Shooting Chant

by Aimée

  “Let’s see what he says when he gets back.”

  Ella and Justine searched the grounds and found a spot in the brush where the attacker had been hiding, possibly for hours. The boot-prints they found were all too familiar.

  Ella went inside the house and, with Justine’s help, questioned all the guests while Big Ed joined forces with Blalock, out searching for the attacker. At the end of two hours of questioning, Ella knew nothing more than when she’d started. No guests were unaccounted for, and none had seen anyone outside just before the bombing.

  As Ella wrote a few notes to herself on the pad she kept in her shirt, Justine approached. “So, it looks like you were right. This was all a setup, and you were the target, not Judge Chase. The guy who firebombed you was extremely patient. He probably got set up here before we did, and just waited. Blalock said he was wearing camouflage fatigues. This fellow in the boots is really starting to get on my nerves,” Justine said, annoyed. “Branch is responsible for this, so I think I’ll head over to his house and roust him.”

  Ella bit her lip to keep from smiling. Justine was only a little over five feet tall. It would be hard, if not impossible, for her to give Branch anything to worry about.

  “We’ll do it together. Let’s go now. I want every bit of information that man has and, if we wake him up in the middle of the night, we’ll have a temporary advantage.”

  As Ella climbed into Justine’s vehicle, she could feel her body thrumming with tension and fear. She’d been a target before, but it was different now. Her unborn baby deserved a chance to live, and this incident had just been too close.

  “Are you okay?” Justine asked.

  With a burst of will, Ella forced her body to grow still. The baby needed her, but so did the tribe. She was fighting not only to keep her baby safe, but so that everyone else’s babies could grow up safe on the reservation. This was their home, the land prepared for them by the gods who had given them the four mountains and four rivers to protect them. It was The People’s right to live here in peace and to have a safe place to raise their children.

  “It was a close call,” Ella said at last, “and I’m determined to see to it that no one ever takes me by surprise like that again. One way or another, I’m going to catch this boot-wearing jerk and throw his sorry butt in jail. But this guy is crafty. He comes in darkness and disappears like the wind.”

  “We’ve had tough enemies before, boss. We’ll catch whoever it is.”

  It was close to midnight when they reached George Branch’s home. The old farmhouse was dark, and everything was quiet inside and out except for the crickets in the yard. Branch’s SUV was parked in the driveway, and the tiny blinking red light on the dashboard indicated the vehicle had an alarm system.

  “Let’s go give him something to think about,” Ella said.

  She knocked loudly on the front door, identifying them as the police, then continued knocking until a half asleep George Branch came to the door, turning on the porch light.

  “What the heck are you two doing here? Just because you don’t sleep doesn’t mean no one else does.”

  “We need to ask you some questions right now, Mr. Branch,” Ella said. “Would you prefer to do this at the station?”

  He turned on the light in his living room, and motioned for them to come inside. “What is it with you? What’s so damned important it couldn’t wait until morning?”

  “You set me up,” Ella said, pushing him so he fell back onto the sofa in a sitting position.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about and I’m too sleepy right now to try and figure it out. Save us both some time and spill it.”

  “That was no kidnapping attempt your informant clued you in on. Someone tried to roast me alive, and I’m holding you responsible,” Ella snapped, then recapped the events for him.

  Branch’s eyes finally opened wide, and he leaned forward to listen. “You don’t really think I had something to do with that, do you? Think about it. You’ve annoyed me a few times, but that scarcely gives me a motive for murder. A lot of people annoy me, and I don’t go out and try to kill them.”

  “Have you considered the fact that you’ve been set up, too?” Ella pressed. “They used you like they tried to use me. They wanted you to look responsible when I ended up dead.”

  His jaw dropped open and, for a moment, he said nothing. Finally gathering himself, he shook his head. “I did what you told me to do. I passed on information. What happens after that has nothing to do with me.”

