by Aimée
“Be very careful tonight, daughter. Things are never quite what they seem.”
“Do you know something, Mom? I don’t care if it’s a feeling that you had, or if you heard a rumor. Please don’t keep anything back right now.”
“I’m not. I just know that someone out there wants to destroy this family.”
Ella checked her pistols, both the one in the holster and the backup in her boot. She would stay sharp out there tonight. Her survival skills were too well honed to allow her to be otherwise.
“I’ll be back,” she promised, then rushed out the door.
NINETEEN
Ella arrived at the site near Hogback a few minutes behind Blalock and Payestewa. Joseph Neskahi was already there, having responded ahead of all of them.
Guns drawn, the three late arrivals found Ralph Tache and Neskahi behind the sergeant’s tribal unit. Neskahi was carrying a riot gun. Ella saw Tache’s car ahead, illuminated by Neskahi’s spotlight. At least two tires were flat, but no perp was visible, nor any other vehicles.
“What’s going on?” she asked Tache
“I followed Branch down this dirt road to a sweat lodge by the river. He met with two other Indians, neither of them Navajo. Although they were constantly coming out, checking to make sure they hadn’t been followed, I still managed to get a couple of photographs with my telephoto lens. Then, when they got ready to leave, I decided to tail one of the two I didn’t know. He headed toward the old road and I stayed with him. I spotted Arizona plates on his car, but I couldn’t get the number with the dust he was raising.”
“And the others?” Ella asked.
“Branch headed off toward the highway, followed by the second man, and that was the last I saw of them. But everything fell apart when the man I was tailing made a circle and spotted me. He came up from behind my unit and opened fire. He took out my two back tires with two shots, even though I was dodging and trying to blind him with my spotlight. Lucky he wasn’t shooting at me. That guy hit whatever he aimed at.”
“Which direction was he traveling the last time you saw him?”
“He drove farther up this track, which leads to the ditch road that parallels the river. But I don’t think he could have gone far. I hit one of his rear tires after three shots—just to return the favor.”
“We’ll split up and cover more ground that way,” Blalock said. “I’ll go east because that leads off the Rez.”
“Good idea. Did you all know that George Branch lives just a few miles from here?” Ella asked.
“Go over to his house then, Ella, and check things out,” Blalock said. “If they’re compadres, the one in trouble might head there.”
“I’ll go west,” Neskahi said, and Blalock nodded at the same time Ella did.
“Accompany Clah to Branch’s,” Blalock ordered Payestewa. Blalock then looked at Ella and added, “We want to make sure your involvement and jurisdiction isn’t questioned further down the line.”
Ella didn’t like it, but Blalock was right and this was no time to quibble.
Ella led the way in her unit, sticking to a farm road that paralleled the main highway. It would serve as a shortcut and allow them to approach Branch’s house from the south. The route was bumpy, and as she looked behind her at Payestewa’s shiny new sedan, Ella wondered if she’d made a mistake. But the sedan managed to keep up, the road smoothed out a little, and in a matter of minutes, they drove past a small, neglected apple orchard and arrived at Branch’s home.
Payestewa walked over to meet her. “Let me ask the questions, since we’re off the Rez now,” he suggested.
“Fine. Just let me warn you that George Branch has an extensive gun collection, probably a good home security system, and doesn’t like federal law enforcement—especially the FBI,” Ella said, remembering a previous visit here.
“I’m insured,” Payestewa said cheerfully, but his eyes were alert. He also had his pistol in his hand, down by his side.
“Stop right there.” A voice from inside the house rang out. “I’m armed.”
“Right on schedule,” the Hopi agent mumbled. “FBI, Mr. Branch.”
The front door opened and a porch light went on. “Why the hell didn’t you say so sooner? It’s dark, and you’re trespassing. I could have blown your head off.”
“You always this cautious?” Payestewa asked, holstering his weapon.
