Eagle's Last Stand (18 page)

Rick looked down at the display as Preston closed the door behind them. He showed his brother the message from Detective Bidtah.

“‘The substance in the black paint splashed on your windshield is bad news,’” Preston read aloud.

“There’s more,” Rick said as a new message appeared.

Chapter Nineteen

As soon as they were out in the hall, Rick and Preston met with Paul and Kim. “The paint thrown onto the windshield contained corpse powder, just as I suspected,” Rick reported.

“There are some nasty things going on, then,” Preston said. “If we want to get to the bottom of it, we’re going to have to find Hosteen Silver’s body and have it tested for traces of poison. Without it, proving he was murdered will be impossible.”

“Let’s crash at Daniel’s, get some sleep and set out from the ranch house at first light. Each of us will choose a different path to Angelina’s old home. We can stay in contact via satellite phone,” Rick said, adding, “We’ll want Gene on this, too, so we need to get him down here ASAP. That means calling him tonight.”

“What about Detective Bidtah?” Paul asked.

“This kind of search isn’t tribal police business, not unless we find a body,” Preston said. “If we can prove there was a murder, then he has reason to open an investigation.”

“It would also be best not to tell anyone outside the family what we’re doing,” Preston advised. “It’ll upset members of our tribe. They’ll see what we’re doing as dangerous.”

“Maybe it is,” Rick admitted, “but it’s the only shot we’ve got left.”

* * *

K
IM
WOKE
UP
suddenly to the blast of a coach’s whistle. Paul, on the floor a few feet away, sat bolt upright.

“What the—?” Paul growled.

Daniel grinned, holding up the silver sports whistle. “We needed to wake up ready to go, and I thought this would help.”

“The aroma of coffee would have been nicer,” Kim muttered. She’d insisted on sleeping in one of the sleeping bags just like the others. The only way to be treated as an equal was never to ask for preferential treatment.

She reluctantly scrambled out of the warm bag, then quickly rolled it up and stowed it out of the way, memories of her days in the military flooding back to her.

“We’ll have a light breakfast and get under way. Take some of the protein bars and water bottles in the kitchen and put them in your backpacks, too.”

Rick stood. “One last thing. We all have to wear our medicine bags where they can be easily seen. If we need help or if another Navajo sees or guesses what we’re doing, we don’t want to be mistaken for skinwalkers.”

“Good thought,” Paul said.

After breakfast, they set out in separate vehicles. Preston rode in his private SUV in case he had to return to Hartley unexpectedly on police business. Daniel and Paul were together in one of their company SUVs.

Once they reached the entrance to Copper Canyon, Daniel would be taking a foot trail toward the site of Angelina’s mobile home, joining up with Kyle, who’d meet him on the way. Paul would circle the outside walls of the canyon, looking for undiscovered trails that might have been a possible route if their father had actually continued out of the canyon. Later, he’d join Daniel and Kyle on the other side near the highway.

Gene had decided to take his pickup and drive outside the canyon along the highway, searching for foot trails crossing the main road. Later, he’d join Erin at the ranch house, where they’d act as a control center, coordinating the search and passing along information to the others.

Rick and Kim were to hike to the spot in the canyon where he’d found the notebook, then pass through the secret passage behind the house that led through the cliff walls to the highway. From there, they’d take the quickest route to Angelina’s old residence, based on the trails Gene or one of the others discovered.

It was ninety minutes into the plan when Rick and Kim stood beside the highway just west of the hidden passage. Rick consulted a topographic map that Daniel had provided to each of them. “Our trail will take us through that dry canyon I always avoided as a kid,” he said as they crossed the highway. They soon entered a wide, shallow arroyo that extended for miles in a sinuous path. “It’s that one, on your left,” he added, pointing. “This wash narrows up there, and passes right through the gap.”

“What bothered you about that place?” she asked, working to keep up with him in the soft ground. The trek, which would require them to walk uphill for at least three miles, was going to be harder than she’d expected.

“This becomes a narrow passage up there between two sandstone cliffs, and the shadowed side is full of caves dug into some of the softer layers of rock. I used to imagine mountain lions or coyotes hiding up there, waiting to pounce.”

“A boy’s imagination at work,” she said with a smile.

