by Aimée
“Tell me who you think the members of The Brotherhood are.”
“I don’t know who they are, but even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you now. As far as I’m concerned, the Anglo workers have to stand together. You take your allies as they come, you don’t always choose them.”
Ella questioned several other injured miners, but none of the interviews with them disturbed her as much as the one with Watson. Afterward, she met with Justine out by the front.
Justine’s frown tipped off Ella long before she had said a word.
“Let’s not talk here,” Ella cautioned, aware that two office workers from the mine were standing near the windows.
Ella led Justine to where they’d left their vehicles. “Okay, now we can speak freely. What did you find out?”
Justine flexed her hand. Her knuckles were bruised and raw, a souvenir from the riot. “I think someone’s manipulating the situation here, hoping to turn the miners against each other. I learned of one incident that sounded just plain crazy. One of the Navajo workers was seen talking to an Anglo, just talking, mind you. That night several trucks came to his home, aimed their headlights into his windows, and he was warned to stay loyal to his own or face the consequences.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. I couldn’t get that name from anyone, though the incident was obviously common knowledge.” Justine shook her head. “In a way, it sounds like the kind of rumor that is spread to enhance fear, rather than something that actually happened. But that’s just my feeling.”
“I think you’re probably right on target with this.” She recounted the incident with the ashes.
“You think it’s a skinwalker playing tricks?” she asked in a whisper-soft voice.
“I think maybe someone is taking advantage of the problems that already exist here to divert us.”
“Makes sense,” Justine said. “I’m going back to the station to see if I can turn up anything from the remnants of the Molotov cocktails that started the fire at the M.E.’s trailer. Or is there something else you’d rather I worked on next?”
“No, go on with your plans. I’m going to stop by home, shower and eat breakfast, then I’ll meet you at the office.”
Ella headed home. Driving often helped her lose the edginess that went hand in hand with a tough case. This time, however, it wasn’t helping. There was a cold, tight knot in the pit of her stomach. Life was becoming a lot more complicated on the reservation. Separate realities were intertwining. A world filled with facts and logic surrounded her at work. But there was another level, too. That one was fed by beliefs as old as the Dineh themselves. It was there that the skinwalkers thrived and preyed on fear. The threat she was facing proved just how cunning and lethal her adversaries were.
As Ella drove up to her mother’s home, she saw her brother’s truck parked there along with another she didn’t recognize. Ella left her Jeep cautiously, but relaxed when she saw her mother casually picking herbs in her garden, accompanied by Clifford.
Ella went inside the house and found Sergeant Neskahi in the kitchen finishing one of her mother’s breakfast burritos. “Well, hi there! What are you doing here? Should you even be up?”
“I’m not ready for active duty, but when I heard what happened to the M.E., I came over here with a proposition. Let me stick around the area and keep a watch on your home. If I just lay in bed I’m going to go crazy.”
Ella smiled. She could understand the way he felt and his need to remain useful. “Okay. Where do you plan to set up your surveillance?”
“I figured I’d take my binoculars and keep watch from the top of the mesa out back. Once I see you’re home for the night, I’ll go.”
“Deal. But it’s going to get pretty hot out there. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I’ll take plenty of water. Don’t give it another thought,” Neskahi said, grabbing a slice of bread from the table and heading out the door.
Ella looked out the window and saw her mother and brother heading back inside. Seeing their somber expressions, she met them at the kitchen door. “What’s going on?”
“My wife and son are ill. At first I didn’t worry too much, but it started the night of the inoculation clinic.”
“But they weren’t immunized, were they?” Ella felt instantly guilty, knowing she’d pressured her brother into going.
Carolyn came into the kitchen. “Are you talking about the last vaccination clinic I was at?” She saw Clifford nod, and looked at Ella. “Neither your sister-in-law or her son were given any shots, or medication. I can assure you of that. I would have known.”
“She’s right,” Clifford said. “That’s why I wasn’t concerned. But then my wife’s fever went up, and my son got sick to his stomach. I will be doing a Sing over them. Now I have the herbs I need.”
“Why not do all that, and also take them to the hospital?”
“They couldn’t have anything that came from contaminated medication, but they could end up catching something at the Anglo hospital,” Clifford said.
“My medications weren’t contaminated,” Carolyn replied firmly.
“It’s possible someone switched just a few of the vials,” Clifford said with a shrug.
“But they didn’t come into contact with any of the vials—or anything else. And we were all watching for that type of thing, you and your sister included. It simply wasn’t possible,” Carolyn said.
“Unfortunately, it’s something that would only take a second to accomplish. Just because we didn’t catch anyone, doesn’t mean it wasn’t done. Let me see if I can demonstrate.” He glanced around, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out two plums. “These are roughly the same size as your vials?”
Carolyn nodded. “More or less.”
He marked one with a pen, set it down on the table, then walked away. “Keep in mind it wasn’t this quiet at the clinic.” He stopped and turned his head. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, little sister, our new neighbor came around and asked about you. He’s heard of the trouble the police are having because of the pressure our senator is putting on your department. He said that he’s got some pull of his own, and would help you if you needed it.”
