Navajo's Woman

by Beverly Barton

  “Dr. Shull is allowing Captain Cummings and a police officer from here in Gallup to question Eddie," Ed told them. "They are on their way to the hospital now. We want you to be with us—" he looked directly at Joe "—when they question him."

  "I'll go with you now," Joe said. "Eddie's family will be at his side when the police arrive. And I will call Tom Nelson. He is the lawyer that J.T. has arranged to repre­sent Eddie."

  "I can wait here," Andi suggested.

  "No, you come with me," Joe told her. "Whatever Eddie has to say will directly affect Russ. You represent the Lapahie family. You must be present."

  * * *

  Andi could tell just by looking at him that Eddie Whitehorn was scared half out of his mind, despite the fact that his parents stood on one side of his bed, she and Joe on the other, and the doctor just a few feet away. Tom Nel­son, who resided in Albuquerque, was a quarter Navajo, a quarter Zuni and half white. J.T. had told them that Nelson was an excellent criminal lawyer. When Ed had mentioned the cost of paying such a man, Joe had dis­missed Ed's concerns, assuring Ed he would pick up the bill.

  "Since I've known Eddie all his life, Captain Dashee has agreed to let me do the questioning,'' Bill Cummings said.

  "We appreciate this." Ed nodded first to Captain Cum­mings, a short and stocky man whose neat, military-cut hair make his round face appear fat. And then Ed nodded again, silently thanking the Gallup police department's chief, Captain Dashee, a thin man with a shock of white hair and a hawk nose.

  "All we want is to find out what happened the night Bobby Yazzi was murdered," Bill told Eddie. "Take your time. Tell us everything you remember about that night."

  Eddie's big brown eyes darted back and forth from his parents to Joe. Joe reached down and patted Eddie's pale cheek. The boy sighed and lifted his good arm, holding out his hand, which Joe clasped tightly.

  "Russ and I—" Eddie began.

  "Just for the record, you're referring to Russell Lapa-hie, Jr., whenever you say Russ. Is that right?" Captain Cummings asked.

  Eddie nodded, then began again. "Russ and I had a double date that night."

  "With whom?" Bill asked.

  Eddie glanced at Tom Nelson. "I'm not going to say. Russ and I agreed to keep the girls out of this. We don't want the real killer to know who the girls are and go after them."

  "Did the girls see who shot Bobby?" Bill asked.

  "I'm not going to say anything about the girls," Eddie replied. "I don't have to, do I, Mr. Nelson?"

  "No, Eddie, you don't. Not today," Tom replied.

  Eddie looked directly at Captain Cummings. "But I'll tell you what happened with Russ and me that night."

  Joe glanced at Bill Cummings, hoping to convey that he wanted Bill to go easy on Eddie and not push him— not right now—about the identity of the two girls.

  "All right," Bill said. "Tell us about what happened."

  Good man, Joe thought. When this mess was all cleared up, he owed Bill Cummings a debt of gratitude for more than one good deed.

  "We. . .well, actually, Russ wanted some beer, but be­cause we were all sixteen, Russ said the only place to get beer was from Bobby Yazzi. Everybody knew that Bobby sold beer to underage drinkers."

  "Were you aware that Bobby Yazzi dealt in illegal drugs, also?" Bill asked.

  "Yes, sir." Eddie gulped. He squeezed Joe's hand. "But we weren't going there for anything like that. Not even marijuana. We just wanted some beer."

  "We believe you, son," Bill assured Eddie. "Go on. Tell us what happened when the four of you arrived at Bobby's apartment."

  "Well, we were in Je—a car that belonged to one of the girls. Russ and I don't either one have a car or a truck. When we got there, Russ went into Bobby's apartment to get the beer."

  "Are you saying that you weren't in Bobby's apartment that night?" Bill asked.

  "Yes, sir. I mean, no, I didn't go in with Russ, but. . . well, I—I followed him. I thought he might need me."

  Joe and Andi shared a quick glance—meaningful and filled with understanding. Eddie and Russ were best friends, loyal to a fault. Andi knew Joe believed as she did—that if the situation had been reversed, Russ would have gone into that apartment to help Eddie.