“One day I decided to face my fears, so I went up there with a flashlight and a pointed stick—my spear. It was near dusk, and I discovered that some of the shallow caves were habitats for bats. They all came flying out when I stepped inside with my flashlight. I’ve never been back since.”

“They don’t come out during this time of day, right?” she asked, not eager to face a dark cloud of bats.

“No, but because this is the quickest route to Angelina’s old home, it’s probably the path Hosteen Silver took. If I’m right about that, and he found he couldn’t make it all the way, he may have sought shelter, hoping to gather his strength. There are some bigger caves up there.”

“Makes sense.”

They approached a narrow pass flanked by steep hillsides, climbed out of the arroyo, which had narrowed and deepened, then walked along the steep slopes above the dry channel.

“Are those the caves you were talking about?” she asked, pointing up their side of the canyon. “They don’t seem so high off the ground.”

“You’re right. I guess my perspective has changed over the years.” He gazed at the caves, lost in thought. “If he was getting weak and the weather was turning bad, my gut tells me he’d have chosen the closest one large enough for a man to crawl into.” Rick reached down and touched his medicine pouch. “I’m going in.”

“Rick, let me check. This will be easier on me if we find a body. I’m also a lot smaller than you. Hand me the flashlight and I’ll take a look.”

“No, I have to be there. We can do it together, though,” he said, offering his hand. “Let’s climb.”

The cliff face was by no means vertical, sloping only about forty five degrees, and they didn’t need any special gear because of the many handholds and footholds available.

They reached the opening of the shallow cave several minutes later. On their knees at the entrance, he held out his arm, holding her back. “Let’s make sure there are no animals inside first.”

He brought out his flashlight. “No bats, but there’s a stationary figure deep in the shadows.”

“I see something back there, too,” she whispered.

Angling the flashlight as he leaned forward, resting on his elbows, he finally managed to illuminate the prone shape. He moved the beam around for a few seconds before turning it off.

“Is that him?” Kim asked softly.

“Yes, the heat and the desert appear to have mummified his remains, but that long silver hair and the custom belt buckle tell me all I need to know.” His voice was taut.

“He’s on his back, like he went to sleep. Would you like me to go over and check for a wallet or something else?” she asked, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

“No. I’ll radio my brothers once we’re back outside. Once they arrive we’ll photograph everything, check the cave for evidence, then put the body in a bag. If the tribe approves, we’ll take it to the office of the regional medical investigator in Hartley. Forensic people can check it out. If he was poisoned, then it’ll fall to Bidtah to investigate,” Rick said, his tone flat and emotionless.

Despite his determination to keep his emotions well under control, she knew he was hurting. Without thinking about it, she threw her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Rick.”

“Searching for his body seems like a betrayal, but if he really was poisoned, letting his murderer go free would have been worse,” he said, holding on to her tightly.

“You followed your highest sense of right. He would have expected nothing less from you,” she said.

He eased his hold. “I have to let my brothers know,” he said, clearing his throat.

Once they were outside the cave, he contacted them. “Make sure we have two sets of gloves for everyone,” he added before ending the call. “Not for us but out of respect for him. Hosteen Silver would have wanted it that way.”

* * *

I
T
TOOK
THEM
two hours to get the body into the back of Preston’s vehicle.

“Gene, if you can help Preston deliver the remains, I’d like to continue on to where Angelina’s mobile home stood at one time and have a look around,” Rick said, then glanced at Kim. “You can come with me, or go back to the ranch house and we’ll meet there later.”

“I’m sticking with you,” she said.

“I’ll conduct a grid search from the cave where we found the body to see if there’s any other physical evidence that’ll explain his reasons for coming here,” Daniel said. “I’ll be in the area, so when you’re done, give me a call and I’ll either come and get you or meet you someplace.”

As Rick and Kim set out, she noticed how quiet he’d become. “Are you okay?”

“I guess.”

She took his hand. “You don’t always have to be so tough, Rick. We’re all human and that means we’re all vulnerable,” she said gently.

He gave her hand a squeeze. “Right now, you and I have to focus on one thing—life. We’re still in danger, so stay alert.”

Their route led them away from the canyon and onto a long, downhill slope with low, scattered piñon and juniper trees and waist-high sagebrush. They moved steadily but carefully, on the alert for danger now that the vegetation provided cover for anyone wanting to ambush them.