Clifford went back into the room and walked past the table on the way to the window. “I think that’s him coming now.”
Ella joined him. “Where?”
“Good trick,” Carolyn said, pointing to the unmarked plum, which had replaced the other one at the table. “I was watching, but I never saw it happen.”
Ella forced herself not to cringe. Kevin was nowhere in sight. He’d deliberately diverted her, using Tolino. “Smooth, big brother. Real smooth.”
Clifford smiled, then glanced at Carolyn. “So you see, it scarcely takes any time at all.”
“Not for a magician,” Ella said, still annoyed that he’d tricked her.
“Or a skinwalker,” Clifford said.
“Or a hataalii,” Carolyn added with a wry smile.
“True,” he conceded.
Ella glared at Carolyn. “A hataalii? That’s below the belt.”
“I wasn’t suggesting your brother did this. But, without evidence, anything could be argued. One could say a medicine man’s motive would be to give credence to the old values and push people into losing faith in the new. This may have nothing more to do with skinwalkers than it does with hataaliis. We don’t even know for sure that any medicines were tainted.”
“Point taken,” Ella answered.
“I have to go tend to my family,” Clifford said, heading out the door, Rose at his side.
Carolyn looked at Ella, her gaze unwavering. “Concentrate on the person who wants most to destroy me, not on phantoms. You’ll have better luck with it that way.”
“You think Yellowhair is behind what’s happening?”
“He’s the best candidate I can think of.”
Ella heard the phone ringing and went to pick it up. Justine’s voice was taut, so Ella steeled herself for bad news.
“What is it?”
“One of the children who was inoculated died.”
TWENTY-ONE
Ella spoke to her assistant briefly, getting a full report, then went back into the kitchen to tell the others. It was odd how everyone always drifted into the kitchen here. It was definitely the heart of her mother’s house.
“I have bad news. One of the children who was inoculated passed away.”
“A reaction to the vaccine?” Carolyn’s eyebrows arched.
“No, it was a severe bacterial infection. It looks like a strain of E. coli. The problem is the parents don’t recall him eating any meat, much less undercooked hamburger or chicken. So the question is, where did he pick it up?”
“That couldn’t have anything to do with the vaccine, or with the food served at the Chapter House. Hundreds of people ate that food.”
“I know. I’ll keep you posted.” Ella grabbed her windbreaker from the hook at the back of the door. “I’ve got to get going. What are your plans for today?” she asked Carolyn.
“A car rental place in Farmington is going to give me a ride to get some wheels to use while my pickup is being repaired. They’re expensive but give full service. Then I’m going to see about a new trailer. I asked your mother to go with me, but she said no. She’s having her Plant Watchers group here today. Although she didn’t say so, I think she’s glad I won’t be around.”
Ella gave Carolyn a sympathetic smile, but said nothing. Her friend didn’t need platitudes. She needed results. Ella decided right then to be at home when the Plant Watchers were there. Maybe she could learn something useful.
* * *
Ella was halfway to the police station when she received a call on her cellular. She was surprised when Jaime Beyale, the editor of the Dineh Times, identified herself.
“I’m sorry you were unhappy with our conversation yesterday,” Jaime said.
“You were somewhat less than truthful,” Ella snapped.
“We’re all under pressure from someone. I didn’t know how much information I should give you ahead of time.”
“I suppose the rest of the story will be in tonight’s paper.”
“Yes, but I’ve got another headline that will bump the story about the M.E. onto page two. That’s why I called you. I think you’ll want to see it before it hits the stands.”
“I’ve got a lot of things to handle this morning. Is it going to be worth my trip?”
“Yes. Trust me. You’ll want to see this, particularly in view of the statement Dr. Roanhorse just made in response to the piece.”
Ella cringed. She knew without being told, that Carolyn had once again opened her mouth and made things far worse. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
It was nearly noon by the time she arrived at the paper. When Ella went into Jaime’s office, the editor was eating a sandwich. “I got one for you, too,” she said, gesturing to the paper plate at the end of her desk. “It’s fried bologna. You used to like those back in school.”
“Still do,” Ella admitted, sitting down and picking up the sandwich. “What’s up?” she asked, taking a bite. It wouldn’t help if she stayed angry at Jaime, though now some of the trust she’d once had in the woman was gone.
Jaime slid an envelope over to her. “Don’t worry about prints. Everyone has handled these, from the mail carriers to the people here in my office. The envelope arrived before I got here, and my staff was a bit overzealous.”
Ella opened it and saw two grainy black-and-white photos of Senator Yellowhair. In one, he was being handed an envelope by a man in a wheelchair, whose face was nearly hidden in shadows. In the second, he was opening the envelope stuffed with bills. The background was so dark the surroundings couldn’t be identified. “Do you know who the man with the senator is?” Ella asked.
“No, I don’t. My staff called Senator Yellowhair and he insisted that we fax him the photo. We did, but he said he didn’t recognize the man, and he just couldn’t remember the incident. He urged us to investigate it, though. He says he doesn’t want any allegations hanging over him when he’s innocent of any wrongdoing.”
