Second Sunrise

by Aimée Thurlo

  “You mean cheap and easy. Well, that was the desired effect, I suppose. Maybe he’ll hope to meet up with me again without you around.” Diane laughed.

  “Hey, the boy can dream, can’t he?” Lee was grateful for the lightness of their interaction. He’d been on edge as soon as they’d entered Muller’s apartment, remembering what the vampire had done to Benny Mondragon, and to him as well. finally, knowing that he’d located the man/creature he’d been after for nearly a lifetime, the pressure was off just a little, at least for the moment.

  “I thought about bringing out my FBI ID and doing some heavy b.s. about an official investigation, foreign spies, or drug dealers, but decided that would make it even harder for him to keep quiet. He’d want to brag about it. This way it’s more mundane. I thought it was the right decision.” Diane looked over at Lee, who seemed intent on the road right now.

  “I think so too.”

  “What worries me now is that I’m supposed to keep supplying progress reports to SAC Lewis, and I don’t have a clue what I’m going to be saying next. I certainly can’t mention entering a suspect’s apartment without a warrant.” Diane took off her wig, shook out her hair, then began to straighten out the tangles with her fingers.

  “I have the same problem, though technically I’m not working at all right now. The news people still don’t have the details on what happened at my old complex, at least the truth, anyway, and I don’t know how much pressure your people are putting on the state police or the governor. But when my commanding officers get pushed, the push will quickly come down on me. I’d hate to have to go underground again. I’ve enjoyed being a cop again.”

  He thought about the death of Annie, and the newspapers, and the police coming around. It had been a terrible time for him, and despite having come so close to having his secrets revealed, time had passed and people had eventually forgotten.

  These days, with technology so far advanced, he was having a harder time keeping his night-walker secrets. Backgrounds and IDs were getting harder to fake with current terrorist threats making everyone justifiably paranoid. He didn’t want entanglements in his life anymore, but the more he was around Diane Lopez, the harder that became. Even though he knew she would never replace Annie in his heart, Diane was rapidly becoming his companion. And, unlike anyone else since his wife had died, this woman knew most of his secrets.

  Diane looked over at him, her face light-skinned compared to his even in the dark. “What is it really like for you, Lee? Never able to remain who you are or who you’ve become for very long. You’re so easy to be around, pleasant and intelligent. People must want to be with you. Do you turn away from them eventually, or do you remain distant and aloof around other people from the very beginning? How can you ever have a relationship with such a big secret?”

  He thought about it for a while before answering. To Diane’s credit, she waited. Navajos usually didn’t expect other Navajos to respond immediately when spoken to—like good teachers, they gave people a chance to think before voicing an opinion. But most of the non-Navajos he met were less patient.

  “You’re the first person since . . . well, almost forever, that I’ve been able to talk to honestly and completely about my life. I usually can’t afford that. It gets obvious pretty quickly that I have a secret, then people start trying to figure it out. The better someone gets to know me, really know me and be around me, the harder it gets to keep that secret. If the wrong person discovers who and what I am, it could end my chance for any kind of life.

  “I gave up on normal a long time ago. I only broke my rule of silence once when I fell in love. I knew she loved me so I took the biggest chance of my life. I told her exactly who and what I was. It took more courage to do that than to face a dozen vampires.”

  “Your wife, Annie?” Diane’s voice was soft, understanding.

  He nodded, but was unable to speak further for a while. The center dashes in the road passed by for several minutes in the silence, the only sound coming from the pickup engine and the whine of the tires on the asphalt.

  “I didn’t know whether she’d run away, or treat me like some kind of monster. But I got lucky. She loved me enough to stay. We got married, and she kept my secret for eight years. Then she was killed . . . because of my secret.” Lee barely managed to get the last few words out, like the last few breaths of a dying man.

  “Can you tell me what happened? How she died?”

