Enemy Way (25 page)

Justine shook her head. “For what?”

“I believe it’s a coyote fetish made out of bone. If it turns out to be carved of human bone, then I’m certain it’s an item of power to the skinwalkers. I can’t be sure, but I have a feeling it’s very old. I don’t know where the boy could have found something like this.”

“Maybe
it’s part of the loot taken from a previous burglary,” Ella said, thinking out loud, “along with the old coins. The boy found it interesting and kept it.”

“That would make sense. If I’m right about that fetish, the skinwalkers will want it back.” Clifford affirmed.

“One of the boy’s pockets was empty, and had been turned inside out,” Justine said, looking at Ella. “The same was true of the Nahlee
boy, though nothing was apparently taken. My guess is his killers were searching through his clothing when you came on the scene.”

“Could be. There were two others in that garage when I went inside, besides the victim.”

“If you don’t need me here anymore, I should be getting to the hospital,” Clifford said. “Mom’s still having trouble with those crutches, and I’m afraid she’ll give up again
unless we continue to encourage her. The handyman you had fixing up the house called me because you weren’t home. He said that you wanted to know what it would take to make the rooms accessible to a wheelchair. He told me to tell you all that would be needed would be two small ramps. Fortunately our father was large, and he built the doorways and bathroom accordingly. The handyman did suggest we add
a handrail in the bathroom.”

“I hope the entire matter about the wheelchair won’t be something we will have to deal with. I know it would be hard for Mom in the kitchen, having to keep everything she needed down low, and reaching up for the sink. And what about the garden? She’s just got to work her legs and get her mobility back.”

“Why don’t you visit today, and bring up those points?” he added
with a stern look. “We need to keep her at those crutches.”

“I’ll do what I can,” Ella said. “And I appreciate your help with the investigation.” She walked outside with her brother. “I know that dealing with things of this nature is extremely distasteful for you.”

He nodded slowly. “The dead and things connected to them are repulsive to me. But these killings affect the entire tribe and I have
a duty to the tribe that supersedes my own feelings. If these kids have been stealing from skinwalkers they’re in mortal danger, not only from the ones who’ll want back what has been stolen, but also from the items themselves. You better find out who this dead kid’s relatives were. They could be in danger, too.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The gangs, this theft—it’s a case of the worst of
the new finding the worst of the old. I’m not sure how to protect any of us.”

Clifford braced one hand against the top of his pickup and stood there pensively. “Tonight I’m going to do a chant taken from the Enemy Way for our family. The prayer I have in mind is one of many evil-chasing ceremonies, but deals specifically with contamination from the outside. To me, that’s what the gangs typify.
They’re an evil from the Anglo world that has found its way here and come to harm us.”

After saying good-bye to her brother, and promising to do what she could as a cop to help, Ella returned to her office and called for Justine and Neskahi, who was still at the station, to join her. They arrived within a few minutes.

“Justine, have you been able to determine if there’s a match between the fingerprint
found on that glove at the Aspass scene and the print lifted from John Doe?”

“Sorry, boss. It looks like we’re on the right track, but that fingerprint lifted from the rubber glove just wasn’t very distinct. There just aren’t enough points of concurrence, and we need at least ten to establish a match in court.” Justine shrugged.

“Then we’ll have to hope the ME will be able to help us out on
that burn, and that the other evidence, like shoe prints, will support the case.”

She then told them what Clifford believed, adding, “We might have a bigger problem than we first thought, though the possible motives for the crimes are becoming clearer, and the John Doe might have been one of those responsible for the Aspass killing. If that fetish was taken in a burglary, it’s likely that other
skinwalker items were stolen as well.”

Ella continued. “My brother is seldom wrong about these things, so I think his assumption that the skinwalkers will want these items of power back is probably right on target. The way I see it, we’re dealing with several different sets of criminals, each intent on different goals. The Many Devils are responsible for the burglaries, and there
is
a gang war
going on, but the skinwalkers may be responsible for the death of at least one of the boys involved in the burglaries, possibly both.”

