Eagle's Last Stand (5 page)

Chapter Six

Rick pushed the door back hard, to make sure no one was hiding behind it, then went in. At a glance it was obvious there’d been a break-in. An older model TV had been dumped off its stand and kicked in, and ceramic figures and books had been swept off the shelves. It was difficult to say if Kim had been robbed or if this had been the work of vandals.

He searched each room, moving carefully, but the intruder was nowhere around so he put away his weapon. An open bedroom window and a footprint on the dresser beneath it showed how the intruder had gained entry. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Preston and reported the break-in. He then walked back to Kim, who was standing in the doorway, looking inside as she shook her head in obvious disgust.

Rick waved her inside. “Brace yourself, it’s like this everywhere,” he advised. “And put on those gloves Preston gave you before you touch anything.”

She stepped inside, pulling on one of the gloves, and cursed aloud. Basically everything that had been on the shelves was now on the floor.

Looking through the doorway she could see the kitchen was a mess, too. All the chairs had been overturned and every drawer upended.

When she walked into the bedroom, she discovered that the futon had been sliced down the middle with something sharp, like a box cutter. “Why would anyone do this to me?”

“It looks like they might have been looking for something.”

“Hidden inside a cheap mattress that was completely intact?” She shook her head. “No, this was done to hurt me.”

“Hey,” he said, gently pulling her into his arms.

He liked the way Kim fit against him. She was soft and warm. He pressed his lips to her forehead and then, as she looked up, he kissed her.

She melted against him with a sigh and parted her lips.

That was one invitation he couldn’t refuse. For those precious seconds, nothing existed except her and him. He caught the scent of wildflowers—her shampoo, or maybe her perfume.

She was sweet, yet passionate, and he loved the way she clung to him. He’d only wanted to comfort her, but other infinitely darker needs soon rose inside him. Knowing he might lose control if he didn’t release her, he forced himself to step back. “It’ll be okay, Kim. Don’t let them get to you.”

Kim stepped back as well, and took a long look around the room. “The bed...” she said at last, avoiding his eyes. “I need to try to save the mattress. I can’t afford to replace it. Could you hold the two torn sides together while I sew them up?”

Pulling on his latex gloves, Rick went over to help her, but as he brought the two sides of the slashed canvas together, he felt something hard underneath the surface in the bedding material. “There’s something in here.” Putting his gloved hand inside, he pulled out a bone about six inches long.

“What the heck is that?” she asked.

Rick cursed under his breath. “Do you have a paper or plastic bag?” he asked. “We need to turn this over to Preston.”

She ran to the kitchen, then hurried back. “You think that could be a human bone?”

“Maybe. The lab’ll tell us more.”

“This sure has the earmarks of Angelina’s skinwalker stuff.”

He looked at her quickly. “Say again?”

“Angelina never became a medicine woman. She said she found something more useful. She claimed she could put a curse on just about anybody who deserved one.”

“She
admitted
she’s a skinwalker?” Rick asked, surprised. Even if she had become one somewhere along the way, it seemed unlikely she’d let anyone know. Witches were despised among The People, and the evil ones, as they were often described, kept their practices a secret.

“She didn’t say it in so many words. She just mentioned that she found the opposite of a medicine woman—a skinwalker—much more interesting. She said their ways were more practical,” Kim explained. “I don’t believe in stuff like that, so I never paid much attention.”

“So maybe the break-in was someone’s way of warning you to stay away from me,” Rick said.

“Angelina’s already fired me. She has no more say in my life. Whoever did this is just plain mean.”

“Even if you don’t believe in Navajo witchcraft, the people who choose to practice it are usually unbalanced,” Rick said. “The further into the practice they get, the more likely they are to get out of control.”

“From what I’ve seen, Angelina’s all talk. She wants people to fear her, but it’ll take more than a bone and a dead spider to scare me,” she said.

“She pulled a gun on me today,” Rick reminded her.

Kim nodded slowly. “That’s in another class entirely.”

“Since you’re interested in police work and need a job, I have a suggestion. I’ve been away from Hartley for years, so you know the community better than I do. I could use your help,” Rick said.

“Does that mean you want to hire me?” she asked, surprised.

