Shooting Chant (40 page)

Ella groaned. With Hollywood sound bites like the last one, Branch
sounded like
he
was running for office. How much more could the tribe endure?

The waitress, a Navajo girl in her early twenties, came up to her. “What do you think, Officer Clah? Are our politicians forgetting The People?”

“No more than usual. Branch likes to talk about the lies other people tell,” Ella said, “but he uses catchphrases and deals in half-truths geared mostly to get him more listeners,
not to solve problems. Until we find the answers we need, no one, including Branch, knows exactly where the truth lies. Assumptions are seldom reliable enough for anything except gossip, yet that’s exactly what he’s using as the premise for all his claims. Always be careful when anyone insists he’s got all the answers, because that alone makes him a liar.”

Ella threw a dollar on the table. Her
appetite was gone, and George Branch was responsible. Without ordering, she said goodbye and walked out.

*   *   *

Ella sat in her office, studying Senator Yellowhair and Ernest Ben’s phone records. One thing they had in common was several calls made at about the same time to Morgan’s home.

On a hunch, she dialed Sheriff Taylor’s number. “You have Hansen’s phone records, don’t you?” she asked.

“Sure. They’re in his file. Whatcha need?”

“I need you to check and see if he called two numbers in particular.” She gave him Yellowhair’s and Ben’s numbers, then waited.

“They’re here. He called each of them twice in one month. The last time was the day before he was killed. Have you found a connection?”

“I think so,” she said slowly. “Was the first time the day after the animal exposition?”
she asked, giving him the date.

“That matches,” Taylor said.

“Here’s what I think happened. My guess is that Hansen either caused or discovered that there had been a radiation leak of some kind at LabKote. He knew that people and animals were exposed, so he called the two tribal officials he knew, ready to blow the whistle. But Yellowhair and Ben decided to check for themselves and called Morgan.
Morgan found out what Hansen had done and either killed him himself or had him killed. Later, maybe suspecting Yellowhair and Ben could still cause problems, or because they asked for payoffs he couldn’t provide, Morgan kidnapped them, and made it look like the Fierce Ones were responsible.”

“Can you prove any of this?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

“Keep me updated, and let me know if
I can help.”

“You’ve got it.”

Justine came in as Ella hung up. “I heard the last part of that. So you think Yellowhair and Ben were kidnapped because they knew too much?”

“I’ll tell you the picture that’s emerging for me. I’m betting that there was an accident the day of the animal event at the fairgrounds and that resulted in a radiation leak. Hansen wanted to blow the whistle but, unfortunately,
he called two men who couldn’t be trusted. They, in turn, probably demanded hush money from LabKote, and that’s when Morgan or Landreth, or maybe both, decided they needed to get rid of them to keep the lid on things a while longer.”

“So, you think Ben and Yellowhair are dead?”

Ella considered it. “I’m not sure. If Morgan’s behind what’s going on, I’d say probably not. He wouldn’t pass up the
chance to use them as leverage if things got rough.”

“How do we get evidence that will either prove or disprove your theory?” Justine asked.

“What we need are LabKote’s electric bills, power consumption records, water bills, phone bills, and anything else that would indicate something atypical happened the day of the exposition.”

“But how does this tie into the livestock killings, or do you
think they were a separate event?”

“I think it’s connected. My guess is that they staged those incidents to divert us and help cover up what happened. Remember that all the animals killed were females. That was self-serving on several counts since it would also take care of any questions that might have arisen later if any problems showed up with their offspring,” Ella said.

She continued. “Of
course, they purposely made it look as if the traditionalists were killing the animals of the progressives so that people would start fighting each other, and the trail would become hopelessly muddied. Mrs. Brownhat had to go, too, because she had been irradiated, and knew about the door being open. All she had to do was mention it to the wrong person, and they were busted. They tried very hard
to make it look like an accident, but they failed.”

“We still have nothing except circumstantial evidence and not even Judge Chase will give us a court order based on that,” Justine said.

