Enemy Way (34 page)

Passing the envelope through the special rotating package depository, she returned to the Jeep and drove home. Everything was quiet now. As she entered the house, she felt the peace that came from
finally coming home after long hours of work.

She went to her room and lay down on her bed, surprised when Two jumped up and lay by her feet. “I’m going to have to get up in another minute and undress, so don’t get too comfortable,” she warned, but, before she knew it, she was sound asleep.

*   *   *

The phone ringing next to her bed woke her, and Ella sat up abruptly. The sun was already shining
through her windows, and it was bright outside. She’d meant to be up before dawn, but she could see that it was at least eight o’clock. Tossing the covers aside, she bolted out of bed and reached for the receiver.

She recognized Neskahi’s voice even before he identified himself. “After our run-in last night with the Fierce Ones, I went back to the area where I lost the driver who took a shot
at the kid.”

“Did you find him?”

“No, but I have a feeling he’s still out there, hiding. I’m going to stick around a while longer. There’s a truck that might be his parked next to a vacant house here that’s still under construction.”

“Have you gotten any sleep?”

“No, but maybe I’ll catch up tonight.”

Ella knew the burst of energy that often came after complete exhaustion. She also knew about
altered moods and perceptions that were an offshoot of that state, too. “Sergeant, I’m coming over. Even if you’re sure you’ve IDed the suspect, do not initiate any action on your own. Is that clear?”

“I’m tired, but I’m doing okay. Don’t worry,” he said.

“Fine. My order still stands.”

Ella hung up with one hand and reached for a clean pair of jeans with the other. She washed up quickly. As
she walked down the hall to the kitchen, she tripped over Two. “Sorry, mutt, but you’re in my way.”

The dog looked up at her, wiggled his tail twice, then with a beleaguered sigh, placed his head back down on his paws.

“Rough life,” Ella muttered, then stopped in mid-stride, wondering suddenly why Two wasn’t with her mother.

Rose appeared at her bedroom door as Ella came by. “Mom, you’re up.
Did I wake you?”

“I’ve been awake for hours. It just takes me a long time to dress,” she said wearily, as if the task had sapped most of her energy.

Guilt filled Ella. “Sorry. I wish I could stay this morning, but I’ve got to run and help Neskahi.”

“What’s wrong with the sergeant?”

“He hasn’t had any sleep at all, and is running on adrenaline. I’m afraid that he’ll be a danger to himself and
others unless he gets some rest soon.”

Ella picked up her jacket and slipped it on while grabbing a slice of bread to munch on. The house really seemed cold this morning. “Mom, are you warm enough?” Ella noted that her mother was wearing a long-sleeved velvet blouse, a shawl, and a long skirt. The traditional outfit was something her mother wore often, but it had never seemed as warm as a pullover
and a thick sweater to Ella.

“I’m plenty warm. If you wore our traditional clothes from time to time, you’d know that.”

Ella shook her head. “I’d feel clumsy in the skirt, and naked without my slacks and jacket.”

Rose smiled. “And your badge?”

Ella pressed her lips together, hating to admit it, but knowing it was futile to deny the truth. “Yeah, and the badge.”

“It’s what you were meant to
do. Don’t let anything keep you from that, Daughter.”

Ella shook her head in bewilderment as she reached into the refrigerator for the milk. “I don’t get it. I thought you’d rather see me doing something else, anything else, than to be a cop.”

“Yes, but I’ve grown to accept it because I’ve learned that it’s a part of you. Just don’t ever stop seeing that yourself. No self-doubts.”

“I do see
it,” Ella said slowly, pouring herself a glass of milk, then setting it down to check her weapon. “But I see a lot of other things, too, like responsibility to family and friends.”

Rose shook her head. “Just don’t worry about me, or our teacher friend. Things will work out, you’ll see.”

Ella took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right, Mom. But I don’t have time to think about it right now. Let
me wake Loretta to help you with breakfast, and then I’ve got to go.” She gulped down her milk in a few swallows.

Rose shook her head. “It’s too early. Let her and Julian sleep. We’ll know soon if your brother is going to return this morning, as he said, to take his wife and son home. And remember, I can take care of myself. I don’t need a baby-sitter.”

