“Come up with something else,” Ella pressed. The description she’d been given matched the guy she’d seen near the slot machines. If only she’d been a little closer.
“That’s all we’ve got,” Gene insisted. “But I’d trade my old lady for that ride.”
“Your old lady dumped you during the last Super Bowl, loser,” Larry sneered.
Justine shook her head and Ella groaned in disgust.
“If all you’ve got is B.S., boys, this interview is over,” she said, reaching for the front door handle.
“No, wait, I just remembered something,” Larry added quickly. “That belt buckle backs up something else I noticed. He had a tribal rodeo booklet in his shirt pocket. They have a bunch of them inside the casino to advertise upcoming events, remember, Gene?”
Gene looked confused for a second, then nodded. “Oh yeah, by the ATMs.”
“All right,” Ella said, helping them out of the cruiser and taking off their cuffs. “We’re going to cut you loose but don’t make us regret it.”
“Sorry for the trouble, officers. You’ll never see us again—promise,” Gene said. The men walked away briskly, never looking back.
Justine glanced at Ella. “Let me run a check and see who among the casino security staff owns a fancy yellow truck—for cruising the ‘hood.’ ”
Ella nodded, then told Justine about the man she’d seen watching them earlier. “Start with the younger men—they’re the ones with the biggest case of wheel envy. Somebody’s got to remember seeing it. Who knows, it might point us in the right direction for more than one crime. Check on Cardell Natani’s vehicles in particular.”
Several moments later, Justine looked up from the computer terminal in the center console. “Several yellow trucks listed here. I’ll send this on to Marianna for follow up. Cardell’s got a pickup, all right, but it’s a white Ford 150 with a crew cab.”
“Okay. Then let’s get back to Shiprock and focus on Marie and Kevin. I have a feeling that neither one is giving us the whole story.”
They arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later. “Do you want me to talk to Marie while you interview Kevin?” Justine asked as they stepped inside the main entrance.
“That’s a good idea, but I want you to really press her. We need to find out everything she knows, starting with the obvious—if she can think of any reason why Adam might have been a target. If so, we want to find out who she thinks the shooter was, or who might have ordered the attack.”
“To me, it’s looking more like Kevin was the intended target and the hit on Adam was just a way of making sure the right man went down. Once on the scene, the gunmen might have had trouble figuring out which professional-looking Navajo man in the suit and tie to kill. Kevin and Adam are about the same build, and both were carrying briefcases. At a hundred feet . . .”
“True, and the more I hear about what Kevin was doing, the more I tend to agree with that, especially after all the trouble we’ve had today,” Ella said. “But the money Adam was carrying . . . that still doesn’t add up. We’re missing something and that’s what worries me.”
They split up in the hall, going down opposite corridors. Ella went directly to Kevin’s room. He looked up and smiled as she knocked lightly on the door. Several boxes of chocolate-covered piñon nuts, Kevin’s weakness, were on the side table. He was just reaching for one when she came inside. He held out the box, inviting her to take one.
She took three, then pulled up a chair beside his bed and sat down.
“Have you made any progress?” he asked. “My laptop’s at the crime lab, there’s nothing to read, television programming this time of day is women’s talk show nonsense, and I’m going stir-crazy in here. You need to close this case so I can go back to work without having to wear a suit of armor.”
“With that in mind, what I need from you is a more detailed idea of what’s going on with Alan Grady and Casino Enterprises Management.”
He shook his head. “You know better than to expect any details from me on that, Ella. It’s an ongoing legal case.”
“Right—a legal case, not a police investigation. I need answers, Kevin. We’re not exactly in a courtroom, and we both work for the same tribe.”
He remained silent for several moments, then at long last, nodded. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, and the way I see it, I don’t merit this type of attack. Adam, on the other hand, was carrying what, around here, is considered a king’s ransom. You know I’m right.”
“Maybe, but without any information on where that money came from, I have to work the only leads I’ve got. Talk to me about what you’re involved in,” Ella said, refusing to let him sidetrack her. “Start by telling me about Cardell Natani.”
Kevin made a face. “Natani’s a thief and a con man. He’s part coyote and just as tricky. But I don’t have anything solid on him, and, believe me, I’ve looked.”
“You—personally?”
“No. I hired Bruce Little. My offices use his services from time to time.”
Ella had known the former police officer since high school, when his nickname had been Teeny. Bruce stood nearly seven feet tall. Far too big for the basketball court, Teeny was built like the perfect defensive tackle, two oil drums with a soccer ball on top, and arms as large as most people’s legs. Her childhood friend often had a spaced-out expression that made him look like he had the IQ of a stump, but that was far from the case. Teeny was highly intelligent, very inventive when it came to working cases, and his security and PI firm had prospered as a result.
“All I can tell you for sure,” Kevin continued, “is that Cardell’s very much pro-gaming and wants Alan Grady to remain at the helm of the new casino. That’s why I began to suspect that Cardell had something more at stake. Teeny thought it might be related to the source of some of Councilman Natani’s campaign contributions. Donations just seem to appear when his funds get low, and always come in small amounts from a large number of individuals—all Navajos. Those who’ll talk say that the money was given to them to contribute, but nobody will say by whom. We think it’s Grady, but we can’t prove it. That tactic also manages to evade the disclosure rules that would lead us to the actual source,” he said. “So, basically, all we have is a contributor we can’t identify, one who provides money and remains anonymous.”
