Red Mesa (35 page)

“I wish I knew how to put a stop to the gossip about me and our family.”

“It’ll die down eventually.”

Ella could see the sadness in Clifford’s eyes. His personal life was even worse than hers at the moment, and
that was saying something. At least her daughter would be home when she quit work today.

When Herman called out to him, Clifford excused himself and went to join him. As Clifford walked away, Ella felt the chill of despair envelop her. She had to find Justine’s killer soon, because the biggest danger she faced wasn’t an empty home. It was being placed in a cell until her daughter had children
of her own.

When the crowd of students around Clifford dwindled, Ella walked back to where her brother was standing.

“He really loves this,” Clifford said, gesturing to Herman Cloud, who was still speaking to two young men. Herman was a longtime friend of their family. His shoulder-length hair was all white, but he stood tall, like a warrior. “I think he’s been lonely since his wife died. With
Philip and Michael working and busy with their own families, he spends too much time alone. I suggested that he take part in this lecture series about living a Navajo life in the new millennium because I felt he needed to get involved in something. At first he turned me down, but now he’s always ready and waiting for me to pick him up whenever we give talks.”

Ella knew her brother had purposely
avoided mentioning Loretta and Julian, but she could see that Neskahi had been right. Clifford hadn’t slept much. He looked weary and sad, the kind of emotional burden that settled over a person like a lengthy shadow.

“I heard about your wife,” she said quietly.

Clifford nodded slowly. “I expected that you would.” He looked at Ella. “You know that I’ll have to go and bring her back, or if she
won’t come, then stay with her. I can’t let my son go without his father’s protection, especially now.”

Herman Cloud came up and joined them before Ella could ask what her brother meant. “It’s good to see you,” he said. “Now that your brother will be gone for a while, I was hoping that you would come by and join me once in a while when I’m scheduled to speak.”

“If I can, I’d be very happy to.”

“It’s been working out so well. Your brother speaks to them about being a
hataalii
and I speak to them about living day to day like a traditionalist. Of course, now that your brother has received those threats, he’ll have to protect his wife and son.”

“What? You’ve received threats? From whom?” Ella frowned at Clifford.

“I’ll be leaving now, nephew.” Herman walked away quickly before Ella could
question him.

“I need to know what’s happened,” Ella said.

“I went for a walk late last night, trying to get tired enough to sleep, and two Navajo men ambushed me near my hogan when I returned. I knew someone was there, but I thought it might have been my wife, so I walked right into it. They had their faces covered. I took a few punches, but nothing serious. Then they told me to stop protecting
my ‘killer’ sister, or I’d share in the punishment that was in store for you. They left me tied to the bumper of my truck, and by the time I got free, they were gone.”

“Why didn’t you call me after it happened?”

“What could you have done?”

“Look for a vehicle, search the area, watch the highway. Something!”

“I had no description of any vehicle to give you, I only heard it leaving in the dark.
And you know how few neighbors we have. They could have gone in any direction. There wasn’t much you could have done.”

“Well, by not calling me right away, you certainly made a fact out of that statement.”

Clifford looked at his sister sadly. “You still don’t know when to fight and when to hang back. You better learn quickly, sister. More trouble is on the horizon.”

As Clifford went to retrieve
some items he’d brought to the lecture, Ella walked away toward her vehicle. She knew that she could no longer count on her brother’s help. He would go to protect Loretta and his son, which was as it should be, but she had to continue the battle.

Her most important ally had now been taken from her. Ella wasn’t sure how much more she could endure before she finally lost heart.

Ella arrived at
her patrol unit, and as she slipped behind the wheel, her cell phone rang. It was Harry Ute.

“I got your message. And I got a brand-new lead just a few minutes ago. I’d like you along as my cover officer. Can you swing it?”

“You bet.”

“I’ve got a tip that Samuel Begaye is going to meet his wife at the West Farmington Mall at noon. I’d like to be in place before they arrive.”

“I’ll be there.
Where shall we meet?”

“Go to the coffee shop just across the street on the east side. We’ll meet there. And wear sunglasses and a cap or something. Try to be shorter, too,” he joked.

