Ghost Medicine (15 page)

“Cover me,” Big Ed called out.

She watched and listened, looking for any sign of movement ahead.

Big Ed moved quietly for a big man, and a minute later he crouched down beside her. He aimed
his flashlight at the area where the shotgun shell lay, and as he swept the beam of light from side to side, found another.

“His second position,” Big Ed said.

She nodded. “And now we have tracks.”

Staying apart to avoid giving the shooter two targets with one shot, they tracked the size 10 footprints about three hundred yards to a wide arroyo. Ten feet down, on hard-packed sediment and bedrock,
were vehicle tracks. The footprints led right up to it, then disappeared.

“He took off east, toward the highway, with his lights off,” Ella said. “Do we have any units in that direction?”

Big Ed shook his head. “If he makes it to the highway, he’ll have clear sailing all the way to Arizona.” He brought out his cell phone and called the tribal officer covering the Teece Nos Pos area near the
state line.

After a moment he put the phone away. “It’ll take a good half hour for her to get into position,” he said at last. “Let’s see what we can find here.”

Distracted by the pain, Ella glanced down at her hand. Big Ed, following her gaze, aimed his flashlight lower.

“You’re bleeding,” he said. “What’s that black thing stuck in your palm, a piece of your flashlight?”

She nodded. “Yeah,
debris flew everywhere. At least it wasn’t buckshot. I’ll dig it out when Dr. Roanhorse arrives. She’s got tweezers and disinfectant.”

“Glad it was just your hand, Shorty,” Big Ed said in a gruff tone. “Back to work now.”

She smiled, knowing he cared more than he ever allowed himself to show.

It wasn’t long before Carolyn came up in the van. The locals had given it a name—the body bus—and spoke
of it in whispers, if at all.

Ella went to meet her. “Mind if I dig into your supplies for some disinfectant?” She held out her hand.

“I’ve got my first-aid kit back here somewhere.” Carolyn lifted a big metal box out from behind the seat. “What happened?”

While the ME looked through her supplies, Ella gave her the highlights of what they’d found and the subsequent confrontation.

Carolyn shook
her head slowly. “It could have been worse. Bone ammunition can be especially nasty. Steel shot, even worse.”

Ella nodded, but didn’t comment.

“This has got to be difficult for you,” Carolyn said in a whisper. “I remember when you returned to the Rez to investigate your father’s murder.”

“What’s hard is knowing that evil is never really defeated. The best we can do is beat it back for a while.
After I retire, it’ll still be there for the next generation of cops.”

“The more things change, the more they stay the same?” Carolyn said, dabbing disinfectant on the back of Ella’s hand. “Stop squirming.”

“It stings,” Ella said.

“Suck it up.”

“Your bedside manner needs some work,” Ella said.

“My patients never complain.”

Seeing that Carolyn was wearing fancy shoes, leather pumps that were
a beautiful crimson color, Ella smiled. “So how was your date with Kevin?”

“I had a feeling you knew.” Carolyn looked at her. “I like him, Ella. More to the point, I really like the way he makes me feel when I’m with him. To Kevin, I’m not just the ME. He treats me with respect and…”

“Go on,” Ella said.

“Tenderness,” she said in a barely audible tone. “Most people look at me and see a hard-ass,
tough, coldhearted bitch. Yet Kevin sees me as a desirable woman, one who’s doing her best to serve the tribe,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I leaned against a man’s chest, hearing his strong heartbeat, and felt so … protected.”

Ella looked at Carolyn in amazement. Kevin had made her feel a gazillion things, but she would never have described any of her emotions the way Carolyn just
had.

“Surprised? You don’t think I should need that?”

“Not at all. If anything, I’m a bit jealous,” she said truthfully. “I never felt that way with him. In fact, I’ve never felt that way with anyone.”

“It’s nice, particularly for women in our professions. Most men exclude us from things like that, or maybe we exclude ourselves, I don’t know. What I do know is that when I retire, I don’t want
to spend the rest of my life alone.”

She finished taping a small bandage on Ella’s hand, then reached inside the van to bring out a second, larger medical bag. “Leave that on for a few days and you’ll be fine. Time for me to get to work.”