  He shook his head. “Maybe, someday. But not now. You know that you hold my life in your hands, don’t you, Diane? And it you get caught in a lie, your career could be shot to hell over this. I know we haven’t known each other long enough for you to do it because we’re friends. Why are you sticking with me?”

  Diane thought about it for a moment. “Right now, Lee, trust is what we need most from each other. I just hope that when the time comes, I’ll be able to make the right choices. This whole experience—vampires, skinwalkers, a hidden cache of plutonium, potential German terrorists—it scares the living hell out of me. But it’s also my job to deal with it when the security of our country is at stake. I believe we have a common goal here, no matter how strange the circumstances or how brief the acquaintance. That’s a pretty good basis for trust.” She reached over to the steering wheel and placed her hand upon his for a moment.

  When she finally took her hand away, he didn’t look directly at her. It had been so long since he’d trusted anyone, he’d forgotten what it was like.

  CHAPTER 12

  Lee used a pay phone at a convenience store outside Las Cruces to call Lieutenant Richmond, his immediate supervisor. When he got back into the pickup, Lee was still shaking his head.

  “Let me guess, your lieutenant is pulling you off leave and wants to see you first thing in the morning.” Diane tried to interpret his expressions.

  “Close. He wants to see me right now. He’s getting a hell of a lot or pressure from your SAC Lewis to bring me in for an interview with him and Captain Huckabee, Richmond’s boss. Your SAC wants to hear all the details of what happened at my apartment, what went on when we met, where you and I have been and what we’ve been doing, what happened when Blackhorse and the person in the van ambushed us, everything we’ve learned so far, and what we plan to do next.” Lee shook his head.

  “You left out the meaning of life and the next winning lottery number. That sounds like something Ray Lewis would do. He’s looking for more answers to all the deaths, especially because the Bureau lost an agent, and it was an agent from his office.” Diane cursed under her breath. “He’s also pissed that Blackhorse obviously used him to track us down and attempt a hit. He sure doesn’t want that showing up in any report I file.

  “Lewis is just afraid it’ll look like he’s losing control of the situation. As if he ever had control,” she added.

  Lee waited to allow an eighteen-wheeler to pass, then pulled back out onto the highway. “Lieutenant Richmond is really a decent guy, and usually backs up his officers. But I was afraid this was going to happen sooner or later. The people behind the desks always get nervous when those of us out on the street take the initiative.”

  “So, when are you going to meet with your lieutenant? At least he sounds more reasonable than SAC Lewis.”

  “Tonight.” Lee looked down at his watch. “Or make that this morning, now. He wants to make sure nobody in the Bureau tags along.”

  “At his home, or some neutral location? Maybe an all-night coffee shop?” Diane suggested.

  “Unfortunately, no. I would have picked one of the truck stops, myself, but he wants to meet at the district office. There is a dispatcher there, of course, but otherwise, it’ll be just him and me.”

  Lee turned to her. “I can take you back to the safe house but I’d rather keep you close in ease there’s trouble. Do you mind driving around the area while I talk to the lieutenant? I don’t recommend you park and make yourself a stationary target right now.”

  “Agreed. We need to watch each o
ther’s backs. I’ll drop you off close to the office, then meet with you at another spot, or the same spot, later on. Do you have a preference?”

  Lee nodded. “There’s a little park, not much more than a grassy lot with several trees, two blocks north of the state police district office. I’ll head for the north end of that park when I’m through. If the lieutenant gives me a hard time, it may be a while.”

  “I’ll drop you off a block or so south of the office, if that’s possible, just in case the place is under surveillance. SAC Lewis is not to be trusted and I know you don’t want your truck spotted,” Diane pointed out.

  “Sounds like a plan. Be careful about being seen passing through the area too many times. Maybe one pass every five to ten minutes, randomly timed. If you see any feebies, just leave the area and head for the safe house. I showed you where the key is. I’ll get in contact with you later to arrange for pickup. I’ll call on the cell phone hidden under the sink in the master bathroom,” Lee said.

  “How many different phones do you have hidden around that house?”