“What about you? Will you be wearing a disguise?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. You’ll still know me.”

Ella stopped by the house, and after picking up her daughter and saying hello, she went into the bedroom to change.
First she took off her boots and removed her backup holster rig from her right leg. That went into her closet, but she placed the derringer inside her jacket pocket. Running shoes took an inch off her height, but masking her taller-than-average stature was something she could do only with limited success. Ella brushed her long, black hair so it cascaded around her shoulders, then put on a tan
cowboy hat. With her dark glasses on, she looked like another person.

Rose came in and looked at her daughter. “You look beautiful and not at all like a cop. Is that what you were aiming for?”

“Yep, but the problem is that close up I still look like me. I may be able to fool someone who doesn’t know me very well, though. I guess I’ll just have to try it out and see.”

When Dawn went back to
the living room to get her doll, Rose gave Ella a worried look. “Another team operation? Things are getting too dangerous right now for you to trust anyone, maybe even the people you usually work with.”

Ella sighed. “Yes, I know, but I have to be able to trust somebody, or I’m already lost.”

Rose nodded. “Your brother is going to join his wife, in spite of the fact that she’s staying with her
mother. He called me earlier today. I never thought things would go this far.”

Ella knew that Rose had taken the news that Clifford had to leave, perhaps for a long time, very hard. She’d always been close to her son, and she adored Julian.

“This will have an end, Mom. He’ll be back.” Ella said good-bye to her daughter and mother, then left to meet Harry in Farmington.

Ella arrived at her destination
forty minutes later and parked in the rear parking area. As she started to go inside, a man in a brown jacket approached her. She took a defensive stance, her hand in her pocket atop the derringer, wondering if he was about to try to rob her or attempt a carjacking.

It took her a second, but she quickly relaxed. With the mustache and baseball cap, Harry looked more Hispanic than he did Navajo.
“Wow. You’ve learned a trick or two in the Marshals Service, I see.”

He smiled. “You look great, Ella,” he said, giving her a once-over. “Where have you been all my life?”

It was so uncharacteristic for Harry that Ella didn’t exactly know what to say. “Hey, beneath the police person there’s a lady. Did you doubt it?”

“No, but I never thought about it much until now.”

“Gee, thanks,” Ella said.

He grinned. “Okay, ready to get to work? Let’s take my sedan. Your tribal unit is a dead giveaway to anyone who’s seen you in it.”

“At least it’s not marked. I should also tell you that I won’t be able to stay out of contact for long. I didn’t tell dispatch or the chief because I’m assuming you still want to stay undercover.”

“You bet. Thanks. Until I’ve got Samuel Begaye in handcuffs, I doubt
my status will change.”

“I’m really hoping that Begaye might know something about Justine’s killer. It’s a slim hope, but it’s all I’ve got,” Ella said.

“That’s why I called you. With luck, I’ll have this slippery sucker in custody before dinnertime.”

After reaching the mall, they matched frequencies on their handheld radios, then split up. Ella took the north side of the mall, and Harry the
south. If Begaye was here, they’d see him soon as they moved from opposite ends.

Ella had just reached one of the shoe stores when she saw Begaye and his wife, Jean, standing near a side entrance. She called Harry on her handheld, ducking into the store as she did, then moved forward cautiously.

Before she could get close, she felt a gun pressed to the small of her back. “Don’t turn around,
just walk out with me. And keep your eyes straight ahead.” She didn’t recognize the man’s voice, but it could have been a Navajo.

Ella saw the anger on Begaye’s face as she walked past him and was forced outside. She’d lost one suspect, but right now she had another perp to worry about. Maybe, if she could turn the tables on her captor, she’d still be able to find Begaye before he left the area.

Suddenly the man behind her pushed her forward hard, right into the path of a shopper’s van. Ella rolled quickly out of the way, escaping the squealing tires only by inches. She scrambled to her feet instantly, but by then the van driver had stopped, and people were gathering around her. Ella looked around, but had no idea who might have been her would-be killer. No faces looked familiar in the
crowd.

