to show yourselves?”
Instead of an answer, she heard engines startup. For a moment, she thought they were going to run her over.
FOUR
Ella drew her pistol. If she went down, a few of them would go with her. She held her breath, but in a heartbeat, the trucks roared past her onto the highway.
Still shaking, Ella turned around, looking for the elderly woman who had lured her into the trap, but she, along with her broken-down truck, was gone.
Ella walked back to her Jeep, and called the incident in. A moment later, Justinewas on the radio.
“Do you need backup?”
“No, it’s over. I just wanted to alert any patrol units in the area to be on the lookout for five or six pickups traveling together, or meeting somewhere further up the highway.”
“I’m near your location. I’ll go look around.”
“Watch yourself then. I’m going to see if Billy Pete is at the Totah Café, though I doubt it. I think that was part of the set-up.”
Ella entered the Totah Café a few minutes later. The place was nearly empty except for one waitress, Betsy Bekis, who was sitting behind the empty counter. Ella had known Betsy since high school.
“Hi. Slow night?” Ella greeted.
“No more than usual,” Betsy replied with a bored yawn.
“Have you seen Billy Pete in here tonight?”
She shook her head. “He comes in often for dinner since his wifeleft him, but he wasn’t in today, at least on my shift.”
“Do you have any idea where I might be able to find him?”
“You could ask Linda Begay. She goes out with him a lot. Do you know where she lives?”
After getting directions from Betsy, Ella drove directly to Linda Begay’s trailer home, parked in an open lot north of the café, up on the mesa. She studied the surroundings for a moment, notingthe absence of a hogan or any other sign that a traditionalist lived here. An old pickup with a starboard list stood empty by the trailer, where she could see the muted light of a TV flashing just beyond the curtains, and a half-dozen beer cans overflowing a beat-up trash can by the front steps. Taking one last look around, Ella walked up to the door and knocked. Moments later, a half asleep,chunky-looking woman appeared, still fastening her pink, terry-cloth robe.
“What is it? It’s past nine, and that’s my bedtime. I have to be at work early.”
“I was looking for Billy Pete,” Ella said, flashing her badge. “Any idea where I might find him?”
“Try the hospital. He’s been there since dinnertime, stoned out of his mind on morphine. He’s got a problem with kidney stones.”
A quick callon the cellular phone and Ella’s suspicions were confirmed. Since Billy was in the hospital, unable to make phone calls, someone else had used Billy’s name when they’d phoned Justine. She returned to the trailer door to question an even grumpier Linda Begay. “I spoke to Billy earlier today, and I know he was very disturbed about what was going on at the mine,” Ella said, using a technique she’dfound effective. When she led people to believe she knew more than she actually did, she usually ended up getting good information.
“He and the others can handle it over there. Nobody’s going to get away with anything. Those troublemakers that started it—” she stopped abruptly. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.”
“It’s okay. All I’m trying to do is keep Billy from getting hurt.”
Linda’s eyesbecame cold and wary. “Billy can take care of himself. He’s only doing what has to be done to restore harmony. Your brother is a Singer. Maybe he can do an Enemy Way Sing at the mine.”
“Why? An Enemy Way is for purifying those who have come in contact with the enemy.”
“Or those who are ill because of contact with the whites. They’ve caused a death. Isn’t that enough?”
“It isn’t the same thingand, besides, an Enemy Way should be done in the summer.”
“It will be summer in another two months.”
“Our Way isn’t like some kind of
Instead of an answer, she heard engines startup. For a moment, she thought they were going to run her over.
FOUR
Ella drew her pistol. If she went down, a few of them would go with her. She held her breath, but in a heartbeat, the trucks roared past her onto the highway.
Still shaking, Ella turned around, looking for the elderly woman who had lured her into the trap, but she, along with her broken-down truck, was gone.
Ella walked back to her Jeep, and called the incident in. A moment later, Justinewas on the radio.
“Do you need backup?”
“No, it’s over. I just wanted to alert any patrol units in the area to be on the lookout for five or six pickups traveling together, or meeting somewhere further up the highway.”
“I’m near your location. I’ll go look around.”
“Watch yourself then. I’m going to see if Billy Pete is at the Totah Café, though I doubt it. I think that was part of the set-up.”
Ella entered the Totah Café a few minutes later. The place was nearly empty except for one waitress, Betsy Bekis, who was sitting behind the empty counter. Ella had known Betsy since high school.
“Hi. Slow night?” Ella greeted.
“No more than usual,” Betsy replied with a bored yawn.
“Have you seen Billy Pete in here tonight?”
She shook her head. “He comes in often for dinner since his wifeleft him, but he wasn’t in today, at least on my shift.”
“Do you have any idea where I might be able to find him?”
“You could ask Linda Begay. She goes out with him a lot. Do you know where she lives?”
After getting directions from Betsy, Ella drove directly to Linda Begay’s trailer home, parked in an open lot north of the café, up on the mesa. She studied the surroundings for a moment, notingthe absence of a hogan or any other sign that a traditionalist lived here. An old pickup with a starboard list stood empty by the trailer, where she could see the muted light of a TV flashing just beyond the curtains, and a half-dozen beer cans overflowing a beat-up trash can by the front steps. Taking one last look around, Ella walked up to the door and knocked. Moments later, a half asleep,chunky-looking woman appeared, still fastening her pink, terry-cloth robe.
“What is it? It’s past nine, and that’s my bedtime. I have to be at work early.”
“I was looking for Billy Pete,” Ella said, flashing her badge. “Any idea where I might find him?”
“Try the hospital. He’s been there since dinnertime, stoned out of his mind on morphine. He’s got a problem with kidney stones.”
A quick callon the cellular phone and Ella’s suspicions were confirmed. Since Billy was in the hospital, unable to make phone calls, someone else had used Billy’s name when they’d phoned Justine. She returned to the trailer door to question an even grumpier Linda Begay. “I spoke to Billy earlier today, and I know he was very disturbed about what was going on at the mine,” Ella said, using a technique she’dfound effective. When she led people to believe she knew more than she actually did, she usually ended up getting good information.
“He and the others can handle it over there. Nobody’s going to get away with anything. Those troublemakers that started it—” she stopped abruptly. “I shouldn’t be talking about this.”
“It’s okay. All I’m trying to do is keep Billy from getting hurt.”
Linda’s eyesbecame cold and wary. “Billy can take care of himself. He’s only doing what has to be done to restore harmony. Your brother is a Singer. Maybe he can do an Enemy Way Sing at the mine.”
“Why? An Enemy Way is for purifying those who have come in contact with the enemy.”
“Or those who are ill because of contact with the whites. They’ve caused a death. Isn’t that enough?”
“It isn’t the same thingand, besides, an Enemy Way should be done in the summer.”
“It will be summer in another two months.”
“Our Way isn’t like some kind of
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