“I have to be. A radio program like mine is bound to make a man enemies among those conspiring to take away our freedom. I also have an extensive gun collection that any thief would love, as your companion no doubt has already informed you.” The heavyset half-Navajo man waved them inside the house.
“What’s going on?” the talk-radio host pressed, looking closely at Ella’s waist, trying to spot her weapon. “I can’t believe that they’re still allowing you to run around and play cop.”
Ella remained silent, knowing Branch was baiting her. He was hoping she’d react, and give him even more material for his show. She kept her expression neutral and listened, glancing around the room and into the kitchen and hall, searching for some sign that he was hiding someone there.
“Where were you tonight?” Payestewa asked. “The last three hours will do.”
“Why the interest?”
“Just answer the question, Mr. Branch,” Payestewa said, his voice uncharacteristically hard.
“I drove to Kirtland to buy a six-pack of beer a bit earlier.”
“Where? Which establishment and when, exactly?” Payestewa pressed, walking into the kitchen and switching on the light. “Did you put it in the refrigerator?”
“I never got the beer. I’d intended to go to the package store at the Palomino Lounge, but halfway there I realized I didn’t have my wallet. I ended up having to come back. Then as I was getting ready to leave again, I heard you two coming in from the orchard road. Your lights weren’t on, and it’s pretty damn dark out there. I figured it might have been some of the kids from Kirtland that have been raising hell around here. A few have been breaking into houses, and I would imagine stealing from me would be a feather in their cap.”
“Kids don’t listen to your show. There’s no music,” Ella said. “And they wouldn’t try to break in, because they know they’d get shot.”
“Okay, I’m getting tired of this. Let’s cut to the chase. Where did you think I was? I have a feeling you’ve got me mixed up with someone else.”
Ella shook his head. “I don’t think so and I advise you to stop playing games. We have evidence that can place you someplace else tonight.”
“Yeah? Then produce it.”
“Why don’t we just take you in for threatening two law enforcement officers and get the ball rolling that way?” Payestewa suggested.
“Whoa. I explained that. Besides, we both know you’ll never make that stick. You didn’t identify yourselves clearly until I asked you to leave. All you’re both doing right now is giving me material for tomorrow’s show.”
“I wouldn’t go off half-cocked, or you might find yourself trying to do a remote broadcast from the county jail,” Ella said. “It isn’t a bluff. We’re processing evidence now that will prove you weren’t where you said. If we can also link you to a crime that was committed—”
“Wait a second. What crime?”
“Assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer,” the Hopi agent joined in.
“Who got shot? By whom?”
“You’ll know more when we make things public. For now, just try to process the information we’ve given you,” Payestewa said. “I’m sure that a man in your position realizes that lying to a federal officer conducting a criminal investigation is a very bad idea. It can bring a wagonload of trouble down on you.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Branch said, neither confirming or denying his words.
Getting a call on his cell phone, Payestewa stepped into the kitchen for a moment.
“Spill it, Clah. What’s going on?” Branch whispered.
“A lot of things, and none of them good for you if you’re connected to any of them.”
“What’s this, a threat?”
“No, consider it a guarantee.” Ella saw Payestewa cock his head and motion for them to leave.
“I’ll be seeing you again, I expect,” Ella said, then hurried out, stopping beside Payestewa’s car. “What’s up?”
“Blalock found some shells from a .45, but no sign of the third man or a vehicle.”
“I don’t think anyone’s inside Branch’s house unless they came on foot, and I doubt there was time for that,” Ella said.
“Well, there’s no other car around here except Branch’s SUV. And there’s no garage or outbuildings big enough to house one. The orchard’s got nothing but trees, and I didn’t spot a vehicle in any of the surrounding fields.”
“Then let’s get back and help the others search. The third car has got to be around somewhere,” Ella said.
“He may have already changed the tire, or just driven it on the rim until he was out of the area, depending on how desperate he was. It wouldn’t be hard to hide a vehicle down by the river.”
Ella started to get inside her unit, but stopped when he spoke again.