Ella cursed under her breath. “Yeah, you’re right. That’s why I want you to have the electric company check their records and see if there was anything unusual in that power grid, or whatever it’s called, around
that time. That won’t require a court order.”

“I’ll see to it,” Justine said. “For what it’s worth, I think your theory’s a good one. From that angle, it’s easy to link the events to the break-in at the clinic. It seems likely that they were looking for women at a stage in their pregnancy where their fetuses would be vulnerable to radiation. Elisa Brownhat had to go first for a couple of reasons,
but she wasn’t the only pregnant woman in this area they’d have to murder to remove all risks. Several children born with defects whose mothers were at the animal show could easily have led to an investigation that would have pointed back to LabKote, the only real source of radiation outside a hospital around here. Fortunately, things got too hot for them, and they had to change their plans.”

“At the time Elisa was killed, they must have still been planning to stay on the Rez for the duration. I would imagine that they changed their minds after things started getting quickly out of control,” Ella said.

“Or maybe they completed what they set out to do faster than they’d anticipated,” Justine said.

Ella remembered the terrorist angle and the bacteria culture chamber, and felt a stab
of fear. As Justine walked out, she placed one hand over her stomach and closed her eyes. Slowly, an inexplicable peace came over her, and when she opened her eyes again, she knew that her child was going to be all right.

Ella shook her head. Superstitious nonsense. She couldn’t possibly know anything with that degree of certainty. Remembering the stories about Bunstein and his stillborn littermates,
she shuddered.

Ella stood up and began to pace. It was pointless to give into fear now. She had to trust what her heart was telling her. The connection she felt to the baby was real. Her child
would
be all right. Every feminine instinct she possessed assured her of it.

Holding on to that thought, she returned to her desk and, before she could sit down, her phone rang. Ella grabbed the receiver
and identified herself.

“Hello, Officer Clah. This is Barbara Sanchez. I’m the bartender at the Palomino Lounge. You spoke to me about Tom LaPoint, remember?”

“Hello, Barbara. Yes, I know who you are. Did you remember something about the man you knew as Tom LaPoint that might help us?” Ella replied, hoping that was the case. Witnesses seldom called unless they’d thought of something new to add.

“It’s not about Tom, or whatever his name was, it’s about the man he met that one time, the one with the cowboy hat. I just remembered something about him that may help.” Barbara said.

“What is it?” Ella responded.

“The man had a long scar on his arm, like from a bad cut.” Barbara recalled. “I remember seeing it when he turned to leave. It was on his left arm, I think.”

Ella recalled the scar
on Morgan’s left arm. “Do you happen to remember if the man wore boots as well?”

“You know, I think he did. I always notice men who have western hats but shoes instead of boots because I think that looks dumb, and I didn’t get that impression. I don’t remember the style or color, though.”

“That’s okay, I think what you did recall will be very useful. If you think of anything else, call immediately.”

As she hung up and sat down again, Kevin Tolino walked into her office, wearing a serious expression instead of his usual smile.

“I saw your grandmother watching our house again this morning,” she said slowly, wishing she had something more pleasant to discuss with him.

“That’s one of the reasons I came to talk to you. Don’t worry, she won’t be doing that anymore.”

She said nothing for a long
moment, measuring her words carefully before speaking. “So, it’s over? Or does that mean I’m just getting a new watcher?”

The expression on his face told her everything. “Let me guess. It’s you.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “It was the only way I could insure that they’d stay out of your way. And I honestly think that you’ll be better off with me, Ella. I won’t let anyone pose a threat to the
baby. You’ve got to believe that.”

“I do, but I don’t need help protecting the baby.”

“You’re stubborn and independent, but things aren’t that simple anymore. There are threats everywhere now, and we’ll need each other.”

“There’s no safety in numbers, Kevin, not in this case. Even if we stay together, we may not be able to counter everything that’ll affect this baby,” she said slowly.

