by Aimée Thurlo
“Why are you leaving it here?” she asked.
“My foster father hadn’t been suffering from any obvious terminal disease. It’s impossible that my brothers, and the people who lived in the area and saw him often, would have missed something that important. Whatever caused him to walk off and die like that came on very suddenly.
“Over the past several months we’ve all begun to think it’s possible that he was murdered—maybe by some toxic substance, or more likely, a plant-derived poison that wasn’t detected until too late. That would explain why he left this documentation of the Plant People. The notebook may be the single most important clue we have. If I take it with me, and people come after us, I risk losing or damaging it,” Rick said. “The notebook has remained safe here all this time. For now, this is where it should stay.”
“Will you tell your brothers?” Kim asked.
“Yeah, and as soon as I can I’ll send Daniel and Paul the pages. Both of them are good at breaking codes.”
“We’re heading back to Hartley this morning, then?”
“Yes, but on the way back to the ranch house we need to rub out our tracks. I trust my brothers, of course, and you, but I want to make sure no one else who comes into the canyon can track us here,” he said.
Rick broke off a juniper branch and showed her how to erase obvious marks in the sand left by their shoes. “Carefully scoop up handfuls of sand, smooth over those scoop marks, then scatter the sand lightly over the trail the branch leaves as I run it over the ground. Just don’t pour the sand onto any leaves if you can help it.”
It took them several minutes to finish the job around the cliff exterior, but the rest was easy. They were back at the ranch house a half hour later.
Kyle met them at the door and Rick told him what they’d found.
“The fact that he didn’t leave the notebook here makes me think his enemy was familiar with our home and where things were kept,” Kyle noted.
“That doesn’t narrow the list very much,” Rick responded.
“Yeah, I hear you. Let’s see if Paul and Daniel can break the code, but I have to tell you, Hosteen Silver meant for you to find it, so it stands to reason you hold the key,” Kyle said. “You two had a special connection.”
“That’s because I could read people, just like Hosteen Silver did.”
“I understand you kept in touch with him even when you were undercover, south of the border.”
“It was only a sporadic note that would appear on a website set up by Daniel. Hosteen Silver would let me know when I had a new niece or nephew, or tell me he’d done a special Sing for my protection. Stuff like that.”
“I suppose the notes were in code?”
“Yeah. He would give it to Daniel to encrypt and I had the software needed on my end to decrypt.”
“Do you think he used a variant of the same system in the notebook?”
“Not likely. He didn’t like computers, but it is possible it’s based on a number-letter substitution with a specific book as the key. If I’m right, finding that particular book is going to require patience and a lot of luck.”
* * *
AN HOUR LATER, after a quick breakfast with Kyle and Erin, Kim and Rick were in the SUV heading back to Hartley. “I remember when your foster father came to visit Uncle Frank,” Kim said. “All eyes in the tavern would automatically turn to him. His white headband and of course his long silver hair made him stand out even in a crowd.”
“That’s why he was known as Hosteen Silver. Hosteen means Mister, I’m sure you know that already, having worked with Angelina. And Silver...well, that was obvious. His hair seemed to glow with a silver sheen that’s impossible to describe.”
“I agree. One time I was stressed out, hurrying to finish cleaning the tables so I could get to class. He came over and told me that I already had my place in the pattern of life. I didn’t have to rush to make it so.”
“That sounds like him.”
“I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but I didn’t have time to ask,” she said. “The next day when I went to work, Uncle Frank said that he’d left a note for me. I read it but it made no sense.”
“What did the note say?”
“It had a tiny hand-drawn figure of a horse, and a note saying that the horse had a lot to teach me.” She held up her hands, palms up and shrugged. “No explanation, nothing. Just that.”
He smiled. “He was telling you that Horse is your spiritual sister.”
“Why a horse? I love them, but I’ve never even ridden one.”
“As far as he was concerned, what Eagle is to me, Horse is to you.”
“Does the horse symbolize strength?” she asked, taking a guess.
“Yes, and cooperation, too. Horse is all about knowing when to exert control and when to yield. It’s a reminder that you get better results when you don’t try to do everything by yourself.”
“I wish he would have just said that.”
Rick laughed. “That wasn’t his way. He liked letting things unfold in your own thinking.”
After a while, her thoughts still on the case, she glanced over at him. “Do you still want to stop by Angelina’s second store? Jeri, the manager, worked at Silver Heritage before her promotion and she might remember the professor’s name.”
“What makes you think she’d remember?”
“She thought he was hot.”
“You didn’t?”
She took a deep breath. “What attracts me to a man isn’t looks. It’s attitude. Like confidence. Integrity is essential, and courage works, too.”
“Are you telling me that you’re never swayed by packaging?” he said, giving her an incredulous grin.
“Hey, I like eye candy as much as the next person, but keeping my interest takes a lot more than that,” she said, laughing. “I’m picky. When I met you for the first time since high school, what got my attention was the way you looked at whoever was speaking to you. That person had your undivided attention. You also took time to savor your food; you didn’t just wolf it down. I knew that you were a man who took his time to do things right.” Realizing the double entendre, she glanced away and felt her cheeks burning.