  "I heard what sounded like a car backfiring a few times. Only it wasn't. It was gunshots. Several gunshots." Eddie paused, inhaled deeply and then exhaled. "When I got to the door of Bobby's apartment, it was wide open. I called out to Russ and asked him what was going on, and he came flying out of the apartment. I looked inside— and that's when I saw the body. Bobby Yazzi's body."

  "Was Bobby dead?" Bill asked.

  "Yes, sir, as far as I know he was. He sure looked dead."

  "What happened then?" Bill took a couple of tentative steps toward the foot of Eddie's bed.

  "Somebody started shooting at us, and we ran. When we got outside we realized that the girls had driven off and left us. I know they were scared out of their minds. But with them gone, Russ and I had no way to leave, except on foot. The guy who shot at us was coming after us. We just knew he was. Russ had seen the guy's face. He could identify him."

  "Eddie, did Russ have a gun?"

  "No! Russ has a rifle at home, the same as I do, but he didn't have a gun with him that night. I swear he didn't."

  "Okay. Okay." Bill's voice lowered to a soft, soothing tone. A look of pure puzzlement crossed bis face. "Tell me this, son—why didn't you and Russ wait for the police to arrive?"

  “We panicked. Plain and simple. Russ had just seen Bobby murdered, and the guy who did it was after us. We ran and kept on running. Russ said nobody would believe us, especially not him since he's been in so much trouble the past couple of years. And people saw us running away from Bobby's apartment."

  “Eddie, did you ever see the shooter? Can you identify him?"

  "No, sir. I never saw the man's face."

  "If you couldn't identify the shooter, why did you run when Russ ran? Did you think the shooter believed you saw him?"

  "Yeah, I guess I did. I'm not sure. Neither Russ nor I was thinking straight that night."

  "After you and Russ ran way from Bobby's apartment, did you two steal Mr. Lovato's truck?" Bill asked.

  "Eddie, you don't have to answer that question," Tom Nelson informed him.

  Eddie nodded and kept quiet.

  "Do you know where Russ is?" Bill asked, not pur­suing the question about the stolen truck.

  "No, sir, I don't."

  "I think that's enough for now, don't you?" Joe re­leased Eddie's hand and walked toward Bill Cummings.

  Bill glanced over his shoulder at Dr. Shull. “What do you say, doctor, can we continue?"

  "I think Mr. Ornelas is right," Dr. Shull said. "You have all the information Eddie seems able to give you about the night in question. Any further interrogation can surely wait until tomorrow."

  Bill nodded. "Very well." Bill walked over and shook hands with Eddie. “You get well, young man. And if you feel up to it, I'll be back tomorrow with a few more ques­tions."

  When the two police captains started to depart, Eddie called, "Captain Cummings?" Bill turned. "Yes?"

  "When the police find Russ, please, don't hurt him."

  Joe sipped on lukewarm coffee as he sat in the waiting area alone. He had persuaded Kate and Ed to go to Andi's house to bathe and eat before coming back to stay another night at the hospital. He and Andi had spent the day at Rehoboth McKinley, dividing most of their time between visits with Eddie, who had remained quiet and withdrawn after the police interrogation, and Joanna Blackwood's maternal domain, which was overflowing with floral ar­rangements, balloons and stuffed animals. J.T. alone had bought out the local supply of pink roses.

  Joe was glad that his family and J.T.'s had become close over the years and that Kate felt comfortable leaving Summer and Joey with Elena and Alex, who with Rita Gonzales's help were looking after the three older Black­wood children. While his family needed to concentrate all their time and energy
on Eddie, J.T. and Joanna were celebrating a welcome addition to their growing brood.

  Joe couldn't erase from his mind the look on Andi's face when Joanna had allowed her to hold Mary Helene. She had beamed with maternal bliss. It was at that mo­ment he realized not only that Andi wanted to be a mother, but that she was meant to be one.

  "Mr. Ornelas?" A pretty young nurse stuck her head just inside the waiting room.

  "Yes?" Joe met her gaze.

  "Your nephew would like to see you."

  "I thought he was asleep for the night."

  "No, sir. He's awake and seems quite agitated. He asked me to come out here and get you."

  "Thanks. I'll be right there."

  Joe dumped the foam cup in the garbage on his way out the door, then followed the nurse into the SICU and straight to Eddie's door. He nodded in greeting to the uniformed police officer standing watch. The man re­turned the amicable gesture.

