Bad Medicine

by Aimée

The man’s face slowly turned ashen. “Did he take the medication thinking it was something else because it had been mislabeled?”

  “No.”

  He reached for the counter, bracing himself. “Then it was stolen from here.”

  Ella opened her arms, palms outward and shrugged. “You tell me. When did you discover it was missing?”

  “This morning. It was a madhouse here. I’ve got two students working full-time, and we’d just received a shipment of drugs, all controlled substances. Those have to be catalogued and entered in separate databases. Unfortunately, at the same time, three medical teams were leaving for inoculation clinics and they needed orders filled quickly. Dr. Roanhorse, who’d come in for allergy pills, ended up helping us for a while, mostly typing up labels and the like, but then she had to leave. It wasn’t until noon, when I was asked to send up some furosemide, that I realized an entire stock bottle of the liquid form of that drug was missing.”

  Ella tried to shake the sinking feeling in her stomach. “Did anyone else help out during that crisis?”

  “Her med student, Dr. Natoni, and a couple of the orderlies.”

  “It was the Death Doctor,” Nelson Yellowhair said, coming into the pharmacy, his gaze hard.

  “I beg your pardon?” Ella challenged coldly.

  “You know what happened, or you should. The sergeant, the one that was poisoned, was here earlier and had coffee with your friend, the Death Doctor. Did she forget to mention that?”

  Ella kept her face expressionless. She would not give the orderly the satisfaction of knowing how the accusations worried her. “I haven’t spoken to Dr. Roanhorse yet. Maybe you’d like to enlighten me.”

  “The sergeant had coffee with the Death Doctor, then was going to pick up a file he’d left at home before going to see you. I guess something in the coffee disagreed with him.”

  “How do you know so much about his plans?”

  “I overhead them talking.”

  “Thanks for your cooperation,” Ella clipped.

  Ella went around him and walked down the flight of stairs to Carolyn’s office. Things were starting to look really bad for her friend. Knowing the way gossip traveled on the Rez, and how nicknames stuck, she realized she had to work fast before irreparable harm was done. There was no doubt in her mind that Carolyn was the victim of a frame. Carolyn was incapable of harming anyone. Even in self-defense, she doubted Carolyn would ever use deadly force.

  Carolyn glanced up as Ella came in. “Gads, you look like hell. What happened?”

  Ella took a seat across the desk from Carolyn and filled her in. Carolyn’s expression remained guarded throughout.

  “Someone’s trying to frame me,” Carolyn said, when Ella finished.

  “I know. But I’m going to have check your coffeepot as well as look around the rest of the morgue.”

  “I insist.” Carolyn placed the coffeepot in a plastic bag and sealed it, then handed the bag to Ella. “Don’t let it spill. You’ll want the contents of the trash, too, including the thrown-out foam cups we use. Let’s go to your vehicle together. That way you’ll be able to testify that I didn’t tamper with the scene while you were getting evidence pouches.”

  Ella and Carolyn returned a few minutes later. Wearing rubber gloves, Ella sifted through the hazardous materials disposal containers and the trash, searching everything from traces of the stock bottle to signs of spilled liquid. She recovered several foam coffee cups, some with lipstick smudges. After a thorough search of the morgue, Ella walked to the door. “I’m sorry I had to do this.”

  “It’s your job.”

  Ella nodded. “I’ll have Justine check the samples out. If we find anything, I’ll be back.”

  Carolyn exhaled softly. “Someone is sure doing a number on me.”

  As Ella stepped out into the hall, she saw another trash bin. “I better go through that one, too,” she said.

  Carolyn followed, but stayed well back as Ella tilted the container so she could look inside. It was only a few seconds before Ella saw the nearly full bottle of furosemide nearly buried in the trash. Ella pushed it to the surface with the tip of her pen, then eased it into an evidence pouch.

  “Would there be any reason for this bottle to have your prints on it?” Ella asked.

  “None,” Carolyn answered.

