"He just said 'gone.'"
Joe nodded. "Put out that fire, will you?"
"Sure."
Andi broke up the fire and let the remains of the roasted rabbit fall into the ashes. Then she headed out of the cave right behind Joe. Just as they neared the creek, four Tribal Police Trackers appeared, rifles in hand, the barrels pointed at Joe, Andi and Eddie.
"Drop the rifle," Joe told Andi. "And put your hands behind your head. We need to show them that we're not any danger to them."
Trembling, her hands unsteady, Andi dropped the rifle, crossed her hands behind her head and said a silent prayer.
Chapter 12
Uddie was sent by helicopter to the nearest hospital, which was in Gallup, and Joe and Andi faced an intensive interrogation by the Tribal Police. After more than two hours of answering questions, Andi had grown tired and irritable. Joe could sense her unease, and her increasing belligerence was apparent in her replies.
"I have no idea where my brother is," Andi said. "I've told you over and over again that when we got to the cave, Russ was gone. We never saw him."
"Well, it seems odd that without anyone's help, Russ Lapahie has disappeared again," Captain Kinlicheenie said.
"Believe me, Captain, we want to find Russ as much as the police do." Joe wanted to get the hell out of the police station and check on Eddie's condition. He was almost to the point of telling Captain Kinlicheenie to either arrest Andi and him, or let them go.
"I don't suppose I need to tell you that if you learn anything about Lapahie's whereabouts, you're to notify us." The captain focused his gaze on Joe.
"No, sir, you don't need to remind us," Joe assured him.
Reluctantly the captain said, "All right then, you're both free to go."
The minute they stepped out onto the street, Andi glanced up at the high-noon sun. When Joe grasped her arm, she jerked away from him, but he ignored her hostility, chalking it up to residual anger toward the local authorities.
"I want to get to Gallup as soon as possible," Joe told her.
"I know you're worried about Eddie," Andi said. "But, at least, he's safe now. Russ is still out there. I can't just give up. I have to try to find him."
"You can't go wandering off by yourself. It's too dangerous."
"I'll find someone to help me—maybe one of J.T.'s ranch hands. Or I could see if Aaron Tuvi—"
Joe grabbed her arm again and held fast when she struggled. "Get in the damn car. I'll call J.T. to check on Eddie, then I'll go with you to track down Russ." He wasn't about to let her go traipsing off into dangerous territory without him. Anything could happen to her.
Andi stared at him with round eyes and mouth agape. "You'll actually go with me?"
He tugged her toward the SUV, then opened the passenger door and lifted her up into the seat. She smiled at him, and that smile alone made his decision to help her worthwhile.
When he got in, slammed the door and inserted the key into the ignition, Andi laid her hand atop his on the steering wheel. "Thank you. This proves to me that you care what happens to Russ."
"Of course, I care. But I want you to know that I'm doing this as much for you as for him."
"Yes, I know."
She squeezed his hand. The moment she released her hold, he started the engine, backed up the Expedition and headed toward Black Rock. Joe realized there was a chance that they might be followed, so he kept a sharp lookout for any surveillance. Five miles out of town, with no sign of a tail, Joe pulled the SUV off the road.
"What's wrong?" Andi asked.
"Nothing," he told her. "I just want to check the Expedition over and make sure Captain Kinlicheenie didn't have one of his men plant a tracking devise on us."
When he finished his inspection and found the vehicle clean, they continued their journey to Black Rock. At the trading post, Joe bought some provisions, just in case their search lasted overnight, then drove them straight to Tsas-ka Creek. With the area having been trampled by half a dozen police trackers, Joe figured that any signs of Russ's departure would have led the police to him. Or they'd have inadvertently destroyed any trail the boy might have left. It didn't take him long to discover that the latter was true.
