Ghost Medicine (13 page)

Following his movements, Ella glanced down, her eyes lingering
for a second over his belt buckle, remembering the last time she’d unbuckled it. Dan was an excellent lover who knew when to be tender and when to get rough. Maybe he was the man for her after all.

She pushed the thought back instantly and focused on business. “There’s something I need to follow up on. I’m going to call Justine while we’re on our way to the Bucking Bronco. Harry’s date was messing
with him, so it’s possible her prints are on his belt buckle.”

“Good idea,” he said, smiling slowly. “So tell me, where did that belt buckle idea come from?”

“I’m taking the fifth,” she said, chuckling. She was physically attracted to him, but even more important, she really liked Dan. “I’ll follow you out. I don’t want to leave my truck parked here.”

“Don’t blame you.”

Ella climbed into her
truck and started the engine while Dan continued walking to his. She was looking forward to the next time she and Dan met off the clock. Justine dreamed of babies. Ella’s dream was simpler. She wanted to have time on her hands to just relax and enjoy herself.

She tried to picture herself without the badge—a civilian with leisure time at her disposal, going on dates where “strapped” meant too
little cash instead of referring to the weapon she carried.

Change … maybe it wasn’t a bad thing after all.

*   *   *

Ella waited at the parking lot exit for an opening in traffic as vehicles whizzed by. She’d be going with the flow, so all she needed was an opening in the outside lane.

As she pulled out onto the street, the right front end of her truck suddenly wobbled, pulling her sharply
back toward the curb.

She compensated instantly, but not before a horn blasted and she heard squealing tires. A sporty Mustang raced by her on the inside lane and the guy flipped her off.

Ella touched the brakes, trying to track a straight line, but it was hard to maintain control of the steering as the wobble grew worse. She didn’t think she’d had a flat, but something was definitely wrong.
She looked in the rearview mirror just as Dan moved into position behind her and flicked on his high beams.

“Crap.” Ella searched for a place to pull over, but there was nothing but sidewalk and curb for another half a block. Knowing she couldn’t risk veering out into traffic, she pulled to a stop.

Ella saw Dan, his emergency blinkers on, stop right behind her to block the lane. Grabbing the
key from the ignition, she climbed out the passenger’s side, her gaze on oncoming traffic. With the nearest streetlight fifty yards away and the business beside her closed and darkened at this hour, walking around to check her tire was risky business.

As she took a closer look, Ella saw the wheel and tire were canted inward and hanging on to the axle by a single lug nut. Another few seconds and
the tire would have come completely off. The other lug nuts were probably somewhere back down the street or in the parking lot.

“Want me to arrange for a tow truck?” Dan called as he came up the sidewalk, waving his phone.

“Yeah. Try Smitty’s. He’s just a half mile or so from here on Orchard Boulevard.”

As he joined her, he saw the problem close up. “That damn tire almost came off. How’d that
happen?”

“This isn’t an accident. Somebody removed the other lug nuts while we were inside. Glad I wasn’t heading back to the Rez and turning right instead of left. Otherwise I might have yanked the tire off and crashed,” she said, looking more closely at the wheel. “I’m hoping there’s no real damage to the wheel or bolts and all I’ll need is a jack and five new lug nuts.”

Ella stepped back
onto the sidewalk, standing beside Dan and watching people gawk as they drove past them.

“This has all the markings of a prank—a dangerous one,” Ella said, remembering the attempt made to burn up her SUV earlier in the day.

Dan nodded. “If the intent was to make you wreck, the perps would have done more than just loosen the lug nuts.”

Ella’s gaze drifted back to the Horny Toad’s parking lot.
“What do you say we go ask the working girls on the street corners a few questions?”

“Yeah, good idea,” he said. “It’s possible one of them saw something useful. They probably watch vehicles leaving the bar, hoping to catch somebody’s attention.”

“This wasn’t an isolated incident, and no way it’s just a coincidence. It’s the second time today the vehicle I’ve been riding in has been attacked,”
Ella said.

“Huh?”

As they walked up the sidewalk, she told him about the firebomb.

