“You’re out of options, Melvin,” Ella said quietly, stepping up close to their sullen prisoner. “Help us out and I can mention it to the DA. It might get you a better cell.”
“He’s in the hall closet,” Melvin said dejectedly, gesturing with a tilt of his head.
Hearing Melvin, Blalock strode to the closet Melvin had indicated and jerked open the door. A skinned-up young man with short red hair and filthy clothes was curled up in the corner, blindfolded and gagged and tied hand to foot with a length of nylon rope.
“Agent Thomas,” Blalock said softly, “you’re safe.
Just don’t move until I check you over for injuries.”
As soon as Blalock took off his blindfold and gag, Thomas began to cough. Martinez, who’d been watching, went to the kitchen, returned with a glass of water, and held it to his mouth.
“Sip it carefully,” Blalock said, noting the young man’s parched lips as he cut the ropes binding him. Thomas’s arm had apparently been broken. It lay limply
against his body, swollen between the wrist and elbow.
Thomas reached for the glass with his good hand and finished drinking. “My arm …”
“I see it,” Blalock said. “We’ll have the EMTs here soon.”
Ella looked over at Agent Martinez and noted that he was calling the paramedics.
“Did you catch Agent Simmons? He’s in this up to his ass. He thinks he destroyed all my files, but I have backups of
everything,” Thomas managed, his voice a little less raspy now. “I had them—Krause, that Weaver woman at county records, and Rainwater. He was even stealing an old lady’s mail because she’d figured out she was being ripped off. All I needed was a little more time to put everything together—and a break. That’s why I decided to go for it and stake out Melvin’s Sing.”
Thomas shifted and groaned
but continued, his voice gaining strength. “That’s when it really hit the fan. Two Navajos with a rifle chased me off before I could talk to Rainwater. Then Simmons
showed up. Before I realized Rainwater had already tipped him off, he reamed me out for antagonizing the tribe, then ordered me into my unit. When I turned my back, the bastard coldcocked me.”
“That supports everything we’ve gathered
so far. Just keep it fresh in your mind and we’ll talk about it later,” Blalock said, stepping aside for the paramedics, who’d made the trip in just a few minutes.
Blalock stood with Ella near the door. “He has a badly fractured arm, I think, but Andy’s in surprisingly good shape considering all he’s been through.” He paused, then added, “But once this is over, he and I are going to have a
long
talk about what never to do on the Rez.”
Ella chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think that’ll be necessary. He’s learned his lesson the hard way.” Hearing a commotion outside, Ella moved to the door and saw Rainwater struggling and yelling at Newberry and Martinez as they hauled him toward the street. His swagger was gone, she noticed.
Ella shook her head. “Rainwater might have gotten away with a lot
more if he’d just left Agent Thomas down in that mine shaft. I wonder if Melvin grabbed Thomas for himself or just to take a little pressure off Betsy? I’m certain now that he was the second man coming to her apartment, not Krause. Judging from his efforts to get Betsy’s charges reduced, they’re obviously in love.”
“How sweet.”
“Gee, Blalock, you’re a real cynic. You know that?”
“I’ve been
called
much
worse, Clah.” He looked through the open doorway at Thomas, who was being helped into the ambulance. “I better ride with the kid to the hospital and get his statement before they zone him out with painkillers. Then I’ll meet you back at your station.”
Ella glanced at her watch. It was well past midnight now, but she wasn’t tired anymore. “I love it when all the pieces of the puzzle
come together. You can almost feel it in the air when harmony has been restored.”
“It’s one heckuva rush, even for an old
bilagáana
like me.”
Ella watched the senior agent go. Despite Blalock’s many
years on the Rez she was sure that he still didn’t really get the whole concept of harmony and balance. But that was okay. Accepting the differences between them was also part of walking in beauty.
B
ig Ed stood beside Ella, watching through the one-way glass into the interrogation room as Agent Blalock questioned Betsy Weaver. They were at the city jail in Farmington, out of Navajo jurisdiction, but their presence had been required because of the on-reservation investigation and arrests made.
