assume he was about to take one of us out?”

“Yes.”

He studied the body. “Truman, you should have stayed in jail where you belonged. Where were you, Ella?”

Ella pointed to the hill.

Blalock’s eyebrows rose. “That must be three hundred yards.”

Ella said nothing.

“Wish you’d have clipped him in the shoulder. We could have questioned him then.”

Ella glared at FB-Eyes.

“Don’t get hostile. It’s just an observation.”

“Next time I see someone
aiming at you, I’ll just pop a paper bag to shake him up. Who knows? He might miss.”

“Point taken,” Blalock said, standing up.

“Where’d your informant go?”

“Away. He’s from out of state and he thought now would be the perfect time to head home. He told me that he’d just found out they’d made him for sure. That was before either of us knew about the sniper.”

“And The Brotherhood?”

“Remains
unidentified, except for Truman, of course. You might have better luck finding a Navajo informer.”

Ella shook her head. “It’s not that simple. People are not only scared of the other side, they’re afraid of one another. The atmosphere is poisoned by mistrust.”

Blalock bagged the sniper’s weapon. “The stock on this rifle is brand new, and looks hand-carved and fitted. From the yellow-gold finish,
I’d say its French Walnut. Wasn’t that the same wood used to bash in Bitah’s skull?”

Ella’s eyebrows rose. “It was.”

“He’s Anglo, so I’ll do the follow-up on the weapon, and also have our lab try to match the wood with those splinters Dr. Roanhorse collected. Truman might turn out to be Bitah’s killer.”

“That would be a break.”

Ella waited with Justine until a coroner’s van came from Farmington
to recover the body. Since the reservation morgue was no longer fully operable, and because Truman was not a member of the tribe, his body would be taken off the reservation and turned over to the county.

Ella finished signing the papers releasing the body to the county authorities as Justine came up to her. She’d been in the Jeep working on her report.

“Are you going to be okay?” Justine asked
as they walked back to the Jeep.

“Yeah, unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’ve had to shoot to kill,” Ella said quietly.

“Does experience make it any easier to handle?”

Ella sighed softly. “No, not really. There’s always a sense of failure that goes hand in hand with it, and lots of second-guessing on how you might have handled it differently and avoided taking a life.”

“Do you want
to go straight home? I can get a patrol to give me a ride back to the station.”

“No, you still have a waitress to see about a boyfriend. I can handle this. Let’s go back to the station.”

Ella concentrated on the driving, and her assistant said nothing for a long time. Finally Justine spoke again. “I’ll give you a call if your hunch plays out.”

*   *   *

Ella arrived home tired and depressed.
In trying to take a life, Truman had forfeited his own. She had nothing to feel guilty or sorry about. It could have just as easily been Blalock’s body or Joe Bragg’s they’d zipped up in the bag tonight.

As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Kevin Tolino seated there along with her mother. Ella paused, surprised to see him.

“He came to visit,” Rose said, obviously sensing her reaction.

Tolino
stood up and came toward her. “You’ve had a long, tiring day. It’s in your eyes. Perhaps my visit is ill-timed.”

“Not at all,” Ella said, wondering how much he knew. “Was there a specific reason you came?”

“I thought you’d like to know I’ve accepted the doctor’s case. I’m forcing a hearing at the hospital. I’ll have her reinstated soon. They don’t have a leg to stand on.”

“I’m glad to hear
that.” Ella studied the man before her. He was undeniably handsome, but a pretty face didn’t say much about the person inside. Still, he had helped her escape the harassment of the van the other day, and he was preparing to defend her friend Carolyn, despite the doctor’s current controversial position. That said something about his character.

“Take a walk with me?”

Ella hesitated, wondering
what he had in mind. Then she glanced at her mother, who was busy cooking. If Tolino was going to create any problems, then it was best she find that out away from her mom.

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Ella matched his pace, trying to figure out from his body language what he wanted with her. As before, he didn’t give much away.

“I heard what happened to you today.”

“What are you referring to? Many things
happened today,” Ella answered.

“The shooting tonight.”

“How could you know about that? It wasn’t reported on the radio. The press doesn’t know about it yet.”

“I’m a lawyer for the tribe. Many trust me, even a few police officers. My clan also has considerable influence. That’s why Billy Pete asked you to meet him on my property. He knew danger wouldn’t follow him there, at least not from Navajos.
Because of that, I believe the person in the van was an Anglo.”

Ella stopped and turned to face Kevin. “Are you saying you’re part of the Fierce Ones?”

He shook his head. “You misunderstood me. I have neither the time nor the desire to get involved with pressure groups like that. But knowing about them is another matter.”

“Do you know who the members of The Brotherhood are? Perhaps the name
of the person who was driving that van that almost ran me down?”

Kevin shook his head. “No.”

