Again, Eagle glanced away. Crossing his arms over his chest, he feigned impatience.
“This…,” Adam waved his arm at the crime scene, “is a farce.”
The three men before him looked stunned, but Carlos recovered first. “What do you mean?”
“You have five bodies, but only one murder victim…, at least, I think he was murdered.”
Rick Kessler frowned. “Explain.”
Adam turned toward the circle. “The man in the center. Crows, vultures, and coyotes have started to prey on the carcass, but the other four…, except for that one,” he pointed to his right, “probably a young or starving coyote took a bite. There’s vomit about ten feet away. You can check it for DNA if the marks on the arm don’t give you conclusive evidence, but I think it was a coyote.” He pointed to the wrist of the body on the right. “No other predation. None of these other corpses have a mark on them. That’s because they’re tainted. My guess is they’ve been recently embalmed. If you get close, you can smell formaldehyde and the disinfectant chemicals they use before they process the bodies.
“Man started embalming the dead about 6000 years ago using various chemicals, but today formaldehyde based solutions are used. Notice where that bite is, there’s no blood. A large trochanter is placed in a major artery in the abdomen. The blood is drained out and replaced with the embalming fluid. The center corpse’s eyes are gone. All the others seem intact because the mortician placed plastic caps under the lid tissue. Eyeballs shrink and this helps keep the eyes closed as the body is processed. That’s why they haven’t started to decay in this heat.”
Eagle raised an eyebrow, now intrigued, he took a step closer to the first corpse to get a better look.
“The costumes…, that is what they are, and the theatrical face paint are all wrong. This was done by somebody with only a cursory knowledge of Native Americans. This is like something out of a painting or an art book.”
Carlos nodded his agreement.
“The center corpse was brought from elsewhere. Only the coroner will be able to tell you cause of death. The killer has knowledge of this site. He either has surveyor equipment or an App on his phone that gives explicit details of the site like this one.” Adam held his phone up so the others could see it, “It gives GPS coordinates showing the line between Navajo land and County land. The victim is probably linked to the casino the Navajos are planning to build here.” Adam took a breath and turned his focus on Rick Kessler. “The killer knew the victim. He knows this site. He has a sense of the dramatic. You’re searching for two people, Agent Kessler. The one who devised this elaborate charade and the other one probably killed the man in the center. We all good here?” Three heads nodded. “If so, can I address the forensics team and the other officers?”
Kessler frowned, “Why?”
“I think it’s time to address the elephant in the room, don’t you?” Adam turned to Carlos. “Can I use the tailgate of your truck again?”
Carlos nodded.
“Okay, people.” Adam raised his voice, clapping his hands loudly to get everyone’s attention. Thirty people grew silent. Dropping the long sleeve shirt tied around his waist to the ground, he hopped up on the tailgate and addressed the curious crowd. “I know there have been a lot of rumors about what actually happened to me. I know some of you have questions.”
As he spoke, Adam undid his belt buckle. His jeans dropped down on his slender hips, exposing the area just above his penis and his lower back. Grabbing the hem of his tank tee, he whipped the fabric over his head before he had second thoughts. Holding his arms out, he turned slowly, letting the others see the scars and healed burn marks on his chest and back. He saw some look away. Others staring until they made out the words, liar and adulterer etched on his skin before they, too, looked down. The reaction surprised him. These were seasoned crime scene investigators. Most of them had seen worse, he was sure of that, but seeing them on a living body, a friend, drove home the heinousness of the crime against someone they all knew.
“I will entertain comments and questions, but I reserve the right to not answer. So, come on. Get it out.”
The first voice called out his opinion. “Wow, Adam, she beat the crap out of you.” Nervous laughter lightened the mood a bit.
Adam grinned, “Yeah, Carlos, that she did. She really did.” He looked around, “Anyone else?”
“Do the scars hurt?” A female voice called out.
“The scars on my back and buttocks are numb, but the burns are a different story. They’re still tender. As you notice, I’ve stopped manscaping.”
A few more laughs filtered through the group.
