The Laura Cardinal Novels (68 page)

“It’s here, somewhere. Why, do you think I’m lying? Because I’m not!”

“Why’d Bobby bring you out here?”

Patiently, Shana went through the story again. How, when he picked her up in Tucson, he said they’d drive back up to Williams and they’d tell her parents they were getting married. How, on the way up, he had turned off at Rock Springs, asking her to go on a little detour with him, because he wanted to show her something.

“What did he want to show you?”

“He said he had some pot stashed around here.”

But when he led Shana to the place in the desert where he said the marijuana was, she had gotten the shock of her life. He had showed her his “fort,” just like the kind he used to dig in the ground when he was a kid.

“It was plywood,” Shana said. “He piled dirt on top of it, a lot. I could hear him shoveling it over me—”

She shuddered and started to cry. Adventure had suddenly turned to reality.

Laura hated herself for disbelieving Shana even for a moment. She found herself opening her arms and letting Shana into their circle, felt the girl’s hot tears coursing down her own neck, her sobs coming from her depths.

Above her, Bobby’s muffled voice telling her she had water, she had food, she even had toilet paper. Telling her he had to have her play hostage, but he would be back soon, and then they would get married.

She just had to do this for him.

Her fear was real. Her torn, ragged fingernails were real. She couldn’t find the hole, but she had been there. She had faced the dark alone.

Bobby had been true to his word, Shana told her. He’d left her a case of bottled water, a twelve-roll of toilet paper, and some energy bars. But no light.

She had, literally, dug her way out.

“The thing I don’t understand,” Laura said as they drove back toward Flagstaff, “is why he’d do that to you.”

Shana twisted her ring again.

Laura let her own left hand drop to her side, drift into the pocket of her slacks. She felt around for the button on her portable digital recorder and turned it on. What she was doing was well within the law. She did not have to inform Shana she was taping her or ask for her permission.

All’s fair in love and police work.

Laura said again, “It’s just hard for me to understand. What do you think he was trying to do?”

Shana just stared ahead.

“I mean, if a guy was going to marry
me
—”

“He didn’t mean it.”

Laura said, “I’m sure he didn’t.”

“He told me he was coming back.” Defiant.

Laura said, “I guess he wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it, would he?”

“He meant it.”

“Don’t you think he’d be worried, though? About you, being down there?”

“He was coming back for me.”

“Is that what it felt like when you were down there? Weren’t you scared?”

“Of course I was scared! Wouldn’t you be?”

“Do you think he feels bad about scaring you? I mean look at you. Your nails. All that dirt—that fort could have caved in on you.”

“It
did
.”

Laura didn’t say anything, let it sink in. In her agitated state, Shana would likely deplore a void and would probably rush to fill it.

Shana was still looking out the window when she said, “He shouldn’t have done that to me.”

Laura said, “You’re right. It wasn’t fair.”

“I was scared.”

“I know.”

“I could have
died
in there.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t die,” Laura said. “What I can’t understand is why he did it. He said he wanted you to play hostage. What does that mean? Do you think it was a game?”

Silence. They were headed up the long grade to Cordes Junction, passing some cars as if they were standing still. A car was parked in the breakdown lane, hood up—Laura had seen many cars over the years blow up on this grade. She glanced at Shana. She could almost see the wheels turning. Laura said, “I think it must have been a game. But what was the point?”

Shana turned on her. “I don’t know, okay?”

“Okay.”

Shana’s voice broke. “He wouldn’t try to kill me.”

Up ahead a tanker truck and a semi took up both lanes. The same trucks that had borne down on her like the hounds of hell on the flats had now slowed down to a crawl at the top of the grade, their tail lights blinking steadily. Laura would have to slow down, lose her momentum.

Laura glanced at Shana, whose arms were crossed, her fingers tightly gripping her sides. Shana wanted to be reassured. She wanted her belief to be validated. “I’m sure that killing you wasn’t his intention,” she said. “He left you the water and the food. But what if something happened to him and he couldn’t make it back?”

“I was able to get out, wasn’t I? He didn’t bury me that deep. He probably did that on purpose. Made it easy for me to get out.”

“Was it easy?”

Shana was trying not to cry. But she was losing the battle.

