Christmas Witness

by Aimée Thurlo

  “The sun’s out and it’s clearing up, so the Matachines Dance will be getting under way soon. Between the dancers, the pueblo residents, and whatever tourists have managed to brave the weather, it’s going to be difficult to do anything,” Nick said. “Everyone comes to the Christmas Day dance.”

  “I’m going to have Martin, Rick, and the other hands available guard the ranch,” Jake said. “But I still need your help, brother. I’d like you to pose as me one more time and make the drop.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to be the one who moves in on this man. I owe him for more than the death of our father.”

  “All right, but we better coordinate things with Mora so we don’t all trip over each other.”

  After getting the tribal police captain on the phone again, Jake filled him in, bringing him up to date, and then explained his plan to catch Lowman.

  “I like it. Let’s go with it.”

  “Do you have what my brother needs to take to the drop site?” Jake asked.

  “Yes, and I’ve had everything covered with a substance that will leave an ultraviolet stain on Lowman’s hands. It’ll be the icing on the cake when we bring him in.”

  “All right,” Jake said. “Then we’re all set. Nick will make the drop and leave the area. I’ll monitor the drop site while you watch my brother’s back.”

  “My men will have to be on duty elsewhere today. There’s only four of us to keep track of all the tourists and the villagers, so we’ll be on our own with this. I wish there was time to call in for reinforcements, but there isn’t.”

  “Then we’ll handle it,” Jake said confidently. As long as Annie was here safe with the baby, he wasn’t in the least bit worried about his ability to handle a weasel such as Lowman.

  “Just make sure you don’t move in on Lowman until I give you the word, Jake,” Mora warned. “We want to wait until he’s away from the plaza. I don’t want any innocent bystanders to end up hurt because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  JAKE WATCHED NICK work his way through the crowd to make the drop. His brother kept his cool, even as the pueblo dancers came out. They moved in formation, the sounds of their rattles adding a rich vibrancy to the accompaniment of the drums and guitars.

  By now, there were so many people in the way it was nearly impossible for Jake to follow his brother’s progress to the drop site. Jake was circling slowly, his cowboy hat low on his face, when he saw a woman approach Nick. Listening carefully, he heard her ask him about Annie’s new baby girl. A cold chill suddenly enveloped Jake. He should have known the secret would have been impossible to keep, particularly after the EMT rescue unit had been in. Even the weather couldn’t stop gossip here on the pueblo. Worst of all, if the word was out, then Lowman would soon learn that Annie had been rescued—that is, if he didn’t know already. Time was running out for all of them.

  Nick made the drop, then moved back to join the crowd. He had almost reached the gathering when the dancers fired blanks from a rifle, symbolically killing the figure who represented evil. The crowd cheered and, as the dance came to an end, one of the masked dancers approached Nick.

  Nick stiffened slightly and, sensing trouble, Jake edged closer. Nick was being prodded back toward the drop site. With people milling around, talking and greeting each other, no one paid any attention to the two men. Lowman had again resorted to a disguise to get close, and Jake cursed himself for not thinking one step ahead.

  As Nick picked up the pouch containing the documents, Jake spotted the small handgun pressed into Nick’s back. Jake edged even closer, wondering where Mora was, then saw him creeping up from the left.

  “Just keep doing as I say, Jake,” Lowman said to Nick, unaware that he’d taken the wrong captive. “I’m not using blanks, and plenty of innocent people could get hurt if you try something stupid.”

  Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the ground. People screamed and, in the distance, flames and flying debris blew out the windows of the bank at the north end of the plaza.

  Some of the people rushed toward the bank, ready to help put out the fire before it could spread. The rest of the crowd went in the opposite direction, leaving the plaza as quickly as they could. Suspecting the explosion was only a diversion, Jake narrowed the gap between him and his brother, preparing to make his move against Lowman. Just then Captain Mora stepped out from behind a border wall and aimed a high kick at Lowman’s ribs, knocking him away from Nick.

  As the banker fell to the ground, he fired a shot at Mora. The officer grunted, taking the hit to his stomach and staggering back. Nick and Jake both tried to reach Lowman, but the banker whirled around with his pistol and the brothers were forced to dive for cover.

  Lowman snatched Mora’s keys from his belt and ran, turning to fire a shot at Jake, who was just scrambling to his feet. As Jake hit the ground and rolled, the bullet struck the wall behind him. By the time Jake was able to resume the chase, Lowman was climbing into Mora’s police utility vehicle, which was parked in the plaza.

  Jake knew he’d never catch the banker on foot now. Seeing the direction Lowman was heading, Jake felt his blood turn to ice. “Get help for Mora,” he shouted to Nick, who was examining the downed cop. “Lowman’s going to the ranch, and I’ve got to stop him. I think he plans to use Annie and the baby as hostages because the road conditions won’t let him make a quick getaway.”

  “Having a cop car will help him get close without rousing Martin’s suspicions, too,” Nick yelled, reaching for his cell phone, then muttering an oath. “I can’t get through. The storm—”

  “Keep trying. Use Mora’s hand-held radio and call in help, but find a way to warn Martin.”