Soon, they spotted the worn tar-paper roof of a red outbuilding and a flat area cleared of everything but low grass and tumbleweeds. “That’s her barn, and to the left is the concrete slab where Angelina’s mobile home stood. Let’s go take a look around there.” He turned and looked back toward the canyon.

“My foster father got within a mile of her trailer before he died,” Rick observed. “There’s also the possibility that he actually got here, then crawled up into the cave on his way back. Let’s see if we can find a lead.”

“Like something that belonged to Hosteen Silver, or evidence she overlooked?”

“Exactly.”

As they approached, a flock of blackbirds flew up into the sky. He held up his hand and stayed perfectly still, listening.

Kim froze and searched the area, her heart beating as fast as it had when on convoy duty in Afghanistan. Even little clues mattered in life-and-death situations.

Staying behind the cover of a thick juniper, they waited. Then she saw movement and, getting Rick’s attention, pointed.

Chapter Twenty

A moment later a coyote come out of the brush with a rabbit in its mouth. The successful hunter then trotted off, quickly disappearing.

“He’s found food, so he’s not interested in us,” Rick said, remaining on alert.

Sensing his uneasiness, she whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s seeing Coyote, the Trickster. That’s how he’s known in our legends,” he said. “Stay watchful and expect the unexpected.”

“All right.”

He looked around carefully, then called Daniel. “We’re going to move in on the property, but I’ve got a hunch someone is out there watching. Have you seen anyone, any vehicles?”

“Just a dust trail a while ago along a dirt road east of you. Probably a local. I’ll drive over to see if they parked or kept going. It’ll take a while for me to get there, so give me a call if you need anything. Be on the lookout for any surprises, like a bear or coyote trap. Whoever is doing this has tried just about everything so far.”

“Stay safe,” Rick added, ending the call. “All right, then,” he said to Kim, “let’s move in. Search for footprints or any indication that someone’s been by here. Daniel advised us to look for traps, just in case.”

He moved forward cautiously, but the birds had come back and all seemed normal as they approached the concrete pad. They circled the area, searching for anything interesting, but only found a few cinder blocks that had probably been used to help level the mobile home.

There were no signs that anyone had been there in quite a while. Cockle burrs, goat-heads and Russian thistle had already appeared in what had been a cleared area. The chain of succession had begun.

“Barns aren’t that common out here. Most people have sheep pens,” he said, looking over at the dark red building that was about the size of a one-car garage.

“It’s old, the paint is fading and the siding is starting to warp. I have a feeling there’s not much to see, but let’s go take a look inside anyway,” Kim suggested.

“Hang on a minute.” Rick’s gaze took in the area. “I’m getting some bad vibes here.” He called Daniel again. “I’m going to check inside the barn,” he told his brother after filling him in, “but I want you to call me if it turns out that vehicle ended up heading in this direction. Something still feels off to me.”

“Okay. Preston and Gene are on their way to the lab with the remains, but I’ll ask Paul to head in this direction. Kyle’s monitoring the ranch.”

Kim waited till he’d ended the call. “If someone’s out there, wouldn’t they have done something by now, like shoot at us?” Kim challenged. “They did before.”

“If it were me, I’d lay low and wait until the target got real close. Patience can be a reliable weapon.”

They went up to the barn doors, but before going inside Rick looked around one more time. Nothing seemed out of place, and there were no footprints, yet the feeling that they were being watched persisted. “We’ll take a quick look inside, then walk down the old road leading from here to meet up with my brothers.”

They went in just as a gust of cold wind slammed against the side of the barn. The entire building seemed to groan. His uneasiness increased.

“It seems sturdy enough,” Kim said, looking around. There were two stalls against one wall, an area with pallets for storing hay, and a crude rack with wooden pegs that held a rake with missing tines and a rusty shovel with a third of the handle gone.

As another hard gust hit the building, the door slammed shut.

“Those gusts are making my skin crawl,” she said.

“Wind’s said to have power to carry news. Whether it’s good or bad, that’s for someone else to say.”

He studied the wooden walls, full of gaps where the planks had warped and twisted. “At least we don’t need the flashlight to find our way around.”