“In a way. With your permission, I’d like to talk to Daniel. In case you didn’t know, Level One Security is Complete Security’s parent company—and my brother owns and controls both. Maybe you can become a paid intern and work with me. I can teach you investigative techniques. In return for the training and job, you could agree to stay with the company for at least a year at the same salary. If I can pull this off, how does that sound?”

“I won’t be earning my degree for at least another eighteen months, so it sounds perfect. I’d gladly work for your brother for a year. Having been employed by a company like his will look great on my résumé.”

“Okay, then.” He went to the window and glanced outside. “It looks like Preston and some of his officers are here. While you fill him in and show him around, I’ll give Daniel a call.”

While Preston spoke to Kim, Rick moved away to call his brother, telling Daniel what he had in mind.

“So what do you think?”

“I’ve done that before for people with potential, so it’s fine, but there’s something I need to know. Is she getting under your skin? Is that why you’re doing this?”

“No, it’s not that. I was the reason she lost her job. It was unintentional, but it’s a fact.”

“As logical as it sounds, my gut tells me there’s more to it,” Daniel replied.

Rick ended the call just as Kim and Preston came over to talk to him. From their expressions, he could tell something else was wrong.

“What’s up, guys?” Rick asked.

“In a normal break-in we’d have dozens of usable prints, but this place was wiped clean. The only prints we found were on the lock and the door itself, which makes me think they belong to you and Kim.”

“That settles it. This was no ordinary burglary or act of vandalism,” Rick said somberly.

“I’d advise you not to stay here,” Preston told Kim. “It’s no longer safe.”

“I have no other place to go. I can’t stay with a friend or relative and put them in danger, too, nor do I have money for a motel.”

“There might be a way of getting around that problem,” Rick said, pulling out his phone. “But I’ll need to check something out first. Excuse me for a minute,” he added, then stepped outside.

Rick returned a short time later. “My brother Kyle and his wife, Erin, are willing to give you a room at the family home in Copper Canyon. It’s northwest of Shiprock, on the Rez. Except for last night, when I didn’t want to add a long drive to my evening, I’m staying there, as well. I can drive us back and forth.”

“I don’t know.... I hate to intrude,” Kim said.

“We’re going to be working together, so that’ll make it simpler all the way around,” Rick said.

Rick noted the pleased look on Kim’s face and the surprise on Preston’s.

“It’s a logical solution,” Rick added.

“How soon do you want to leave?” Kim asked.

“As soon as you’re ready. So go pack what you’ll need.”

“Not so fast. Let’s take one last look around,” Preston said.

Rick’s eyes narrowed. “You think you missed something?”

Preston nodded slowly. “Yeah, call it cop’s instinct.”

“Is it still okay if I pack a few personal things while we look around?” she asked Preston, who nodded.

In her bedroom, the two men waited as Kim placed her laptop in her suitcase and then opened the dresser drawer. As she began to remove essential clothing, something fell to the floor.

“Drop a button?” Rick said, bending to look. “I guess not,” he added, picking up the curious-looking object with a gloved hand and holding it up for Preston to see.

“What on earth is that?” Kim asked. “A...tooth?”

“A
long, hollow
tooth,” Rick observed. “Like a rattler’s fang.”

“Does that have any special significance?” Kim asked. “Other than the obvious?”

“According to our creation stories, witchcraft started before mankind emerged from the earth. First Woman passed it out to the others, but Snake didn’t have pockets, so he took it in his mouth. That’s why snake bites can kill,” Preston explained.

She shuddered. “Sorry, but I don’t think that was meant for me. If you hadn’t explained, I wouldn’t have known, and the point would have been lost. This was left for you guys,” she said, looking at Rick, then Preston.

They exchanged glances before Rick nodded to his brother, who bagged and tagged the evidence.

* * *

S
EVERAL
MINUTES
LATER
, after signing the required incident report statements, Rick and Kim drove southwest through downtown Hartley.

“The incidents we’ve seen so far don’t make a lot of sense if you put them together,” Kim commented. “No one motive seems to fit. What we saw at my place was a result of creepy maliciousness. What happened at the Brickhouse was attempted mass murder. One was intended to scare, the other to kill. If the same person was responsible, you’d think the sequence of events would have been reversed. We may be dealing with multiple suspects.”