  Ella motioned to Nelson Yellowhair, who was standing with Howard Lee down the hall, watching them. “Get me a big plastic trash bag. I’m taking the entire contents of this container with me.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  When Yellowhair brought her the bag, Ella fought the urge to wipe the smug look off his face with a clean blow to the bridge of his nose. Without ever uttering a word, he had “I told you so” written all over his face.

  Carolyn accompanied Ella to the stairwell door, holding it open because Ella had to maneuver through without hands because of the bags she was carrying. “You realize that this can cost me my job, and my work is all I have.” Her voice had dropped to a whisper, letting Ella know how seriously Carolyn was taking this new revelation.

  “You’ll be okay. You didn’t do this.”

  “Reputations are usually ruined by innuendo, not fact.”

  “I know,” she said. “I’ll do everything I can to find the person who’s doing this to you.”

  Ella walked toward her Jeep, her heart leaden. Her friend was being set up, and by doing her job she’d made things even worse for Carolyn. As she approached her vehicle, she saw Nelson Yellowhair walking in her direction from the hospital’s side entrance. Ella braced herself for trouble.

  “You didn’t want to believe me about your friend, did you?” Yellowhair goaded as he arrived. “But you see now that I was right. I’m sorry the truth is so unpleasant for you to face.”

  “What truth is that?”

  Nelson smiled. “Ah, my brother said you’d be difficult to convince, that you would side with your friend to the bitter end.”

  “I’m not siding with anyone. I just want to make sure I have all the facts, before I pass judgment. I suggest you do the same.”

  “You can’t cover up for her, you know,” he said smoothly. “The word is already out. Many believe that the Death Doctor is paying for ignoring our taboos, that the evil that follows her is a result of her work. Someone who works with the dead can’t help but become contaminated by the chindi.”

  “You don’t believe that,” Ella scoffed. She set the trash bag on the asphalt to free one hand for her keys.

  “I believe that there’s been a strong motive behind everything she’s done lately. The doctor wants to destroy my brother. To her, falsifying my niece’s test results was as easy as poisoning your sergeant. She only cares about herself. If you neglect your duties in order to protect her, you’ll be guilty along with her.”

  “I don’t need you telling me how to do my job. If you’ll excuse me,” she said, turning her back on him and unlocking the Jeep door, “I’ve got work to do.”

  * * *

  Ella walked over to her desk and sat down. She’d left the bags with Justine. After checking the bottle and foam cups for fingerprints, her assistant had been instructed to send the containers directly to the state crime lab. Ella needed to know if any of the cups contained furosemide along with the coffee. It was finally quiet, and she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. The moment she leaned back, the intercom sounded and Big Ed asked her to come to his office.

  Ella rose slowly. She was tired, hungry, and ready to call it a day. But she couldn’t very well put Big Ed off until tomorrow.

  As she stepped into his office, she found him standing by the window, staring at the ever darkening horizon. “I’m looking forward to daylight savings time. Then, even when I put in a long day, I’m usually home in time to see the sun go down.” Big Ed was tired, and not just from putting in a ten-hour day.

  Ella eased into an armchair. At the moment, she would have rather seen her pillow and her bed. “I suppose you’ve heard the late
st from the hospital.”

  “The news reached me, along with reports that you might not be the best choice to investigate this crime.”

  “I resent that, Chief. I’ve never given this department any reason to question my integrity, and I expect the department to back me up.”

  “There is a conflict of interest. You’re investigating your friend—” A note of impatience appeared in his voice as he walked over to his desk.

  “—who is getting buried with innuendo, but few facts,” Ella added.

  “Is it true, that a bottle of that drug was found right outside her office?”

  “Carolyn is a very bright woman. If she had poisoned Neskahi, she would have covered her tracks better. This is a frame-up and a crude one at that.”

  “Prove it, or turn the case over to Justine.”

  “She’s already handling all the evidence, but she doesn’t have enough experience for the entire investigation. You know that.”

  “Until this problem with Dr. Roanhorse is cleared up, Justine is in charge of that investigation.”

