Black Thunder (27 page)

“I think he made the right decision. She has to learn that breaking the rules carries consequences.”

“I just hate to see her so upset. I know she really cares about that boy, or thinks she does, but he’s much too old for her.” Rose glanced back toward
the kitchen. “I set out a bowl of corn stew for you. It’s on the counter. All you have to do is put it in the microwave.”

“I’m starving. I’ll eat first, then talk to my daughter.”

Ella returned to the kitchen, and by then Dawn was gone. Ella savored every bite of the large bowl of stew, then holding a cup of her mother’s herbal tea in one hand, went down the hall. Dawn was sitting cross-legged
on the bed, an open book before her.

“How are you doing?” Ella asked her in a soft voice.

She shrugged. “I sure wish you and Dad would see that I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You’re not a little girl, and you’re not an adult, but you’re still our daughter. And, kiddo, you messed up big time.”

“You make mistakes, too, Mom.”

“Yes, I do, but I face the consequences and try not to let it happen again.
Rules help us maintain balance and harmony. Adults as well as kids need them to walk in beauty.”

“I won’t skip school again, Mom. I promise,” Dawn said in a whisper-soft voice. “And I’ve only got five more days of class, so I’m going to be hitting the books real hard.”

Ella gave her a hug, then walked to her own room. Home—this is what gave meaning to everything else she did.

TWENTY-ONE

Ella’s cell phone rang at 5:00
A.M.
, according to the display. Suddenly wide awake, she picked it up quickly, glad she always left it on while charging and within arm’s reach on the night stand.

“Investigator Clah? Sorry for the timing. This is FPD Officer Nadine Kelly. I’m providing security for the Bitsillie family,” the woman said. “They’re gone. I thought you should know.”

“What
do you mean,
gone
? They just drove away? How long ago was this?”

“About ten minutes ago. Their cousin, Earl Sells, said that someone had placed a note inside Mrs. Bitsillie’s car while she was at work. It scared her so much that she got Mr. Sells’ help and gave me the slip. While he was distracting me out front with questions about their security, she slipped out a side window with the kids and
took Mr. Sells’ car, which was parked one street over.”

“Crap. Anything else?”

“Yes. Once they were gone, Sells felt guilty and told me what was going on. The family’s headed to Albuquerque to stay with another cousin in Alameda, on the city’s north side. That cousin thinks she can help Lois track down a job, something he says is nearly impossible on the Reservation right now. Mr. Sells was
still worried about their safety so he gave me the address and telephone number of the cousin. I’ve e-mailed it to your dispatcher already—which is where I got your cell number.”

“Good. Did you see the note?”

“Mr. Sells kept it for us, and I have it now. It reads, ‘If you love your children get out of town and stop talking to the cops. Next time I won’t miss.’”

“He tracked her down at work…,”
Ella muttered. “It’s my fault. I should have seen this coming. Lois was wearing her work uniform the day her family was attacked, and the shooter also got a look at her vehicle. He must have gone to every Burger Haven in the county to find her.”

“I’ve already called the State Police and Sandoval County deputies. They’ll try to locate the vehicle en route, then follow at a distance. My sergeant
also notified Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department and APD. Whoever has jurisdiction will have an undercover officer watching the house. The Bitsillies don’t have to know. I’m going to have the note dusted for fingerprints and if we get anything other than what we expect, our techs will let you know,” Officer Kelly added. “Sorry about the screwup. It was my responsibility.”

“A lesson to be
learned, but I appreciate your honesty, Officer Kelly. I’ll follow up on this.” Ella ended the call, then flopped back down on the pillow.

The killer’s actions revealed far more than he’d intended. If she was right, this last play had been just another attempt to divert her focus. The good news was that it wouldn’t work.

*   *   *

After she woke up again a few hours later, Ella called in to
verify that the Bitsillie family had made the trip safely and was now being protected. Assured that all was well, she finished breakfast and caught a ride to the station with Joe.

As she walked past Justine’s lab, Ella heard Benny’s voice. Something in his tone seemed odd and caught her attention, so she glanced inside. Benny was standing in front of her partner holding a terra-cotta pot that
held a small sunflower.

