Never-ending-snake (40 page)

“And if he’s been taking bribes, there’s no trace of that money in any of his accounts, nor does his lifestyle reflect it,” Marianna said.

“Could all this be totally random—like Adam getting
somebody else’s cash by mistake, then having them come after him?” Joe said.

“Then why didn’t they make a move to get it back?” Ella countered. “When Adam and Kevin went down, the shooters didn’t advance to pick up the dropped briefcase. They concentrated on trying to pump more rounds into the victims.”

“You drove them back, Ella. They knew
their body armor would protect their torsos, but a head shot . . . ,” Justine argued.

“I don’t see it that way,” Ella said, shaking her head. After a moment, she looked at Big Ed. “I know you’re getting pressured to provide tribal leaders with answers we don’t have yet, Chief, so you might remind them that Adam’s the key. That’s why we have to proceed very carefully. We don’t want to risk doing
anything that’ll tarnish the reputation of a hero, particularly one believed to be dead and unable to defend himself.”

“That’s a good argument. No one wants to take on a legend—which is what Adam Lonewolf has become to The People,” Big Ed said.

After the meeting closed, Ella met with Marianna in the hall. “Stay on Hattery, I want to know where he’s at every minute. He’s been getting his tips
from someone on the inside. If you need backup, pull Joe in.”

As soon as Marianna walked off, Blalock caught up to Ella. “You mentioned wanting to go to Kirtland Air Force Base, so I’ve arranged to get us a ride on a DOE utility aircraft that just dropped off some bureaucrats scheduled to inspect the new generating plant. That’ll eliminate any possibility that we might be tailed and save us some
time, too. Since everyone wants answers yesterday, the Bureau agreed to cover the expenses.”

Less than an hour later, they were headed southeast on the twin-engine Department of Energy aircraft. It was just them and the pilot, who was up in the cabin, so they spoke freely.

“So what’s your plan once we get there?” Blalock asked.

“I’m going to do my best to jog Marie’s memory,” Ella said. “I’ll
have to get her to relax first though, so I’m going to take it nice and easy.”

“What if she doesn’t know anything?”

“Then we’re out of luck. But my gut tells me she knows more than she realizes.”

“Adam may remember something by now, too, but from the updates I’ve been getting, we shouldn’t count on him,” Blalock said.

They landed in Albuquerque a half hour later. Thanks to Blalock, who’d contacted
the base commander, a car was waiting.

“I’m here to drive you anywhere you need to go, on or off the base,” the young airman said.

“Thanks. We’ll start with the base hospital,” Ella answered.

The old base facility, in existence since the early ’40s, was less than ten minutes away. As they walked inside the military-gray-and-green structure, Ella noted the disinfectant smell, a blessing to the
ill when used effectively, but unpleasant nevertheless.

Blalock asked to see to see Adam’s physician, and several minutes later a young military doctor approached them.

“I’m Captain Marcus. I’ve been instructed to give you my full cooperation.”

“Can we question Mr. Lonewolf directly?” Blalock asked, going right to the heart of the matter.

“You may have heard that the patient’s regained consciousness,
but the trauma damage was considerable and progress has been slow,” Captain Marcus said. “Also be advised that only bits and pieces of his memory have returned. He recognizes his wife and parents, and that’s about it.”

The doctor led the way down a short hall, then, after two turns, pointed ahead. “Keep things calm and don’t upset
him. If he gets agitated, that’ll be the end of the questions,
clear?”

“Not a problem, Doc,” Blalock said. “Will the family be here?”

“No, not until visiting hours. They’ve gone to their quarters for some rest.”

They presented their IDs to the uniformed AP at the door—a woman in her twenties with a sidearm at her hip—and went inside. Adam was sitting up, resting his bandaged head on a stack of pillows. He looked terrible, and was staring blankly at a TV
placed high on a shelf in the corner of the room, where a talk show was in progress.

As he noticed Ella and turned his eyes to look at her, there was no sign of recognition on his face, only vague curiosity.

“Adam, it’s me, Ella Clah, the tribal police officer,” she said softly.