“You were right about the woman. She won’t even acknowledge Rainwater,” Big Ed
said. “Not that it matters much. The feds will still get Melvin for kidnapping a federal officer. The DA said Melvin’s attorney is trying to see if he can try Rainwater on the Rez for the other charges. But considering what Melvin did for a living and the scam he was part of, I doubt he’ll get any sympathy from the Dineh. The tribal newspaper will show him no mercy, that’s for sure.”
“At least
Betsy is testifying against Simmons and Krause,” Ella answered. “The feds really want to nail them, and her testimony will go a long ways with a jury, especially because she knows all the names and dates. She and Melvin kept good records, obviously to prevent Simmons from turning on them later if the authorities got close. The briefcase found in Rainwater’s vehicle ended up being a gold mine, according
to Blalock.”
“This case has really taken a high toll on everyone—and I’m not just talking lack of sleep. Compromises had to be made and
some of us came dangerously close to crossing the line,” he said slowly.
Ella looked over at Big Ed and wondered if he knew or suspected that she’d been in Krause’s garage. “We all did what was necessary to save a life, Chief. Sometimes in a crisis there’s just
not enough time to make sure it’s all by the book.”
Big Ed gave her a long searching look but said nothing. He didn’t have to, Ella already knew what he was thinking. The rules of police work and their adherence to them was what defined them as law-enforcement officers. But, all things considered, she had no regrets.
“I’ve left the preliminary paperwork on your desk, boss, but I’m beat. If you
don’t need me anymore, I think I’ll go home and catch up on my sleep.”
“Go ahead. Our part’s pretty much done. This is now the FBI’s mess.”
Ella looked back through the glass one more time at Blalock, who was still pressing Betsy Weaver for every piece of incriminating evidence he could get on Simmons. Ella knew FB-Eyes was proud of the gold badge he carried and of the Bureau itself. He saw
what his fellow agent had done as the ultimate betrayal, and she agreed wholeheartedly with that assessment. She’d experienced those feelings herself several years ago with the tribal police leadership—before Big Ed—and knew exactly how he felt.
Ella walked down the hall and saw Justine coming out of a meeting with other federal officers. Their department had signed over all the evidence that
had been legally collected on the Rez during their search for Andy Thomas.
Seeing Ella, Justine smiled. “You look as tired as I feel.”
“My body’s tired—exhausted, really—but my mind’s still wide awake. Sometimes after a case like this one it’s hard for me to wind down. But when it finally hits me, I’ll be out like a light,” she said.
“I’ve got a routine. I go home, fix myself a hot cup of herbal
tea, strip down to a T-shirt, and put on my favorite slippers. That usually does it for me. What about you?”
“The usual. I’ll tiptoe into the house and try not to wake anyone,” she said with a wry smile. “Then I’ll sneak into my daughter’s room and sit with her while she sleeps. When I look at Dawn, the love I feel for her just fills me to bursting. She’s all the good things we fight for. People
do all kinds of things for money, but to little kids like her, it’s just green paper. Being with Dawn puts everything back into perspective for me after working a tough case and makes me feel less … dirty.”
Justine nodded slowly. “It’s like what my dad told me when I said I wanted to join the department. ‘If you play in the ditch all day, you can’t expect to come out smelling like a rose.’”
“True,” Ella admitted quietly. “But someone has to keep the ditches clean so that the good water can fill the fields and help crops grow.”
Justine smiled. “That’s pretty close to what I said. Besides, it can be fun to play in the mud sometimes.”
Ella laughed. “See you tomorrow … well, in a few hours, I guess. It won’t be long till the sun comes up again.”
On the dark, lonely drive home, with
the adrenaline rush starting to settle, Ella’s thoughts drifted. Despite all the drawbacks, police work could be addictive, and somewhere along the way, being a detective had become a vital part of her. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living.
Suddenly remembering that Dawn was still at Kevin’s, she decided to go there first instead. Dawn would be asleep, and Kevin too, but Ella
had a key and could let herself in. Kevin wouldn’t mind if she peeked in on her daughter. Then again, maybe she
should
call first and let him know she was coming. Sneaking in quietly was a bad idea. He had a gun and was very protective, as was she, after their daughter had nearly been kidnapped a few years ago.