  “One in the garage, and another in a plastic box buried beneath the trash barrel. You can use one of the batteries I have charging in the garage for that one.” Lee smiled. “See, I do think of nearly everything.”

  “Do we have time to stop for something to eat? If you’re getting set up here by my cohorts, you’ll want to be at full strength. Besides, I’m feeling hungry.”

  “Are you sure you don’t have a little vampire in your family?” Lee teased.

  “Are you kidding? We just like to eat. No skinny supermodels in my family at all. Everyone is well rounded,” Diane responded with a smile.

  “How do I respond to that without getting myself into trouble? Just let me say that you are pleasing to the eye, and leave it at that.” Lee smiled.

  “Thank you for your excellent taste. Now, where can I find a good burrito?”

  When Lee arrived at the entrance of the Las Cruces district office—the state police headquarters building was far north in Santa Fe—he could see Lieutenant Richmond through the glass panel, in street clothes, talking to the dispatcher, a buxom, attractive black woman in her thirties named Iris Worth that Lee knew, but not well. The entrance was locked, and Lee pressed the buzzer.

  Iris looked up, saw who it was, then pressed the buzzer. Lee entered. “Thanks, Mrs. Worth.” He nodded to the woman, who smiled back. “Officer Hawk, based on the body count, it looks like your vacation has turned into a small war.”

  Richmond looked up with a scowl, but didn’t say anything.

  Lee gave her a sheepish grin. “Sure has.” He then looked directly at his lieutenant. “Good morning, sir. I suppose you want to talk in your office?”

  “Let’s go back there now, Lee. Thanks for the coffee, Iris.” Richmond smiled at the dispatcher, then motioned Lee ahead of him down the narrow hall. There were only two rooms in that direction, one a cramped storeroom with an outside door, and the other a small office with two desks, several filing cabinets, and a large map of New Mexico that covered one end wall. The state police emblem and the yellow flag of New Mexico with its red zia sun symbol were against the back wall, one above each desk.

  Richmond started to take a seat behind the desk with his nameplate on it, then decided to stand, which made his great height seem even more imposing. “I need to get an update, for the record, on anything that might even remotely be connected to what transpired on and since the day you met Special Agent Lopez. I want the details of that shootout included. When you mention my visit with you, leave out everything except the papers I brought for you to sign, okay, Lee? The Bureau is breathing down everyone’s neck since they lost that agent, and we’re not too happy about it either, especially with one of our own involved. I’m going to record this and make a text copy available to SAC Lewis, so keep that in mind when you’re speaking.”

  “Thanks for your support, Lieutenant, There are some aspects of this case that are obviously out of the ordinary, but I’ll keep to the facts and resist any speculation.”

  “Good idea. Much as I’m eager to hear it, save your speculation until after the formal part here is done and I turn off the recorder.” Richmond reached into a desk drawer, pulled out a small tape recorder, and checked the cassette. Then he turned it on, nodded, and sat down. Lee remained standing, though the lieutenant gestured toward the other desk.

  Lee described his meetings with Special Agent Lopez, stating that she had since indicated that she’d been using the previous incident on the Rez as an excuse to find out why he’d done a background check on a German pilot temporarily stationed at Holloman. While he’d been busy explaining why he’d been curious about the major, the attack on his apartment had occurred. A wolf had come crashing through his window followed by two crazed Navajos behaving as if they’d been high on PCP.

  Lee measured his words carefully, telling the lieutenant that the man and the young woman had been unarmed, but had attacked them with hands and teeth. It wasn’t a lie—of course he wasn’t about to explain that they’d been wolves at the time.

  Lee continued, telling him how they’d received a call for help from Agent Thomas at the other apartment. Agent Lopez had taken a blow and was still in the process of recovering, so he went to check out Agent Thomas’s situation. At the apartment, he encountered a large panther and another Navajo. After realizing that Agent Thomas was dead, he’d asked a neighbor to call the authorities, and hearing more gunfire coming from his apartment, he’d returned as quickly as possible. That’s when he’d learned that Agent Lopez had been forced to fire when the male Navajo, though already wounded, had attacked her with a piece of plate glass.