“Which means that deaths will continue until harmony is restored,” Neskahi said. Seeing the surprised look Ella gave him, he shrugged. “I’m not a traditionalist, but sometimes their way of looking at things fits.”

“You’re right,” Ella conceded. “Here’s what I
propose. We do our best to find out if John Doe was involved in Lisa’s murder, and who might have been with him. I also want all of us to do some serious digging into the religious lives of all the theft victims. This is an extremely sensitive matter, so we’ll have to handle it with discretion. None of the families will thank us, and if word of what we’re doing gets out, we could ruin the lives of
some of these people. We all know how fast gossip travels on the Rez.”

“This type of investigation will require that we ask each victim’s neighbors some pointed questions,” Justine said.

“I know. Just tread softly. Choose your words carefully. And Justine, see if you can track down your cousin, Thomas. I know you’re having problems because he’s a relative, but it would be a real help if you
could get him to talk. At least, see if he can identify our John Doe. That wouldn’t compromise any of his gang loyalties that I can see.”

“I’ll certainly make an attempt,” Justine agreed.

“I suppose you’ll want Lisa Aspass’ religious background included?” Neskahi asked.

Ella nodded. “Just don’t approach Wilson Joe on that. I’ll handle that interview myself.” She glanced at Justine. “Don’t worry.
I’ll clear going solo for that with Big Ed.”

Justine nodded.

As her investigators left, Ella sat back, mulling things over, but soon the telephone rang, interrupting her.

Ella picked up the receiver and recognized Carolyn Roanhorse’s voice. “I’ve got something useful for you,” Carolyn said. “Our John Doe was burned with a flammable powder of some kind. Though I haven’t been able to identify
it specifically, I’ve extracted a few grains from the blistered area on his chest. I also extracted some tiny fibers from within the wound. We can see if they match up with any from the scene. That would help place him there.”

“I’ll have my team check Lisa’s house again for a powder that would do that, and also see if the tests on the carpet debris we vacuumed up are ready. Thanks for the info.”

“Did your people ID him yet?”

“No. Justine ran his prints, but we didn’t get a hit locally or with the FBI database, and they didn’t match up enough with the one on the yellow glove to be conclusive. She’s going to see if Thomas Bileen, her cousin, can identify the victim. Do you have anything else that might help?”

“I’m checking dental records.” Carolyn paused for a moment. “Off the subject.
Are you coming in to the hospital today? I think Rose really missed not seeing you yesterday.”

“My brother said she was feeling down again.”

“It’s the physical therapy, I think. She’s finding excuses for skipping sessions. It’s uncomfortable for her, and the crutches are rubbing, but she has to continue it regardless of how frustrating it can be. Unless she keeps at it, her legs won’t maintain
enough strength to allow her to stand at all, much less progress to a cane.”

Ella said nothing for several long moments.

“Hey, are you still there?”

“Yeah, I’m just thinking of something my brother told me once, a long time ago. He said that when a patient lived with a condition for a certain amount of time, the patient made his peace with it. It then became easier to accept the infirmity than
it was to fight to get well. I think that’s what Mom’s doing. Physical therapy involves pain for her, and is very tiring. On the other hand, she’s comfortable when she stays put. Since the nurses take care of all her needs, it’s simpler for her to do nothing for herself. What we have to do is make things a little more uncomfortable for her.”

“How? You can’t ask the nursing staff to ignore a patient,
or force her to use the crutches.” Carolyn said.

“True, but we can try and give Mom more incentive to want to leave the hospital, even if it means sore muscles and discomfort for her with the crutches. And she’ll have to convince Dr. Natoni that she’ll continue physical therapy, or he won’t consider releasing her.”

“You’ve got another plan, I presume?”

“Yes, but I’ll need your help with this.”
Ella heard Carolyn sigh, and knew she was probably rolling her eyes. “Can you get the floor nurse to call you whenever my mom has visitors?”

“I think so. Why?”

“I want you to go to her room and join her guests as often as possible.”

“Why? Her friends aren’t going to want me anywhere near them. Don’t you remember? I’m still known to the traditionalists as the Death Doctor. The tag has become
a way to describe what I do.”

