The sedan came to rest in a cloud of dust and burning rubber less than ten feet from Justine’s unit.
Ella had slowed already, and came up close before slamming on the brakes, blocking the suspects with her Jeep. Jumping out and steadying her aim by resting her arms upon the top of the hood, she trained her weapon on the driver.
“Get out with your hands up!”
ELEVEN
Justine directed the spotlight of her vehicle on the car’s interior.
A few seconds later, the pair came out slowly. Neither were wearing the ski masks now, but she could see one dangling out of the driver’s jacket pocket.
“Lie down on the pavement, facedown,” Ella ordered, moving around behind the suspects’ vehicle to take a quick glance inside. She wanted to make sure there wasn’t another perp hiding in there.
While Ella kept watch, Justine handcuffed the two Anglo men, then frisked them thoroughly, removing their wallets for identification purposes. Ella kept her weapon trained on them throughout, then helped her partner lead the prisoners to the backseat of Justine’s unit, locking them inside.
Ella watched the two Anglos through the glass. They were out of their element here, and from the frightened look on their faces, they knew they’d been lucky avoiding an accident during the pursuit.
“Get their vehicle off the road, then search it,” Ella told Justine as Officer Philip Cloud pulled up in his squad car from the direction of Shiprock.
Philip came out to join her, then glanced at the two suspects. “You caught them. Good job. I’ll take care of traffic.” Removing flares and orange traffic cones from his vehicle’s trunk, Officer Cloud put out the warning signals in both directions for oncoming traffic. It was so late, few vehicles would be on the highway, but it was procedure. Borrowing Ella’s keys, he moved her Jeep off the highway, clearing one lane.
“They’ve got one unopened bottle left from a six-pack of beer and close to two gallons of kerosene in the back,” Justine called out after a few minutes. “There are several old dish cloths torn in half as well. Looks to me like they intended on making more Molotov cocktails tonight. The beer is the same brand as the bottles found at the Chapter House.”
“I’ve also got another piece of evidence back at the house—a water bottle partially filled with kerosene. The passenger was getting ready to set fire to my mother’s woodpile when I interrupted him,” Ella said. Then, opening the driver’s door to Justine’s unit, she looked inside at the suspects, reading them their rights.
“You guys are going down, you know that, right?” she added, getting into the driver’s seat and watching the men through the wire grid separating the prisoners from the front as she drove Justine’s unit off the highway, parking behind her own Jeep.
The driver of the sedan laughed nervously. “Don’t make such a big deal out of this. We were just playing a prank. We didn’t hurt anyone.”
“Your idea of fun is trashing other people’s property, right?” Ella pressed. “Smashing mailboxes, breaking windshields, and blowing up things?”
“Hey, the insurance pays for it anyway, right?” the second man said with a shrug, his voice slurred from the alcohol. “What’s the problem?”
“Shut up, man,” the one who’d been driving ordered, poking his partner with an elbow. He glanced at Ella, his eyes as cold as the night air. “I didn’t do a thing, and this idiot has had way too many beers tonight.” He gestured toward the passenger, who smelled of beer even from the front seat. “He doesn’t even know where he is anymore.”
Justine came up behind Ella and examined the wallets she’d confiscated. “The driver of the vehicle is Eric Smith, and his buddy is James Little,” she told Ella.
“Why are you two smashing windows and blowing up private property here on the Rez?” Ella prodded.
“We needed the money.” James, the man Two had chased and nearly caught, shrugged, then burped loudly. “It wasn’t our idea, and we don’t have anything personal against Navajos. Actually, the guy who hired us is one of your own.”
“Our own?” Ella repeated, hoping she could keep the guy talking. Any new information, even from a drunk, could help open up this investigation to a new level.
“I told you to shut up,” Eric said, jabbing James with his elbow again. “I was just out for a drive, that’s all.”
James gagged, and for a moment she thought the man was going to throw up in Justine’s unit.