NINE

Earlier, Ella had noticed two women standing on opposite street corners a little farther up—prostitutes, judging by the way they waved at passing drivers. Their profession often made them excellent sources of information—but only if they chose to cooperate.

Ella took the one closest to her while Dan crossed the street to speak to the other. As she approached the young woman, Ella realized
that she couldn’t have been more than a few years out of high school—if that.

Instead of flashing her badge, Ella reached for her wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “I need some help.”

The Anglo girl gave Ella a tentative smile, then pushed her jet black hair away from her face. “My name’s Candy. What did you have in mind? A threesome is going to run you eighty dollars, but if you want—”

Ella held up her hand. “I just need some information.”

The young woman’s eyes widened. “You a cop?”

Ella didn’t answer directly. “Someone was tampering with my pickup. Did you happen to notice anyone sneaking around the parked cars over there, say within the last hour?” she said, and pointed to the parking area.

“You’re the one with the wobbling truck, aren’t you?” she said. “I saw that. You
got lucky.”

“Yeah. Turns out someone removed the lug nuts off my front wheel and my insurance company is going to want details of what happened. Did you see anyone?”

She jammed the twenty-dollar bill Ella had just given her into the pocket of her painted-on jeans. “No, but I’ve only been here about fifteen minutes. Do you want me to ask the other girls and give you a call if I get anything?”

“Sounds good.” Ella took a card from her wallet and handed it to her.

Candy glanced at the card. “So you are a cop.”

“Yeah, but I’m off duty, so this repair bill’s on me. I’d appreciate any help you can give me.”

“Sure.”

As Candy walked away, Ella saw a tow truck drive past, then pull into the lane just ahead of her pickup. As it started to back into position for a hookup, Ella whistled to
Dan, then turned and jogged back to her truck.

Ella gave the tow truck driver her keys and waited while he hauled her pickup off the street and into the parking lot of the real estate office.

Five minutes later, Leroy, judging from the embroidered name on his work shirt, took a closer look at her tire. “No obvious damage. I can fix this right here, if you want, Officer.”

“Go for it,” she said.

He worked efficiently, using battery-powered tools and a bright lantern, then lowered the vehicle to the ground and disconnected the winch cable.

“Your truck’s ready to go,” he said, putting his tools back into a metal storage bin. “You got lucky, ma’am. None of the bolts were bent or stripped too much to use, so all it really took were new nuts. The wheel’s on securely now, your tire is scuffed
but intact, and you’re ready to roll. You might want to drive slow at first, just to make sure. And better have the alignment checked, sooner rather than later.”

Ella gave him a credit card as Dan joined her. While Leroy went back to his truck to make out her bill, she hung back with Dan. “Did the woman you spoke to see anything?”

“Nah. She was too busy ‘making friends.’ She said she’s come
and gone twice within the past hour.”

“It was easy for our suspect to stay under the radar out here. I’ll have to be more careful from now on, even off the Rez.”

Dan waited by the cab of her pickup while she finished finalizing the bill. When she came back, he opened the door for her.

“You look so serious, Dan. What’s on your mind?” Ella said, climbing in back behind the driver’s seat.

Resting
one arm on the frame, he leaned in slightly through the open window, obviously wanting to keep the conversation private. “Have you considered the possibility that Navajo witches are sending you a message by tampering with your ride?”

She thought back to the jawbone she’d found in the bed of her truck, something Dan didn’t know about, and realized he was probably right. Before she could say anything,
he continued.

“You mentioned that cooking oil fire, now this. With that in mind, think of Coyote, the trickster in our creation stories. What’s been happening to you is right in line with that kind of thinking,” Dan said. “The suspect probably figured you’d catch the problem with your tire in time—and if not, that was just too bad.”

She nodded slowly. “It fits, in a sick way.”

He glanced at
his watch. “I better take a pass on the Bucking Bronco. I’ve got an early court date tomorrow and I need to go over my notes and get at least a few hours’ sleep.”

“Okay. Thanks for all the help.”

“No problem,” he said, then after a beat added, “I don’t believe in the supernatural, Ella, but I’ve dealt with crazies and saw plenty of weird stuff when I lived down by Winslow. Watch your back.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said. “I’ve had run-ins with skinwalkers before. Let’s just say they leave a lasting impression.”