“Are you back to stay?”
“Yes. I don’t have any plans to leave again.”
“Uh, Adam.” One of the patrol officers pointed at his arms. “Are those track marks?”
Adam nodded, “Yes. I’ve had a long history of intermittent IV drug use. I have them on my legs and feet as well, but I’ve been clean and sober for eight months. Sort of a record for me.”
A voice from the back of the crowd piped up. “I heard she castrated you, did she?”
“Partial castration. I’m a one-nut wonder now, Dave.”
“I heard you and Detective Woodard are legally married. Is that true?”
Adam looked over at Eagle. “Yes.” He didn’t bother to elaborate as he watched his husband start to walk away.
“Adam, are you okay?”
Adam looked down at Vickie Montoya. Tears were streaming down her face. It hurt him to see this wonderful, gentle, sweet woman in such distress at what had been done to him. He jumped off the end of the pickup and went to her. He wrapped his arms around her short, round body. She leaned her wet, brown cheek against his chest and sobbed.
Adam placed a hand on her head, cradling it and shushing her until the tears began to subside. “I’m not okay, Vickie, but I’m getting better. I’m trying hard to get better.” He felt her nod against his skin. Three years ago, he learned the reason this lovely, sensitive woman worked these horrendous scenes. Her sister was murdered when they were teenagers. The culprit was never caught. From that day on, Vickie made it her goal in life to put criminals away, but her five foot stature prevented her from being a police officer. She’d studied hard and got her degrees in forensics and chemistry. In the past, Adam had always called her the best in the west and she was.
“You’re too thin, Adam. Come to dinner tonight.”
He shook his head. “Can’t, but I’ll take a raincheck if you promise to do your famous enchiladas.”
“Do you still have my number? You know you can call me, even if you just want to talk. Day or night.”
Adam pulled out his phone to check and found Vickie’s cell number. He showed it to her to prove he had it. He cupped her cheek in his hand. “I promise. I will call you. How are Julio and the kids?”
She grinned, “Have dinner with us and you’ll see. I missed you, Adam. Don’t let Eagle drive you away.”
“I won’t.” Adam looked up and saw Eagle walking toward the open desert. He kissed Vickie’s cheek before heading after his husband. Pulling his tank tee back on, he quickly backtracked to get his long sleeve shirt that he’d dropped beside Carlos’ truck. He had to run to catch up to Eagle.
“Eagle!” He called out, but the other man kept walking. “What? You gonna walk all the way back to Albuquerque just so you don’t have to talk to me?” Adam threw his hands in the air, stopping to catch his breath. He felt anxious and angry. Some of that could have been the effects of dehydration, but most of it was from the fear he had of the upcoming confrontation.
Eagle turned. Anger set his features into a hard mask as he stalked back. Stopping only when he was up close and personal in Adam’s space. “What the hell do you want from me? Do you want me to forgive you for leaving me? Is that what you want? Well, that ain’t happening!”
“I didn’t leave you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I coul
dn’t deal with the memories…, the nightmares. It was stupid of me to think I could come back to your house after what she did to me there. I couldn’t deal with….”
“Me! You couldn’t deal with me. So, you did what you’ve always done, Adam. You ran. You fucking ran!” Eagle reached out, shoving Adam in the chest, forcing him to take a step back. “I did everything you asked, you bastard, and you left me. I fucking loved you and once again, you sonnovabitch, you broke my heart. You didn’t even try. You just popped a pill, took a drink, or stuck a needle in your arm using the drugs I scored for you when you asked me to. I jeopardized my job, my fucking life, because I was so blind in love with you!” Eagle removed his sunglasses. Tears and raw pain filled his eyes. Angry with himself, he roughly wiped the evidence of his weakness away.
“That night I came home to a dark, silent house. I was scared shitless and then I found your note. A fucking post-it note on the kitchen counter that said, I can’t take this anymore. I was terrified it was a suicide note.”
“It was!” Adam screamed.