This was pretty much a wilderness area, and unseasoned trackers might go off in a dozen different directions. Being a Navajo policeman didn't necessarily make a man a good tracker, and since Russ had escaped the search party, Joe surmised that either the boy had outsmarted Kinlicheenie's men or all his trackers were novices. Besides, with canyons, gullies and caves throughout the region, it wouldn't be difficult for Russ to hide out for days. Since the local authorities didn't have the manpower to mount an extensive search, it was possible for Russ to continue escaping. All he had to do was keep running, stay one step ahead of them, until he was sure they'd given up.
Joe was surprised that the Arizona Highway Patrol hadn't gotten involved in the search. But then, the state authorities often allowed the Navajo to handle their own domestic problems. And Joe got the impression that Captain Kinlicheenie was the type who would resent any interference from outsiders.
"Where we go from here will be nothing but an educated guess on my part," Joe told her. "There's been so much traffic around here the past few hours that if Russ did leave a trail, it's gone now."
Andi slumped down on a small boulder and wiped the perspiration from her forehead. "I have faith in your educated guess. As a matter of fact, I have a great deal of faith in you. So you lead the way."
Joe's heart swelled with pride at Andi's statement. He valued her trust as the precious thing it was. He would do nothing to break that trust. If fate was giving him a second chance to prove himself—to prove his loyalty to Andi—then he planned to be worthy of her faith in him.
"My guess is that Russ stayed near the creek," Joe said. "He might even have gotten into the creek, since along here it's only ankle deep. If I wanted to delude my trackers, I'd probably use that method."
"So, what do we do—follow the creek?"
“Yes. Until we find some sort of evidence or any sign that someone walked out of the stream."
Once again Joe led the way. They kept to the creek side for a good three miles, and then Joe halted. Footprints, just beginning to dry in the sun. Fresh—only hours old, he surmised. Without questioning him, Andi followed as he made his way from the creek, following the trail that someone had been in too big a hurry to disguise. Joe climbed down into a saguaro-filled crevice, then turned to assist Andi. The trail picked up again; the terrain was rocky in places, but eventually evened out, and a narrow wash appeared between boulders. The limestone walls embedded with rose-quartz glistened in the sunlight.
"Where can he be going?" Andi grabbed Joe's arm, stopping his march.
"Need a rest?" he asked, seeing plainly that she did. She was a real trouper, a brave soldier, hiking through the wilderness for hours without one complaint.
"I need just a minute to catch my breath." She bent double and sucked in huge gulps of air, then stood straight again and looked at Joe. "What can Russ be thinking, running off into the middle of nowhere? Anything could happen to him out here."
As if on cue, an animal cry rang out in the stillness. Andi jumped, then clutched Joe's arm. He placed her behind him and moved in a circle, scanning the area for sight of the big cat. The mountain lion, know by some as a cougar or a panther, possessed an unmistakable cry. Once you heard it, you never forgot it.
"What was that?" Andi stood on tiptoe and peered over Joe's shoulder.
"Mountain lion." He pointed the rifle toward the hill to their left. "He's not going to bother us if we don't bother him."
"How can you be so sure?"
"These lions seldom kill humans. Maybe one per decade," he assured her. "They prefer calves."
"That's good to know."
"Are you aware of the fact that we Navajo consider mountain lions messengers from the gods?''
"You're kidding."
"Well, I suppose it's better that we eat him than for him to eat us."
Andi laughed, and Joe wished that he could ensure her laughter would not soon turn to tears. He had not told her that the signs grew fresher, which meant their prey was close. Unless something went wrong, they would probably catch up to Russ within the next ten minutes. Joe guessed that the boy was tiring, perhaps had even taken time to stop and rest once he believed he was no longer being tracked.
The clouds swirled overhead, dark and foreboding, overlaying the blue sky with a gray wash. The sun blinked from behind the swelling storm clouds and the scent of rain hung heavy in the air.
"If it starts raining, we'll have to seek out some shelter," Joe said. "Our best bet will be to find some sort of overhang along those cliffs. Now, no more talking. I don't think we're far behind Russ, and if he hears us approaching he'll bolt and run."
"Oh!" She couldn't restrain the startled gasp. "I'll be quiet."