“That isn’t just an ordinary sunflower. I grew it myself,” Benny said. “All you have to do is transplant it outside and add water. As it grows, the flower will get heavy and become a big head of seeds, which you can eat.”

Ella smiled, recalling that Justine had a black thumb and that the sunflower wasn’t likely to make it to harvest time without the help of her roommate.
Unnoticed, Ella continued on to her office.

She’d just taken a seat when she heard approaching footsteps. As Ella glanced up she saw Ford at her doorway. He was wearing a short-sleeved tropical-print shirt, windbreaker, and jeans rather than his normal Sunday suit and tie.

“Hey,” Ella greeted. “What have you been up to, surfing?”

He smiled. “Sounds like fun, but actually I went up into the
Chuskas on a personal retreat. I needed some time alone. While I was climbing around on one of the eastern slopes I spotted a Navajo man setting up camp. What caught my attention is that he’d chosen to stay in an old, abandoned hogan that had a hole punched on the side. Obviously, he doesn’t believe in the
chindi
, but even the ones who say they don’t usually avoid places where a death has occurred.”

“Did you get a chance to talk to him?”

He shook his head. “I went closer, intending to offer a prayer and share some of my supplies, but I saw he was armed. It’s not hunting season, but he had a rifle propped up against a tree and a pistol stuck in his belt.”

“Did you ever get a look at his face?” Ella asked quickly.

“Yeah, and I’m glad I did. I had my binoculars and confirmed it was Gilbert
Romero. I knew you’d been looking for him, so I hurried to my camp, got my stuff, and drove straight here.”

“How do you know Romero?”

“His older sister died of cancer a few years ago and I regularly met with the family, trying to help them out. Gilbert was out on parole and he struck me as very unstable. From what I’ve heard here and there, he’s even more so now.”

“Do you think he saw you?”
Ella asked.

“No. He would have reacted if he had,” Ford said. “It was very early in the morning and he was gathering kindling off the ground so his head was mostly pointed down. I chose my approach carefully, too, coming in with the sun behind my back, but there’s really not much to hide behind up there. The hogan is just over a small, windswept ridge, tucked up against the mountainside. From
there he can see down into the valley for miles.”

“Good location for him, not so much for us,” Ella muttered.

He nodded. “I was lucky enough to be farther along the ridge when I smelled his campfire and came up more or less from the west. If you intend to go up after him, you’re going to need some careful strategy. If he bolts, he’ll head right into a canyon and lose you in that rugged country.
There are a lot of old mines in the area, and not all of them show up on maps.”

“So you didn’t see a vehicle?” Ella asked.

“No, he probably hid it down the mountain among the trees, then walked up.”

“Makes sense,” Ella said. “Can you stick around for a bit and help me trace the route you took on a map or an aerial photo?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure it’ll help. I can find it again for you on foot,
though, and show you the best way in.”

“So you think he’s still there?” she asked.

“He had food and firepower, and had gathered enough firewood to last a couple of days at least. I’d guess he plans to hole up there until the heat’s off.”

Ella assembled her team, then hearing Blalock’s voice down the hall, invited him to join them also. Once everyone was seated, she repeated what Ford had told
her and called up an aerial photo map of the area on her computer. “We have to go after him, but we need to come up with a solid tactical approach.”

“Helicopter after dark, approaching low and over this ridge,” Blalock said, pointing at the image. “It’ll put us in the vicinity quickly, providing there’s a viable landing site within striking distance.” He looked over at Ford.

The preacher shook
his head. “Either you rappel down into the trees here”—he moved the mouse cursor across the image to indicate the location—“or you spend a lot of time trying to work your way up this cliff. In the dark, under ideal conditions, those options would still be problematic.”

Justine checked her BlackBerry, then shook her head. “High winds are forecast for later this afternoon and evening, so a helicopter
assault would be risky.”

“It’ll take a few hours, but your best option is to let me lead you to him from around the mountain,” Ford said. “I can retrace the route I took earlier. I’d say just follow my tracks, but it stormed up there yesterday afternoon and I’d expect a repeat of that today.”

“Are you sure you want to do this? You’ll be the only one who’s unarmed,” Ella said.

