“Coffee,” he said, signaling the waitress.
“So what did you need to see me about?”
“I heard about the interview your mother gave the news station, and somebody sent me a tape of the network version. It was more than sound bites, which was what I’d expected, but she’s really going out on a limb.”
Ella looked directly at him. “My mom does and says what she pleases, Kevin. You should know that by now.”
“You know what’s really strange? I think she and I are going to find ourselves on the same side.” He paused, then with a grin added, “She’ll think the world has ended for sure.”
“So you have decided,” Ella said, intrigued. “But what about the threats?”
“I’ll hire a bodyguard if I have to, but I don’t think it’ll come to that. I’ve come up with a compromise that should appease both sides.”
“Be careful, Kevin. Sometimes compromises only double the number of enemies a politician has.”
“The need for money and jobs is at an all-time high, Ella, and this requires some big decisions and action from the tribal leaders. I’ve tried several times to get a majority of the council to agree on a referendum, but I realize now that I’m not going to get the votes I need. What I intend to do instead is try passing a limited proposal approving gambling, but only at a test casino in To’hajiilee. That’s close to Albuquerque and a large metropolitan area, so a casino there has a greater chance of succeeding. And, more importantly, many of the people living in To’hajiilee are really pushing for a casino.
“I’ll also argue in favor of setting up slot machines at shops across the Rez,” he continued. “Then we can give the entire program a trial period—say, three years. At the end of that time, we’ll review where things stand, then either renew the bill or let it die.”
Ella nodded slowly. “That’s not bad. I particularly like the fact that it’s all on a trial basis.”
“We’d also work to keep the overhead down so we can maximize profits. The casino we set up in To’hajiilee can be a remodeled building rather than a brand-new facility, too. I’ve already looked at a possible site. We’ll fancy up the place, of course, but we’ll have job openings right away, both in construction and in casino operations. Getting a bank to fund us initially shouldn’t be a problem either because of the success the pueblos have had. Hopefully, we can pay down the loan within the first two years, then start pocketing the profits after that.”
“It’ll be quite an undertaking.”
“I know—both getting the proposal past the council and keeping an eye on everything so the tribe doesn’t get cheated.” He sat back. “Once things get rolling, I’m not going to have any time off. That’s why I’d like to go away this weekend. And that brings me to the reason I wanted to see you.”
Kevin paused for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about what you said—that, basically, I need time to spend with my own kid. I really do want to get to know her, Ella. She’s my daughter, too. The thing is I can’t do that with you or your mother hovering over us.”
“We don’t hover over you,” Ella snapped. “You’ve been free to take her to your home for visits whenever you’ve wanted. You’re the one who’s had problems finding the time.”
“I know,” he admitted. “And I’ve come up with a way to remedy that. I’ve rented a cabin near a ski lodge in southern Colorado, and I’d like to take Dawn with me.”
“Skiing? Have you lost your mind? She’s barely mastered walking.”
“I don’t ski either, Ella. I just like the place, and I thought it would be a great chance for her and me to be together.”
Ella wanted to say no to the trip, but the fact was that Rose would be in the hospital this weekend, and she’d be working long hours. The decision she needed to make was whether to leave Dawn in Jennifer’s care, or with her father.
“Kevin, are you very sure you’re up to this? You’ll have to contend with her potty training, feed her, bathe her, play with her, and never let her out of your sight. It’s not easy, trust me.”
“I know. That’s why I want to take Jennifer with me to help out. It’ll work, Ella.”
Ella once again struggled with the impulse to say no and simply be done with it, but she also wanted to be fair to both Dawn and Kevin. Her little girl adored her father, and it was undeniably true that they got to spend very little time together. With Kevin’s involvement in the gaming issue, his time during the next few months would be at a premium. To deny them the opportunity now seemed wrong somehow.
“All right,” she said slowly. “But I’m only doing this for Dawn. She’s crazy about you. Personally, I’m not that thrilled with the idea of having Dawn so far away from me for so long.”