By the time she broke away from the confusion and made it back inside the small shopping mall, both Harry and Begaye were gone. Ella tried to raise him on the radio, but got no response. Either he’d switched off the unit or the signal was blocked.

Worried about him, she searched the entire area, including the parking lot, but there was no sign of either man, and Harry’s vehicle was gone.
Ella knew that Harry could be in trouble, but she wasn’t sure how to help without blowing his cover. She decided to wait it out, and if Harry didn’t contact her very soon, she’d phone in a situation report to the Marshals Service.

Ella was driving back to Shiprock when she noticed a beatup sedan about a quarter mile behind her. It paced itself well, neither advancing or gaining on her despite
other cars passing or being passed. Curious, she kept checking on it, wondering if the driver was tailing her or simply on the same road moving at the same pace.

Finally she turned off onto the old highway, which led through the farming communities just north of the river. Finding a large cottonwood tree just around a curve, she pulled off quickly and used the tree as cover.

The sedan continued
down the narrow road, seemingly uninterested in her disappearance. Yet as it passed by, she caught a glimpse of the person inside. It was Jean Begaye, Samuel’s wife. She remembered the woman well, because Jean had attacked Justine and her when they’d arrested her husband.

Flashers and sirens on, Ella pulled her over. As she called dispatch, she also wrote down the vehicle tag number and identity
of the occupant on her notepad.

Raw hatred shone in Mrs. Begaye’s eyes as she got out of the car and placed her keys on the top as Ella ordered. “What? Was I going too fast?” she snapped. “Are we even on the reservation here?”

Ella saw the flicker in her eyes. Jean was goading her, daring her to prove that she’d just come back from meeting her husband.

Ella would have preferred having a cover
officer, which was procedure when making a possible felony stop, but decided to do the next best thing.

“Move away from the car now,” Ella ordered, then handcuffed Jean to a speed-limit sign before frisking her for weapons. Next, Ella checked the interior of the car, satisfied that Jean couldn’t run away or attack. The inside of the car was empty, except for a purse on the seat and a shopping
bag from a mall clothing store. The purse didn’t contain a weapon, Ella noted without having to remove any of the contents.

Grabbing the car keys from the roof of the car, she opened the trunk carefully, crouching down low and to one side. She’d heard of a cop being shot from the inside once. The trunk was empty except for a worn, flat-looking spare, bumper jack, and a set of jumper cables.

Jean laughed at Ella’s caution. “You think I was hiding my husband in there?”

“What makes you think I’m after your husband?” Ella shot back.

“So you’re after
me
now?” She laughed. “Tell me, what law have I broken?”

“Aiding and abetting an escaped federal fugitive.”

“Really? And what are you going to use for proof?”

“I saw you with him at the Farmington Mall. Don’t try to deny it.”

“Of course
I’ll deny it. That means you’ll have to prove it, and that’ll be tough for you. The way things are going for you lately, your word isn’t worth much now, and it’ll be worth nothing at all once the cops prove you killed your cousin.”

“Don’t count on it,” she said, uncuffing Jean from the sign, then cuffing both the woman’s hands behind her back and leading her to the tribal unit. “I bet one of
the stores at the mall has you two on a security tape. With that in mind, I’m taking you into custody.”

Ella recited Jean her rights, retrieved the woman’s purse, and locked up the vehicle. She then headed back toward the station with her prisoner. It was possible that Jean Begaye knew something that could help her find Harry, and maybe even Justine’s killer. But until she had more leverage,
getting any information from her was going to be next to impossible.

“You’re going to be facing a murder charge soon yourself,” Jean goaded. “Then you’ll have a firsthand look at what my husband has had to go through in jail. But it’ll be worse for you. You’re going to have a lot of enemies in prison, don’t you think?”

“Your husband is guilty of murder. You know it as well as I do. Half the
bar saw him, and was willing to testify.”

“There were circumstances you never took time to find out about, things the others didn’t know about either. My husband was fighting for his life. It was self-defense.”

“He started the fight, and he killed a man over a spilled bottle of beer. How much of that was self-defense?”