“So Grady’s possibly involved in a pay to play. That’s common in New Mexico. Even our governor was accused of that,” Ella said.
“Yeah, and though none of that is enough to charge either of the parties, those donations raise interesting questions. Teeny’s still digging, but here’s the thing. The general consensus among people who know Cardell is that he always works for the good of the tribe—that, in spite of the fact he appears to be paying off friends and taking a little off the top for himself. He’s got some fiercely loyal friends, and allies, too, and that cuts him a lot of slack around here. I can’t touch him.”
Ella leaned back in the chair, and stared off into space. “Tell me more about Grady,” she said finally. “How well placed are his allies—not including Councilman Natani?”
“They’re high up on the food chain, Ella. Keep in mind that casinos mean money and jobs for the tribe. Most people don’t really know, or care, how the business is run as long as the tribe benefits and there are enough jobs to go around. Unemployment has always been the big problem on the Rez, but that situation’s eased up in the communities surrounding the two casinos in operation now. As long as the jobs are there, and our people are benefiting, the tribe, as a whole, is happy to overlook what they consider minor improprieties, just as long as the situation doesn’t get out of hand.”
“Before I go,” Ella said, standing. “Do you know if either of those men drives a fancy yellow pickup? Like one of those lowriders?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Ella walked out of the room and down the hall. Justine was waiting for her just outside the ICU door.
“What’s going on?�
�� Ella asked her.
“They’re having a prayer service,” she said softly. “Adam’s still unconscious and things don’t look good for him.”
Ella glanced inside the room and saw Ford and the family gathered by the patient’s bedside. “As soon as Marie comes out into the hall, let’s take her aside. After Adam, she may be our best hope of finding out where that money came from.”
“She may not know,” Justine warned, “especially if it was a business bribe or a payoff. Secrets like that can be embarrassing to admit, even to a loved one.”
“Sometimes wives aren’t aware of how much they really know. If we ask the right questions . . .,” Ella answered.
Moments later Ford came out, Marie half a step behind him.
Ford gave Ella a warm smile. “It’s good to see you,” he said quietly.
Ella felt him brush her hand with his own. The barely noticeable gesture, typical of Ford, had not caught anyone else’s attention.
“We need to speak to you, Marie,” Justine said softly. “Will you come sit with us for a few minutes?”
“Sure,” she said, her voice betraying a deep weariness. Marie was small and fragile-looking for a Navajo woman, with pretty, delicate features and deeply set, dark eyes.
As the family moved away, Ford lingered behind, staying close to Ella. “When are you going to move him?” he asked in a barely audible voice.
“Where did you get the idea that we’re doing that?” she asked, surprised. Although she’d given that some thought, she hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.
“It’s what I would do in your shoes. He’s too vulnerable here.”
She nodded. Logic was a trademark of Ford—except when it came to his religion. Faith seemed to fill in a lot of gaps for him then. “I’ll tell you more as soon as I can. In the meantime, don’t mention that possibility to anyone.”
“No worries there.” He glanced over to where Justine now sat with Marie. “My impression is that Adam didn’t confide in Marie—he took care of her. Do you understand the distinction I’m making?”
“Yeah, but I’ve got to say, I’ve never understood women who encourage that kind of thing—or more to the point, put up with it. Marriage is made up of two people, not one and a half.”
“Everyone has to find their own path to happiness. Don’t judge—not unless you’ve walked in their shoes.”
“I’m not judging. I’m stating the truth as I see it.” She took a deep breath and focused back on business. “Time for me to get back to work.”
Ella sat on the chair across from Marie and Justine. Marie’s eyes were swollen and a trail of tears still moistened her face.
As Ella looked at the young Navajo woman, compassion filled her heart. No matter how strong you were, the ravages of grief spared no one. Ella kept her voice soft as she spoke.
“I’m going to have to ask you some tough questions, Marie, and I want to know anything that comes to your mind. Even something that seems trivial to you could help us find whoever did this to Adam,” Ella said.
“I’ll do what I can, but Adam’s always kept his work to himself. I think that dates back to his military training. If he hadn’t been awarded that medal and everything he’d done made public, I probably would never have known about it. He doesn’t talk to me about what he does outside the house.”
“I know that his job for the tribe didn’t pay as much as he’d hoped. Did that put a strain on your finances, or do you have enough set aside to get by?” Ella asked.
Marie shrugged. “Things are tight. He gets his paycheck at his Washington office, then transfers the funds I need to pay bills into our local credit union checking account. When there isn’t enough in the checkbook to cover everything, he takes the money from our savings.”
“So you have substantial savings?” Ella asked.
The woman shrugged. “The tribe matches our contribution to a retirement account, but I don’t know how much is in there right now, or how to get the money out if we need it. We have a regular savings account, too.”
“How much is in your savings account right now?” Ella pressed.