“I realize that you’ll miss her terribly but, if you want, you could come with us. We’d leave Jennifer here, then, and make it a special outing for the three of us.”
Ella shook her head. “You know I can’t, not now. There’s too much going on.”
“I understand,” he said, disappointment evident in his voice. “So shall I pick Dawn up tonight after dinner?”
“I’ll have to talk to Jennifer first. I don’t know how she’ll feel about going up with you and Dawn to Colorado for the entire weekend.”
Kevin gave her a sheepish smile. “I do. I spoke to her—and her mother—about the idea two days ago.”
Ella’s eyes darkened. “Without telling me?”
“I was still in the planning stage. I wasn’t sure I could swing it. At that point all I was trying to do was anticipate your objections and see if the trip was even feasible.”
“I’ll miss my little girl,” Ella said honestly, because she wanted him to know just how difficult this was for her. “A weekend can be a very long time.”
“She’ll be safe with me. You know that, don’t you?” “If I wasn’t positive of that, I wouldn’t have even considered the idea. But that still won’t keep me from worrying or from missing her.”
“I know. But Dawn and I really need some time to share.”
She nodded slowly. “All right. But let me break the news to Mom,” Ella said. “She’s going to the hospital today for minor surgery, and if she finds out that I let you take Dawn without even telling her, there’ll be hell to pay.”
Kevin gave her a quick half smile. “Oh, yeah.”
As Ella’s cell phone rang, Kevin stood up and placed a few dollars on the table. Giving her a wave, he left just as she answered the call.
“It’s me,” Justine said. “I’ve now gone to four different judges, including my grandfather. No one will give us a warrant to test that fifty-caliber rifle you saw at Arthur Benjamin’s place, not on what we have right now. If you’re serious about having a ballistics test done on it so we can have something on file, you’re going to have to find a way to get him to voluntarily loan us the weapon.”
“Okay, but ask Blalock to give you the names of the other shooters in the gun club in Farmington who own fifty-caliber weapons, and ask if they’ll voluntarily surrender their weapons for a ballistics test, too, just to reduce our suspect list and clear themselves. There’s only a handful of them.”
“That group will probably say no—not without a warrant,” Justine warned.
“Ask anyway, but make sure they understand it’s on a voluntary basis. If I’m going to tip my hand, I might as well cover my back while I’m at it. If we’re asking the same thing of everyone who owns a fifty-caliber weapon, Benjamin won’t be able to squawk discrimination or harassment. We’re just soliciting some cooperation in solving a crime.”
“All right. I’ll pass your request to Blalock.” “There’s also the possibility George Branch has a weapon of that caliber. The man has quite an armory, as I recall. We’ll have to check into that. In the meantime, I’ll go pay the Benjamins another visit. I can be charming, when required.” But it made her stomach queasy to think of making nice to a rattler.
TWENTY
Ella drove to Arthur Benjamin�
�s house and knocked on the door.
Arthur, who’d apparently heard her drive up, answered the door immediately, and beamed Ella a cheerful smile. “Ah, the daughter of our national celebrity activist,” he said jovially.
Ella swallowed her irritation. “I’d like a chance to talk to you, Mr. Benjamin, if you have a moment.”
“I’m always glad to help the police,” he said, and stepped back into the hall, waving for her to come inside. He led the way from the tastefully simple foyer into the distastefully decorated den. The turquoise-and-silver-painted steer skulls that stared back at her through hollow eyes gave her the creeps all over again.
He didn’t offer her a chair, but she didn’t want to sit down anyway, not here. “Several days ago there was an incident where someone took a shot at me. I assume you read that in the paper?”
“The article didn’t say which officer was the target, if I recall.” Arthur tried unsuccessfully to look concerned. “But what does that have to do with me?”
“The weapon used was a fifty-caliber rifle. They’re relatively rare, but you have one here,” she said.