Ella arrived at Kevin’s modern house twenty minutes later, and parked beside his new
pickup. She knocked twice, then unlocked the door and stepped inside. A night-light in a wall plug, placed there for Dawn, no doubt, enabled her to see well enough to locate Dawn and Kevin immediately.
Her daughter was sleeping peacefully on the sofa bed, a tiny smile on her face. The raggedy stuffed horse she claimed not to play with anymore was underneath the covers too, tucked tightly in
her arms. Of course it was only a substitute for Wind. If Dawn could have brought her pony with her she would have, in an instant.
Kevin, in a T-shirt and slacks, was obviously half-asleep, sitting in a big leather recliner a few feet away from where their daughter was sleeping. He’d watched Ella come in, and smiled but didn’t speak.
Ella sat down on the edge of the sofa bed and brushed Dawn’s
soft black hair away from her face and kissed her forehead gently. Her child was, at times, her only point of sanity in an otherwise crazy world.
Ella looked over at Kevin, who nodded, then closed his eyes and stretched out on the recliner as she lay down beside her daughter. Dawn instinctively snuggled up against her, still fast asleep. Feeling her daughter’s strong and steady heartbeat against
her, Ella closed her eyes and drifted away.
ELLA CLAH NOVELS
Blackening Song
Death Walker
Bad Medicine
The Enemy Way
Shooting Chant
Red
Mesa
Changing Woman
Tracking Bear
Wind Spirit
White Thunder
Mourning Dove
Turquoise Girl
Coyote’s Wife
LEE NEZ NOVELS
Second Sunrise
Blood Retribution
Pale Death
Surrogate Evil
SISTER AGATHA NOVELS
Bad Faith
Thief in Retreat
Prey For a Miracle
False Witness
Prodigal Nun
Plant Them Deep
“Illustrates the typical strengths of the Thurlos with a solid grounding in Native American traditions and beliefs. Well-constructed plots and a recurring cast of growing characters make this one of the best series featuring a Native American sleuth.”
—Alfred Hitchcock’s
Mystery Magazine
“Ella is a wonderful protagonist, a strong yet caring woman who is
as smart as she is beautiful. Readers need not be acquainted with earlier installments to enjoy this latest Clah novel.”
—
Romantic
Times BookClub Magazine
“Thoughtfully and intelligently plotted. An excellent entry in an underappreciated series.”
—
Booklist
Critical acclaim for the Ella Clah novels
“Gripping. The Thurlo team brings the tensions inherent in Navajo life alive by showing
the myriad ways in which the tribe’s traditionalists conflict with the progressives. The Thurlos also focus on how modern crime investigation conflicts with the Navajo belief in
chindi,
or the evil that remains at death scenes and must be avoided. A spirited blend of Navajo culture and police procedure.”
—
Booklist
(starred review) on
Tracking Bear
“Tracking Bear
is a great police procedural
that gives readers an insightful look into the culture of the Navajo living on the reservation today. The who-done-it is complex, compelling and exciting.”
—
Midwest Book Review
“Realistic, fast-paced, and intense. Action scenes keep the plot moving at a quick pace with some surprises along the way, adding to the excitement.”
—
School Library Journal on Changing Woman
“A hair-raising opening.
The Thurlos hit all the right notes: they have an intriguing, growing character at the center of a series that combines fastmoving plots and a wealth of fascinating cultural information.”
—
Booklist
on
Wind Spirit
“
Red Mesa
is an engrossing mystery as intricately woven as a fine Navajo rug. It kept me guessing to the end.”
—
New York Times
bestselling author Margaret Coel
“A fascinating
story. Ella Clah, strong and vulnerable at the same time, is an intriguing character of great depth, and the surprise ending will delight all mystery lovers.”
—
Romantic Times
on
Red Mesa
“An intense, spellbinding family drama in which the battle between good and evil affects both modernist and traditionalist Navajo. Prime reading for fans of Tony Hillerman and other Southwestern mysteries.”
—
Library
Journal
on
Red
Mesa