“By the way, Ella, you shouldn’t have engaged in conversation with him. You practically told him we had solid evidence and were ready to arrest him.”
“No, I didn’t. I was just applying a little bit of pressure, hoping to persuade him to talk.”
“Just don’t do that again. If this is linked to Officer Goodluck’s death, it’s a Bureau case, and we’ll dictate the way things go down.”
As he returned to his sedan and drove off, Ella’s temper spewed to the surface. The little strutting peacock! The officer fired upon was part of the SI team and this was her turf. She knew how to deal with a jerk like Branch better than the agent did.
As she mentally reviewed the hard-nosed way he’d handled questioning Branch, she suddenly realized something. Up to now, Payestewa had seemed almost too laid-back to be a federal agent, but in there, he’d shown his true colors. Paycheck, as the others called him, had disappeared. There had been a hard edge to Payestewa as he worked the case that she’d never seen before. One thing was clear: there was more to this guy than met the eye, and it was obvious he’d been hiding behind a carefully developed smoke screen.
Ella drove back to where Blalock had suggested they meet, then joined the others in an all-out effort to locate the third vehicle. Eventually Sergeant Neskahi was able to spot where the old sedan had been hidden. The disturbed ground indicated that the driver had driven on the rim for a short distance, gone down below the ditch levee out of sight, then had run back and wiped out the vehicle tracks as well as he could.
“He must have changed the tire down here,” Neskahi pointed out. “The darkness hid him well. He drove out once he saw I’d passed by.”
As they walked back up to the road where their own vehicles were parked, Ella looked at Tache. “How soon can you develop the photos you took of Branch and the other two?”
“A few hours, but I’ll have to mix up fresh chemicals first and it’s late and I’m tired. We’d all be better off if I waited to do that in the morning. I may have to really play with the exposure and the development time to get a good image. I guessed at the exposure because I had to use the telephoto lens.”
Ella glanced at Blalock, who nodded. “Okay. Morning will do,” she said.
“Call me as soon as you have some prints ready,” Blalock said.
“Done,” Tache said.
As Tache moved off, Payestewa looked around and then expelled his breath in a hiss. “Look, we didn’t find anything, and there are no guarantees that Tache’s photo will be worth anything to the investigation unless we can ID one or both of the other players. Let me try to get a court order to tap Branch’s phone.”
“On what grounds?” Blalock asked. “That one of us saw him meeting with two men? Remember that Tache’s story stipulates that the third man shot at him after Branch left.”
“It’s a matter of presenting it to the right judge,” Payestewa said, looking at Ella.
Ella had a feeling she knew what he was up to, but she remained quiet. If her guess was right, Payestewa had looked into Justine’s background very carefully. In fact, a man like him probably hadn’t stopped there. Instinct told her that he’d probably researched all their backgrounds equally as thoroughly.
“No judge is going to give you a warrant to tap Branch’s phone based on what we have, no matter how charming you think you are,” Blalock said. “We need Tache’s photos. Then we can take that to a judge.”
“By then our window of opportunity may be gone.”
“Not at all. We’ll just have to get a record of all incoming calls made to Branch’s home and to the radio station where he works and follow them up.”
“We can circumvent all this waiting if we approach a judge who’s as motivated as we are to see justice done. Then, if the shooter contacts Branch, we can make our move right away.”
“Which judge do you have in mind?” Blalock said. “It sounds like you know a perfect candidate for the job.”
“I do. Judge Goodluck.”
“When did you find out about my cousin’s grandfather?” Ella asked.
“A few hours after I was told I’d be working this case. I believe in doing my homework,” Payestewa answered.
“Have you met this judge?” Blalock asked Ella.
She nodded. “He’s helped us in the past. He adores … adored … my cousin. But my coming along when you make your request won’t help. Her family doesn’t trust me at the moment.”
“I’ll take care of it then,” Payestewa said.
“Do you know where he lives?” Ella asked.