“I don’t like to rush,” he said, his voice low and deep. “Like wine, women and investigations, some things just need that extra attention.”
The masculine timbre of his voice felt like a warm caress on a cold winter’s night. Realizing the turn her thoughts had taken, Kim forced herself to look directly ahead.
As she peered off into the distance, something on the road caught her attention. “Slow down. There’s some kind of animal in our way.” She squinted, then quickly added, “It’s a snake.”
“Pretty common sight this late in the year. They sometimes sun themselves in the morning just to get warm. Let me see if I can prod it off the road.” He braked and came to a stop.
“Why don’t you just drive around it? If it’s a rattler you’ll be safer keeping your distance.”
“The road isn’t wide enough. And if I try to straddle it, it might just move and get struck. Wait here,” he said, climbing out. “I don’t want to kill it unless I have to.”
She watched him approach the snake, then stop and glance all around. Maybe it was already dead.
She watched him use the tip of his boot to prod it, but to her surprise, part of the snake suddenly disappeared. That’s when she realized it wasn’t real. She got out of the SUV and walked over. “What is it?”
“It’s a fake, constructed out of colored sawdust, ash and charcoal. The pattern and materials remind me of the dry paintings Navajo witches use.”
“Skinwalkers?”
He glared at her. “Don’t say that word. Not here.” Looking around, he added, “Get back in the SUV. Hurry.”
She heard the urgency in his voice and moved quickly. Before they were halfway there, the sharp blast of gunfire echoed against the canyon walls behind them and two holes appeared in the windshield.
“Ambush!” Rick said, grabbing Kim’s arm and pulling her to the driver’s side. “Get down!”
Chapter Nine
“Crawl underneath the SUV,” Rick yelled as more bullets kicked up dust inches from his head.
As soon as she was beneath cover, he rolled in and lay next to her.
“We’re trapped!” she said, her voice shaky.
“For now we’re out of his line of sight with a lot of heavy engine metal between him and us,” Rick said, reassuring her by putting his hand on her shoulder. “But we can’t afford to stay pinned down under here. If we’re unable to move, that’ll give him time to change positions and maybe get a clear shot.”
“We need to call for help.”
“That’s the plan.” Rick rolled onto his side, brought out his phone and handed it to her. “Tell Kyle we’re about a hundred yards from the highway and that the shooter is on high ground to the northwest, a couple hundred yards away from us at the moment.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll put myself in a position to return fire and keep him from flanking us. Best case scenario, I’ll pin him down or force him to move. Then we might be able to climb back inside the truck and get away.”
“Okay, but be careful, please!”
“I’ll be fine,” Rick said, crawling prone to the passenger’s side then inching out. Scrambling to his knees, he moved to the rear of the SUV and took a quick look around.
Hearing a boom and a thud as a bullet struck the rear bumper about a foot away, he ducked back.
“You okay?” Kim called out, fear alive in her voice.
“Yeah. Make the call.”
“I’m waiting... Okay, he’s answering,” Kim told him.
Rick brought out his pistol, slipped off the safety and considered his next move. The glare off the vehicle should interfere with the shooter’s sight. He moved toward the front passenger door and rose up for a look.
He watched carefully for movement and finally saw the shooter’s exact location. If only he had a rifle with a scope. A direct hit with a pistol at this range would be unlikely, but he might be able to either discourage movement or, better yet, force it.
Another shot rang out. This time the bullet struck somewhere up front.
Rick looked to his left, then his right. There was no cover to speak of. If they decided to make a break for the canyon they’d get shot in the back.
“Kyle called the tribal police, but it’ll take at least a half hour or more for them to arrive,” Kim called out to him. “Kyle’s circling around, coming from the northeast. He says he’ll be within range in fifteen minutes or less.”
“Okay. Just stay where you are.”
“How’s Kyle coming around from the east? I thought there was only one way in or out of Copper Canyon, the trail that’s right behind us.”
“There’s another way, providing you travel on foot. Only my family knows it, though.”
“So what do we do now, wait?”
Rick kept his eyes on the shooter’s location and saw movement. Someone was standing. “Hang on a second.”
He moved to the hood, stood and fired two shots at the sniper. Though he missed, the bullets got the shooter’s attention and he dropped to the ground instantly.
A few seconds later the shooter fired again, one bullet high, the second striking the SUV in the side, passing through and whining down the road.
“That was close,” Kim called out. “You okay?”
“Yeah, but he’ll have to think twice about trying to work his way around us now,” Rick said, looking back at the exit hole in the passenger door.
That ruled out any attempt to get behind the wheel. “Come on out, Kim, I want you behind the engine block.”
He bent and looked into her dusty face. Her expression was grim but calm.
“How do we fight back?” she asked.