“That’s precisely why I want you to go. Her friends will find reasons to leave in a hurry if you’re around. And if they keep running into you whenever they visit, they’ll cut back on their visits, or stop coming altogether. That’s going to really aggravate Mom. She’ll never tell you not to visit, and risk hurting your feelings, but it’ll make her crazy. And it’ll
sure give her incentive to get out of the hospital in a hurry, even if it means working at those crutches.”

Carolyn chuckled softly. “You’ve got an evil mind, girl.”

“Yes, I do, don’t I?” Ella said. “And I really do want what’s best for Mom. Well, let me get a few things straightened out here, then I’ll be free to go pay her a visit myself.”

Thirty minutes later, Ella drove to the hospital.
With each passing day, everything seemed to get more complicated. If her mother was released from the hospital while still in a wheelchair, she might need more than the ramps. Rose might also need someone at home to help her out, at least for a while.

Ella considered what taking an extended leave of absence would do to the cases she had pending. There was no way she’d be able to ask for one with
a clear conscience, not with three unsolved murders on her desk.

She thought of her duty to the tribe, then of her responsibility as a daughter, feeling like a failure on both counts. No matter what she chose to do, it would result in letting someone down. Her mother might understand if someone besides her daughter stayed with her, but would it be the right thing to do?

She wondered what it
would have been like if she’d gone into another career field, with set hours and the chance to take time off for family responsibilities. But what kind of job would it be? She’d been a cop practically all her adult life. She’d never wanted any other career.

Later, as she walked down the hospital corridor, she watched the nurses. That was one job she’d never be able to do. She despised hospitals,
but not because she was in any way a traditionalist. She hated the smells and the atmosphere of impending doom that surrounded hospitals. Of course that was her perception, and probably entirely psychological, but it was the way she felt.

As she entered her mother’s room, Ella noticed that Mrs. Pioche and Mrs. Clani were both there. The two women, part of the Plant Watchers group, greeted her
warmly, then continued the story they were telling Rose, filling her in on the latest gossip.

Just then Carolyn Roanhorse entered the room holding a jar of jelly beans. “I thought you might enjoy these,” she said, offering them to Rose, who took one. Carolyn then offered some to the other women, but they declined, scooting back in their chairs and putting a little distance between themselves
and the ME.

As if oblivious to their reaction, Carolyn proceeded to monopolize the conversation, not allowing even Ella the chance to get a word in edgewise.

“I’ve managed to decorate my new trailer with some great antiques. I found a great little store in Farmington that has wonderful prices. I bought a trunk that dates back to the 1800s that still had some of the owner’s clothing in it!”

Ella almost burst out laughing. These women would consider antiques of a personal nature repulsive and dangerous. The clothing of one who had died would be seen as contaminated by the
chindi.
She saw the horror on their faces, and realized that hearing this from the Death Doctor made it even worse for them.

It wasn’t long before Mrs. Pioche and Mrs. Clani excused themselves and hurried out.

Rose gave Ella a bewildered look, but Ella pretended not to notice. “Those antiques sound beautiful. I’m going to have to make time to come by some evening. Maybe tomorrow? I can come right after work. Oh, wait. I’ll have to stop and feed Two. On second thought, I’m sure he can hold out for an extra hour. I’ll just set out extra chow at breakfast.”

“You most certainly will
not,
” Rose snapped.
“That dog needs his food, particularly in this cold weather. Don’t you dare neglect him like that. You
have
been making sure he has food and fresh water?”

“Sure, I feed him every morning and evening, regardless of when I get home from work. He might have skipped a few night feedings here and there though. I’ve got so many things going on right now it’s hard to keep track of everything.”

Rose’s
eyes blazed with anger. “You
make
time for him, regardless of your job. He needs to eat on a regular schedule, and deserves some of your attention every day. I don’t want excuses. Is that very clear?”

“Well, yes, Mother. I’ll do my best. By the way, I was talking to my brother, and we’re making arrangements to add ramps in case you decide to keep the wheelchair instead of the crutches. The handyman
can also pour a big concrete patio where your herb garden is. You can go out there in the wheelchair without getting stuck in the sand. We know how you like fresh air.”