Navajo's Woman (13 page)

"I told the police that we have not seen Eddie and his friend, Russ," Frances said.

“Although we have not seen them, we think they were here." Willlooked directly at Joe. "We believe that Clara may have helped them."

"Clara?" Andi repeated.

"My daughter," Frances replied. "She and Eddie have known each other all their lives, and if he came here, she would have done what she could to help him and she would have kept his presence a secret."

"What makes you think Clara helped Eddie?" Joe asked.

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"There are canned colas, candy bars and some fruit missing from the kitchen," Frances told them. "And two of our five horses are gone. Clara probably 'loaned' them the horses so they could get away."

"Or maybe they just took the horses," Joe mumbled under his breath. "You didn't tell the police about the missing horses?"

"No," Will said. "We waited to tell you so that you could decide if this is something the police should know."

"Thank you." Joe stood. "Now all we have to do is figure out where the boys went from here."

"In my estimation, they were heading southwest when they left here," Willsaid . "Once the police were gone, I looked for signs and followed some tracks for several miles. I believe the tracks were made by our horses."

"That means they're going toward Painted Canyon," Joe said. “Eddie knows that region like the back of his hand." He grabbed Andi's arm, jerked her up out of the chair and held her wrist. "Come on. I've got a good idea where they've gone."

"Thank y'all so very much." Andi glanced back and smiled graciously at Frances, before Joe led her out into the yard. As they neared her SUV, she snatched her wrist from his grasp. "You could have just asked me to come with you. You didn't have to manhandle me."

"Stop complaining about everything!" Joe opened the SUV's passenger door. "Get in."

"What's turned you into the grouch of the century?"

"If I'm the grouch of the century, then you are the shrew of the century."

"Touché."Andi shrugged. "Okay, so now that we agree that you're a grouch and I'm a shrew, how about telling me where we're going?"

"I'm fairly certain I know where Eddie and Russ have gone. And if I'm right, they could be in big trouble if the guy hunting them finds them before we do."

Andi jumped into the Expedition and slammed the door, while Joe circled behind the vehicle, got in and slid behind the wheel. Before he started the engine, Joe re-moved his cell phone and tossed it to Andi.

“Call J.T. and tell him to meet us at the old abandoned uranium mine." Joe revved the motor, shifted into reverse and backed out onto the road.

"An old mine?What makes you think the boys went there?"

"Because seven years ago, a madman held Joanna Blackwood captive in the abandoned mine, which is southwest of here.Eddie will remember the incident and recall that the old mine is a good hiding place."

"If it's a good hiding place, then why won't the boys be safe there?"

"Because there is only one way in and one way out," Joe told her. "There was a cave-in at the back entrance a few months after J.T. rescued Joanna. So, if the man following Eddie and Russ finds them in
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the mine, they will have no escape route, except straight into him."

They traveled over the rough terrain, jostling up and down as the Expedition whipped up a cloud of dust be-hind them. Andi gasped when Joe took the turnoff onto a dirt trail, which she assumed lead to the old mine.

"How much farther?"Andi gripped the edge of the seat on either side of her thighs.

"Not far.A couple of miles." His gaze focused on the hills spreading out in front of them.

The last time Andi had prayed this fervently had been when her father died. She knew Joe well enough to realize that he was worried—very worried. And his concern only addedto her own .

As they neared the mine, Andi recognized J.T.'s truck parked alongside an older model black Jeep Cherokee. Had he brought someone with him?she wondered.

Joe flew in beside J.T.'s truck, stopped, released his seat belt immediately and hopped out of the Expedition. J.T. met him in front of the SUV. Andi struggled with her safety belt, her hands trembling and her heart racing madly. She could hear the men talking in hushed tones. What were they saying? Damn it!

Finally the catch gave on the seat belt and she hurriedly flung open the door and rushed to join Joe and J.T.

"No sign of the horses," J.T. said. "Either the boys aren't here or the horses ran off by themselves."