He nodded. “I’ve
got all the protection I need,” he said, gesturing to the simple crucifix around his neck.

“You’ll also have to wear a vest—nonnegotiable,” she added.

“No problem,” Ford said.

“Okay. Stick around. I’m going to need the chief’s permission for this op.”

Ella went directly to Big Ed’s office and detailed her plan, bringing up the same aerial images on his computer monitor. “Romero has good instincts,
so I doubt he’ll stay long at any one location. I think we need to make our move tonight. I’ll take point and Ford can direct me while Blalock covers his back.”

“Get it set up, and between now and then have your team gather all the intel possible on that area,” Big Ed ordered.

“We’ll come up with at least two takedown plans and work out the bugs over tactical channels while in transit,” she
replied. “I’ll also have Justine download the latest photos and topo maps. Joe and Benny can assemble any special climbing gear Ford thinks we’ll need.”

Ella returned to her office and briefed the others quickly, instructing them to return in two hours with the necessary equipment, ready to go.

Everyone filed out and seconds later Ella’s phone rang. The caller ID told her it was Detective Nez.

“I’ve tracked the tech who processed Kelewood’s car after it was found in that Farmington supermarket’s parking lot,” Dan said. “I wanted to know more, but the tech quit shortly afterwards to join another department. He’s now back home and waiting for an opening locally. I’m scheduled to meet him in twenty minutes at his place on Farmington’s west side. I thought you might want to come along.”

Staying in contact via radio, she met Dan by the highway, then followed his vehicle up to a white stucco home with bright blue trim. The garage door was open and they could hear someone vacuuming out the interior of a car.

“Jerry Reed?” Dan called out. When he didn’t react, Dan touched him on the shoulder.

The man jumped, then relaxed the moment he saw Dan’s badge. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”
He glanced at Ella and noted the badge and sidearm at her belt. “How can I help you officers?”

“I’d like to ask you a few questions about a vehicle you processed a year ago,” Dan said.

Jerry invited them inside the house and led the way to a mostly empty living room. He sat on one of the wooden folding chairs, and motioned for them to take the couch. “I’ve processed a lot of cars,” he warned,
“and you want me to remember one in particular? I sure hope it was memorable in some way.”

“I’ve got a copy of the file in my handheld. Take a look and see if helps you recall something that may not have made it into the report,” Dan said. “Anything left in the car, even if it didn’t seem out of the ordinary, for instance?”

He glanced at what Dan handed him. “I remember this guy. He was that
state mine inspector who just vanished. There’s one thing that’s not spelled out in my report. The key chain he left behind held a custom-made, handcrafted silver bucking bronco. What that told me is that whoever came after him wasn’t interested in the car, or in a simple robbery. If he had been, that chunk of silver would have disappeared, too, you get me?”

“Thanks. If you remember anything
else, call me,” Dan said.

As they went back to their cars, Dan spoke first. “So what made him a target? It’s not robbery. We know that now for sure. The fact that he’d had a drink—or too many?”

“Good question,” Ella said. “By the way, I think you should know that a tribal investigator—not connected with our department—is also checking into Kelewood’s activities. You might run into him.”

“Logan
Bitterwater?” Seeing her nod, he continued. “He came by and talked to me just before I called you. He’s trying to retrace Kelewood’s steps following the report of safety violations at the Stepson mine. He mentioned he’d spoken to you and was planning on sharing information with your department.”

“He answers only to the tribal president and has his own way of working. Maybe he’ll be able to turn
up something new,” Ella said, then checked her watch. “I better be heading back to the station. There’s something going down in a few hours.” She briefed him on the upcoming operation. “I’ll let you know if and when we have Romero in custody. I’m sure you’ll want to be there when we question him.”

“You bet I do,” he said. “If you can use one more officer, give me an hour lead time and I can join
you.”

“No, in this case the fewer the better. We’re going in low profile,” she said, describing the terrain.

On her way back to the Rez, Ella’s cell phone rang. It was Carolyn.

“I’ve got more toxicology results back. The female vic has been dead about two years and had chemical residue in her system that’s consistent with chemotherapy and cancer tissue. Those types of medical records are sealed,
so you’ll have to look into it from your end.”