Ten minutes later they found him, resting near the ledge of a sandstone wall comprised of angled slabs. Russ's body was partially shaded by the ponderosa pines on the nearby hillside. The moment Joe and Andi approached, Russ shot straight up and, without looking at them, started to run.
"Russ!"
He slowed, but didn't stop.
"Russ, please, don't ran," Andi called. "We'll just have to follow you."
Joe eased away from Andi so that a good ten feet separated them. He wanted Russ to concentrate on his sister and not on him.
Russ stopped and turned slowly to face his captors. “Why did you have to come after me?''
"You need to come home," Andi said. "We can help you. We'll prove to the police that you and Eddie—"
"Did you find Eddie?"
"We found him in the cave where you'd left him," Joe said, his tone harsh.
"I didn't leave him," Russ said. "I went out for more wood to build up the fire, and then I planned to leave and find a phone to call for help. I knew he needed a doctor real bad."
"Why didn't you come back?" Andi moved forward, but when Russ edged backward, she stopped dead still.
"I saw you two and knew you'd find Eddie." Russ's dark eyes darted back and forth as his gaze tried to keep both Andi and Joe in sight.
"The police were right behind us," Andi told him. "They could have—"
"I outsmarted them."
"You've outsmarted yourself," Joe said. "Running makes you look guilty, and by trying to elude the police you put your life and Eddie's at risk."
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't understand." Russ all but snarled at Joe, then focused on Andi. "Why did you hook up with him? Don't you know that you can't trust him?"
"Russ, you're wrong. We can trust Joe. He wants to help you."
Russ glowered at his sister. "Yeah, sure we can trust him. The same way our father trusted him."
"You can't keep running." Andi held out her hands, a gesture for him to come to her. He ignored her plea. “You don't have any food or provisions of any kind, do you? And you have nowhere to go. Come back with us and tell the police what happened the night Bobby Yazzi was killed."
"I can't. They'd never believe me. You know how much trouble I've been in in the past couple of years. Everybody knows I'm a bad seed. Besides, I've got nobody who'll back up my story."
Joe thought that Russ suddenly looked like a small boy instead of the strapping sixteen-year-old he really was. He was no doubt hungry, tired and scared. And fear seemed to control his thoughts and actions.
"Eddie can back up your story," Andi said.
"Eddie didn't see what happened that night at Bobby's," Russ all but cried. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Eddie wasn't with you when Bobby Yazzi was murdered?" Joe asked. "And you've dragged him across New Mexico and half of Arizona with a bullet wound in his shoulder!"
"Yeah, blame it all on me," Russ shouted. "See—" he turned to Andi "—I told you, didn't I? He thinks I'm guilty. He blames me for everything. And the police will be just like him. I'm not going back to be railroaded on a murder charge." He clenched his fists and lifted them toward heaven in an angry protest. "I did not kill Bobby Yazzi!"
"I believe you," Andi said. "I never thought you killed anyone."
"But Joe believes I'm guilty, that I'm to blame, and so do the police."
Andi whipped around and looked right at Joe. He tried to avoid a direct confrontation with her, but knew he had no choice but to accept whatever she tossed his way.
"Tell him that you know he didn't kill Bobby Yazzi, and tell him that you don't blame him for—"
"I wouldn't believe him," Russ said. "So he can just save his breath."
"Well, whether you would believe me or not isn't the point." Joe took a tentative step toward Russ. "Right now, you're coming with us, and when we get back to civilization we can work things out. Between you and me. And between you and the law."
"You must be deaf, Ornelas." Russ started backing away. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Yes, you are." Joe lifted his rifle and aimed it directly at Russ.
Andi gasped. "No, Joe, you wouldn't!"
"Yeah, he would," Russ said. "He'd kill me in a heartbeat. He killed our father, didn't he?"
"No, Russ, he didn't kill our father. Our father killed himself."
"Man, Ornelas has done a number on you. You're taking his side over mine, aren't you."
"I am on your side," she tried to explain. "You're my brother. I love you and I want what's best for you. And so does Joe."
