Bad Medicine (40 page)

“Since when do you tell
my people to stop investigating?” Ella demanded.

“Calm down. That’s why I asked both of you here. I’ve got good news for you.”

“It better be great news,” Ella mumbled.

“Joe Bragg is working for me. He’s a former cop who agreed to help out.”

“But his references checked out, and there was no mention of police experience. I went over his employment record myself,” Justine protested. “Was this
guy a cop in a previous lifetime?”

“I arranged for all the references to be verifiable as part of his cover. That’s how I found out you were checking up on him. People called me after you called them.”

“And you got the mine’s head honcho to agree to this undercover operation?” Ella asked.

“Bureau credentials open doors. Some people still trust us,” he said. “But the reason I’m here is that
we just got a big break. Joe was approached to join The Brotherhood.”

“So you now know who some of the members are?” Ella asked, leaning forward.

“No. He was approached in writing. I ran that note through every test we’ve got, but there’s nothing we can follow up on. It was handwritten on school notebook paper, and there’s nothing special about the ink. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t resemble
the writing in the notes you’ve been getting,” he said in a quiet voice. “It was block-lettered, all caps.”

“When is your man going to meet with The Brotherhood?”

“I don’t know. There’s a fly in that ointment. There’s a chance he’s been made, but he wants to let it play out a little longer.”

“So, what do you need from us?”

“Backup, tonight when I meet with him to get his report and give him
some equipment he’ll need for his meeting with The Brotherhood. I need you to observe from a distance and make sure my man wasn’t followed. The standard routine.”

“When’s the meet?” Ella asked.

“At eight, north of Shiprock and off the Cortez Highway near Blue Hill, right where a dirt road passes under the second transmission line coming from the San Juan Power Plant. I picked the spot because
its on the reservation and can be easily located on a topographic map. Bragg can find it, but is less likely to be noticed by The Brotherhood this far off their ’turf.’”

“If I remember the area, that’s a good spot and a bad spot. There’s not a lot of places for anyone to hide—including you two and us.”

“We’ll stay low profile, no radios or wires. I have my misgivings, but Bragg insisted. He’s
worried about scanners. Just make sure nobody comes to blow us to kingdom come.”

“All right. We’ll be there. But let me fill you in on what we’ve learned about a med student named Howard Lee.”

*   *   *

Back at the office, Ella and Justine brought out a detailed topographic map of the area where the meet was to take place. “I’ve only seen this area from the highway,” Justine said. “What do
you know about it?”

“Not much. There’s a bunch of gas wells to the east. It’s only about four and a half miles from the Colorado state line. There’s a mesa to the west, but it’s a bit far for us to maintain visual contact. We could always climb partway up Blue Hill. We used to go up there to have parties back when I was in high school. I understand the kids now don’t use it though. Too lazy to
drive that far.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll pick us up some good binoculars for tonight, and some scope-equipped rifles in case we need them,” Justine said, helpfully.

“I remember a nondirect way up to that hill. Though it’ll take us about twice the travel time going directly there would, it’s worth it.”

Ella went through her phone messages, then checked the computer for interdepartmental memos
and E-mail. Finding nothing that was urgent, she stood and went to the door. She wanted Howard Lee’s personnel records from the hospital as well as Judy Lujan’s and Nelson Yellowhair’s, but she also wanted to avoid trying to get a court order. She needed to keep this facet of the investigation under wraps, for now.

She mulled the situation over, considering her options, and came up with a plan.
She’d go to the one person guaranteed to want to avoid negative publicity—hospital administrator, Andrew Slowman.

*   *   *

When Ella arrived at the hospital, she made her way quickly to the administration offices. The fewer people who knew about this visit, the better. The last thing she wanted to do was tip-off Howard Lee before she was ready to make her move.

Slowman stood up and regarded
her warily as she came in through the door. “Is there a problem, Special Investigator Clah?”

Ella shook her head. “Believe it or not, we’re on the same side,” she answered with a smile.