He nodded slowly. “Solid deduction.”

Kim glanced around. “Heading out of town in this direction will take us past the hospital. Can we stop there for a few moments so I can visit my uncle?”

“Yeah. In fact, that’s a good idea,” Rick said. “Are you two close?”

“He was there for me when my dad died, but Uncle Frank’s not someone who invited a girl’s confidences. Nor is he the huggy-kissy type at all,” she said with a wry smile. “Dad’s brother is a man’s man. I’m sure he’ll come through this—and just as sure that he’ll never talk about it again.”

“Is he financially secure enough to weather what happened at the tavern?”

“Yeah, the place was well insured. As long as he can reopen the restaurant, he’ll be fine, but I bet he’s glad he didn’t actually buy his partner out as he’d planned.”

“Arthur Johnson, right?” Rick asked and saw her nod. “What can you tell me about him?”

“He and my uncle go way back. Art’s wife got sick a few years ago, and although they had health insurance, there were a lot of deductibles and collateral expenses that nearly bankrupted him. After she died, he sold almost everything he owned except his share of the Brickhouse,” she explained. “I think Art kept it mostly because of my uncle.”

“How involved is Johnson in running the Brickhouse?” Rick asked.

“Art’s a silent partner all the way—always signing off on Uncle Frank’s operating decisions without question.”

“He hasn’t showed up on the scene yet, so I’m guessing Arthur doesn’t live in Hartley?”

“No, he doesn’t. Art’s got a rustic cabin he just loves for some odd reason. It’s in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above Santa Fe.”

Rick pulled into the hospital parking lot and glanced across the street to the west. There were several businesses there, including a few small warehouses and a low block building with a big sign.

“Turquoise Dreams. Isn’t that Angelina’s other shop?”

“Yes, and we can go over afterward, providing Angelina’s pickup isn’t still there,” she said, pointing to the vehicle on the east side with a custom license plate that read
’lina.

They entered the hospital, officially a regional medical center, and stopped at the front desk. After a short wait they were directed to Frank Nelson’s room. He was alone in the semiprivate room, watching TV.

Frank looked over at them as they entered and smiled. “Good to see you two! I’ve been hoping for some news. Is the restaurant a total loss?”

“Pretty much,” Kim said with a nod. “We’ll have to file a claim with the insurance company as soon as the fire marshal has completed his preliminary investigation. There’ll probably be some delays because it was clearly arson.”

“That place was all I had,” Frank muttered. “Who would have done something like that?”

“You co-own the Brickhouse Tavern with Arthur Johnson, I understand,” Rick mentioned off hand, hoping to start a conversation.

“Yeah, and I have to let him know what’s happened. Unfortunately he’s probably still out of reach. He left on one of his late-season fishing trips a few days ago, out of state, I think. Art likes to hike deep into the mountains, going to places where he can’t be reached except on foot or horseback. I know he’s still grieving for his wife,” he said, his voice heavy. “He’ll call me when he’s available again.”

“Any idea when that’ll be?” Rick asked.

“A few more days, maybe a week, depending on the fishing. Art doesn’t have to answer to anyone these days.”

“I understand that the restaurant was doing well,” Rick said.

“Oh, yeah. We have a lot of loyal customers and always manage to stay in the black. The insurance won’t be enough to cover all the losses, though, just in case you’re thinking along those lines.”

“Will you reopen?” Rick asked.

“I guess it’ll depend on my partner. Art might want to just take his share of the insurance settlement and walk. I’ll do my best to talk him out of it, of course, because I love that place.”

“Has there ever been any bad blood between you and Angelina Curley?” Rick asked, and to his surprise, Frank barked out a laugh.

“That lunatic? The woman’s nuts, but at least she doesn’t mess with me. Your foster father and I were friends, and he gave me a leather pouch with flint arrowheads, corn pollen and some other items he referred to as medicine. They were supposed to work together to keep evil at bay. I showed it to her once when she was complaining about some parking meters I was pushing the town council to approve. I don’t know if that was what did it, but ever since then, she’s kept her distance.”