“His memory of recent events has suffered the most,” Captain Marcus explained. “But basic cognitive functions have
begun to return. He’s starting to remember the hospital staff—at least their faces. You might want to ask him a yes-or-no question. He can’t speak, but he’s learned to tap his finger once for yes, twice for no. If he doesn’t know the answer, he taps three times.”

Ella looked down at his right hand, resting on the top of the blanket. “Do you know who I am, Adam?”

He waited a moment, then tapped
his index finger.

Ella breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. Adam, do you remember what happened to you, how you got shot?”

She waited, watching his hand, then shifted her gaze to his eyes. He seemed to be struggling—confused. He tapped twice—then three times. Adam groaned, then tapped three times again.

“It’s okay,” Ella said, not wanting to upset him. “Do you remember carrying your briefcase?”

His eyebrows furrowed as he thought about it.

As Ella watched him she didn’t get the impression that he was eluding her question, but rather trying hard to remember. He tapped his finger once.

“Your wife bought it for you, didn’t she?” Ella asked.

Adam tapped once, blinking his eyelids, like a nod.

“You were supposed to be protecting someone during the flight home. Do you remember who it was?”

He hesitated, then tapped twice.

“Think hard, Adam. Could it have been Kevin Tolino?”

He stared across the room, his eyes darting from place to place as he fought to remember. Then he tapped three times, his face contorted. A tear fell from his left eye, and he tried to wipe it away, but didn’t have the strength to complete the gesture.

The doctor stepped forward. “Don’t let it concern you,
Adam,” he assured. “It will take time for your memory to return.”

“Just keep getting better,” Ella said gently, reaching down and giving his hand a squeeze. “When you remember more, have someone call me,” she added, and placed a card next to him on the bed stand.

Adam looked up at her, blinked his eyes, then tapped once with his fingertip before looking away toward the TV.

Once they’d left
the room, the doctor stopped and looked at Blalock first, then Ella. “Memory’s a tricky thing. It may all come back to him in an hour, or it may take years.”

“Thanks, Doc. An update if he makes more progress would be appreciated,” Blalock said, giving him his card.

The doctor placed it inside his coat pocket. Just then his pager went off. He looked down at the display. “I’ve got to go.” Without
further word, he hurried to the end of the hall, joining a nurse with a cart full of medical gear. They disappeared around the corner a second later.

As Ella and Blalock returned outside to the parking area, their driver held the car door open for them.

“We need to find Sergeant Lonewolf’s wife, Marie, next,” Ella said, climbing in.

“I have the address of their guest quarters. I was told you
might want to go see the family as well,” the airman said.

After a short drive down a busy avenue, they arrived at a generic, one-level home at the end of a street just beyond the northern perimeter of the base. The building, virtually identical to those around it, had a southwest-landscaped yard with native plants. The neighborhood looked quiet and well maintained.

Ella walked up to the porch
with Blalock, and before she could knock, Marie Lonewolf opened the front door.

“I heard the car and saw you getting out. Is something wrong? Is Adam . . .” Her voice broke, and she stared at Ella, fear etched clearly on her face.

“He’s still hanging in there,” Ella said quickly. “We just came from visiting with him, and he was able to answer a few questions.”

Marie breathed a sigh of relief,
and dropped back against the door frame. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. Call next time and let me know you’re coming.”

Ella smiled. “Sorry about that,” she said, following her inside.

Marie led them to the fabric couch in the living room. “My father-in-law and mother-in-law aren’t here. They went for a long walk over to the Veteran’s Memorial. You don’t know how hard this has been on both
of them. At their age . . .” She shook her head. “But you came to talk. What can I do for you?”

“We need some straight answers,” Blalock said, with his usual bluntness.

Marie blinked, taken aback.

Ella fought the urge to give Blalock a swift kick in the shins. “He meant that we’d like you to fill in some gaps in the information we have, just some details we’re missing. For example, what can
you tell us about the time Adam spent in
D.C.?” Ella said, then smiled and continued in calm, conversational tone. “That’s such a crazy place. Everyone’s always in a hurry. There are so many interesting places to see, too. Have you been there?”