Ella gestured for Justine to take Eric to Officer Cloud’s vehicle. They needed to separate the pair if they were going to get anywhere with them.
Ignoring his protests, Justine took the driver over to Philip, who was watching for traffic. Once Eric was secure in Philip’s patrol car, Ella focused on James. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, and she had a feeling Eric had been right about James having consumed most of those beers.
“Look, if you help me now, I’ll be able to tell the judge you cooperated,” Ella urged. “Later, if Eric tries to make a deal by testifying against you, he’ll be too late.”
“You don’t understand what’s going on,” James said, speaking slowly now, trying not to slur his words. “We both got laid off last summer, and money’s been really tight. Even construction jobs have been just a few days here, a few days there. Then this Indian in a suit and expensive snakeskin boots came up to us outside the union hall one night, asking what we’d be willing to do for a handful of easy money. We told him we didn’t go in for stealing stuff or shaking people down, but that wasn’t what he was looking to hire us for anyway. All he wanted was for us to stir up a little trouble and run the stupid tribal cops ragged.” James grinned, then his jaw fell. “That was him talking, not me. No offense, ma’am.”
Ella tried not to smile. “None taken, James. You were saying . . .”
“Well, this Indian guy was going to provide us with whatever we needed and he’d pay us a couple hundred after each raid. It was too sweet a deal to pass up, and we never hurt nobody that I know of.”
Ella decided not to point out Charlie’s nearly fatal heart attack at the Totah Café bombing, or John Yabeni’s accident with the chain saw. “Who was this well-dressed Indian? Can you tell me his name?”
“He never said, and we never asked.” James shrugged. “He just told us to meet him later that night at the Palomino Bar. That’s when Eric gave him our phone number, and, after that, he called whenever he needed us.”
“How did you get paid?”
“The first time it was half the cash up front and half when the job was done. After that, it was always after the job was done.”
Justine came up and handed Ella a computer printout. “This was under James’s seat, along with a radio scanner and all the hookups needed.” Ella glanced at the paper and realized that it was a list of addresses. Most of the places already hit had been crossed off, but it was clear from the latter portion of the page that they’d caught the men before they’d finished tonight’s work.
Ella studied the page. The Chapter House was listed and next to it was the license number and make of Big Ed’s pickup. Her mother’s home wasn’t listed by address, but there was a brief but accurate set of travel directions, along with the exact location of where she normally parked her unit at home—behind the trees by the side of the house.
“You were supposed to go to all these places tonight?” Ella asked.
“Nah. We could split it up any way we wanted. But we wouldn’t get paid until the job was finished,” he said. “Look, I’ve got a two-year-old kid and a wife. I’ve helped you, so how about cutting me some slack with the charges?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Ella replied, happy that for once, a drunk had proved to be an asset to her job. “The DA will know you cooperated.” Ella walked away, then stopped and turned back. “Oh, one more thing, James. You used the scanner so you’d know when the police were out looking for you, right?”
“Right. But we never heard about the roadblock tonight. Don’t know why.”
Ella gave him a confused look, wanting to keep him wondering. Sooner or later, when he was sober again, the use of cell phones would occur to James. Or maybe not. The man didn’t seem too bright.
Leaving the prisoner, James, secure in the backseat, Ella walked over to Justine, who was loading the bagged and tagged evidence into her unit. “Thanks for the backup, partner. I would have probably lost them if you hadn’t come along. And that was a smart move using the cell phone.”
“Thanks. I was glad to help. I was having coffee with Wilson when I got the call. They couldn’t reach me on the radio because I’d just gone off duty and had left my handheld in my unit. Remembering what you’d said about someone monitoring our radio calls, I decided to stick with the cell phone. Now I’m glad I did.”
Philip came over then, forcing Ella’s thoughts back on business. “I called in a tow truck for the perp’s car.”
“Good,” Ella said.
“Do you want to keep the pair apart all the way to the station?” he added.