  “I’ve done nothing to deserve this.” Ella stood up, angry.

  Big Ed brought his fist crashing down on the desk. “Do you think I like this? This entire department is under siege. The politicians work together like a pack of wolves running their prey into the ground through sheer exhaustion. Senator Yellowhair is relentless. When he complains, and it’s been at least once every day, his call is followed within minutes by complaints from his colleagues. I can’t ignore them all. I want you to stay on the Angelina Yellowhair investigation, but Neskahi’s poisoning goes to Justine. You can supervise her progress and assist, but she calls the shots, at least on paper.”

  Ella nodded, weary and dejected. “All right.”

  “Go home and get some rest. You look as if you’re ready to fall on your face.” Big Ed’s expression could almost be taken for a smile, except that he never smiled.

  “I am. I’ll check for messages, then go.”

  Ella stopped by her desk and glanced at the report on Neskahi that Justine had left for her. Justine had found nothing of value stored in Neskahi’s computer. All he’d recorded in his unfinished report were speculations. Neskahi had been investigating a possible link between Angelina’s poisoning and Carolyn’s, so he’d gone to the hospital to question the doctor.

  Ella turned off the lights, locked up, then walked out to the parking lot. As she approached her Jeep she saw a note held in place by the windshield wipers. She picked it up gingerly, knowing it would be signed just like the others.

  “What do you have there?” Big Ed asked, approaching. “I was on my way to my car when I noticed what you were doing. Did somebody leave you a note?”

  Ella shook her head. “If they did, they have quite a reach. It’s another message from the person claiming to be my late father-in-law. This time he’s taking credit for poisoning Neskahi. He says that I should think twice every time I take a swallow of coffee, or a bite of lunch.”

  “Process the note just like the rest. If Justine can’t find anything, then pass it along to FB-Eyes. See what their lab can find out from it.”

  “All right. I’ll go log it in.”

  Big Ed walked back inside the building with her, obviously not finished with his instructions. “Whoever poisoned Angelina Yellowhair and Dr. Roanhorse is working overtime to make us look bad. But make sure that you don’t put Bitah’s murder on the back burner either. We can’t afford to ignore what’s going on at the mine. Tension is getting higher by the moment over there. My neighbor’s son drives one of the big coal-hauling trucks. He said that having Truman out on bail has polarized almost everyone.”

  “I’m not ignoring that case. I’ve been searching for leads, and right now Anderson looks promising as the main suspect. I’ve made some progress but, admittedly, not enough to arrest anyone.”

  “One miner is still missing, another dead. Clear the case before those numbers rise.”

  * * *

  It was shortly after ten the following morning when Blalock came into her office. Ella looked up at him, surprised. “What brings you all the way to Shiprock unannounced?”

  “We need to brainstorm on this case eyeball to eyeball. I’ve had half a dozen calls from Washington this morning alone. Senator Yellowhair and some of the other tribal officials are pulling all the right strings. I had to fight like crazy to buy myself some time and not have the Bureau send in a team to assist.”

  “That’s the last thing we need here.”

  “Agreed, but we damned well better find some answers, and fast. I’ve made extensive background checks of all the members of the gun club, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy there. The handful who are members and also work at the mine have all-of-a-sudden gone very low profile, too. I asked around at the club, but nobody’s seen that group at the range since the match. They usually go together to practice three times a week.”

  “I think our visit to Chambers so soon after the incident rattled them. I’m sure they all know, or at least suspect, he was responsible for shooting at me, but they don’t want to take any heat for him. I have trouble believing that they sanctioned that incident as a group, on such short notice. I suspect Chambers decided to have himself a little bit of ‘good ole boy’ fun at my expense,” she said.

  “You might be right, but we still have zip on these guys, and that’s got to change.”

  “Agreed.”

  “I tried to bring pressure on Truman, but he’s playing it cool. He goes to work, and comes back home. That’s it. I even tailed him back and forth. Nothing. What about that miner who disappeared, Noah Charley. Anything on him?”