“That explains your interest in the weapon the other day. Do you think I took a shot at you? Or perhaps my nephew? It’s really his rifle, you know.”
“I’m not accusing anyone. It’s possible that perhaps someone removed the weapon from this house and used it in a crime.”
“Again, what is it you want from me?”
“I’d like you and your nephew to voluntarily allow me to take the weapon in for a ballistics comparison and rule out that possibility. Or take it in yourself, whichever you prefer. We recovered a bullet after the sniper incident, so a comparison is possible.” Ella didn’t need to tell him that the slug had been in very poor shape, and it was possible no link could ever be made except for caliber.
“No. Definitely not, not without a warrant.”
“You said earlier you were always glad to help the police. Doing this voluntarily would make you look good to the public, assuming of course that the weapon is not the one we’re looking for—”
“Don’t give me that crap. Your boss and I are old rivals. Right now there’s probably nothing he’d like to do more than bury my reputation in innuendoes or false charges—anything to get me off his back.”
“This has nothing to do with Police Chief Atcitty,” Ella said. “But it has everything to do with an ongoing investigation into the attempted murder of a police officer. Now, it’s my understanding that you would like to have the job of top cop around here. It seems to me that you wouldn’t want it to become known that you refused to do your part to help track down the person responsible for attempting to murder a police officer.”
“I could still lose if I say yes.”
“Only if the gun checks out as the weapon used. And, even then, it doesn’t prove conclusively that you or your nephew committed the crime. We’d have to prove motive and opportunity, and then build a case around it.” She paused deliberately, then continued. “Just be aware that if others bring in their weapons to be checked, and you and your nephew don’t...”
Arthur smiled mirthlessly. “Let me guess—you’d make sure word got out.”
“It would, believe me, with or without my help. I’m not the only one who knows that the weapon is here. There are other members of your nephew’s gun club that have already been interviewed by the FBI. They’re also going to be asked to cooperate and volunteer to bring in their weapons to be test fired.”
“All right. I’ll consent to have you take my nephew’s weapon in—if he agrees as well—but if, as I suspect, a bullet fired from that rifle is not a match to what you have in ballistics, I’m going to make a public stink. I’ll say that this is what the PD does to cover their incompetence—going on a fishing expedition hoping the shooter is even more stupid than they are. I will use this incident to make your chief look as bad as possible.”
“Asking you and your nephew to voluntarily allow the weapon to be tested wasn’t the chief’s decision. It’s mine. I’m the investigating officer on this case.”
“Don’t feel left out. I’ll claim you’ve been harassing me.” Arthur held her gaze. “I’ll be happy to cooperate with the police—but only under these conditions. It’s more equitable if we all have something on the line,” he added smoothly, then went to the door of the adjoining room and opened it. His nephew was inside, standing by the pool table with a cue in his hand.
Although Ella suspected that Robert Benjamin had heard their conversation, Arthur told him what Ella was asking for and asked if he was willing to go along with the test.
The younger man shot her a glacial look, then unlocked the gun cabinet and placed the weapon down on the pool table.
“This hasn’t been fired outside competition and practice sessions,” Robert said, opening the bolt action. “If it had been, I would have known. I want you to look it over again, write down the serial number, and take whatever notes you want, but I am definitely not going to let you take it in for testing, not without a warrant. I have a lot more to lose if the lab screws up or fakes the results. Anyone who volunteers for the testing is an idiot as far as I’m concerned.”
Ella looked at Arthur’s expression. He was smiling as if he and his nephew were sharing a private joke.
Ella handled the heavy weapon very carefully, examining the action and bore, then she pulled out her small notebook and added the serial number of the weapon.
“It was always your decision whether to help us or not, Robert. If the others volunteer, and the ballistics tests on their weapons come back negative, maybe I’ll be back to see you again. Let’s see if your uncle can put some kind of spin on this that makes you both look good, at least for now But I wouldn’t count on it.” She smiled, heading to the door.