  Joe eased the door open and walked into Eddie's room. For just a second, Joe saw Eddie as he had looked five years ago, as a boy of eleven. Small. Skinny. All bony arms and legs. And a big smile. The young man who lay in the hospital bed was no longer small, and although he was lean, he was no longer thin. And his carefree smile seemed to have vanished forever.

  “Did you want to see me?'' Joe approached the bed.

  "Yes, I must talk to you. . ." Eddie swallowed hard. "I didn't tell the police everything. I left out parts. I—I want to tell you the truth. Then maybe you can help Russ."

  Joe held his breath, entertaining a certain amount of healthy fear about what Eddie was going to tell him. He pulled up a chair by the bed, sat and focused his complete attention on his nephew.

  "I'm listening."

  "Well, everything I told Captain Cummings was true," Eddie said. "It's just that I didn't tell him that when Russ got out of the car, Jewel went with him."

  "Jewel?"

  "Jewel Begay. Russ's date."

  "Jewel Begay went into Bobby Yazzi's apartment with Russ?"

  Eddie nodded.

  "Did she see who killed Bobby?" Joe asked.

  "Yeah. She and Russ both saw the man kill Bobby."

  "Then Jewel can back up Russ's story, can't she?"

  "She could," Eddie said. "But she won't."

  "What do you mean, she won't?"

  "Russ tried to call her a few times, and she always hung up on him. He doesn't think she'll admit to being there and seeing anything because she's scared of the guy who shot Bobby. And without Jewel to tell the police that somebody else killed Bobby, Russ is convinced they'll arrest him for murder and he'll wind up spending the rest of his life in jail."

  "Damn!" Joe dropped his hands between his knees and stared down at the floor. "You're going to have to tell Bill Cummings about Jewel Begay."

  "No, Uncle Joe, I can't. I promised Russ that we'd protect Jewel. He said if the police question her, then the guy who shot Bobby will find out and he might kill her."

  Joe sat up, braced his palms on his thighs and blew out a long, exasperated huff. "Do you know who killed Bobby Yazzi?"

  "I told you, I didn't see the guy's face. I wasn't—"

  "Do you know who he was? Did Russ tell you?"

  "Yes."

  "Then how about telling me?"

  Eddie bit down on his bottom lip. "LeCroy Lanza. He's a—"

  "I know who he is," Joe said. "J.T. has a ton of in­formation on that son of a bitch."

  "He does?" Eddie's eyes widened.

  "Yeah. Lanza's name came up. Seems more than one person knows there was a connection between Bobby Yazzi and Lanza."

  "He's a real bad guy, Uncle Joe. Russ says that he won't stop until we're both dead. He's not going to let us live to testify against him."

  "You're safe, Eddie. There's a police officer outside your door twenty-four hours a day, and a Dundee agent will arrive soon to help protect you. But the best way to keep you and Russ both safe from now on is to put LeCroy Lanza behind bars where he belongs."

  "I know you're right. I tried to convince Russ that—" Eddie stopped and stared at Joe, a look of deep concern on his face. "Don't blame Russ for what happened. It wasn't any more his fault than it was mine. I know we shouldn't have run away, but sometimes you run even when you know you shouldn't. You understand, don't you, Uncle Joe?"

  "Yeah, I understand." He had run away five years ago, and deep down inside he had known that leaving was the wrong thing to do, that he should have had the courage to stay on the reservation. "And I know Russ is your friend and that a lot of his problems are because he lost his father. Believe me, Eddie, I want to help Russ just as much as you do."

  "You really do, don't you? I mean, you care about what happens to Russ."

  “We have to figure out a way to get Russ to safety and bring LeCroy Lanza to justice. But first, we have to fill Bill Cummings in on all the details you left out of your statement earlier today." Joe patted Eddie on his unin­jured shoulder. "I'm going to give Tom Nelson a call and tell him what you just told me. We'll want him here when you talk to Bill again."

  Andi met Joe at the front door. Weariness hung heavily on his broad shoulders. She took his hand in hers and led him up the stairs to her bedroom.

  "How did it go?" she asked.