  “What happened tonight was attempted murder. Think of the term ‘accessory’ and you’ll get a clearer idea of where you stand,” Justine said.

  “I had nothing whatsoever to do with what happened,” he roared.

  “Why should I believe you? You’ve done nothing except play games,” Ella demanded.

  “What do you want from me?” Branch groaned.

  “You can start by telling me who tipped you off?” Ella asked calmly, sitting down across from the sofa. Justine remained standing, but took out a pen and small notebook.

  “I never saw him. He called me at the station.”

  “And you didn’t recognize the voice?”

  “No, I really didn’t. I was about to go on the air, and there were a dozen other things going on at the time. Believe me, if I knew who it was, I’d take you to his house myself.”

  “That’s not good enough. You’re giving me nothing, Branch.”

  “I can’t give you what I haven’t got!” he moaned.

  “Try harder,” Justine insisted.

  “I can tell you a bit about what’s been happening behind the scenes in Shiprock, if you want,” he sighed, and seeing Ella nod, continued. “I heard from Avery Blueeyes yesterday. He got scared to death when he heard about the kidnappings. He’s terrified he’s being set up as the one responsible.”

  “Why would he think that?” Justine asked.

  “I already told Officer Clah how Yellowhair really ruined Avery’s land deal. Well, the other person who stood with Yellowhair against Avery and backed his position was Ernest Ben, the head of economic development. That was one of the rare times those two men stood together on an issue.”

  “We’ve been looking for Avery lately, but his family says that he’s fishing somewhere, maybe Navajo Lake. But that’s a big place. Do you know where we can find him?”

  “Not a clue. But I don’t think he’s out in some boat on the lake. He’s around, he called me from a cell phone. I can tell because there was a certain kind of interference—you know, the type where it fades in and out. If I were you, I’d look in Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, or thereabouts. Even if he tried, he couldn’t stay low profile here on the Rez where everyone knows him.”

  Ella stood up slowly. “I want you to understand one thing, Branch. If I ever find out that you’ve been holding out on me, I’m going to be all over you. Your life will become one never-ending string of misery. If you so much as breathe wrong, we’ll bring you in.”

  As she walked toward the door, she glanced into the adjoining room. The door had been closed before, and she’d assumed it was a bedroom. Now, seeing inside for the first time, she had to admit it looked more like an armory. An expensive wall-length gun cabinet was filled with a variety of old and new, expensive, high-quality pistols and rifles. Ella remembered the .380 auto used at the clinic break-in, and was about to ask Branch a few more questions, when she saw him following her line of vision.

  His eyes glittered, and his expression hardened. “You didn’t see those last time, did you? If I’d wanted you dead, Investigator Clah, I wouldn’t have fooled around with some knife or messy firebomb.” He waved an arm toward his collection. “I’m a gun rights activist, if you didn’t catch the message from my program.”

  “Have any weapons from your collection ever been stolen, or turned up missing?”

  “Not ever. The door to that room is lined with steel, and is kept locked except when I’m at home. I also have a sophisti
cated alarm system set up in there. My entire house is modified to offer certain surprises, too. Suffice it to say that I’ve never had a gun stolen. I’m almost waiting for someone to try. Take a closer look, if you want. These guns, for the most part, have never even been fired.”

  “What do you mean ‘for the most part,’” Ella said.

  “I belong to an association of gun collectors. Every once in a while we hold special functions, and we get to show off some of our classic weapons on the firing range.”

  “You said you had surprises for a would-be thief all over the house,” Justine said. “What kind of surprises do you think would stop a determined thief?”

  “There’s nothing illegal here, I assure you,” he said. His expression turned hard. “But, just so you know, from now on, whenever you want to talk to me, I want my attorney present. I’ve done my best to help you but, instead of being grateful, all you’ve done is accuse me of a crime. I’ve had enough. I’m not going to be railroaded by anyone—you or any other crazy group on the Rez. Being a nice guy never pays off—least of all, for the nice guy.”

