by Aimée
It hadn’t been a request, but she wasn’t his subordinate, so she took her time responding. “Any place where I can get a cup of coffee first, Sanders?” she asked casually.
He didn’t answer, but cocked his head down the hall. They reached his office a short time later. Though they’d walked down several corridors, Sanders hadn’t said a word. Finally, after she entered his office, he kicked the door shut with the tip of his boot.
“You do not walk into my department and talk to my people without my permission—particularly men that I served with overseas,” he said, glowering at her.
“I didn’t see Chief of Police on your door, Sergeant, and you don’t sign my paycheck. My investigation is none of your business—unless you have something to hide,” Ella countered. His face started getting red, but she continued. “My investigation points to events that happened before Jimmy came home, so I’m going to keep digging.”
Considering the vein on his forehead was bulging, Ella was surprised when he waited so long before responding. “Your investigation points to carjackings that have been going on for months. The evidence is there in front of all our faces. Why don’t we stop trying to pee on each other’s street corner and join forces so we can shut those jerks down? Our department has doubled our early morning patrols and has questioned all the perps in our area who’ve been previously convicted of car theft. What is your PD doing?”
“Our job,” she said, and stood up. “Right now I’m investigating a murder, and that’s my priority.”
“Let us help,” Sanders countered.
“Good idea. You can start by not getting in my way.”
“You were talking to one of my men about things that went on overseas. You overstepped your bounds,” he snapped.
“We disagree on that,” Ella said. “And you should know not to interfere in a murder investigation.”
“Why are you complicating things, Clah? It’s all right there in front of you. Jimmy Blacksheep, less than three weeks out of a war zone, blew his cool and reacted instead of thinking. In the armed forces, reacting can save your butt because the bad guys are after you. But in civilian life, resisting a simple robbery is stupid. In this case, it got him killed.”
“I don’t think that’s what happened,” she said.
“Why do you insist on making this about Iraq?”
“I’m not making it about anything. What I’m doing is following the evidence.” She had no intention of telling Sanders about the story Jimmy had mailed her. The sergeant was still a suspect.
“Look at it logically—the guy felt squirrely enough to want to buy a gun for his return trip,” Sanders insisted. “When the carjackers stopped him, fighting was the first thing on his mind. Jimmy wasn’t about to put his life in somebody else’s hands, not so soon after Iraq. Don’t you get that?”
“That’s one explanation. We just can’t prove it yet. But keep in mind that it’s equally possible that he had something in his car he didn’t want anyone to take from him.”
“Like what?” Sanders pressed.
“Makes you wonder. It’s an interesting theory, don’t you think?”
“You were asking Smith about missing supplies and equipment overseas. How’s that tie into anything?”
Things were starting to get sticky. Sanders obviously had no idea that Jimmy had sent her a package—which, of course, raised other interesting questions, like why hadn’t Jimmy sent the package to his brother or spoken to Sanders about whatever had been worrying him. Ultimately, had he considered one or both a threat? He obviously hadn’t trusted them.
“I’d better be going,” Ella said.
“Listen, we’re on the same side,” he said in a more conciliatory tone. “Private Blacksheep served in my platoon, and I want to catch whoever killed him. Unfortunately, I’ve just been assigned to desk duty to catch up on paperwork for a few days. But I’ll be consulting with the officer taking my place in the field. I’ll still be in the loop so if you need support from our department, like backup or technical assistance, all you have to do is ask and I’ll make sure it goes through channels quickly.”
“Who’s covering for you?”
“Officer Samuel Blacksheep.”
Ella stared at him. “How the heck did that happen?”
“It wasn’t my idea, but he was putting a lot of heat on the supervisor and the rest of the higher-ups. They came to the conclusion that it was better to channel his energy for a while, and, as a Navajo, Officer Blacksheep was the ideal choice as short-term liaison between our department and yours. He’s got a rep for being a good officer and a team player. Between you and me, this is a workable solution. We know he would have been involved anyway, but at least this way he’ll have plenty of others keeping an eye on him. And, after a few days, I’ll be back with the unit and Blacksheep will return to the traffic unit.”
“It’s their call,” Ella said dubiously, “not mine or yours. How do you feel about Samuel being given your assignment right now?”
Sanders gave Ella a long look. “Samuel Blacksheep and I were friends for many years, but things have changed between him and me since I got back. He expected me to keep an eye on Jimmy, and the kid got back in one piece, but first thing back, he gets himself killed. I think Samuel feels that I somehow missed seeing a threat that was following his brother home. He’ll bring that viewpoint into the investigation. Maybe he needs that now in order to deal with his own issues.”
“So Samuel doesn’t buy the carjacking thing?”
“He believes that it’s just one aspect of a much larger case, and for the next day or two, he’ll be working to prove those theories.”
Before long, Ella pulled out of the station, questions swirling in her mind like snow flurries caught in the wind. Trying to figure out who was manipulating who, on and off the police force, was certainly getting to be a puzzle in itself. Knowing that answers always came more easily when she didn’t force them, she allowed her thoughts to drift.