Laura said, “When do you think he was coming back? Today?”

There was a long pause, and then Shana said something so faintly Laura wasn’t sure she heard it right. But she thought Shana said, “Never.”

They hit Camp Verde, drove over the Verde River, past the cottonwood trees along the river, past the RV park water tower and the Jesus is Lord sign, and up the double-laned hill.

Laura said, “Does this have anything to do with the Earth Warriors?”

Alarm in Shana’s voice. “What’s that?”

“We know about the Earth Warriors—about the SUVs.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe that was what the hostage thing was about.”

“No way.” But she sounded unsure.

They were up on a plateau now—ranch country. Pale yellow grass sheared down to almost nothing, lots of prickly pear, red volcanic earth and rocks running in dried rivulets through the grass, cow pens on the right. Laura weighed Shana’s inflections, sensing a change. Most of the guys she worked with were better at reading body language. They said the eyes were the windows to the soul. But Laura was more sensitive to the tone of voice, to the way people constructed their sentences—she could almost always tell if someone was lying by listening to them talk.

Laura said, “You know what I think? I think Bobby is pulling a scam on you.”

“No way.”

Laura shrugged. “What I think is that Bobby is using you to put forward his own agenda. I think he’s the one who cares about the environment, not you.”

“That’s not true. I was in the group long before—” She caught herself, shot Laura a nasty look. “You tricked me.”

“What am I supposed to think? This guy just buried you alive, and you said yourself you didn’t know if he was going to come back. I’ve had bad relationships. I know what it’s like to get shit on.”

“We’re getting
married
. Did you ever get someone to marry you?” Looking pointedly at her ring finger.

Laura made a quick decision. She reached down into her pocket and turned the recorder off. “Once. But it only lasted seven months.”

“What happened?”

“He betrayed me.” Not the whole story about Billy Linton, but close enough. “He told me he loved me, said we were going to be together forever, but that didn’t last. I realized he was just using me.”

That was an out and out lie, of course, but it suited her needs.

“Bobby’s not like that.”

“Dan didn’t like him, did he?”

“So what?”

“Maybe he knew what kind of person Bobby was. Do you think he ever talked to him—you know, as your brother to your lover?”

“How should I know?”

“Dan looked out for you, didn’t he? How do you think he felt about Bobby?”

“What’s it matter to you?”

“I’m just saying, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to be betrayed. I know what it’s like when your friends and family ares telling you to slow down, maybe this guy isn’t the best thing since sliced bread, and then you go on your merry way, and all of a sudden, you’re in too deep. I know
I
got in too deep.”

“Thanks for the story of your life.”

“Well, we might as well be honest with each other. We have enough in common. Dan didn’t like Bobby, did he? He was worried about you. I know about big brothers—”

“He wasn’t my big brother. We were twins.”

“He was worried about you, maybe thought you were getting in too deep with the Earth Warriors. I mean, the way it is these days, any kind of terrorism—that’s a scary prospect. It’s not just
monkeywrenching
. After 9/11? The government means business. We’re talking lock you up and throw away the key. If you were Dan, wouldn’t you be worried?”

“Shit,” Shana said, starting to cry again.

“I understand you feel bad. But you shouldn’t. You were only doing what Bobby wanted you to do. I know it wasn’t your idea to burn those SUVs. But Jesus, you could be in such big trouble.”

“Are you going to arrest me?”

Laura answered by saying, “I personally don’t think it was your fault. I think it was his fault. I think he used you, and Dan knew it.”

Shana said nothing.

Laura added, “I bet he was really worried. I wonder if he confronted Bobby on his own? Sound like something a big brother would do.”

“He didn’t.” But there was no conviction in Shana’s voice.

“How do you know?”

“I just know, that’s all.”

“The way I see it, Dan knew what you were doing. Or he suspected. And Bobby has a hot temper—”

“You don’t know that.” But she sounded even more unsure.

“You do. You guys have a tempestuous relationship. Fight and make up, fight and make up. I’ve been there. I know what love’s like. It’s almost like a drug, it feels so wonderful. And when it’s bad, you get so mad you can’t stand it, but, Jesus, you feel so alive. All those highs and lows.”

She let that sink in.