  They left Branch’s house, heading down the highway back toward the Rez. Silence stretched out between them until they reached the community of Shiprock. “Where to now?” Justine asked.

  “I want to stop by the station, then I’ll need you to drive me home.”

  “And pick you up tomorrow?”

  “That, too. I don’t know how long it’ll be before Big Ed can find me a replacement vehicle.”

  The station’s graveyard shift was now in place, but the office staff was long gone, and the hallways were all but deserted. Their footsteps echoed as they walked toward their offices.

  “I hate this place at night,” Justine muttered.

  “It’s just as alive as it is during the day. The main difference is that it moves at an entirely different pace. I don’t think I’d mind working graveyard if I was out on patrol.”

  “I would. That’s how I got started. You’re awake when the world’s asleep, and vice versa. I didn’t have any kind of life outside my job.”

  Ella chuckled. “And you have one now?”

  Justine smiled. “Not much of one.”

  “You still seeing Billy?”

  “Sorta,” she said with a shrug.

  “What’s that mean?”

  “Our relationship isn’t working out,” she said, her tone betraying her disappointment. “I like him, Ella, a lot. But he’s got some ideas that just aren’t compatible with mine. It’s not traditionalist as opposed to progressive, either. He wants to be the most important thing in my life, and I guess I’m just not ready for that. I’ve got a career and other demands that have to take equal billing.”

  Ella smiled sadly. She recognized the arguments all too well. “There was a time in my life when every man I met had the same problem. They wanted me in a job where I could be with them anytime they were off work. But our lives aren’t that way.”

  “And being cops is part of everything we like about ourselves,” Justine finished. “Is that why you didn’t remarry after you got into law enforcement?”

  “There’ve been men in my life, some who I thought I loved, or could love, but the fact is, that my job always stood between us.”

  “Do you regret it?” Justine asked, her voice a bare whisper.

  Ella shook her head. “Not generally. I mean there are times when I look at certain couples, like Big Ed and his wife, who’ve been married forever, and I wish I could have found that kind of friend and partner. But I don’t regret the choices I’ve made. I really don’t see how I could have made different ones.”

  Ella reached her desk, and started going through the pile of files and mail that had accumulated there. “This is what I was looking for. The autopsy is in for Elisa Brownhat.” She scanned the pages quickly. “She was about eight weeks pregnant. From the report, it’s clear that she died of a broken neck, but the other bruises aren’t consistent with those of a fall from a horse. There are no bruises on her body except faint ones on her jaw and the back of her neck—as if somebody grabbed her hard and twisted her head, snapping her neck.” Ella rubbed her eyes. “So it’s now official. What we probably have here is another murder. We still don’t have the toxicology results, which haven’t come back yet, but I doubt she was high on something that might have made her fall, especially considering the placement of the bruises. Carolyn hasn’t been wrong yet when it comes to determining cause of death.”

  “I spoke with many who knew her, and she wasn’t carrying on an affair, apparently. Nobody had any reason to kill her that I could find, and I remember Neskahi saying Billy had an alibi,” Justine said slowly. “But Elisa did show her horse at the Agricultural Society’s exhibition. Have you noticed that everything seems to be happening to the people who were near the fairgrounds that day? Even Kyle Hansen, who was next door, fits into that category. But what’s the motive behind all this? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Ella closed her eyes for a moment. “You know, I’m too beat to think. Lately I’ve been exhausted almost all the time. Take me home, and we’ll get started again tomorrow morning at eight. If we’re lucky, we might yet get six hours of sleep tonight.”

  SEPTEMBER 16TH

  Ella woke up shortly after daybreak. Two was standing by the window, growling. Automatically reaching for her weapon, which she kept on the nightstand, she got out of bed and peered outside. The same figure she’d seen before was standing on the dirt road about fifty yards away from the back door. It was the old woman with the goats. Kevin Tolino’s grandmother was at it again. She didn’t seem to be a threat, but it was still annoying.