“I know
what you’re talking about,” he said somberly. “I’ve been thinking about the possibility you mentioned of a radiation leak LabKote could be covering up, and it really worries me, Ella. I remember you talking about the animal show weeks ago. You were there.” His expression grew hard and his eyes burned with anger as he added, “If LabKote is responsible for a radiation leak or for doing anything
that could have harmed you, our baby, or The People, I want the ones responsible to pay.”

“So do I, and I
will
get them.”

“If you need any help, call me.”

“There
is
something you can do. You have access to many tribal records. I want you to see if you can find a clear paper trail that links Yellowhair, Ben, and LabKote. If they’re in league with LabKote, we need evidence to prove it.”

“All
right. I’ll get on that right away. Anything else?”

“I’m going to want to do an extensive background check on Ben and Yellowhair that’ll include accessing their bank accounts.”

“You won’t have any problem with that. Get Judge Chase to give you a court order. The bank won’t fight it because the two are already part of an investigation involving the FBI. Considering the circumstances, you should
be able to get the paperwork in record time.”

“I also want to see George Branch’s banking records, and those of Avery Blueeyes.”

“That’s trickier. Let me see what I can do for you. Judge Chase and I go back a ways, so he’ll cut me some slack. But Branch will scream like a wounded pig, claiming government interference in his privacy.”

“I know, but I need to look for discrepancies that might
reveal how he’s getting his tips, like the one about Judge Chase about to be kidnapped. I nearly got barbecued on that call. Literally.”

“I’ll get you the court orders, or find a way around them.”

As he left, Ella remained seated at her desk, trying to figure out her next move. Everything was in the works, and she had more possible links to Morgan, but until the paperwork gave them the authorization,
she couldn’t take the next step.

Ella went to Big Ed’s office, and updated him on everything that was going on.

“You still have nothing concrete, Shorty, but at least you’re on your way to getting it.” He nodded slowly. “Once you get the bank records you need, I want Blalock, Justine, and Tolino here. We’ll all work on this, including me. If LabKote really is planning on shutting down and leaving
before anyone notices, we’ve got to move fast. I’m also going to put people around that place so that nothing will go in or out without our knowing.”

“I don’t think we should. If they have Ben and Yellowhair somewhere on the premises, the last thing we want to do is let them know we’re on to them.”

“All right. You’re in charge of this one. But your head will be the first to roll if this blows
up in our faces.”

“Understood.”

*   *   *

It was close to ten that night when they all sat in the conference room adjacent to Big Ed’s office.

“Branch has no financial connections to anyone other than his station and station sponsors,” the accountant Blalock had brought in said. “He’s not a wealthy man. He’s got a good middle-class income, but his financial records are pretty straightforward.
He owes money, but not a lot, and he inherited that house.”

Tolino then placed several documents on the table. “These are tribal records pertaining to LabKote. It looks like Ben and Yellowhair were critical in helping LabKote cut through the red tape. The checks that should have been done on the machinery and so on were signed, but not dated. They may have never happened. We just don’t know.
Engineers hired by the tribe were supposed to check out the facility, but LabKote was able to get waivers in order to open on a certain date. There are no records anywhere that the engineers actually made those checks afterwards either.”

“There are also some very large deposits made into the accounts of both those politicians the day after LabKote opened,” Blalock said, looking at the accountant,
who nodded. “The money transfers that came in were from out of state banks, using a corporate name that is hard to trace. Both amounts were deposited on the same day.”

“Avery Blueeyes doesn’t seem to play a part in any of this. Blueeyes is very nearly broke,” Big Ed said. “His accounts are in shambles. I don’t have to be an accountant to understand that.”

Big Ed regarded them thoughtfully, then
continued. “So what we have are bank records suggesting that bribes were paid to two men who were later kidnapped. There are also phone records linking Hansen to Yellowhair and Ben, then those two to Morgan.”

“It’s still not enough to raid LabKote,” Kevin said. “We have nothing against LabKote itself. The only thing our evidence really proves is that, at one point, Yellowhair and Ben both spoke
to Morgan. That’s not a criminal offense. We can’t prove that the deposits were bribes, and we don’t have access to either man’s tax records.”