Shooting Chant

by Aimée

  Taylor scowled as he looked back at the massive structure. “Why do I get the feeling that we’ve been handed a bone to keep quiet?”

  “Yeah, I got that, too,” Ella nodded. “They’re playing games. But I think it’s corporate games in line with damage control. Having one of their own employees murdered at work, and facing the possibility that another employee could be the killer, won’t result in good publicity and they know it. They’re going to need all the goodwill they can get from the tribe to weather the storm.”

  “You’re probably right,” Taylor agreed. “By the way, many of LabKote’s employees live on the Rez and I don’t have any jurisdiction here, but I’d still like to go with you when you question them. Is that okay with you?”

  “Sure.” Ella thought of her brother, then of Kevin. She had to make sure that situation had been handled first. “I’ve got some business to take care of this morning before I can follow through on that,” she said. “But if you can, meet me at the Totah Cafe in about two hours—we’ll get started.”

  “I’ll be there, or call you if I can’t make it.”

  As Ella drove back to the station, she felt guilty at having put Sheriff Taylor and the interviews off for what was clearly personal business. She couldn’t help but wonder if this would be only the first of many times the baby would interfere with her work. She pushed the thought aside. This was a special situation. Even cops had family business to attend to from time to time.

  Her thoughts shifted to Clifford and Kevin. Once she verified that Clifford had been released, she’d speak to Kevin. It was time he knew about the baby. To continue putting it off wasn’t her style, though after what her mother had told her, she was a little apprehensive about giving him the news. Admittedly, Kevin’s reaction didn’t worry her nearly as much as that of his clan’s. They were a wild card she’d never figured she’d have to deal with.

  Ella walked inside the station a short time later, and practically ran into Justine who was coming out of her lab. “You might want to hurry over to the south side of the building. Your brother’s just been released, and he’s leaving with his wife.”

  “Here, take this. I’ll need it decoded,” she said explaining briefly.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Justine said.

  Ella jogged to the back of the station and arrived in time to catch Loretta and Clifford halfway down the hall. Clifford gave her a nod, but Loretta wouldn’t even look at Ella.

  “You should have been released hours ago. Are you okay?” Ella asked, keeping step as they continued down the hall together.

  “It wasn’t a pleasant experience,” Clifford said, weariness evident on his face. “I can’t believe I have you to thank for it.”

  His voice was hard, and it carried. Ella felt the stares of those around her. “I did what I had to do. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been Sergeant Manuelito. You know that.”

  “Maybe. But somehow I expected more from my sister. You could have at least stopped by to see me this morning.”

  “I checked, but your lawyer didn’t want you talking to any more cops. Have you forgotten?”

  He stopped as they reached the exit and turned to face her. “Since when have you listened so carefully to other people’s rules?”

  “We’re going home,” Loretta said bruskly, walking out the door. “We’ve had enough of this station to last a lifetime.”

  Ella was watching Clifford and Loretta walking to the visitor’s parking area when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned her head and saw Kevin approach.

  “Did you catch Clifford?” he asked, then seeing her nod, added, “I hope he takes my advice and distances himself from the Fierce Ones. They certainly won’t do him any good, and it may end up costing him his credibility with The People.”

  “I’ll try to reason with him once he has had a chance to rest.” Ella paused. They had to talk, and if she kept putting it off, the baby would be in the third grade by the time she got around to it. “Are you going anywhere right now? I need to talk to you—in private.”

  “Do you want to go get some coffee?” Kevin’s eyebrows rose slightly as he tried to guess what was on her mind. He adjusted his tie, probably a habit when he was trying to puzzle out a mystery.

  She shook her head. “Let’s just drive down to the river and take a little walk. It’s quiet under the cottonwood trees and it’ll help us both think some things through.”

  “Sounds serious.” His expression softened into a smile, but his eyes gave away his concern.

  “It is,” she said. “It’s going to mark the beginning of a whole new life for all of us.”

  SEVEN

  Ella stood beneath the shade of an old cottonwood, staring down at the river, which was narrow and shallow this time of year. It was time to tell Kevin, but she also had to make it clear that she expected nothing from him in return.

  “It’s not like you to hesitate, Ella,” Kevin said softly. “What’s bothering you? You can tell me anything, you know. We may not be lovers anymore, but I’d like to think we’re more than just friends.”

  “That’s a good way to put it.” She took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “I guess there’s only one way to tell you this, and that’s straight out. I’m pregnant.”

  He stared at her in stunned silence for several moments, then slowly a smile spread over his face. He tried to draw her into his arms, and she didn’t resist. They held each other for a moment, but when he moved to kiss her, she pulled away.

  “This changes nothing, Kevin, do you realize that?”

  “What are you talking about? This changes everything.”

  She sighed. “Yes, I guess in a way it does.”

  He laughed. “So, now we get married?”