“Maybe, but I represent the interests of this medical center and, to me, that precludes knuckling under to abusive police officers.”

She watched him for a moment, then decided that her best chance lay in playing
it straight with him. Asking that he agree to keep their conversation confidential, she told him what she’d managed to discover about Howard Lee, and confided her suspicions about Nelson Yellowhair and Judy Lujan. “I can get their records with a court order, but we both know that will take time and could leak to the press. If you cooperate, things will move faster, and fewer people would know.
That works to the advantage of this center, as well as my investigation.”

“So our interests coincide.” He nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll pull their files.”

Slowman walked out of the office, then returned a short time later. “Here they are. Anything else?”

Ella smiled slowly. “There is one thing. Could you check and see if anyone has been brought in suffering from a drug overdose, specifically hallucinogenic
drugs, within the last three months?”

He gave her a wary look. “Patient records are strictly confidential. I could lose my job if I give you that.”

“I don’t need a patient’s name. Just tell me if anyone has been brought in. If you don’t, I’ll have to ask the ER nurses, and that’s guaranteed to start some bad rumors. The press would also eventually want to know why I was asking, and they’d likely
start an investigation on their own, which could end up on page one. With your help, we could avoid all that.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“Sort of, but at least you’re getting to make a choice.” She shrugged. “What option will you choose?”

“I’ll get the information for you.”

While she was waiting, Ella studied Lee’s records and those of the other two; but there was nothing exceptional or noteworthy
about any of them. She was about to give up and consider the trip wasted, when Slowman came back to the office.

“One girl was admitted suffering from an overdose of psilocybin, a mushroom that causes hallucinations.”

“Okay. Can you tell me who signed her admittance papers?”

“That I can do. It was Angelina Yellowhair.”

Ella sat upright. “And the name of the patient and attending hospital staff?”
she prodded.

“Sorry. I can only give you the names of our people, not the patient. And if you try to interview our staff nurses while they’re on hospital time, I’ll have you removed by our security.”

“Understood.”

Ella wrote down the names of the hospital personnel who had treated the girl, then left the center, pleased she had managed to get as much as she had. Now the drug connection seemed
clearer, and pointed toward Howard Lee. Who better to know about herbs, dosages, and drugs in general than a medical professional?

Bitah had worked at the mine, so Howard Lee could have easily known him, and even belonged to the Navajo Justice Church. Bitah and Angelina had both taken peyote. If Lee turned out to be Angelina’s boyfriend, it was possible Bitah had supplied the man with drugs for
his girlfriend.

Ella got Justine on the cell phone. “If the waitress IDs Lee later tonight, run that photo by Judy Lujan, Bitah’s old girlfriend tomorrow. She might remember if Bitah and Lee associated with each other.”

“You’re hoping to cement that drug connection?” Justine speculated.

“Yeah.”

The next step would be talking to Wilson Joe about student absences. The thought of seeing him left
her feeling empty inside.

Telling herself sternly that self pity didn’t become her, Ella drove to the college. By the time she arrived, Ella had gotten her feelings under control. She was determined to put up a good front. There was no way she would let her friend see how she felt: That much she could do for herself as well as for him.

Ella found Wilson entering grades at his computer terminal.
“Hey, Professor. How about helping a cop do her job?”

Wilson looked up and smiled. “You know I’m always willing to help the law, particularly when they ask nicely.”

Ella sat across from his desk and declined the can of soda he offered. “I need you to check which one of Angelina’s friends showed the most absences this past semester. Also, if there’s a record of any of them missing class with
a medical excuse, like hospitalization.”

“I’ll look into it. How soon do you need the information?”

“Yesterday?” she answered with a sheepish smile.

“I’ll see what I can do, and give you a call as soon as I have something.” He was about to say more when a petite Navajo woman came into the office, distracting him. She glanced at Ella, then beamed Wilson an affectionate smile. “Hello, Husband-to-be.”

The soft words hurt Ella much more than a yellow jacket’s sting, but she kept it hidden.