“You said something about Carolyn making a statement?”
“We had called the M.E. to ask who she believed torched her home. She told us that the only real enemy she has is Senator Yellowhair. When we told her about the photos we’d received, she told us that she wouldn’t be surprised to hear he was taking bribes, that crooked politicians usually do.”
“You’re not printing that, are you? It’s nothing more than an opinion.”
“We won’t print it for now, but we are running these photos of the senator in the next issue. We also asked Senator Yellowhair to comment on the M.E.’s belief that he was behind the fire that claimed her home. He was outraged.”
Ella stood up. “I need to take these photos in, you know that, right?”
“Yes, I’ve already had duplicates made.” She slid a second envelope over to her. “And here’s an extra set for you. Never let it be said we don’t cooperate with the police.”
Ella took the photos. “I’ll get back to you if I find out who this Anglo is. Will you do the same for me?”
“No problem.”
Ella walked out of the newspaper office with the envelope. She could imagine how Jaime’s staff had reacted when they’d seen the photos and smelled a juicy story. The photos would be covered with prints, mostly from the newspaper staff, but she would still have Justine process them. Maybe a miracle would happen, and they’d find a clue that would lead them to whoever had sent them.
What bothered her most was the senator’s reaction to the photos. It was simply too magnanimous of him to invite the staff at the paper to investigate. It made her believe that he knew precisely who the Anglo was, and was certain it would make him look really good when it all came out.
Ella met Justine at the lab a short while later. She handed her assistant the photos and explained. “I’ll keep the duplicates for the time being. I want to show them to Blalock.”
“We keep getting leads, but there’s never enough time to process the new information before something else gets tossed at us.”
“I know.” Ella said, knowing how overworked they’d all been. “Anything else come up since we last spoke?”
“A few things. Another one of the kids who went to the inoculation clinic Dr. Roanhorse attended became sick. His parents finally took him to the Medical Center. The parents said that he hadn’t been inoculated. They’d only been at the Chapter House for a few minutes. They’d stopped to pick up a sack of flour from another family there.”
“Did he have any medication at all?”
“No, but his illness was caused by a similar strain of bacteria to the one that killed the other boy, only the infection wasn’t as severe. He’s going to be okay.”
“Good. Keep on it. What else have you got?”
“The new truck driver who was recently hired at the mine, Joe Bragg, shot off his mouth again and Raymond Nez decided to shut it for him. Mine security guards were able to take care of things this time. They’ve been supplied with a particularly nasty spray similar to pepper gas and trained in how to use it effectively. The mine didn’t press charges. I think they’re hoping to minimize the incident by ignoring it.”
“Get the driver’s personnel files. I want to know more about him.”
“I’ll try. If I can’t, I’ll start a background check.”
Ella led the way to her office, filling Justine in on what Rose had said about Angelina’s boyfriend being married. “Has anything else on her boyfriend turned up yet?”
Justine shook her head. “The only lead we have is what you just told me.”
“If the guy is married, that gives us a possible motive for murder, and also a possible lead to a suspect. If Angelina was pressing him to divorce his wife, for instance, he may have decided she was too much trouble to keep around. Or, the man’s wife may have taken matters into her own hands. Some people say poison is
a woman’s weapon.”
“Granted, but how are we going to follow up on this?”
“I want you to find out who, besides Bitah, was attending that Navajo Justice Church. Maybe one of the Navajo men attending was Angelina’s boyfriend. The peyote had to come from somewhere. Get a court order to check all financial records with her name on them, too. I want everything that ties Angelina to her parents, the power plant, her boyfriend, and her friends.”
“The senator is going to fight you tooth and nail on this.”
“I know, so try to get the court order fast, before he knows what’s happening.”
“We haven’t got a prayer of keeping it quiet for long. You realize that, right?”
“Yeah, that’s why we’ve got to move quickly. While you’re taking care of that, I’m going to try another avenue of information that may lead us to Angelina’s boyfriend.”
“What have you got in mind?”
“My mother reminded me that we’ve overlooked an important source—the women’s groups. When they get together, they talk, and I’m ready to bet it’s that talk that will lead us to the guy we need to find.”
* * *
By the time Ella arrived home there were pickups parked all around the house, and two horses were grazing on the meager spring grasses.
Ella walked around the outside of the house and saw her mother pointing out the different herbs in her garden to her guests, as another woman planted some seedlings. Ella waited, not wanting to interrupt.
The women were discussing the merits of salt brush to relieve fever and stomach pains when they became aware of Ella’s presence. Mrs. Pioche, her mother’s oldest friend, greeted her warmly.
“You should learn about these things, young lady.” Mrs. Pioche gestured toward the plants with her cane. “The Plant People were put here for us to use as food and as medicine. Although Father Sky does the planting and brings us the clouds and the rains, there are fewer plants nowadays, so we have to cultivate them. Come, join us.”
Ella went inside with the women and sat among them as they drank her mother’s special herbal tea. As they spoke, she remembered the herbal remedies that had seen her through many childhood illnesses.