Ella hurried to the door, grabbing another
slice of bread to eat on the way. “I’ve got to go, but we’ll talk later, okay?”

Ella sped down the dirt road, wishing she’d known that Neskahi had made an all night stakeout before now. She intended to read him the riot act about following procedures later, but right now she wanted to make sure he was covered.

Ella notified Justine at the station as she raced down the highway. She wanted more
backup in case of trouble. Assured that at least one patrol car would be dispatched to the area, she began to feel the first burst of optimism. If Neskahi had managed to track down the gunman’s vehicle, there was a good chance they’d find the driver, too. The prospect made a burst of adrenaline race through her. This was the best part of being a cop. It was an indescribable rush when things started
to come together.

Ella saw Neskahi’s truck parked just down the street. This was a strange neighborhood. A dozen or more houses were in various stages of construction, but only four looked like they’d been finished. The new dwellings had been laid out in clusters of four and only the central cluster was inhabited. The only house that looked lived-in was older, and a different style from the rest.
Many other lots had been staked out, and construction trailers and fenced areas with materials still stood, though it looked like it had been months since anyone had used them. The area had the feel of a ghost town in the making, despite the presence of one paved street.

Ella remembered hearing about this section of Shiprock. It had started with a few new houses going up around a very old one,
one which the resident refused to have renovated. But then, after the first three new houses were constructed and people moved in, the tribe discovered that no one was willing to remain there for more than a few months. The houses would be found abandoned. No explanations were ever given. Most of what she knew came from gossip, but, seeing the place now, she’d bet it was accurate.

As she looked
around, she silently commended the shooter’s instincts. Had she been trying to escape pursuit, this was just the area she would have picked. First, there was the mystique, and secondly, there were enough arroyos and half-completed buildings here to hide or confuse any cop in pursuit.

Ella parked her Jeep, then walked over to meet the sergeant. “I’ve called in backup,” she said.

“It wasn’t necessary.
This is my collar.”

She gave him a hard look. “You’re exhausted, and if you want to make a collar at all, you’re going to need help. A two-year-old could get past you right now.”

He squared his shoulders, blinking to keep his eyes focused. “You’re wrong. I—”

Suddenly a pickup shot out of a closed wooden shed. The building burst, wood flying everywhere. In a heartbeat, Neskahi jumped behind
the wheel of his truck. Ella jumped into the passenger’s side as he started to pull away. “Okay, so maybe you’re less tired than I thought.”

“I knew he’d wait until morning, then hit the highway and try to blend in. I just didn’t expect him to use another vehicle. I bet he saw you arrive, and figured that others would be joining you for a house-to-house search.” Neskahi pointed out.

Ella called
in their position. “We’ll try to head him off,” she told Neskahi. “I’ve ordered a roadblock set up at the intersection ahead. He’ll be trapped between them and us.”

Justine was too far away to take part, but had managed to get two patrol units in place, one a cop who was on his way to work and another who was in the area on a routine patrol. “We’ve got him, now,” Ella said, confidently.

“No,
not yet,” Neskahi said, as the driver turned off the highway and headed across an open field.

“Where the hell is he going? This leads nowhere.”

“Maybe that’s exactly where he wants to take us,” Neskahi suggested.

Ella studied Neskahi’s expression. He was alert, but after this was over, he’d sleep for hours. Adrenaline would only carry him so far.

Ella released the men manning the roadblock,
but as Neskahi headed across an arroyo, the transmissions began to break up.

“I don’t know the roads in this area. Do you?” Neskahi asked.

“No, but it’s obvious he does, so stay sharp, and watch for holes and rocks.”

The chase continued for another twenty minutes, and they moved farther and farther south, away from the Shiprock area. At times they were traveling at fifty miles an hour, despite
the absence of any road more defined than an occasional dirt track. Ella could feel her tension rising. This wasn’t a chase, they were being led somewhere on purpose. And there’d be no backup there for a while, because any other cops would have to find them first.

“Should I take a chance of losing him and cut across that wash ahead? If it works, we’ll head him off.”