Marie smiled, sitting back again. “Adam gave me what he called ‘the tour’ right after he got that job, then again a month ago on our anniversary. Both
times it was like visiting another planet. Everything there is so different. On the Rez you see people walking down the side of the road fifty miles from the nearest town. They don’t pay any attention to the cars racing past because they’re never in that much of a hurry. In the cities back east, the cars flash by and so do the people. They walk as if the ground beneath them is on fire.”

“That’s
the way it was when I was there, too,” Ella said. “I like the Rez a lot better.” As she spoke, Ella realized how true that was. Yet there was no denying the many opportunities Virginia and the urban environment around the capital could offer Dawn. Quickly bringing her thoughts back to the business at hand, Ella continued. “Does your husband like traveling?”

“Yes, he loves seeing new places and
dealing with anything that offers a challenge. That’s why he accepted the job with the tribe. It gives him both.”

“What does he like least about his new work?” Ella asked, taking advantage of the fact that Marie seemed more relaxed now.

“He hates being told how to do his job. He figures that if they hired him, they should also trust his skills.”

Ella nodded thoughtfully, then, playing a hunch,
added, “Does he ever talk about the people at IFT?”

“Some. I know there’s one man my husband particularly dislikes. His name’s Williams. My husband said that the man’s lower than a rattlesnake, because the snake at least rattles before it strikes.”

Ella laughed. “I’ve never met Williams. Have you?”

She nodded. “He was at a party my husband took me to last time I was in D.C. He only talked about
himself—and money.”

“When we spoke back in Shiprock, you mentioned that your husband thought he was going to lose his job. Do you think he was seriously worried about that?” Ella asked.

“I’m the worrier, not him. My husband’s the kind who jumps in and, one way or another, settles the problem,” Marie said with a sad smile. “I warned him before he took that job that Washington was full of crooks,
but he said he could handle the pressure without selling out like so many over there end up doing.”

“Those are pretty strong words,” Blalock said, “particularly in a business where there are few—if any—moral absolutes.”

“Money doesn’t matter to my husband as much as doing something that makes a real difference. That’s why he enlisted and why he took the job with the tribe after his discharge.
He wants his life to count for something, and that’s what drives him.”

They continued to ask her questions, but after twenty minutes it was clear they were only going over old ground. Marie had told them all she knew.

They waited until Adam’s parents came back from their walk, then Ella and Blalock spoke to them. They had no additional information to share, but wanted answers and demanded that
she find whoever had shot their son.

“We
will
find the ones responsible,” Ella assured them, unable to tell them about Carl Perry’s fate. The plan to keep Carl Perry’s connection to the shooting under wraps until they had O’Riley in custody was still in operation.

“What happened to my son—does it have anything to do with that Prickly Weed Project he was promoting?” Lila Lonewolf asked.

“Did
he talk to you about that?” Blalock asked.

“No, but we’ve been hearing all about that from the ones back on the Rez,” Lila said.

Ella’s heart froze. “Have you been in contact with people back home?” she asked quickly.

“No,” Melvin Lonewolf said firmly.

Lila Lonewolf stared at the floor.

Ella held her breath. “Ma’am?”

When she said nothing, Melvin looked at his wife curiously.

“We have to
know, ma’am. This is extremely important. You might have inadvertently given your location away,” Blalock said immediately.

“I only spoke to my brother,” Lila whispered. “He’s been so worried about my son.”

“We need his name,” Ella said.

“
Anádlohí
,” she answered.

It meant “one who laughed.” But he wouldn’t be doing much of that after they spoke to him. “We’ll need his Anglo name,” Ella insisted.

“Fred Benn,” she whispered.

“Did you warn him not to tell anyone where you are?” Ella asked quickly.

“Yes, and he swore he’d keep our secret. That Anglo TV reporter who’s been talking to people on the Rez goes to visit him ever so often, so my brother’s decided not to come here. He’s afraid the reporter will find out.”

Ella exhaled loudly. “You
cannot
have him come here—not under any circumstances.
He might be followed, and that could place your son—and all of you—in danger.”

After they left the house, Ella felt Blalock’s anger as clearly as she did her own.