Ella met his gaze with an unwavering one of her own. “Instinct tells me that you’re a man of many secrets.”

“I have as many secrets as you, I’d be willing to bet. That makes for balance,” Kevin answered with a half smile. “I will tell you this. If you come to me for help, you’ll get it, and there won’t
be any strings attached. Except, of course, next time we chase someone cross country,
you
drive.”

He smiled, then said good-night. In seconds, he had disappeared into the darkness.

As Ella walked back into the house, her mother came out of the kitchen. “What’s wrong? What happened to you today? And don’t tell me nothing. It was written all over your face when you came home.” She studied her
daughter’s expression and smiled. “But it seems your new friend has managed to get your mind focused on something else.”

“Not again,” Ella snapped, and went to her room.

Without turning on the lights she sat on the window seat, staring outside. The single light in the distance probably came from Tolino’s home. She stared at it for a long while. He was close by, but he was a dangerous ally. Too
many emotions came into play when she was around him.

Turning away from the window, she went to the computer and switched it on. Routines were good, and she needed them now. As her people said, in everything there was a pattern, and in discerning it, one found harmony.

*   *   *

Ella woke up later than usual, but, judging from the fact that her phone hadn’t rung, she figured Justine had struck
out the night before. Still reluctant to disbelieve her instincts, Ella decided that not identifying Lee as Angelina’s boyfriend could simply be a mistake on the waitresses’s part. Photo IDs weren’t infallible.

As she finished getting dressed, she heard Wilson Joe’s voice out in the living room. Curious, she hurried out to meet him. Ella glanced at her mother, then at Wilson. “What’s going on?”

“I wouldn’t let anyone wake you,” Rose said adamantly. “You’re always working late, then getting up early. Everyone can wait for once!” she said, then strode out of the room.

Ella glanced at Wilson and shrugged. “Sorry about that. She gets protective every once in a while.”

“She has a right to be,” he said quietly.

Ella met his gaze, trying to figure out whether he was referring to the shooting
incident. It was amazing how quickly news spread on the reservation. It was worse than any small town.

“I heard rumors about a shooting, but there hasn’t been anything on the radio. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

“I can’t discuss it. I’m sorry,” Ella said. “But it wasn’t one of our people, I’ll tell you that much.”

He nodded and didn’t press. “I found out what
you needed. It wasn’t easy, though. The senator’s daughter had few scholars for friends. They all cut classes regularly. I kept digging, though. Finally, one of the professors I spoke to remembered hearing that one of his students, Ruby Atso, had spent some time in the hospital, something to do with drugs.”

Ella remembered the young girl she’d dubbed Diamond Nose. It fit somehow. “I can’t thank
you enough. I really needed this piece of information.”

“When you can, will you tell me the whole story?”

“You’ve got it. How are the wedding plans coming?” Ella forced herself to ask, walking with him to the door.

“We’ll have a small ceremony. Nontraditional. It’s what she wants, and it’s okay by me. I’ll talk to you there.”

Ella nodded in agreement. After saying good-bye, she watched him
drive off. Rose came to join her. “Regrets?” she asked.

“No, not anymore. Wilson wasn’t for me. He needs more than I could have given him.”

Rose placed a hand on her daughter’s arm. “There could be another for you.”

Ella looked hard at her mother, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t you dare start playing matchmaker.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to,” she said, then walked back into the kitchen.

Ella
groaned. There was no way she’d ask her mother to elaborate. Some things were better left alone.

“I’m going now,” Ella yelled out, grabbing her jacket from the hook on the wall.

“No breakfast?” Rose asked, coming back out of the kitchen.

“No, I’m already running late. I’ll grab something later.”

Ella hurried out to the Jeep. She wasn’t hungry. It was a symptom she recognized from the aftermath
of the shooting in the L.A. diner so long ago. As she traveled down the highway, images of the men she’d killed merged in her mind until her body began to shake.

Ella slowed down, pulled over, and stopped the Jeep. Her hands gripped the wheel hard as she fought to push back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. No. She wouldn’t give in to this. She had other responsibilities now. Unless
she remained clear and focused, the department would place her on mandatory leave. Officers were watched carefully after a shooting.

Slowly the shudders eased, and Ella pulled back onto the road. She’d done her job, that was all she could ask of herself. Gathering her courage, she drove to the station.

Reaching her office, she practically smashed into Justine coming out as Ella came in.

“Oops,”
Justine said, stopping abruptly to avoid colliding with her. “I have sorta good news. The waitress
thinks
Howard Lee is Angelina Yellowhair’s boyfriend. And you might be interested to know that Judy Lujan said Bitah not only knew Howard, they attended the Navajo Justice Church together. It was too late to call you last night by the time I finished all the paperwork. I just left copies of my reports,
including the one on last night’s incident, on your desk.”