Ella walked over with Carolyn and then, after putting on latex gloves, helped her free the corpse and lay out the body on a plastic ground cloth Big Ed had
placed close by.

“This man was embalmed, check the tiny stitches by the right carotid artery. That’s where the embalming fluid went in. The blood and body fluids were drained from the right jugular vein.”

“According to the chief, this man was buried a few weeks ago,” Ella said. “We’ll need to know what was taken from the body—in addition to his fingertips and part of his skull.”

“Skinwalker
trademarks,” Carolyn said with a nod. “Okay, then. I’ll need to bag him and get him in the van.”

Big Ed stepped up, also wearing latex gloves. “I’ll help you.”

Long after Carolyn had driven away, they continued processing the scene—searching for anything and everything.

“We’ve got shotgun shells for a twelve-gauge shotgun, athletic shoes size ten or thereabouts, and vehicle tracks, a pickup’s
most likely, about a quarter of a mile up the road,” Big Ed said.

He stopped speaking, but Ella could tell that he hadn’t finished, so she remained quiet.

“The shotgun shell that took out my spotlight held more than gunpowder, Shorty. That leaves a black residue, but this was lighter, gray colored. Justine is going to take it to the lab and verify what else was in that load besides gunpowder
and a few steel balls.”

“You think he added corpse poison?” Ella asked in a hushed voice.

“It’s their MO. That might also explain why he didn’t even come close to hitting either one of us. Long shotgun range, coupled with reduced power and velocity, equals lousy marksmanship,” Big Ed said. “Talk to your brother and see if he’s heard of anyone who might be a possible suspect.”

“I’ve already
done that, but I’ll check with him again first thing tomorrow morning,” she said.

*   *   *

Though exhausted by the time she got home and crawled into bed, Ella found it hard to sleep. After tossing and turning, she finally drifted off. Hideous images haunted her dreams until, drenched in sweat, she woke up abruptly, her heart racing. Ella looked at the clock on her nightstand. The red numbers
glowed back at her. It was three forty-five.

She lay back and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. Carolyn was right. Nothing ever stayed status quo, and there would come a time, sooner or later, when she’d be retiring, too. The future was calling to her, and maybe now was the time. Teeny’s job offer was almost too good to be true, and she’d be a fool to pass it up. Although
giving up her badge would be like leaving a piece of herself behind, there was something freeing about moving on, too.

The thought comforted her somewhat, and this time when she closed her eyes, she slept.

*   *   *

The sounds of people moving about in the kitchen nudged her awake. Saturday morning. That meant Dawn would hurry outside and spend most of her day with the horses. All things considered,
Ella was happy her kid was more involved with horses than with boys, but Dawn’s interest in barrel racing worried her. It was a dangerous sport.

With a sigh, Ella tossed the covers aside and got up. She had another long day ahead.

Even before meeting her family for breakfast, Ella called Justine. “Have you had a chance to process anything from last night?”

“No, not yet. I came in early to play
catch-up on lab work, but I’ve got a huge backlog that needs my immediate attention. I’m hoping to have something for you later on this morning.”

“Good. Call me as soon as you do and make sure you check Harry’s belt buckle for prints other than his own. I have a feeling about that.”

“You’ve got it, boss.”

Ella showered quickly, put a little salve and a bandage on the cut on her hand, then went
down the hall and met her family for breakfast. Pouring herself a strong cup of coffee and taking a large chunk of leftover fry bread smeared with honey, she listened to her daughter talk about her plans for the day. Dawn tackled everything with such enthusiasm, it was impossible not to feel energized just listening to her.

Soon Dawn headed out the back door. Herman filled his faded Washington
Redskins coffee mug, then excused himself to go work out in the garage.

Rose, with a newly poured cup of herbal tea in hand, sat across the table from Ella.

“Something’s worrying you, daughter. Is it work?” She watched Ella’s expression, then shook her head. “No, it’s more than that, isn’t it? Are you upset because your doctor friend is dating your child’s father?”

Ella looked up at her, surprised.
“I just found out the other day. How long have you known?”

“Some detective you are,” she said. “It’s been going on for at least a month.”

“No one told me,” Ella said, then shrugged in dismay. “I had no idea.”