  "Good," he replied as he flopped down on the over­stuffed plaid chair. "Eddie told Bill everything. He'll rest better now that he's gotten everything off his chest. Af­terward, Bill and J.T. and I met with Captain Dashee, and representatives of the New Mexico State Police and Ari­zona and Utah highway patrols, as well as Sawyer Mc-Namara from the FBI and Vic Noble from the DEA."

  "Good grief, Joe, why are all those different law en­forcement agencies involved?"

  "Because we're dealing with a very dangerous man, and everybody wants a little piece of him." Joe motioned for Andi to come to him. "This is considered a Navajo crime, committed on the reservation. And Bobby Yazzi was Navajo. Since the reservation spans areas in all three states, all three states are involved. And we're dealing with three murders, the death of a hit man and the like­lihood that everything that's happened is drag related, so the FBI and the DEA both have a horse in this race."

  Andi went to Joe, and when he grabbed her on either side of her waist and dragged her onto his lap, she draped her arm around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. "Now that I know for sure Russ saw this man—this LeCroy Lanza—commit murder, I'm even more afraid for him. Joe, we have to do something to—"

  “We agreed on a plan,'' Joe told her. “It was a joint decision, and when it comes together, there will be so many law enforcement people there that nothing bad will happen to Russ."

  Andi lifted her head and looked directly into Joe's eyes. "What do you mean, nothing bad will happen to Russ? What sort of plan did y'all agree on? And just who is the we that made the decision?"

  "We is all the different men I told you about. We put our heads together and devised a plan to bring Russ out in the open, to bring him right to us. We have to do this. It could be the only way to save his life."

  Andi swallowed, nervousness obvious in the simple movement. "Whatever it is that y'all planned, will it put Russ in danger?"

  "He's already in danger. And if Lanza finds him. . ." Be honest with her, Joe told himself. Be totally honest. "Yeah, the plan puts Russ right in the middle of all the action, which will mean danger."

  "I don't like the sound of this already," she said. "I want to know everything. And don't leave out one little detail."

  Joe nodded. "I'll give you the condensed version first, and then I'll answer any questions you have. Will that be all right?"

  "I guess so."

  "Arrangements are going to be made with Jewel Be­gay. Eddie told us that Russ tried to contact her several times, but she always hangs up on him. Well, the next time he calls her—" Joe held up his hand "—and before you ask, yes, we believe he will contact her again soon—Jewel will tell him that she will back up his story about Lanza killing Bobby, but that she w
ants to meet and talk with him first. She'll set up this meeting for the Navajo Nation Fair."

  "That begins Wednesday, doesn't it?"

  "Yes."

  "What if Jewel won't cooperate?"

  "I think if we handle things just right, she'll be more than glad to cooperate."

  "What if Russ doesn't call—"

  "He'll call. He believes getting Jewel to back up his story is his only hope. And when he does call and they arrange to meet, our plan will move forward."

  "I want to be there," Andi told him. "When Russ meets Jewel and the police arrest him. Oh, Joe don't you see that he'll be less likely to bolt and try to run if I'm there. All I want is to help ensure his safety. If he runs, they might shoot him."

  “No. No way. I don't want to have to worry about Russ and you. Since Russ doesn't trust me, then J.T. is going to handle things. But I'll be there, in the background, to ensure nothing happens to Russ."

  "I'm going to be there and you can't stop me. I promise I'll stay out of the way and not cause any trouble. But I need to be there."

  “What the hell am I going to do with you, woman?''

  Andi smiled wickedly. "You're going to let me have my way. Tonight and at the fair."

  "I am?"

  "Yes, you are."

  "And if I let you have your way tonight, just what do you intend to do?''

  She unbuttoned his shirt. "I intend to help you relax." She unbuckled his belt. "You've had a long day, and what you need is a shower." She unzipped his jeans. "And a comfortable bed." She slid out of his lap and onto the floor at his feet, then proceeded to remove his boots and socks. "And a massage."

  "You're right," he said. "I am going to let you have your way."

  Chapter 15

  The gun fired. Andi screamed. Joe slammed his body into Russ, knocking him out of harm's way. The bullet hit Joe in the back Andi screamed again. People swarmed all around her, like flies around an animal carcass. She tried to fight her way through the crowd, struggling to reach Joe. Desperately needing to help him.

  “Get out of my way,'' she pleaded. “Let me through. Joe needs me!"

  Joe needs me. . . Joe needs me. . . Joe needs me. . ..