“Like when Bobby buried you. I think Bobby got worried that you weren’t going to go along with him, especially because of the bad blood he had with Dan, and I think he was going to teach you a lesson. Put a scare into you.”

“That’s not true—”

“I mean, think about it. With Dan gone, without him to look out for you, you’re all alone. Isolated, you know what I mean? Dan’s not there to give you advice, you’ve got nobody to help you, nobody to
take your side
. And all of a sudden you’re in this big mess, and you end up buried out there somewhere in the desert. The ultimate betrayal.”

Shana turned in her seat and shoved her hand out. “See this? This is an engagement ring! We’re going to get married, we love each other.” And she started crying again.

Laura said, “You know that’s not true, don’t you?”

“It
is
true!”

“He’s never going to marry you. You know that. You’re not a stupid person. He might not have meant to kill you, but you know the score. You said yourself he was never coming back.”

“Maybe that’s why he made it easy enough for you to escape. So he didn’t have to face the fact that he was a killer. If you got out, great. If you didn’t it was your fault. Either way, though, you lose. If he gets away with whatever he’s doing, if he’s using you as a hostage and this is something really bad, guess who’s going to end up holding the bag?”

“Me,” Shana said, her breath hitching.

“Bingo.”

She could feel Shana turning toward her. She could feel Shana wanting her protection, wanting her comfort. There was a time in interrogations that this happened, and it was magic. Laura felt the thrill course through her, a top-of-the-world high. She was on the horse now and riding it for all it was worth. “I’m looking at this from the outside, Shana. And I want to ask you something. When do you think he dug that little grave? When do you think he salted in the supplies? Before he bought your engagement ring?”

Shana didn’t say anything, but she was still crying.

“When did he plan that? When you called him and told him where you were? When he went to the store and bought your ring? When he came to pick you up?”

“I don’t
know
!”

“What did he say to you when you were driving up here? When did he tell you about the pot?”

“Right before we got there.”

“And then he shoved you in that hole. Like you were a pile of garbage. He shoved you into that hole, pushed on your feet, boarded it up behind you. Took a shovel and
buried
you, Shana. Does that sound like someone who wants to marry you? Someone who loves you?”

No answer. But Laura knew she had won this round.

“But what I want to know even more than that is: How much did Dan know? If Bobby was willing to bury you alive, what would he do to someone he didn’t like so much?”

She caught Shana’s gaze, held it.

“What would he do to Dan?”

By the time Laura reached the Kachina Village-Mountainaire turnoff, Shana was asleep. She’d been through hell the last couple of days, and crying jags generally made people sleepy.

She awoke just as I-17 turned into Milton Road and the traffic slowed. She looked at Laura, startled. “You missed the turnoff.”

“I’m hungry,” Laura said. “Aren’t you?”

She saw she’d struck a chord. But Shana said, “Troy and I are going out for dinner.”

“There’s a Wendy’s.” Laura turned in to the drive-through. Shana didn’t object, and ordered a double with everything and onion rings. She attacked the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days, which was pretty close. Laura kept going, backtracked on the 40 Business Route past some cheap new motels and some older, seedy ones. Before Shana was through eating they were driving through the rolling gate to the DPS District 2 office on Kaibab Lane.

“What’re we doing here?” Shana asked.

“I have to go in for a minute. You want to come along?”

Shana shook her head. “I’ll stay here.”

“You’ve got a better bladder than I do.” Laura got out and started toward the pale yellow mobile home on far side of the enclosed area, where the Flagstaff DPS worked.

She heard the car door open and Shana’s footsteps behind her. “Wait.”

They walked up the steps and went inside. Desks were ranged along the opposite wall, delineated in some cases by short partitions, but mostly just by personal possessions—a cowboy calendar, a poster of an American flag, family photos. All the desks empty—it was past five and everybody had either gone home or was out working cases. Laura picked the one with the least clutter. The name tag said Z. BROWNING. She hoped he wouldn’t mind her commandeering his space for a few minutes. She led Shana to where the bathroom was, making sure she got a good look at the last chair, face-out from the wall, complete with handcuffs and leg irons. She nodded toward Z. Browning’s desk. “I’ll be right here, okay?”