“I think that’s our best move right now,” Ella answered.
“Agreed,” Justine said. “I’ll take the one I have, you can keep Eric, Philip,” Justine added, then glanced over at Ella. “I can finish this up, if you want to go home. Don’t look now, but you’re not wearing much, and your lips are turning blue.”
“I grabbed a coat, but I’m only wearing the T-shirt I wear to bed underneath,” Ella said, suddenly very much aware of the numbing cold that had spread all over her body. At least she’d been able to question the perp from Justine’s car where she’d been next to the heater. “I think I will go home. Let me know if there are any problems, and make sure you have that scanner checked out to verify it can pick up our radio calls. I’m especially interested in seeing if it’s been modified to monitor our tactical frequencies.”
Ella headed back home with the heat inside her department vehicle turned up to blast furnace. She felt warmer now, but all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers. When she got home, Rose was waiting and met her in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate.
“I figured you’d need this when you got home.”
Ella sipped the steaming liquid slowly, grateful for the warmth that seeped through her. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Did you catch him?”
She nodded. “I’ll tell you more about it as soon as I can.”
“Most of that cord of firewood out back is ruined,” Rose said. “With that much kerosene soaked into it, it’s a hazard.”
“I figured that,” Ella answered. “Did all the commotion wake my daughter up?”
Rose shook her head. “Children sleep soundly. She feels secure and loved and the confusion that often touches our family doesn’t reach her. It’s her innocence that protects her.”
“I’m grateful for that.”
“But it won’t always be that way. Children grow up quickly. Soon enough she’ll learn what it’s like to be afraid. It’s inevitable when her mother’s a cop.”
“I’ll deal with that when it comes.” Ella was too tired to tread over that old ground again.
As Ella drank her hot chocolate she brought out the list that Justine had given her. It had been bagged in clear plastic and tagged, but she’d forgotten to give it back to her. She’d have to sign the bag and record the date and time now to keep the chain of evidence intact.
As she read the addresses again it became clear to her that someone had been watching and gathering information about people in their community. The chief’s truck had been described in detail down to the license plate. But most significant of all was that the address listed beside it was that of the Chapter House. They’d known where the chief would be.
“Do you know why we were hit?” Rose asked.
“I have a few ideas.” Ella looked at her mother carefully. “Do you have a theory?”
Rose nodded slowly. “It might have been in retaliation for my public stand against gambling, something I’ve gone on record about and made clear long before tonight. Some people, like your daughter’s father, don’t approve of my speaking out. My opinion carries weight among the traditionalists and they know that.” Rose stood up slowly. “I’m going to bed, daughter. I’m too tired to stay up, and my hand aches from the cold. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”
“Feel better, Mom.”
Ella continued staring at the list and trying to create a picture in her mind. Finally, too tired to think anymore, she walked to her room. Two was lying in the hallway. “You were a good dog tonight,” she said patting him on the head. “Glad to see you’re safe, mutt.”
Ella peeked in on Dawn, making sure her blankets were in place but not entangling. Then she crept across the hall into her own room.
As Ella crawled into bed, Two followed, positioning himself beside her, snuggling against her legs. Appreciating the warmth, Ella turned off the lamp on her nightstand and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
The next morning Ella arrived at work early. Yet, despite the early hour, Justine was already there ahead of her again.
“Good morning, boss,” Justine said as Ella passed by the vending machines where she was standing.
Ella eyed the stash of candy bars in Justine’s hands, but didn’t criticize her eating habits after Justine offered her one.
Ella opened the chocolate crunch bar and took a bite. A tortilla smeared with butter and peach jam, a cup of coffee, and now a chocolate bar—that was some breakfast. She made a mental note to pick up some vitamins one of these days.
“I thought I’d be the only one here this early,” Ella said, stifling a yawn.
“It’s definitely a coffee-by-the-gallon morning. But I figured you’d want me to run a make on the perps and try to lift prints off that bottle you found at the house.”