  “And that’s when you decided to leave the scene and go after the black panther and the Navajo working with the animal?” Richmond asked.

  “Yes. Agent Lopez wanted to go to her partner, but when she learned he was already dead, she agreed to help me try to catch the attackers before they left the area completely.”

  Lee could see that his story sounded strange at best, and knew it left a lot of questions unanswered. For now, he wouldn’t give Richmond any more details about what had happened since the attack, or about Muller. The lieutenant had enough to think about.

  Lee knew his supervisor would have a hard enough time swallowing the story he’d been given about wild animals that had been trained and used in an attempted murder. On the other hand, the lieutenant would have had even more trouble with the truth. So this was the way it had to be.

  Forensic evidence would show Lee’s blood on the nails of the dead Navajo man, but on the face of it, without knowing the humans had attacked in wolf form, it looked like Agent Lopez and he had killed two naked, unarmed people who’d become insanely violent and had behaved like animals.

  The shootout with Blackhorse and the person in the van, though extremely serious, was almost an anticlimax. Of course Lee didn’t mention the fact that he was wounded and had subsequently healed, or couldn’t stay around because of danger from sunlight.

  Finally Lee finished what he had to say, answered a few more questions, then the lieutenant reached over, announced the time and date, then switched off the recorder. He labeled the cassette, and stuck it into his shirt pocket.

  “Damned incredible story, Lee. I’d like you to know that the Office of the Medical Investigator has put a rush on this, working with the FBI crime lab facilities in Albuquerque, and so far, your story is backed up by the evidence, unlikely as it seems. The FBI apparently has some snapshots Agent Thomas took of the surveillance of your apartment—which I gather don’t show the attack itself, though they won’t confirm or deny it. They are looking for a wolflike animal, though, and a black panther as well. They’ve even brought in an animal expert and a professional hunter as consultants. They don’t like it, and are apparently really pissed off about you and Agent Lopez working together undercover, but so far, your and her stories seem to be consistent with the known evidence.”

 
“I haven’t heard the news or read the papers lately, but how much of this is going out to the public?” Lee wanted to know how much Muller would hear. A vampire was more likely to spot events of a supernatural nature, even when they were carefully couched in rhetoric. Lee knew his one advantage was that Muller probably had never come across skinwalkers and had little knowledge of them.

  “Not much, except that wild animals, possibly a wolf cross and a black mountain lion or jaguar that had come out of the mountains attacked two men and a woman at a local apartment building. At least one woman saw the black cat.” Richmond shrugged.

  “You think you have a lead on who trained the animals that did this?” Richmond added. “Maybe that Blackhorse character, who’d gone for you the night before? And what about those naked fanatics? Do you suppose they were on some kind of drug trip? The drug tests still aren’t back yet from the lab.”

  “Once somebody gets a confirmation on the identities of either or both of the dead perps, we’ll have a better idea where that trail leads. Please don’t let this out of the room, but you know how secretive some of the tribal groups are, especially with outsiders. I believe, and Agent Lopez agrees, that a secret Navajo sect is behind all this, and it goes back somehow to that attack on me that happened over near Shiprock a few months ago. That ties in with Darvon Blackhorse, we’re certain of that.”

  Lee continued. “It anyone else gets involved, and the Navajo group knows they’re in danger of being uncovered, they could go underground for years or strike out violently on a large scale. People up in the four Corners, and anywhere there is Indian land, can be very tight-lipped with outsiders. I plan to see what I can find out unofficially. Please do what you can to give us a chance to nail these guys and their animals, will you, Lieutenant?” Lee tried to sound as credible as possible.

  “Is this in any way connected with that German pilot?” Richmond asked. “That possibility is what got the feebies interested in you in the first place.”