“I’ve asked your daughter’s father to wear a medicine pouch whenever he’s around my granddaughter. He doesn’t believe in such things, but he’ll do it for me.”

Ella smiled. Few ever had
the courage to say no to Rose. “Does having someone so connected to family at the moment—a woman with Caroline’s profession—still bother you, Mom?”

“Yes, but things are what they are. Your daughter has also promised me that she’ll continue to wear her medicine pouch.” Rose smiled, then added, “She’s glued some sequins on the outside of the bag in the outline of a horse—to make it prettier, she
said. It’s a new day, I suppose.”

“Progress,” Ella said softly. “Change comes, whether we want it or not.”

“Maybe that’s part of what’s bothering you, daughter. For years you’ve had three loves—your daughter, your family, and your work. Now, your daughter’s growing up, my husband and I have our own lives, and at work you’re being asked to give up what you love most about your job.”

“Mom, I
don’t know what to do. Bureaucrats have taken control of the tribal police. Cost cutting is bleeding the department dry. They demand more and more from each officer, but aren’t willing to give anything in return. Their priority isn’t effective law enforcement, it’s smaller government. To me, that’s not what the job’s all about, and I don’t know if I can work around that mind-set. The worst part of
it, I have the feeling that they’d take me out of the field and try to turn me into a paper pusher.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“This isn’t a battle I can win,” she said. “I’ve got the years I need to retire with full benefits, but I don’t want to just sit around doing nothing. Teeny’s offered me a great job, and I’m seriously considering working for him. My only holdback is that I’ve worn
the badge for so long, giving it up is going to be really hard. It’s part of me, you know?”

“Retirement wouldn’t be so bad. You’d then be able to look around in peace and think about what your next step should be. You’d also have more time to date that county detective.”

Ella looked at Rose and laughed. “You never give up, do you, Mom?”

“I want my daughter to find the other half of herself.
Maybe this man is right for you.”

“If he is, you’ll be the first to know.”

Rose stood and smiled. “Just give him—and yourself—a chance.”

After Rose left, Ella finished her fry bread, then stood. It was time for her to get moving. She wanted to stop by her brother’s place and talk to him before she headed to the station this morning.

Ella hurried outside and got into her truck. Many years back,
her brother had described her job as restoring the balance between good and evil. At first, she’d thought it was just a fancy way of saying that law enforcement was about keeping the peace. These days she understood the Navajo Way better, and Clifford’s statement echoed her own sentiments. Just as evil needed good to define it, good was needed to keep evil in check.

With or without the badge,
that need to restore the balance would be a part of her forever.

ELEVEN

Clifford was stepping out of his medicine hogan as Ella drove up. She parked, and in case he had a patient, waited in the truck to be invited to approach. Seconds later, Clifford waved at her to join him.

“I had a feeling you’d be coming by,” he said as she walked up. He looked down at the medicine pouch on her belt. “I’m glad you’re wearing that. I’ve heard some stories.…”

Ella glanced
around, wanting to make sure they couldn’t be overheard. “Is your family around?”

He shook his head. “My wife and son are still up at the sheep camp. I’ve encouraged them to stay longer. I don’t want them home right now, it’s too dangerous. A deformed calf was stillborn northeast of Rattlesnake and people are saying that it’s the work of the evil ones.”

“I hadn’t heard about that,” she said,
realizing once again how well connected Clifford was to their community.

“What brings you here this morning? Has there been another incident?”

She nodded and gave him the highlights regarding the body they’d found on the fence. “I have some photos I’d like you to look at.”

He watched her slide several close-ups across her smartphone display. “It seems to be the work of the evil ones, but there’s
something I don’t understand.
Who
—or
what
—is their target?”

The question made her stop and think. “That’s a very good question and I don’t have an answer. The activity started a while back, even before my friend was killed. Do you think this could be a turf war directed at everyone in this particular area?”

“Land disputes are common and people often come up with real crazy ways to settle things.
When I first began my practice many years ago, an elderly Navajo over on the Arizona side of the Rez wanted to farm land that belonged to his neighbor. The men couldn’t work things out, so one of them decided to pretend he was one of the evil ones, hoping to scare the other into doing things his way.”