Her next step would be to find out more about Juanita Betoni. The woman probably knew more about both brothers than anyone else around, at least concerning the nature of their relationship and their attitude toward each other. Ella called Justine and had her look up Juanita’s whereabouts, then report back with the information.
A short time later Ella arrived at the hospital in Shiprock where Juanita Betoni worked as a geriatric nurse. Ella turned her cell phone off in accordance with hospital restrictions, then went inside. Justine had called and arranged for a meeting, so Ella followed the directions she’d been given and took the elevator upstairs to the nurse’s station.
“Can I help you?” a young Navajo woman with big, soulful eyes asked, looking up from her filing.
“I’m looking for Juanita Betoni,” Ella said, identifying herself, then noted the nurse’s name tag, and smiled. “Guess I found you.”
“I’ve been expecting you, Investigator Clah,” Juanita said with a quirky half smile, then added, “You’ve got perfect timing. It’s time for my break. You want to go to the snack room? I’m a quart low on coffee at the moment. It’s almost eleven-thirty now, and I need a sandwich and coffee.”
As they walked down the hall, Ella studied Juanita. She was in her late twenties and slim, with an abundance of charisma that transcended her looks. Juanita appeared to be both confident and vulnerable—a combination she suspected men found very appealing.
They entered a small lounge equipped with vending machines and Juanita bought herself and Ella a cup of coffee and a sandwich. “I’ve been expecting you to come by, Officer Clah. I knew that, sooner or later, you’d track me down. I’m so sorry about what happened to Jimmy.”
“I need to talk to you about Jimmy and Samuel,” Ella said, taking a large bite out of the stale sandwich. It was better than nothing, but not by much.
Juanita nodded. “Jimmy and I dated for a few months before he went overseas. We were really just friends. But, as we corresponded, his letters began to change. He got
very intense, telling me he wanted to settle down after he got back and how much I meant to him. He was going way beyond what I wanted our relationship to be.”
Ella waited as Juanita lapsed into a thoughtful silence and finished her sandwich. She was just about to press her to continue, when Juanita did so on her own.
“All things considered, I think his perspective changed because of where he was, but I’d been happy with the way things were. So I decided it was time to call it quits. I didn’t want to lead him on. But knowing Jimmy was in a war zone, I started getting worried that he’d go nuts and end up doing something stupid and dangerous. That would have been just like Jimmy. That’s why I went to talk to Samuel. I was hoping he could give me some advice on how to handle things.”
“So what happened?” Ella asked.
“At first we just talked, going out for coffee. He was kind and we got along, right from the beginning—more so than Jimmy and I ever had. Samuel was so much more mature. Then one thing led to another and our stops for coffee became more . . . involved. We were careful, but somehow Jimmy found out, maybe from a girlfriend of another soldier in his unit who knew me. We’d been in contact off and on—you know, mutual support for the guys. After that, Jimmy started sending me really abusive e-mails. Samuel got a look at them, and told Jimmy to grow up, and to take it up with him if he had a problem.”
Juanita took a sip of coffee, then looked down at her hands before speaking again. “I’m not sure what happened after that. I stopped hearing from Jimmy and Samuel wouldn’t discuss it. I was really afraid that when Jimmy got back he’d find Samuel and they’d square off someplace. Now Jimmy’s dead, and Samuel’s determined to catch whoever did it. It’s one thing for them to be at odds with each other—they were family, and that’s what happens to brothers sometimes. But the way things stand, there’s no way Samuel will rest until his brother’s killer is behind bars.”
Unless he’d done it himself. It was possible the men had found themselves locked in a standoff, and one of them had started shooting. As a police officer, Samuel would have known the details of the carjackings and could have manipulated the murder in a way that would mislead the investigation. But he probably hadn’t expected his brother to come in armed and ready to fight. Somebody had been shot in addition to Jimmy, too. It wasn’t Samuel, so if there had been a confrontation, someone else had been there as well.
“I can see it in your eyes,” Juanita said softly. “You’re thinking Samuel might have killed his brother because of me, but that’s not what happened. If Samuel and Jimmy had met, there would have been busted noses and a black eye or two, but that’s about it. No guns, no knives, no sticks and stones, just fists and words. Deep down they loved each other. They were brothers.”
Ella didn’t comment. She knew brotherly love could go sour and turn into hate. Stories of it abounded, dating all the way back to Cain and Abel. Times changed, but people did not.
As Ella drove back to the station, she reviewed what she’d learned, but the puzzle still refused to come together. What she needed most of all was evidence—hard facts that would point her conclusively in the right direction. The rest of Jimmy Blacksheep’s story might give her some direction, or even make sense out of the part she had. But until she found it, she’d have to continue digging hard into Jimmy’s life—the last months of it, in particular.
The ringing cell phone interrupted her thoughts. Ella identified herself and heard Rose’s taut voice. “Can you come home?”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Your daughter. She’s been suspended.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. Can you repeat that?” Ella asked, sure she’d heard wrong.
“Your daughter punched another child in the nose.”
“Then she must have had a very good reason,” Ella said flatly. She knew her kid. Dawn wouldn’t have done something like that without being provoked. “I’ll be right there.”