Wilson looked completely happy as he took his fiancée’s hand affectionately. “Ella, this is Lisa,” Wilson introduced.

The pretty young woman smiled at Ella coldly. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ella, and how dedicated you are to your job.”

“It’s my first and best love,” Ella admitted. It was at that moment
that she realized what she was mourning. Wilson was building a future, while her whole life had been dedicated to safeguarding the present so that others could see their futures unfold. She knew she was doing precisely what she was meant to do, yet she envied her friend his happiness and peace.

Noting it was time to get ready to backup Agent Blalock, Ella excused herself quietly and left the
building. She found herself looking forward to the rugged climb that would keep them concealed from anyone tailing Bragg.

Restless, Ella fingered the badger fetish around her neck wondering about this meeting tonight. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. There was no sense in making too many plans now. She’d have to take things as they came.

Ella met Justine at the station. Hard plastic
rifle cases and two pairs of powerful-looking binoculars lay on top of Ella’s desk.

“The rifles have night-vision scopes,” Justine said, “and it took some wrangling to get them. They’re extras from SWAT, and are sighted in to be dead-on at two hundred yards. Ammunition is in each case. We also have low-light binoculars, since it’ll be more comfortable looking through those than trying to survey
the area with a rifle.”

The way she felt now, Ella knew she was going to be using the rifle scope most of the time. There was going to be trouble tonight. She could feel it as clearly as she could the blast of air from the fan that cooled her office.

“You want to ride together, I assume?” Justine asked.

“Yes. The fewer vehicles, the better. We’re going to have to be extremely careful. The weather’s
been dry, and that makes for highly visible dust trails.”

“We better take your Jeep then. It’s better suited to the terrain than my sedan,” she said.

“My Jeep it is.”

Ella drove out to the site, choosing a roundabout approach from the north that would make it difficult for anyone to follow. It made the most out of the sparse cover the land provided them.

On the way, they speculated about Howard
Lee and his possible involvement in their investigations. Although they reached no conclusions, it was clear they were in agreement about one thing—the medical student merited a much closer check.

After twenty-five miles of driving, the last five cross country, they approached the site. Blue Hill stood as a silent sentinel overlooking the surrounding arid terrain. Further south was another sentinel,
White Hill, and to the northwest a long mesa faded into the twilight. Ella glanced around, trying to find a suitable place to leave the Jeep before darkness arrived. It wouldn’t make it up the steep, rocky sides of the hill.

“What about that arroyo?” Justine suggested, pointing by pursing her lips, Navajo style. “You could drive the Jeep down inside and we could break up its silhouette with some
brush.”

“Good idea. Once we get it covered we can hike up to our observation point.”

Finding thick enough brush for the purpose wasn’t easy but, fortunately, the Jeep was almost hidden by the arroyo itself. In an hour, when it was completely dark, it wouldn’t be noticeable at all.

After unpacking their gear and loading the rifles, Ella led the way slowly up the hill, cautioning her assistant
to avoid presenting herself as a target against the horizon. About halfway up, they crouched low and circled around to a point to their right where they could look south. Finding a good spot, they sank to the ground and waited.

“I told you we could see the entire area from here,” Ella said. “I remember some fun parties here. We could keep a lookout for any parents wanting to crash the scene.”

“I didn’t think you had such a wild past,” Justine said with a trace of a smile.

“I didn’t. And don’t get me wrong, I would have liked one, but my brother never let me get away with anything. Believe me, there’s nothing more humiliating to a teenager than having a big brother show up and spoil the fun.” Ella shrugged, then smiled. “Nowadays he doesn’t bug me. He knows I can arrest him,” she added
with a chuckle.

“Now I know the real reason you got into law enforcement.”

“We all have our secrets.” Ella laughed.

As darkness descended, shrouding the land, Ella surveyed the junction of the power line and the dirt road through the scope of her rifle. “There are two vehicles coming up. The first one’s Blalock. My guess is the second, about a hundred yards behind him, is probably his contact.”