The wind had generated a combination of dust and plant debris in the air, and Kim sneezed. “There’s nothing in here anymore. Let’s leave before my allergies start to kick up,” she said.

Rick pushed against the entrance doors, but they refused to yield.

“Is it stuck?” she asked, coming over to give him a hand.

Stepping back, Rick looked through the crack between the barn doors and quickly identified the problem. “The bar that keeps the door shut must have dropped down into place somehow. I’ll need something sturdy and slim to slip through the gap and lift it up and out of the way.”

“That gap is too narrow for the rake or shovel handle. If we could find a piece of wire, maybe we can wrap it around the bar and lift up.”

He sniffed the air. Something else was wrong. “Do you smell it?”

“Dust and moldy hay that’s making me sneeze. Is that what you mean?”

He glanced around in the dimly lit interior and by the time he brought the flashlight from his backpack, smoke was visible against the north wall.

“Someone set the outside of the barn on fire.” He tossed her the phone. “Get Dan. We need him here in a hurry. I’ll grab the shovel and try to lift the bar using the blade.”

Through the gaps between the boards, he could see the stack of dead tumbleweeds piled up against the side of the barn. Each ignited one after the other into white smoke and flame.

Kim made the call, then ran over to Rick. “Daniel’s on his way, but it’ll take him several minutes to get here.”

Rick picked up the shovel, but the blade was curved like a scoop. He tried to make it work, but there was no way he could angle it through the opening to raise the bar.

As he turned his head to check the progress of the fire, smoke was flowing up the wall, entering through the gaps between the boards. Flames were visible in places and the tumbleweeds burning outside crackled loudly as they were consumed.

“Daniel won’t get here in time, will he?” she asked, her voice shaky.

He didn’t answer. “Look for a weak spot in the wall. I’m going to make our own door.”

Kim coughed as the white smoke became thicker and the sharp scent of burning wood began to penetrate her lungs.

“Put something over your nose and mouth, or pull up your shirt and breathe through the fabric,” Rick directed, leaning against the wall, looking for a place to smash through.

“This is a weak point,” Rick said. “Some of the planks are split.” Using the blade of the shovel as a spear, he began to work. After the third jab, the plank broke in two, leaving an eight-inch, waist-high gap.

The next plank was tougher, but in four jabs he’d knocked it loose from the uprights and it fell to the ground outside.

“One more plank and we can crawl out,” she yelled, her voice raspy now as she gasped for air.

The wind and smoke picked up quickly, intensifying the fire, which was crackling louder than ever.

Coughing, he pulled Kim to her knees close to the hole he’d made in the side of the barn.

There was a loud whoosh across the barn. The opposite wall was a sheet of flames leading from floor to roof. “We’ve got to get out of here
now!
”

He dropped the shovel, lowered his shoulder and charged the gap he’d made in the side.

The building shook as he hit the wall, and several planks snapped from the impact as he broke out into the open, nearly falling to the ground.

Turning his head, he saw Kim stumble out through the gap. Catching her with both arms, he brought her up against him.

“We’re okay now,” he reassured her, kissing her forehead tenderly.

Hearing running footsteps, Rick pushed her behind him and aimed his gun at the far corner of the barn. Had the firebug come back to finish them off?

As Paul and Daniel came into view, Rick lowered his weapon.

“Easy, bro,” Daniel said. “We’re the good guys.”

* * *

D
ETECTIVE
B
IDTAH
ARRIVED
a half hour later, finding them quickly thanks to the black smoke rising from the smoldering wreckage of the barn. He was not happy to see them, judging from the first words he spoke after climbing out of his SUV. “You’re investigating on
my
turf but you didn’t call me till now?”

“We weren’t sure this was a police matter, so we gave you plausible deniability,” Rick said. He quickly explained that the purpose of the removal of Hosteen Silver’s body was to try to determine the cause of death.

“If the death proves suspicious, it’s my case,” Bidtah reminded him. “Now tell me more about you and Ms. Nelson being locked inside this barn.”

“Here’s how it went down,” Rick said, then explained.

“There are lots of footprints around,” Bidtah said after Rick had finished. “At a guess, I’d say most belong to you two or your brothers,” he added, looking at their boots. “There’s a strong scent of charcoal lighter here, too. That must be what the arsonist used to ignite the tumbleweeds.”

Rick nodded. “I can smell it now.”