“Around four or maybe five thousand, but that’s just a guess. I’d have to look in our file cabinet at home, or check online. There are things he takes care of and things I handle myself. Anything outside the checking account is his responsibility.”
“Was there anyone he might have confided in, a coworker, maybe?”
Marie tugged at the small cross she wore around her neck, then clenched it in her fist. “Adam knows a lot of people, both in and out of the military, but he’s not the kind who talks to anyone about his personal business. If he has a problem, he takes care of it on his own.”
“So what does he do for fun?” Ella asked, hoping to get Marie to relax a bit.
Marie smiled. “He loves hiking and camping. Sometimes, when he has time off, he’ll go off by himself for a few days carrying nothing more than a backpack, a few survival items, and water. He said that it’s good for a man to test himself from time to time. For a while, when he was just back from overseas deployment, I worried he might have some of those post-traumatic stress issues to work out. He saw a lot of combat, as you must have heard.”
“Yes, I have. Does he ever open up to you about it?”
“No, he still keeps everything inside. But Adam handles it, I guess. He seems happy.”
“How does he like his job as a lobbyist for the tribe?” Ella asked, switching back to the issue she needed to pursue.
Marie hesitated. “He told me that it was a different minefield than the one he’d been trained to clear, but he likes challenges. He says that’s what keeps his blood pumping.” She paused then added, “That’s probably the main reason he agreed to do some bodyguard work for Kevin.”
“Are the two good friends?” Ella asked, mostly to get her opinion.
“They haven’t known each other long, but they get along well. Adam really approves of how hard Kevin works for the tribe.”
“How does Adam feel about the tribe’s casinos?” Justine asked.
“Adam says that poverty is The People’s greatest enemy. That’s why he’s in favor of this new casino, so close to home, and the Prickly Weed Project, too. A lot of people think it’s a crazy idea, but Adam says it’s definitely something worth exploring.”
“Who’s your husband’s closest work associate?” Ella asked.
Marie smiled. “His BlackBerry.”
“Thanks, Marie,” Ella said, chuckling. “I appreciate your help.”
“I know you’ve still got questions about him, but my husband’s completely loyal and dedicated to our tribe,” Marie said. “When he gets better, he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”
“One last thing,” Ella said, lowering her voice. “Your husband’s safety is our first priority. That’s why I’m going to arrange to have him transferred to a military facility as soon as his doctor okays it. He’ll be under guard there, and considering it’s nearly impossible for anyone without credentials to even get on base, let alone into the hospital, I believe Adam will be safest there.”
“You’re right. Where’s this place, and how soon do you think we can do this?” Marie asked.
“Let me handle the arrangements. I’ll be in touch, hopefully very soon,” Ella said. She already had a place in mind, Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, but for security reasons, didn’t want to say anything to Marie until the last minute.
As Marie returned to the ICU, Ella glanced at Justine. “We need to coordinate this. I’ll want one of our own people to accompany him on the flight and remain with him in Albuquerque.”
“I can take care of all the details as soon as his doctor okays the move. Big Ed will also have to make some calls—that’s assuming he gives us his approval,” Justine said.
“Let’s go back to the station so I can talk this over with him,” Ella said. “In the meantime, I want everything that’s in Adam’s BlackBerry.”
“I’ve
been trying to recover the files and data, but remember it was damaged. On top of that, it’s all encrypted.”
“If you can’t figure out a way to pull out whatever he stored in that thing, get Teeny to do it.” Experience had taught her that Teeny, who specialized in electronics, could make computers do just about anything.
“All right,” Justine answered.
Ten minutes later they were back at the station. As they walked into the lobby, Ella stopped by the vending machine and bought colas for Justine and her. “I need what’s in Adam’s BlackBerry, partner,” Ella said, handing Justine the soda can. “Make that your top priority.”
As Justine hurried down the hall, Big Ed came out of his office. “I thought I heard your voice out here, Shorty,” he said, motioning for her to join him.
“Let’s hear what you’ve got so far on the victims and the investigation,” he said once they were both inside and the door was closed.
Taking a seat across from his desk, Ella first gave Big Ed an update on Kevin and Adam’s condition, then filled him in on what they’d learned about Alan Grady.
Big Ed rocked back and forth in his chair as he stared at the wall behind her, lost in thought. “Are you sure Tolino’s playing it straight with you?” he asked at last.
“Kevin’s answered my direct questions, but if he thought he could better serve the Diné by holding back some of the details, he’d do that without hesitation.”
“Any leads on the cash Adam had on him?”
She shook her head. “That whole money issue still remains a question mark. All I know for sure is that both Kevin and Adam are still targets. Kevin will be released soon—the hospitals aren’t keeping them long anymore—and I can make sure he’s got protection at home or at a safe house. But Adam’s a different story. He needs constant medical care, and may need more surgery—at least that’s my guess.”
“So what’s your plan?”
“I want to have him transferred to Kirtland Air Force Base as soon as he’s stable enough to be moved. I think that’s the safest place for him here within our state, and it’s a direct flight. Blalock can help me with the red tape. Albuquerque can provide more medical expertise, when and if needed.”
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