“Stay with him for now. This
is familiar ground to him, so he’s got the advantage. If we try to cut him off, we may lose sight of him permanently.”

“I’m worried about a reception party waiting at the end of this chase,” Neskahi said after several more minutes.

They were traveling at speeds unsafe to both vehicles, but neither of them had ended up with so much as a flat tire. Ella shared Neskahi’s uneasiness, but remained
silent, knowing it would do no good to voice her concerns now. Whatever happened, they were committed to seeing this through.

“Keep alert for an ambush of any kind,” she warned, her eyes darting back and forth, searching for danger.

“I don’t think that’s what’s on his mind,” Neskahi said, his voice taut.

“What then?”

He shook his head. “Look around. This isn’t the type of terrain one would
pick for an ambush. It’s uneven, sure, but it’s barren of vegetation, too. The canyons are too few and too wide to afford any real cover.”

“Then where the hell is he going?”

“I wish I knew.”

Ella tried to picture where they would be on a map. Things like the solitary microwave tower ahead were looking vaguely familiar. Her skin prickled, and a feeling of dread spread all through her. “I know
where we are,” she said.

“Where?”

“Jane Clah, my father-in-law’s aunt, lived in a hogan around here somewhere.”

“Lived? Past tense?”

“Justine has been asking around for her, and we came out looking for her and checked with local businesses, but she seems to have disappeared. The one thing we’re fairly sure about is that her hogan was abandoned.”

They passed within sight of it, rimming part
of the natural depression where it rested, but the person ahead of them continued at his breakneck speed.

“What else is around here?”

“Nothing, except what you’re seeing, I guess, but we didn’t conduct much of a search,” Ella answered.

The driver ahead accelerated as they reached the road Ella had taken days before when looking for Jane’s hogan. It was on that hill, farther along, that her
steering had failed and they’d almost gone off the side.

A trail of dust filled the air as Neskahi negotiated a tight curve and they moved up the same hillside. Suddenly, the vehicle ahead went out of control. It flew over the edge, and slid down the embankment, smashing headlong into an enormous boulder.

Ella leaned forward, bracing herself on the dashboard. “Hurry!”

Before they could stop,
the truck below erupted into flames.

Neskahi hit the brakes and Ella jumped out, sliding down the slope toward the vehicle, hoping to get the driver out before the flames engulfing the engine reached the cab.

In a heartbeat, Ella threw the door open and pulled out a middle-aged Navajo woman. Her face was embedded with glass, and blood poured down her forehead, but Ella recognized her. It was
Mrs. Willink, the clerk at the trading post along Highway 666.

“Where were you going? What were you hoping to do?” Ella asked.

“I’ve done what I intended,” she whispered. “Out here alone you will get no more help. This is
our
land. You won’t make it back to Shiprock alive.”

“But why did you do this? I barely know you.”

“You know me as someone who takes care of a trading post … but that’s not
who I am. I’m one of the many witches you’ve sworn to destroy … and part of the family you’ve tried to forget.”

Ella tried to take it all in, but her mind was reeling with all the implications. She hadn’t forgotten any of her family. Surely this woman was crazy. “And you hated that boy, Thomas Bileen, too? Why? What did he do to you to merit your wanting to shoot him?”

“He serves no purpose
 … to anyone,” she said, her voice growing weaker. “He even hates himself, though he’s afraid to die. We want … to teach a lesson the youth gangs won’t soon forget. We rule here, and they exist because we allow it. Our ‘gang’ came from the earth in the very beginning, and we’ll be around long after people like you and that boy are dead and forgotten,” she added, her breathing labored.

Ella studied
her features. Slowly an idea formed in her mind. “You’re related to Randall Clah, my father-in-law, aren’t you? You’re part of his other family, the one he kept secret.”

“I’m his oldest daughter, one of many who hate you for what we never had, because he was too busy raising your husband.”

With effort she raised a bloody hand to her lips, then gasped.

Ella realized a second too late that the
woman had just taken some kind of poison. As she held the lifeless body, Ella looked up at the skies and raged in silence against the bitter hatred that had destroyed yet another life.

EIGHTEEN