“Whose Jeep?'' Andi nodded to the nearby vehicle.

"Good question," J.T. replied. "Don't suppose the boys stole it, do you?"

"Let's hope so," Joe said, his mouth curving into a mockery of a smile. “But my gut instincts are telling me something else."

"You think the man who killed the old shaman tracked the boys here and has them trapped inside the mine, don't you." Andi shuddered at the thought that Russ and Eddie might both be dead.

"There's only one way to find out," Joe told her.

"I brought an extra rifle," J.T. said.

"Get it," Joe told him. "I'll leave mine with Andi, just in case she needs a weapon with a long range."

"What do you mean you'll leave your rifle with me?" she demanded. "Are you planning on leaving me here, going in the mine without me?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm planning to do."

Assessing the situation quickly, Andi accepted defeat without putting up too much of a fight. The odds were two-to-one against her. If she'd thought she could reason with J.T., she'd have given it a try, but she understood only too well that these two Navajo men were in agree-ment; neither was willingly going to allow a woman to put her life at risk.

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“Do you have any idea how to use a rifle?'' Joe asked her.

"Believe it or not, that's something I've learned how to do in the past five years. My little brother taught me."

"Good." Joe grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the SUV's open passenger door. "Get in, lock the doors and keep my rifle handy. And if someone comes out of the mine—someone other than J.T. or me—do not try to capture him yourself. Do I make myself clear?''

"Clear as a bell!"

Joe boosted her up and into the SUV, then slammed the door. She did as he had commanded. She locked the doors. After watching Joe and J.T. for several minutes as they headed up the hill toward the entrance to the mine, she reached down and ran her hand over the rifle that lay on the floor,then lifted it onto her lap. She returned her attention to the two men climbing up the hillside.

An odd feeling of foreboding washed over her, almost drowning her with fear. She wanted to get out of the SUV, run toward Joe and J.T. and shout a warning. But she forced herself to stay put.

The sensation of danger inside her intensified until she felt as if she were unraveling from within.Of its own volition her hand reached for the door handle. She couldn't stay here another minute. Disregarding Joe's in-structions, Andi opened the SUV door, clasped the rifle to her chest and jumped down onto the ground.

A shot rang out loud and clear in the distance, the sound carrying for miles in the desert. Who had fired the shot? Andi's nerves zinged like live wires. Joe?J.T.?Or a mur-derer out for another victim?

Chapter 8

Acting purely on instinct, Andi ran toward the mine, rifle in hand. As she drew nearer, she saw Joe and J.T., each backed up flat against either side of the mine entrance. Both appeared unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief. What was going on? Had they cornered someone inside the mine? Oh, God, what if it was Russ and Eddie? Did Russ have a weapon? Had he fired the shot?

Joe must have heard her approaching because he turned abruptly, his rifle pointing in her direction, and moved his lips in what she suspected was a silent curse. Before she knew what was happening, he rushed toward her, grabbed her arm and dragged her behind the nearest protective barrier, a rusted-out piece of equipment that had been left to the elements when the mine was abandoned. A couple of rifle shots whizzed over their heads, striking the de-caying metal, bursting off razor-sharp chips. He tightened his grip on her arm. She winced.

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"What the hell are you doing here?" He glared at her, both anger and concern evident in his expression.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the Expedition?"

“I heard a rifle shot. I thought maybe—''

"It's not the boys," he said. "We got a glimpse of the guy when we first approached the mine entrance. It looked like he was getting ready to leave, and we surprised him."

"Do you think it's the man who's been hunting Russ and Eddie?"

"Maybe."

"Does that mean you think—"

"No, it doesn't mean he's killed the boys," Joe reas-sured her. "It's possible Eddie and Russ didn't even come here."

"Then why—"

"We don't have time to hash all of this out right now. I want you to stay here, keep down and do not move. Do you think, just this once, you can do as you're told?"