Eagle grabbed Adam’s shirt and pulled them nose to nose. The stench of stale alcohol sweat that leached from Eagle’s pores almost made Adam gag. “No…, no, it wasn’t. It was you being Adam, being a fucking drama queen. I put an APB out on you and where were you spotted? L.A.” He shook Adam before letting him go. “You ran off to party in Los Angeles and when the party ended, when you ran out of money, when none of your dealers would sell to you anymore, you half assed your way through rehab and then you came back. Just like always. Oh, look! I’m a good boy now. I’ve turned my life around. Bullshit! Except this time I won’t play your game, Adam.” Again, the tears began to well up in Eagle’s eyes. “Just leave me the fuck alone!” His husband turned and stormed away.
Adam stood there stunned as he tried to process everything the only man he’d ever loved had said to him. Until that moment, he’d held onto the hope of salvaging their relationship, but now…, he shook his head. A hand holding out a bottle of cool water came into view.
Carlos closed ranks with Adam. He could see the man wasn’t handling Eagle’s aggression as well as he would like everyone to believe. Haunted eyes looked away. Hands trembled. His shirt soaked with sweat. Carlos reached out, touching Adam’s arm. He knew the signs of PTSD and Adam Coulter was a classic case. Just as he touched Adam, he felt the other man jerk away. Adam practically ran to his Jeep, leaving Carlos having to sprint to catch him before he left.
Adam was in the driver’s seat, key in the ignition by the time Carlos reached him. “Hey!” He placed both hands on the open door, stopping the Doctor. “Hey, Adam, please….” He could see how upset the other man was. His hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles had lost all color.
“It’s okay, Adam. You’re going to be alright. Drink this.” He got the other man to take the water with trembling hands. Carlos watched as he chugged down the liquid before recapping the empty bottle. Adam handed it back to his friend.
“It’s over, Carlos, and it’s all my fault.”
“So, it’s true. You’re really married.”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, turns out we are.” He looked away, obviously embarrassed. “I’ll be honest. I really don’t remember signing the marriage certificate. Habit…, drunk? I don’t know. Eagle didn’t say a word about filing it with the Register’s office even after the assault. I didn’t know until I tried to buy a car in California and they wanted my spouse’s income. I told them I wasn’t married, but they said according to the state of New Mexico, I was.” He turned back to Carlos. “I thought maybe one of my ex’s didn’t file the right paperwork so I requested a copy of the certificate.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead on the scorching steering wheel. “Sure enough, Eagle had signed it, the damn Shaman turned out to be a Justice of the Peace and there were two witnesses I didn’t know…, probably a couple of the wait staff, signed it. Then someone turned it into the Register of Deeds. Pretty as you please, I’m married to Eagle Woodard. Unfortunately it looks like my fifth marriage isn’t going any better than the other four did.”
“Are you going to get a divorce?”
Adam snickered, “Yeah, kinda looks that way.”
Carlos patted Adam’s arm, then looked around to make certain no one was listening to their conversation. “I’m getting divorced.”
“Oh, Carlos, I’m so sorry to hear that, man. I thought you and Alicia had the perfect marriage.”
“Yeah, well, things happened. I know I’m going to end up paying alimony and child support. All the negotiations will take a while. The irony is Alicia and I are talking more now than we did when I lived there, but I’m not sure I want to get back together.” Again, he paused. “I can’t tell you what to do, Adam, but you might want to think about it before you file.” Carlos firmed his grip on Adam’s arm. “But if you do, sue him for alimony. At least he’ll have to talk to you. Maybe you can work something out. And if you can’t, well, you know….” His coal black eyes showed his sympathy for his friend’s plight. “I just want to say, as terrible as it was for you, you need to remember, you weren’t the only person who got hurt bad the day that crazy-assed woman kicked your butt.” Carlos stepped back, patting the Jeep’s door. “Do you mind if I call you later? I have something I want to ask you. It’s kinda personal.”
Adam shrugged, but nodded. In that moment, he realized what he’d be losing if the entire Woodard clan turned their backs on him. These people had been his foundation, his support through all the good times and the tough times. Losing even one of them over this probable divorce would be painful. At least Carlos seemed to want to stick by him and he’d do anything to keep his friendship. “Sure. Do you still have my number?”