  “She’s still coming around,” Rose said, coming up behind Ella.

  Ella jumped.

  “You won’t need that gun,” Rose said. “That old woman’s not here to harm us, just to watch.”

  “This is really annoying. I’m going to get Kevin to put a stop to it. And if he can’t, then I’ll do it for him.”

  Rose walked out and Ella showered quickly. As she came out of the bathroom, she saw that Two was still by the window. He was no longer growling, and when she checked, the figure was gone.

  “You keep watching, Two. And if you ever feel compelled to bite them, even the old lady, I’ll back you up.”

  TWENTY-ONE

  Justine arrived at Ella’s home early. As they got ready to leave, the phone rang. Ella felt her muscles tighten. Lately, whenever the phone rang early, it was Big Ed with bad news. Picking up the receiver and hearing the chief’s voice, she braced herself.

  “I thought you’d like to know that your brother’s out of jail,” he said. “All charges were dropped and, in turn, he’s dropped his charges against the sergeant.”

  Ella breathed a sigh of relief. “All Clifford wanted to do was show Manuelito what could happen if he didn’t stop his harassment. I can’t say I blame him.”

  “I’ll speak to the sergeant today. Do you still want him on your team?”

  “I’d like him to stay available, but I intend to use him only as a last resort.”

  “Noted.”

  Ella and Justine stopped for gas, then headed directly to the station. An hour later, after signing for another vehicle, a white squad car Big Ed had made available to her, Ella received a call from Wilson. He was being very circumspect on the phone, which wasn’t normal for him.

  “Can you come over? I want to talk to you in person,” he said.

  “Are you in your office at the college?”

  “Where else? I’ll be here until late, too. It’s my day to meet with my Science Fair kids.”

  Ella left the office in her newly assigned vehicle and headed toward the college. Using her cell phone, which had fortunately escaped incineration during last night’s fiery debacle, she telephoned Kevin. It took a while to track him down, but she finally found him at home. He’d taken a day off since he didn’t have any client meetings and wasn’t scheduled for court.

  “I need
to see you, Kevin. Can we meet today?”

  “I can guess what you want to talk about. Grandmother Rena has been here at my house a lot lately, and I understand you’ve seen her walking down your way a few times.”

  “We need to talk about that,” Ella said.

  “I know. Do you want to come here, or shall I meet you somewhere?”

  “Will you be alone today?”

  “Grandmother has taken her goats and gone back to her hogan. I don’t expect her or my family to be visiting for a long time.”

  She knew from Kevin’s tone of voice that he’d finally found out the whole story and hadn’t liked what had happened any more than she had. She hoped that would make it easier to talk to him.

  “I’ll meet you at your house in about two hours. Okay with you?” she asked.

  “I’ll see you then, Ella.”

  As she disconnected and closed up the phone, she felt slightly better. Kevin liked running his own life, and he’d find even the thought that someone was interfering with his personal business profoundly irritating.

  Ella looked out the window at the river valley to her right, and the arid hills and mesas rising before her on the left. The land looked peaceful, with most of the harvest in and cold weather still weeks away, but there was a restlessness among The People. An intangible force was attacking the fabric of life here, pulling it in so many directions it couldn’t survive intact.

  She tried to push back the feelings of dread that chilled her spirit. Unless she found answers soon, there would be no harmony and no walking in beauty—not for her or anyone else on the Rez.

  By the time she arrived at Wilson’s office, her science teacher friend was visibly nervous. He was pacing by the window, and so lost in thought that he never heard her come in.

  “Hey, Professor,” she greeted, taking a chair.

  He spun around quickly. “I didn’t know you were there.” He went to his desk and sat down, clearing his throat before speaking again. “Do you remember Alice Washburn?”

  “Sure. Gloria’s daughter.”

  “Yeah. The little girl with the rabbit that had babies. Well, I saw the one surviving offspring of the rabbit and he’s quite remarkable.”