  Jake raced back to Martin’s truck across the snow, his heart pounding against his sides. Fear, black and as cold as the winter wind, slammed into him as he thought of Annie and Jacqueline in mortal danger.

  A minute later he reached the truck. Despite the icy conditions, he pressed down on the accelerator, determined to protect them at all costs. He took a shortcut down an old farm road, hoping to beat Lowman to the ranch, but Virgil Lowman knew the terrain as well as he did. And the man was desperate by now. Trying to burn down the bank to destroy evidence was ample proof of that.

  Jake pushed the truck for all the speed it could muster, though the back fishtailed wildly in the wet snow. In the distance he could see the police vehicle Lowman had taken.

  At long last, Jake skidded to a stop in the driveway beside the main house. Lowman had arrived just ahead of him. The lights of the police cruiser were still flashing and the engine was running. Grabbing Martin’s rifle from the rack, Jake moved toward the house. He’d grown up with guns on the ranch, but he’d never thought of pointing one at a human—until now.

  As he drew near, careful to remain behind cover, he saw Lowman smash the study window with his gloved fist. Jake brought his rifle up, but then he caught a glimpse of Annie inside. She didn’t have the baby in her arms; she was holding something else, but he could hear Jacquie’s wails clearly even from where he was.

  Knowing that there was no way he could shoot in the direction of the house and not risk having the high-powered bullet penetrate the walls, he moved to his left for a safer field of fire. Leaves rustled faintly beneath his feet. Suddenly Lowman spun around, gun in hand, and Jake dove into the bushes.

  “I know you’re there, Jake,” he said. “I can see the mist from your breath. Come out from behind cover so I can see you clearly.”

  “I’m armed, Lowman. Give it up. There’s no reason for you to die.”

  He laughed. “Do as you’re told, Jake. Drop the rifle and come out. I know there’s no way you’ll risk shooting me from where you are, not while I’m right next to the house.”

  Jake came out slowly. He couldn’t shoot. Even if he hit Lowman, the bullet could pass through him and continue its trajectory through several walls until it finally lodged somewhere in the house. And bullets didn’t discriminate. They could h
it walls as easily as they could hit Annie or the baby. Lowman had the upper hand and there was nothing he could do—except, hopefully, divert him away from Annie and the baby.

  Lowman allowed Jake to approach him. “Call Annie, Jake. Tell her to come out here.”

  Jake’s smile was deadly. “Not a chance.”

  “Then say goodbye to your family,” Lowman said, bracing his arm as he pointed the barrel directly at Jake’s heart. “I’m taking out at least one more Black Raven before I leave, and it looks like it’s going to be you.”

  “Drop it!” Annie appeared at the corner of the house, holding one of Paul’s shotguns. “Put the gun down, and then step away from it.”

  Her voice was firm, and conveyed the strength of a woman prepared to do whatever was necessary to protect those she loved.

  Jake looked at her with pride and admiration. Then, as he shifted his gaze to Lowman, Jake saw the fear in his eyes. Lowman had seen the shotgun and knew, as Jake did, that Annie wasn’t bluffing.

  Lowman put the gun down, following Annie’s orders.

  Jake picked up Lowman’s pistol just as Nick came running around the side of the house, followed by Rick and Martin.

  “What took you so long?” Jake asked with a crooked smile.

  “Better late than never, I always say,” Nick answered.

  “I’m glad to see you’re all okay,” Martin said. Taking the rifle Jake had set down, he took charge of their prisoner.

  Captain Mora pulled up in a police car and stepped out. Seeing the surprise on Jake’s face, he grinned. “There’s nothing like a bullet-resistant vest. But it still felt like being kicked by a mule. It knocked the wind clear out of me.”

  Mora strode up to Lowman and handcuffed him. “Your firebomb wasn’t as efficient as you’d hoped. The sprinkler system you’d neutralized was turned back on, and it put out the fire within seconds. You’re going away for a long time.”

  Jake took the shotgun out of Annie’s shaking hands. She hadn’t moved. “It’s okay, now, sweetheart. It’s over.”

  As the prisoner was taken away, Jake gathered Annie into his arms. A hush fell over the desert as he held her, then a gentle breeze rose from the west carrying the distant sound of many voices raised in Tewa song.

  “It’s the start of the new dance, a Tewa prayer for rain and fertility this coming season. But we already have our blessings.” He kissed her for an eternity before easing his hold. “Let’s go see our daughter.”

  As they entered the house, Elsie came up, holding Jacquie who was crying, wanting to be fed.

  Annie sat in the easy chair, and Jake brought the baby to her. With Annie guiding him, he placed the baby’s mouth on Annie’s breast and watched her begin nursing.

  His family was together, and finally safe. This was one Christmas that would live in their memories forever.

  Author’s Note

  The Native American rites depicted in this novel have been abbreviated to avoid offending those whose religious beliefs depend on the secrecy of rituals. To protect the privacy of individual pueblos, the village depicted in this story is a fictional composite of the many Tewa pueblos.

  Look for Nick Black Raven’s story coming in

  2000-only from Harlequin Intrigue.

  ISBN : 978-1-4592-5152-6

  CHRISTMAS WITNESS

  Copyright © 1999 by Aimée Thurlo

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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