  “There’s that rumor I haven’t been able to substantiate that he was working as an informant for The Brotherhood. If that’s true, then that explains his disappearance. He was last seen the evening Bitah was murdered. And he never picked up his paycheck. It looks like he got scared and bailed on everyone.”

  “You’re thinking he was paid for delivering Bitah?”

  “Yes, but I can’t prove it. I’ve got people afraid to talk to the police, and others determined to solve it themselves.”

  “It just gets better and better, doesn’t it,” he snapped sarcastically.

  Justine knocked on the open door and came in holding a newspaper. “I’ve got bad news.”

  “What’s new?” Blalock muttered.

  Justine dropped the newspaper, opened to the front page, onto Ella’s desk.

  Ella glanced down and, although it took some effort, managed not to cringe. Yellowhair’s charges against Carolyn were the headline. In the article, Yellowhair claimed Carolyn had compromised the evidence on his daughter’s autopsy. He also maintained that anyone else under the cloud of suspicion the M.E. was currently under, would have been asked to take leave, rather than continue working while under investigation. He accused the police department of being in league with the M.E. to conceal the truth. Yellowhair had wrapped up by saying that the only reason the M.E. hadn’t been suspended was because Dr. Roanhorse’s friend, Ella Clah, was in charge of the investigation and she was filtering the information being made available to the public.

  Ella tossed the paper aside. “Carolyn could sue his butt, and win.”

  “I called the paper and told them I was investigating the M.E. I told them to get their facts straight.” Justine gave Ella a tiny grin, then shrugged, adding, “So what if that happened after they printed the story?”

  Ella chuckled softly. “At least Neshaki’s poisoning has been kept out of the paper. For now.”

  “That brings me to another piece of news I have to share with you,” Blalock said. “We’re all about to become one big, happy family. I’ve been ordered to get involved in the Angelina Yellowhair investigation, too, by no less than the regional director. I’m to look into the M.E. role in the investigation, and go the whole nine yards.”

  “You realize that what they want is for you to declare that the M.E. compromise
d the evidence by using sloppy procedures. They’re hoping you’ll discover that she mislabeled everything, or mixed up the samples, thus making the autopsy report highly questionable. The senator wants this case closed, one way or another. Howard Lee, Carolyn’s med student, could turn out to be a key player, too. Depending on which way the wind is blowing at the time, he might defend Carolyn or decide to destroy her.”

  Blalock shrugged. “Just like you and Chief Atcitty, I’ve got my orders.”

  Ella stood up. “If you’re really going to be in on this, then let’s go to Big Ed’s office now. There are some things you have to know about.”

  Ella led the way down the hall, knocked on Big Ed’s open door, then escorted FB-Eyes inside. “We have some interesting developments,” she said, noting that the chief had already tossed today’s newspaper into the trash.

  Big Ed waved them to a chair and listened as Ella explained about Carolyn’s second set of samples, the ones she’d given the police to be sent to the state lab to corroborate her own findings. “I can guess what you want to do. You’d like to make it public that there were two sets of tissue and fluid samples, one of which has not been compromised. Correct?”

  Blalock’s eyebrows rose. “That’s an interesting bit of news. It sure helps protect your case.”

  “I would have preferred to keep that second set of samples a secret for now,” Ella admitted, “at least until we had the results of the test. But if we do that, Carolyn’s going to have an additional, pointless battle to fight when she has more than enough trouble already.” Ella glanced at Big Ed then at Blalock. “How do you two vote?”

  “Look, I’m going to put my cards on the table,” Blalock said. “I hate having someone jerk my chain, whether it’s Washington or local politicians. I’ve been put on this case in hopes that I’ll dance to Yellowhair’s tune. The way I see it, you folks have a good grip on this case. I’ll go through the motions, but as far as I’m concerned, this case is all yours. Handle it any way you want. When it’s over, just let me read your report so I can make sure my own matches, Okay?”

  “Let’s see how Dr. Roanhorse feels. She’s taking the heat over this. Give her a call.” Big Ed handed Ella the phone.