Five minutes later, Ella was on her way back to Shiprock when her radio call sign came over the air. She answered it and heard Justine’s voice.
“Andrew Talk is dead. Apparently he was either hit by a car or beaten to death. He was found beside the main highway in plain view. Some of the Navajos who drove by are quite upset,” she said, then gave Ella directions to the crime scene, a few miles north of Shiprock on the Cortez highway.
“I doubt it was an accident. He was probably killed somewhere else, then dumped there to make sure word got around.”
“You mean as a warning?”
“Yeah. As soon as you get there contain the scene. Then look for skid marks or vehicle tracks to rule out the hit-and-run possibility. I’ll be there shortly.”
Ella switched off the mike. After everything that had already happened, she was convinced that Talk hadn’t died by accident. This had the feel of a gangland-style hit—payback for not doing what you’re told. She thought of Kevin and threats he’d received. Immediately she picked up the cell phone and called him.
“I wanted you to hear the news from me, Kevin. Andrew Talk is dead, and my guess is that it’s a homicide,” she said.
There was a lengthy silence on the other end. “Is it connected to the ones who’ve been leaning on the Tribal Council and threatening me?”
“I’m not sure yet, but it seems likely. Have you received any more threats?”
“No, in fact I haven’t heard from them at all. I was hoping they’d given up trying to force me to dance to their tune.”
“Don’t count on that. You still planning on leaving the Rez tonight?”
“Yeah. And before you ask, nobody but you will know where I’m going. Well, Jennifer’s mother knows, but I trust her to be quiet about it.”
“Good. Don’t let anybody else know at all, not even your staff.”
“We’ll be safe, Ella. First, they’d have to find us to do anything and, secondly, I’m still useful to them. Remember I’ve always been more progaming than against it.”
Her cell phone started giving a tone that she recognized as a low-battery warning. She’d forgotten to replace the battery this morning.
“My signal i
s about to go, Kevin, so I’ve got to disconnect now. Just be very careful.” She placed the phone down on the seat beside her as a reminder to pick up a fresh battery in her office.
Ella arrived at the crime scene ten minutes later. Justine, Tache, and Neskahi were already there. Neskahi was cordoning off the area with yellow tape. Orange cones beside the highway warned oncoming traffic of their presence near the road. Ella parked a hundred feet away from the scene, got out of her vehicle, and slipped a pair of vinyl gloves on just as Carolyn arrived in her van.
With a wave, Ella walked over to meet the ME, slipping on a second pair of gloves on the way. “You know, ever since you got married I never get to see you except when we’re both on the job.”
Carolyn laughed. “Oh, please. Like we got together that often before? We were always working.”
“Yeah, but we managed some time to talk occasionally, even if it was at the hospital.”
“You’re right. Lately it seems I’m either rushing around at work, or rushing to get home.”
“I guess the other Dr. Lavery gives you enough reasons not to work late.”
“Every day is a surprise,” Carolyn said with a tiny smile.
As they reached the yellow tape line, Carolyn stopped suddenly and stared at Neskahi. “Please make an opening for me to walk through. I have no intention of doing the limbo underneath this with my medical bag.”
Ella looked at Neskahi and shook her head, signaling him to continue working. “When are you going to forgive him?” Ella asked softly as she lifted up the crime scene tape so Carolyn could pass underneath easily.
“Just so you know, he also referred to me as Dr. Chunk to Officer Tache. I don’t take that kindly. He’ll pay until the day he retires, or I do.”
Ella cringed. No one, but no one, made a crack like that about Carolyn’s weight—not if you planned on continuing to live life as you knew it. Neskahi liked to joke around, and he’d undoubtedly meant no harm, but this was really going to cost him.
“I’ll talk to the sergeant. You can count on that.” “No need. And today I intend to once again have him help me load the body into the bag. As far as I’m concerned that will be his job at every crime scene from this day until eternity. Don’t you dare interfere with that.”
Changing Woman Page 27