"I'm not going back." Russ stood his ground, glaring at Joe. "If you want to take me back, you're going to have to shoot me."
"No!" Andi cried.
Hell, how had things come to this? Joe asked himself. No way was he going to shoot that boy. How could a person be so damn stubborn? Russ was thinking irrationally. But nothing he or Andi could say would change Russ's mind about going back with them. Joe figured he had a chance of overpowering Russ, but the trick would be to catch him. The boy was nearly twenty years younger than he, and if he remembered correctly, Eddie had once mentioned that Russ ran track at school.
"Go ahead, Ornelas. Shoot me." Russ puffed out his chest, then stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a knife. "You might as well kill me, because I'll kill myself before I'll go back with you."
"No, Russ, no!" Andi screamed.
Joe lowered the rifle. Trembling, Russ released a long, deep breath. Then, with an apologetic glance at his sister, he turned and ran as if the devil were chasing him. Within moments, he had disappeared completely in the wilderness once more.
Andi rushed toward Joe and flung her arms around him. Joe pulled her close, then gazed at her as he lifted his hand, tucked his knuckles under her chin and tilted her face to his. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
"We had to let him go," Andi said. "If he had. . .I really believe he would have killed himself before he would have gone back with us." She clung to Joe, then whispered, “Thank you for letting him leave. I know that decision wasn't easy for you."
In that one moment, Joe knew that at long last he was once again a hero in Andi's eyes.
They arrived in Gallup later that afternoon and went straight to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital on Red Rock Drive. The multistory white building with wide, earthy-red horizontal stripes had a definite Southwestern appearance. Andi kept pace with Joe as he hurried down the hallway toward the surgery waiting area.
The minute Kate saw her brother, she sprang to her feet and rushed into his arms. Andi nodded to Ed Whitehorn and J.T., who both stood in the corner talking quietly. Joanna waved from her sitting position on the sofa. Andi offered her a weak smile.
"How's Eddie?" Joe asked.
"He is in surgery," Kate said. "Oh, Joe, gangrene had set in. Dr. Shull says there is a chance Eddie will lose his arm."
"Oh, no
." After the unintentional outburst, Andi covered her mouth with her fist.
"If that happens, we will deal with it," Joe said. "But until it is a fact, we will hope for the best. We must be grateful that Eddie is alive."
"He could still die." Kate clung to Joe as she wept quietly.
Andi walked over and sat with Joanna, but all the while she watched as Joe comforted his sister. Kind. Loving. A strong and caring man. During those moments, she saw in Joe the man she had first fallen in love with so many years ago.
"How are you doing?" Joanna asked.
"I've been better," Andi replied honestly.
"Any word on Russ?"
Andi nodded. "Joe and I found him."
"That's wonderful news."
"Not so wonderful. He wouldn't come back with us. Joe would have had to take him by force, maybe even shoot him."
Joanna patted Andi's arm in a consoling gesture. "So, I take it that y'all let Russ go."
"There wasn't much else we could do. I was so proud of Joe." Andi clenched her teeth in an effort to hold at bay the threatening tears.
“He would never deliberately do anything to hurt you or Russ," Joanna said. "You must know that. Joe is a good man."
“Yes. Yes, he is. I just wish that Russ could trust him.''
Joanna draped her arm around Andi's shoulder. "When this mess is all straightened out, Russ will have a chance to get to know Joe again. Once he realizes that Joe isn't his enemy and never has been, then—''
"But we can't be sure that we'll ever get things straightened out." Andi crossed her arms over her waist and cupped her elbows. "If the police find Russ and he tries to resist, then they might. . ." Andi drew a deep breath. “And if Eddie were to die. . . or if he loses his arm, Joe will never forgive Russ. He blames Russ for getting Eddie into trouble and then dragging Eddie with him when he ran away."
"Eddie could have said no at any time," Joanna reminded her. “Besides, both boys were seen running from Bobby Yazzi's apartment, which means they were both witnesses to—"
"No, you're wrong. Russ said that Eddie wasn't inside the apartment with him when Bobby Yazzi was murdered."
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