“We survive. Backup’s on the way. Till then we have to stay alive and protect ourselves from being outflanked.” He reached down and lifted her up to a crouching position. “Keep your head down.”
After the longest five minutes in history, Rick’s phone rang.
“He’s gone.” Kyle’s voice was clear. “There’s a truck in the distance, about a quarter mile down the highway and picking up speed. I’ll call the tribal cops to see if they can set up a roadblock.”
“You sure that’s him?”
“Pretty sure. There’s nobody on that hill anymore. All I can see through my rifle scope is a depression in the sand where the guy was lying.”
Rick motioned for Kim to stay down, then looked out through the windows toward the north. There was Kyle, about a hundred and fifty yards away. Rick glanced to the south, then swept the area all around them, including back toward the canyon. Nobody was in sight.
“It’s okay, Kim,” he said, reaching over and taking her hand. She stood and he brought his arm around her, pulling her close. “We made it.”
* * *
AFTER THE TRIBAL officers arrived, they went over to the three-dimensional charcoal-and-ash snake left for them on the road. “This was meant to get your attention, a setup to make you stop and present an easy target,” Officer Begay said, taking a photo of it. “It’s not really Navajo witchcraft. All the elements don’t fit. Scattering ashes about in the daytime is insulting to Sun, but that’s not scattered.”
“So we may be talking about someone with limited knowledge of Navajo ways,” Rick added.
“An Anglo maybe?” the other tribal cop, named Henderson, suggested. “Certainly something to consider.” Both officers looked at Kim.
“Might be someone who works with members of the tribe who aren’t Traditionalists,” she replied.
“I agree,” Rick said. “How about we check out the sniper’s position?”
They climbed the low hill to join Kyle, who’d remained near that spot.
Officer Henderson crouched down and studied the ground. “He ignored the impression his body left in the sand, but rubbed out his footprints before he left,” he said. “He wasn’t trying to erase his shooting position, but he was determined to prevent us from finding a boot or shoe print to identify. No shell casings, either, or cigarette butts or hard evidence of any kind. At least we’ll be able to identify the tread patterns from the pickup tires. We photographed them beside the highway.”
“There are reports that you’ve had other problems recently,” Begay said, looking at Rick. “If we go from the assumption that the two incidents are related, then you must have been the target today.”
“Or perhaps your companion,” Henderson said, looking at Kim. “You were at the restaurant, too, correct?”
Kim nodded. “Anyone out to hurt me could have done that weeks ago. This began after Rick returned home.”
“My gut says she’s right,” Rick said, then told them about the falling wall. “The perp failed to take us all out at once, so now maybe he’s decided to come for us one a time.” He looked at Kyle and added, “Stay on your guard, just in case that’s it.”
* * *
RICK AND KIM signed statements that were included in the tribal police report while Kyle caught a ride back to the ranch with Erin, who’d driven up once her husband declared it to be safe. After checking to make sure the SUV was still functional, Rick and Kim were on their way to Hartley.
“I’m thinking all this has something to do with Hosteen Silver and you,” Kim said, “but I’m not sure what the connection is.”
He pushed the cell phone over to her. “Call Daniel and send him copies of the notebook pages I photographed.”
/> A moment later Daniel called back. Rick put him on the speaker, which was clearer than the cell phone.
“I’ll put this through a decryption program, but I don’t think we’ll get far,” Daniel said. “It’s not the same code you and our father used earlier. You probably noticed that already.”
Paul was also on the line. “I think we need to talk to Gene. He was the last one to speak to our foster father before he went missing. Hosteen Silver had asked him to go pick up the horse and board it for a while. Maybe he’ll remember something useful.”
“Gene’s up at his ranch?” Rick asked.
“No, he’s staying here at the compound,” Daniel said. “And here he is now.”
Gene’s voice came through next. “After Preston told me what was going on, I decided to put some distance between me and my family. If someone wants to off me, I’m not running, but I want my family out of the line of fire. Some of Daniel’s men are taking care of things at the ranch in case I’m on somebody’s target list. In the meantime I made sure I was seen in Hartley.”
“Good plan,” Rick said, giving him the highlights of their conversation before he joined in. “So what can you tell me about the last time you spoke with Hosteen Silver?”
“There was no grand revelation. He said he seldom went riding anymore and asked if I could use another ranch horse. Later that day, I went to pick up the gelding, but Hosteen Silver wasn’t around. I went inside to check on things and that’s when I realized something was off.”
“Considering he left his private journal, the letters and the keys to his truck right there on the table, I’d say he planned things carefully. He knew he was going for his final walk,” Daniel said. “Did he say anything about a code when you spoke to him?”
“No, not a thing. Just about his horse,” Gene replied. “Preston came over soon after that and we searched the entire canyon, but there was no sign of him.”
“He didn’t want to be found,” Rick said.
“By the way, Preston heard from the fire marshal. He claims that the explosion at the Brickhouse was triggered when a small piece of wood placed on the heating element of an electric hot plate produced a flame,” Daniel reported.