“Any of you find anything else I can use?” Bidtah asked, looking from Kim to the brothers.

They shook their heads. “The cave where we found the body is about fifty feet up the south wall of the canyon,” Rick told him. “You’ll be able to spot it from our tracks.”

“Not looking forward to it,” Bidtah said. “Your dad was a good man. You let me know as soon as you hear from the lab,” Bidtah ordered. “And email me all the photos you took of the scene.”

“Absolutely,” Rick replied.

“The murder of a highly regarded medicine man is going to send ripples through our community,” Bidtah said, rubbing his chin pensively.

“Probably, but it’ll be up to you to determine how much you want to divulge to the public,” Rick noted.

“It’s hard to keep secrets on the Rez,” the detective commented.

Rick nodded slowly. “I know.”

Bidtah glanced over to where the mobile home had once stood. “I’ll have to speak to Angelina Curley as soon as possible. Like your place, this land belongs to the tribe, and if she’s not occupying it, the land should go to another Navajo family,” Bidtah said. “I also intend to ask why she chose to move away. If she was running from something, I want to know.”

* * *

T
HEY
WERE
BACK
at Daniel’s a short while later, but a somber mood had settled over them.

“How soon will we hear from the medical investigator?” Kyle asked.

“That depends,” Preston answered. “All they’ve got to work with is hair, bones, bone marrow and a few viable tissue samples. Jack’s given it top priority, however.”

“While we wait for results, we need to find out more about Angelina’s niece and her homemade burritos,” Rick said. “That’s the only possible vector for the poison we know about right now.”

Paul, who was at the computer, spoke up. “The woman’s name is Bonnie Herder. She’s a single mom with three kids. She owns her own small business, has a catering truck and usually parks by the public high school in Shiprock.”

“School lets out in less than an hour. I’m going to go talk to her,” Rick declared.

“I can’t question her because she’s out of my jurisdiction,” Preston said. “If I try, I’m going to stir up a real hornet’s nest. The way things stand, Bidtah would take it as an affront.”

“You shouldn’t go, either, Rick, because she’s bound to know exactly who you are,” Kyle said.

“Let me talk to her,” Kim offered. “I’ll just pretend I’m a substitute teacher on a break. I’ll get further if it doesn’t look like an interrogation.”

“Kim just might get away with that,” Preston agreed with a nod. “But you’ll need to stay out of sight, Rick, or you’ll blow it for her.”

“I’m not happy with this plan,” Rick said.

“Why?” Kim countered. “I can handle this. By keeping it friendly, we may get the information we need without her realizing it could be a problem for her aunt.”

“I agree with Kim,” Daniel said.

Rick shook his head. “We’re after a killer. Kim will be unarmed as well, so she runs double the risk.”

“Not if you’re close by, backing her up,” Preston said. “She’s not likely to get violent that close to so many potential witnesses anyway.”

* * *

T
WENTY
MINUTES
LATER
, wearing a change of clothes so she wouldn’t smell like smoke, Rick and Kim set out in one of Level One’s SUVs.

“Have you ever met Bonnie?” she asked him.

“Not that I recall. But a single mother with three kids and a business has a lot to lose. If she knows anything or if she’s involved, she’ll be on her guard. Be careful how you ask your questions and don’t target Angelina specifically. Find out if Bonnie’s family helps her prepare the food or if she has regular helpers, and so on.”

“I’ve got this, trust me,” she said.

“I do, but I still hate having you take point.”

“You won’t be far. Why are you worried?”

He kept his gaze focused on the road ahead. “You’re more important to me than anything else, including this case. Do you understand me?”

“No. Are you saying that you think I can’t handle this or that you’re afraid you can’t?” she added with a tiny smile.

“Maybe both. I love you, Kim,” he said. Pulling over onto the side of the road, he hauled her into his arms.

Before she had the chance to react, he kissed her hard, moving his mouth over hers until her lips parted.

He was rough, desperate for more, but with a groan, released her. “No matter what happens, I’ll have your back,” he said, putting the SUV back in gear.

Dazed, happy, her heart pounding overtime in her ears, she nodded, not trusting her voice. He loved her! He’d shown her in countless ways and now he’d actually said the words.

She smiled. No matter what happened from this point on, she’d always have this.