Carlos smiled, “I called you in on this case, remember? So, I’ve definitely got your number.”
“Okay.” Adam grinned at this and sighed, “No problem, call me later.” He put the SUV into gear. Kicking up a cloud of dust as he drove away.
Carlos turned, almost running into Eagle. “What?”
“Take my advice and steer clear of him, Carlos.” Eagle turned as he started to walk away, but he still caught his cousin’s grumbled reply.
“I choose my own friends, asshole.”
Eagle’s steps slowed. He looked out over the empty desert. The heatwaves making the horizon dance and sway. It was the land of his people. Just as he’d feared, this break up would affect more than just him and Adam. The battle lines between him and his family members were already being drawn. Adam wasn’t just some random guy he’d been stupid enough to marry. Adam was an adopted member of his clan. His family loved Adam. In the past year, he’d alienated quite a few of his relatives with his own behavior. He hated causing this division, but for now, he didn’t know how to stop it.
Chapter Two
Adam sat at a crossroad listening to the click-click of his turn signal. Turning left meant three more miles of dirt road before hitting asphalt back into the city. Right, he’d head into Indian territory. To the outsider, the Navajo reservation seemed like countless miles of bad roads dotted with small houses and single-wide mobile homes. When there were any roads at all, the rain, snow, heat of summer, along with the shifting sands, quickly destroyed any of man’s efforts to tame the wild desert.
With a sigh, Adam made his decision and turned right. Twenty minutes on a dirt road took him to a rutted lane. Slowing, the vastness and beauty of the land around him helped to calm the restlessness that plagued him. The confrontation with Eagle had been worse than he’d anticipated. He knew he was the one to blame. Eagle had tried so hard. He’d tried to give Adam some semblance of normalcy, but every time his husband tried, he’d throw it in his face. Demanding Eagle go against everything he stood for and supply him with mind numbing drugs that held his pain at bay, but the oblivion they brought lasted only for a short time.
Time and again, he’d cry in frustration after repeated failed attempts at sex. Rough, almost violent sex had alwa
ys worked in the past to get his mind off of anything he didn’t want to face. The endorphin rush of an explosive orgasm would take him out of his own head for a while. After about a month, Eagle finally refused to hurt him. He hated the acts Adam begged for. Eagle had held his lover tight to his chest, enduring Adams rants and punches as he had blamed Eagle for his impotence, not himself. He didn’t want to hear the doctor tell him there was nothing wrong with him physically. That his dysfunction had to be psychological. All this and more led to him leaving Eagle and in his lover’s mind this had been the breaking point. This was his unforgivable sin.
Another thirty minutes of slowly weaving between potholes deep enough to break an axle if he wasn’t careful, brought him to the base of a mountain. It jutted red and tall, proud against the clear blue sky. Leaving his long sleeve shirt in the car, he now opted for a ballcap. Stripping off his tank tee which was glued to him with sweat, he stepped out into the relentless sun. The scars from the assault on the tops of his arms gleamed white against his tanned skin.
The track marks on the insides of both forearms were fresher, but obviously not new. Healing, they stood dark and raised on the tender skin. They would fade with time, but would never disappear entirely. They stood as silent reminders of what he’d done to himself. The beginnings of an Asian design tattoo on his right shoulder dimmed some of the other scar lines, but he’d had to abandon his work in progress when his money started to run out.
Adam looked up. No clouds buffered the unrelenting heat. People always said the heat in New Mexico was a dry heat, but today proved that hot was hot and smart people stayed inside until after dark.
Pocketing his keys, Adam started the climb over low lying rocks which hid a trail around the side of the mountain. A fifteen minute walk had the sweat pouring down his back and chest. Coulter found himself wishing he’d brought a bottle of water from the cooler in the back seat. The temperature was rising rapidly. The forecasters had been right. It was 10 am and the heat was bordering on 100 degrees already.
Mountainway Chant Page 2