“I know your father died at their hands,” he said, his voice gentle. “They’ll use those memories against you. It’s the way they work. They’re crazy, but they’re also cunning.”

Dan was right. They’d zeroed in on her vulnerabilities with uncanny precision. Even after all these years,
she still missed her dad. His death had created a void in her life, one that would never be filled. Ella checked out the wheel repair again, needing a second or two to compose herself before answering.

“I have powerful allies, Dan—my mom and brother,” she said at last. “And my backup is top notch, you included.”

“You know I’ll help you any way I can,” Dan said.

“I appreciate that. The problem
is I don’t even have a suspect yet. That’s why I’d like to ask you a big favor,” Ella said slowly. It wouldn’t be a fair request, but she had to try anyway. “Can you compile a list of officers who have direct access to county inventory? I’m looking for someone who’s fairly competent with a rifle and has a good working knowledge of Navajo culture, or has access to contacts who do.”

He stared at
the ground for a moment, then looked back at her. “I don’t like the idea of putting people from my department under the microscope just so you can rule them in, or out, as potential suspects. However, I trust what you’re doing, so I’ll see what I can find out. But no promises.”

“Fair enough,” she said. “And, Dan, thanks.”

“Just watch your back,” he said. “You’re becoming a magnet for trouble.”

“Hey, at least I’m not a boring date.”

He laughed. “Boring? That’s not an adjective I’d ever use to describe you.”

“How would you describe me?”

He looked at her and shook his head. “Ask me when I’m not on duty.”

As he walked away, Ella studied his long-legged stride and tight buns. Work always managed to get in the way. She sighed. Unfortunately, that also summed up her entire history with
men, even with Eugene, her late husband. He’d been a soldier, deployed for half their brief time together.

Dan stopped by his truck, then glanced back and smiled. “Window shopping?”

Ella laughed. Maybe this time things would turn out differently. “You can’t blame a girl for admiring the scenery.”

Ella drove back toward Shiprock and the Navajo Nation feeling wide awake and a little wired after
everything that had happened. No way she’d be able to fall asleep anytime soon.

Not ready to go home, she considered paying Teeny a visit. He was a night owl and very seldom went to bed before midnight. She dialed his cell, knowing that if he’d already sacked out, she’d get his voice mail.

Teeny answered after the second ring. “Hey, Ella.”

“If you’re not turning in early, how about letting
me come over? I need to chat with someone.”

“Sure. Night’s still young.”

“See you in twenty.”

When Ella drove into Teeny’s fenced-in compound, she spotted Jayne Goodluck’s truck and cringed. Justine’s sister and she had never managed to get along, but things grew decidedly worse after Jayne started dating Teeny.

Ella’s friendship with Teeny went all the way back to high school. They were close,
but there’d never been any romantic involvement between them. Despite that, Jayne had always been jealous of that relationship. No amount of reasoning, or reality, could dissuade her.

Teeny met Ella at the door. As she stepped inside, Jayne came out of the back bedroom wearing one of Teeny’s T-shirts, which draped over her like a tent.

“Ella,” she said, “kinda late for you to be roaming around,
isn’t it?” Not waiting for an answer, she ducked back out of sight into the bedroom.

“You should have mentioned you had company,” Ella said, biting off the words.

“Jayne came looking for a fight tonight and I’m not in the mood for battles. Step into the kitchen with me and ignore her,” he said. With a wave of his hand he invited Ella to take a seat, then offered her a Mexican Coke, the kind
that used sugar, not syrup. “Are you any closer to catching the killer?”

“No, which is why I wanted to talk to you.”

“I’ve told you all that I can, Ella. I’m still waiting to hear from my client.”

“Okay,” Ella said. “So how about this? Can you tell me which county offices have reported missing items?” Seeing him hesitate, she added, “Help me. I really need a lead.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that
much, but that’ll be it,” he said. “The county commissioner’s office and the sheriff’s department.”

“So I assume your client is pretty high on the food chain?”

“Don’t push it, Ella, and stop trying to narrow down the list. I’ve given you all I can,” he said.