"Yes." She looked into his eyes, and for a split second an inexplicable understanding passed between them.“Where are you going?''

"We can't wait around until that guy runs out of am-munition," Joe said. "That could take days. If there's any possibility that he has Eddie and Russ in there with him, then we have to make a move soon."

"I thought you said the boys might not even be here."

"They may not be, but if they are. . ."

"I know. I'll stay right here and I won't move until you tell me to," she promised.

Joe nodded,then eased out from behind the barrier. When he glanced back at Andi, she whispered, “Be care-ful."

From her hiding place, she could see very little, unless she raised her head. But she had vowed that she wouldn't move from the spot. With a tenacious hold, she gripped her rifle and prayed. Moments passed slowly. She could almost hear the ticking of every second inside her head. Or maybe it was just her erratic heartbeat. A myriad of concerns flickered through her mind, each mini-scenario worse than the previous one. What if J.T. was killed and Joanna was left a widow with four children? What if Russ and Eddie were already dead? What if Joe lost his life in an attempt to save the boys?

A sudden barrage of gunfire alerted her to a battle going on several yards away. While she sat there in comparative safety, J.T. and Joe were putting their lives on the line. When more gunshots rang out in the stillness of the hot New Mexico desert, Andi's mind waged its own war. Should she stay put as Joe had instructed, or should she join their fight?

She stayed where she was, all her instincts telling her she should be helping, not sitting back waiting for
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the outcome.What is happening? Maybe they need me.The blood rushed through her body, pounding her heart. The thunderous beat of her pulse deafened her to every sound except the continuing gunfire.

Enough!She couldn't stay put a minute longer. But she wouldn't just rush out and chance gettingherself shot. She must be careful and think before she acted.

The minute Andi exposed herself, placing herself indanger, a rush of adrenaline flooded her system. She rolled,then crawled across the parched desert floor until she found cover behind the edge of the mountain wall. Lifting her rifle, preparing to use it, she surveyed the area around the mouth of the old mine. Where were Joe and J.T.? Had they gone inside the mine to hunt down the shooter? Andi's nerves screamed.

Her heartbeat acceler-ated alarmingly.

Suddenly, there was silence. No more gunfire. Creeping along the edge of the mountainside, she made her way carefully toward the dark opening that led into the mine. Should she call out to Joe? If she cried out, would she warn the shooter of her presence? But if she went inside without making Joe and J.T.

aware that she was coming in, they might shoot her by mistake.

She eased closer and closer to the entrance,then stepped inside, into the gloomy, dank cavern. She could see nothing ahead of her. Pitch black. But within minutes, when she edged her way farther inside and her vision refocused in the semidarkness, she saw the backs of two men, both on their knees, huddled over something.Or someone. Her heart caught in her throat. Then she realized that the two men were Joe and J.T.

"Joe?" she called softly.

Joe and J.T. looked over their shoulders. Joe groaned.

"Why don't you wait outside for us," J.T. said.

"Did you capture him?" she asked. "Do you have the man who was shooting at you?"

"Yes," Joe replied. "Now get the hell out of here."

Andi halted, angered and hurt by Joe's brutal command. Ignoring his orders, she headed straight toward them. The wounded man lay stretched out on the ground. The sight of his bloody shirt, which had been ripped open to expose his gaping wound, turned her stomach. She glanced away quickly, trying her best to keep the nausea from over-whelming her.

“Where are Russ and Eddie?'' Joe asked the wounded man.

Andi forced herself to look down, over J.T.'s shoulder, at the shadowy figure of the shooter. She could tell he was young, no more than thirty. Lean. And even in the dimness of the mine, his eyes appeared a sky blue against the darkness of his skin.

"Why would I tell you anything?" the man asked, wheezing slightly. Suddenly he coughed up blood and spit it out of his mouth onto the ground beside him. When he lifted his hand, he didn't seem to have the strength to wipe his bloodstained lips and cheek. His hand fell limply to his side.