Ella considered switching on the sirens but, because it wasn’t an official emergency, decided against it. She hurried home as quickly as the speed limit allowed.
When she stepped into the living room, Dawn and Rose were waiting. Kevin was around, too; she’d seen his pickup in the driveway. When he stepped into sight from the kitchen, she directed her first question at him.
“What—” she began.
“Mom, it wasn’t my fault!” Dawn interrupted and launched herself into Ella’s arms. “He kept pushing me!”
Ella hugged Dawn, then led her over to the couch. “Okay, what’s up?” Ella asked, looking at Rose.
“Apparently she just started having a problem with a boy at school. He pushes her whenever the teachers aren’t looking. A real bully,” Rose said. “I didn’t tell you because I thought it had already been handled at school.”
“Shimasání, I told you he wouldn’t leave me alone, but you said not to worry about it. When you told my teacher, she talked to him. But that just made him sneakier. Today he pushed me so hard I nearly fell. My books and notebooks were all over the hall. When I tried to pick them up, he pushed me again. That’s when I punched him in the nose and Mrs. Perkins came out.”
“Anytime anyone at school gives you a hard time, I want to hear about it. Understand?”
Dawn nodded.
“You shouldn’t have been suspended for defending yourself,” Ella said flatly. “I’ll go talk to the principal.”
“I’ve already done that, explaining our daughter’s side of it,” Kevin said. “But the school has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on violence. When our daughter punched the boy, he fell back and bumped his head on a locker. He’s all right, but the two-day suspension stands. The boy was suspended, too.”
Kevin motioned for Ella to come outside, so they went out onto the front porch, alone. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. “How did you get involved in all of this?”
“Dawn’s principal tried to call you at the station, then she tried your mother. But neither one of you were available. I was her third choice, and her principal reached me immediately.”
“Why didn’t Dawn tell her to call me on my cell?” Ella asked, bringing out her phone and then realizing that she’d shut it off at the hospital for a while to comply with their rules. “Never mind. It’s my fault.” Ella checked, but there were no messages. “So she didn’t?”
Kevin shook his head. “Dawn said she didn’t want to interrupt you at work. She’d heard about the dead soldier from other classmates, and knew you’d have the case. But it’s okay, I went down to the school and handled it. So far, your mom has been here, ready to step in when you’re unreachable, but now that Rose is getting married, we’ll need to make some changes.”
“What do you mean, changes?” she countered.
“You can’t wish it away,” Kevin said quietly. “Face reality. Things are different now and Dawn needs a parent available full time. I’ve got my office at home. I handle the tribal legal affairs from there. I’m on-call for trials, but we’re talking a few hours away at most, and my schedule is set days ahead, allowing for adjustments to be made.”
“What exactly are you saying?”
“I want you to consider granting me equal custody of Dawn. Half time.”
“That’s a bad idea,” Ella said flatly.
“Our daughter needs someone who’s available. I can give her that—and consistency. She needs a schedule and a parent around when she’s at home.”
“You show up this one time, and all of a sudden you’re the responsible parent? Really, Kevin, what have you been smoking?”
“Ella, had Dawn been under my care, what happened today might have never occurred at all. I would have been at home to listen and offer help that might have kept things from escalating at school. Your mother can’t continue to do your share of the parenting anymore. She’s not going to be around.”
“If you’re so convinced Dawn should be with you right now, why did you bring her home instead of to your office?”
“Wel
l, I didn’t want to get you upset.”
“That worked out well, didn’t it? But there’s more, isn’t there, Kevin?” Ella saw the hesitation in his eyes.
“Yeah, well. I’ve got a lunch appointment in a while over at the tribal offices. Dawn had to come here today.”
“But if it was my appointment, I’d be neglecting our daughter. Is that how it works?”
“We need to come to terms on stuff like this, Ella, before things get blown out of proportion. I’m serious.”
“So am I. Leave now.”
“This isn’t over,” he said, then strode off to his truck.
When Ella went back inside the house, Rose was the only one in the living room. Sounds in the kitchen told her where Dawn had gone. “Mom, what happened today to bring all this on?” Ella whispered.
“I’d just come home from a Plant Watchers meeting when the phone rang. It was your child’s father. He was already at school and told me what had happened. So I asked him to bring her home—here. I instructed him to give the phone to the principal so I could make that clear.”
“Good!” Ella wondered how big of a fight Kevin would have started if he hadn’t had the meeting.
Rose sighed. “I think this incident will carry a price. I hadn’t realized until we talked about it awhile ago just how serious he was about getting more time with your daughter. He’s a smart, powerful man and he is the father. That spells trouble.”
“He might be able to bring some pressure down, but he can’t have her half the time. I’m not the only working mother in the world, and just because I wasn’t available today—”
“He didn’t tell you about the rest?”
Ella held her breath, then with great effort added, “Tell me what?”
“He’s been called in before on discipline issues. When she got into trouble for talking in class, she gave the teacher her father’s number and said they were supposed to talk to him.”
Ella’s eyes narrowed. “The oldest kid trick in the book—choosing the parent who’s easier on them.” Without hesitation Ella stormed into the kitchen. Dawn was at the table, eating cookies.