The Hopi agent nodded. “I have his address. I’ll handle this, then get back to both of you.” He looked at Neskahi, then at Blalock. “Do you think we should have someone stake out Branch’s place and see if anyone shows up?”
“We’ll have to take a pass on that for now,” Blalock said. “From the looks of it, the moon’s going to be behind the clouds for hours. That means visibility is going to be poor, and the night scope is back in Shiprock, locked up in my office.”
“I’m not used to having all that government technology,” Sergeant Neskahi reminded them. “I’ll find a good hiding place to keep watch up close.”
“One-man surveillance? I don’t know…” Blalock said slowly.
“Joseph can call in at regular intervals on my cell phone. If we don’t hear, we come running,” Ella suggested, handing Neskahi the phone. “I can also check with the sheriff’s department and see who has this patrol area tonight. I can request that the officer stay relatively close by unless he has to answer a call.”
Blalock shook his head. “No. I’ll call the sheriff’s and let them know it’s my operation.” He looked at Neskahi. “Call in every hour.”
“Okay, but who do I call?” Neskahi looked at Ella first, then at Blalock.
Ella said nothing. With Dawn sleeping, she was hoping that Blalock would take it himself, but she didn’t want to beg off if she was needed.
Blalock looked at Ella, then shook his head. “It’ll have to be me, folks, for the same reason as before.”
“No problem,” Ella answered.
As they headed back to their vehicles, Ella felt the knot in her stomach. She was in a situation where she wasn’t supposed to be trusted. Blalock had cut her some slack, but he was still bound by protocols.
Even during her years on the outside, she’d always felt a sense of belonging by identifying herself as part of a law enforcement team. But now her fellow officers were being forced to treat her like a suspect. She tried to push back her own sense of betrayal knowing that they were only doing their jobs. Yet logic did little to silence the outrage that pounded through her with every beat of her heart.
TWENTY
They met in Tache’s darkroom the next morning. The print
s were drying on a makeshift line. The photos had been taken through an infrared viewer, and were more detailed than any of them expected. But the only person they could identify was Branch. The other two men never turned face-on to the camera, or even presented a good profile.
“I’ll run this by Judge Goodluck, along with a copy of Officer Tache’s report of the shooting. He cut us a break by giving us a court order when we asked for it, so this should help convince him that he made the right decision,” Payestewa said.
Ella watched him carefully. When it came to business, Payestewa also knew how to play politics. The more she dealt with him, the more convinced she became that they’d all underestimated the young Hopi agent. They’d taken him at face value, and with Payestewa, that was a very small part of the true picture.
“I got the list of telephone numbers we wanted from the phone company this morning,” Blalock said. “The only calls Branch gets at home are from the radio station, some relatives in the area, and three of his known associates, including the station manager and the producer of his radio program.” He looked at Payestewa. “I want you to check all those people out.”
Ella said nothing, guessing that Blalock approved of Payestewa’s attention to detail when doing background checks.
Payestewa looked at a notebook he’d produced from his jacket pocket. “The calls Branch gets at the station include a lot of kooks and reactionaries his show seems to bring out from beneath the woodwork. The few we managed to identify as Indians living in the area don’t match those in the photos, judging by height and overall shape. Their vehicles also don’t match the descriptions of the ones that Tache spotted. One Navajo, a professor at the Shiprock branch college named Jeremiah Manyfarms, called him on the air at least three times and tried to pressure Branch to contribute funds to a youth program that’s being run here on the reservation. Manyfarms appears legit, though. Doesn’t even have a traffic citation since moving here from California.”
“I’ve met Manyfarms. He’s working with Wilson Joe on those youth programs, and has approached my brother concerning visits for his group with a medicine man. And Neskahi called me before he finally went home this morning, confirming what you probably already know. No one came to pay Branch a visit last night,” Ella said. “I told him to catch up on his sleep before coming in. I also checked the nearby gas stations to see if anyone came in to purchase a tire, but I didn’t have any luck.”