“I’ve got the list you found too,” Ella said, handing her the plastic bag, sealed, signed, and labeled.
“Thanks. The rap sheet on the suspects is already on your desk. This morning I’ll also try to match the tire prints at your place to those of their vehicle. With luck, I’ll have everything ready for you before the end of today.”
“Thanks.”
Ella stopped by her office first. Then, as she passed the briefing room on her way to the holding cells, she saw Sergeant Neskahi and asked him to join her. While they walked toward the lockup area, she briefed him on the two suspects they’d brought in the night before. “I need to question the pair a little more and push them for answers. James was the only one who cooperated last night. What I’d like you to do is help me out in there and jump in whenever you want, especially with Eric, the die-hard.”
“Wanna play good cop/bad cop?”
“No, not with these two. They’ve probably seen it before. Let’s try to make them feel as disoriented as possible since they’re on the Rez and away from their turf. I think that’ll work to our advantage.”
Ella led the way to an interrogation room, then asked the jailer to bring one of the suspects in. She’d begin with the one who’d cooperated the evening before.
This morning, however, James had an industrial-sized hangover and was in no mood to be helpful. After getting only curt replies and statements contradicting the answers he’d given them last night, Ella tried another tactic. “James, you told me yesterday that you had a family who needed you, and that you wanted to cut a deal by cooperating. I will help you, but not if you clam up on me now and start changing your story,” Ella said.
“I’ve decided to wait for my attorney. The courts provide one and I was told he’d be here today.”
“You have the right to have an attorney present, I told you that last night, but also remember that you want something from me. Cooperate, and I’ll make sure you get the best break possible.”
“I’ve already told you everything I know,” he grumbled.
“Let’s concentrate on the Indian who hired you.” “As I said before—I only saw him twice and both times it was at night, ou
tside.”
“Tell me about that second meeting, then, not the one near the union hall. You didn’t describe it last night.”
“We were walking from Eric’s car toward the bar, expecting to catch up with him inside, when he stepped out between two pickups and blocked our way. Eric almost took a swing at him, thinking we’d been set up to be robbed. But that didn’t make sense, because he already knew we were out of work. Anyway, the guy was spruced up in a nice suit and spoke real polite, you know?” he added with a shrug.
“No, we don’t know,” Neskahi said. “Polite how?”
“His English, man. It showed respect. He kept calling us ‘gentlemen.’ ”
Neskahi glanced at Ella with raised eyebrows. “What else?” he pressed.
“He reminded us that we’d told him we were interested in picking up some quick cash. Then he pulled out a roll of fifties. That got our attention.”
“What did he look like?” Ella asked.
“I don’t really remember details, you know? Hell, to be honest, I’d been powering down beers all day, and all I can really tell you for sure is that he was wearing a cowboy hat and had a dark mustache. His face was pockmarked, too,” he added.
“Anything else?” Ella asked.
“I never saw his eyes. I remember that. His cowboy hat had a wide brim and it hid most of his face. It made me uneasy.”
“Then why did you take the job?”
“The money, man. Why else? But I’ve got to tell you, this guy had thought of everything. He left us a different car or pickup each time, and got us the police scanner the girl cop found under the seat. He wanted us to know what you guys were doing so we could stay ahead of you.”
“How were the targets selected?” Ella prodded.
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is that he would make up a list of instructions on what he wanted done, along with addresses and directions, and leave them in the car or pickup each time. He also left the materials—the bombs, and whatever else we needed—for us. The bombs already had blasting caps and fuses, so all we had to do was stick them somewhere, light the fuse, and haul ass. It was mostly local stuff except for one time when he had us roaming around the mountains driving nails into all those trees. But even that was in the general area of Shiprock. It was a place where folks around here would go to get their firewood. That time he even provided us with a forestry map, two hammers, and a sack of nails.”
Changing Woman Page 15