  “No, that’s just it. We don’t. Kevin, we’ve got a pretty special relationship, but a baby isn’t enough to make a marriage work. You know as well as I do that we’ve got two totally different outlooks on life. You’re on your way up, but I’m happy just where I am.”

  “So, what are you saying, Ella? Remember that the child you’re carrying is mine as well as yours.”

  She nodded. “I’ll never deny you time with the baby, I want you to know that, but I don’t think marriage is the right answer for us.”

  He stared off toward Ute Mountain for a long time. “I wouldn’t have picked this time in my life to have a child, I won’t lie to you about that. But nature took it’s own course. The question is, what do you want to do about it now? Marriage is the only answer I can see.”

  “It might be for you, but not for me. I know you’re trying to do what’s best for the baby, and you’re also worried what this is going to do to your career. A lot of converted Christian Navajos won’t vote for you if you’re known to have a child out of wedlock.”

  “We can’t keep the fact that I’m the father a secret, you know. Things don’t work that way on the Rez. And this is bound to create trouble on another front, too. Your pregnancy is going to bring all the problems our clans have had with each other right to the surface, and we’re going to have to find a way to deal with that. In my opinion it’ll be easier on everyone if we present a united front.”

  Ella wasn’t surprised that Kevin knew about the past, but the realization that he’d chosen to begin a relationship with her in spite of that spoke well of his character. The notion that he thought so highly of her was pleasing. But it still didn’t change the way she felt.

  “I can’t marry you, Kevin. And you don’t really want me as your wife. We just don’t love each other that way.”

  He pursed his lips. “It’s no longer a matter of what either of us wants. There’s our baby and our families to consider.”

  “Your family will never accept my child.”

  “They’ll have to, unless they want to sever their relationship with me.”

  “It doesn’t have to come to that. The baby will be taken care of, you know that. My mom will help me, and I make enough to support myself and the bab
y.”

  “I’ll help you financially, and not just because it’s my responsibility. I want to do this. It’s my kid, too.” He gazed into her eyes for a long moment. “Are you really sure you don’t want to get married?”

  “We wouldn’t be doing the baby a favor by getting married when we both know, deep down, that it would be a mistake. The only real question is how do you want me to handle this? I can try to keep your name out of it. If I do that, there’s a chance many will assume Wilson is the baby’s father.”

  He lapsed into a long silence, then finally spoke. “I don’t like that at all, but I need time to think things through. I want to make sure we’re doing the right thing for everyone involved.”

  “There’s no rush, Kevin. I’m only on my second month. People won’t know for a while yet.” Ella paused, then added. “Of course that doesn’t include my mother. I had hoped to tell you first, but she guessed.”

  Kevin laughed. “It would be very hard to keep anything from her,” he conceded. “I’ve heard all about her gifts.”

  Ella said nothing. Kevin’s casual way of bringing the subject up hadn’t fooled her.

  “You know that’s something else people will be speculating about once they know you’re pregnant,” he added slowly. “Your family’s legacy is practically legendary.”

  “I expect any child of mine will have to go through the same thing I have,” Ella said. “People aren’t really sure how much of the legacy is real and how much isn’t and that makes them nervous around me and my family.”

  “I wonder how people will react to the knowledge that the father of your child is also a member of the same clan that historically created so many problems for yours,” he said, thoughtfully. “I have a feeling it’s going to give some in my clan a sleepless night or two.”

  “As I said, I know there are many things you have to consider. You may find that the best thing will be for you not to claim the baby as your child.”

  “I just don’t like the idea of hiding the fact that I’m the baby’s father. It goes against my own sense of right and wrong.”

  “I know, but remember that no matter what you do, this baby will be surrounded by love, and that I can handle whatever comes.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute. The real question is, can I?”

  “It may take you some time to figure out all the angles, but you’ll come up with the right answer, Kevin. You always do.”

  As they drove back to the station in Kevin’s truck, an uncomfortable silence settled between them. The news had been harder on Kevin than she’d thought. She knew he was torn between the need to acknowledge the baby as his own, and the fear that, in the long run, it would do more harm than good. Kevin couldn’t predict how his clan would react any more than she could.

  “When do you plan to tell everyone that you’re pregnant?”

  “Not for a while. I won’t quite wait until I’m showing, but I don’t want to rush into it either. I need to stay out in the field for now and, once Big Ed knows, I have a feeling he’ll want to put me behind a desk.”

  “You shouldn’t stay in the field, Ella, at least not while you’re pregnant.”

  “A lot of people depend on me, Kevin. Right now there’s no one qualified to take over my cases. I’ve got to see some things through before I take leave or accept restricted duty. It’s my job to make this reservation a safe place for all The People’s children, not just mine. In the meantime, I’ll take all the precautions I can, and I’ll cover myself every step of the way, but I can’t put the entire world on hold just because I’m expecting.”

  Silence stretched out between them once again. Ella could feel his frustration. There would be no simple answers for either of them—not anymore.

  Kevin looked in the rearview mirror, then increased his speed. Noting it, Ella glanced back. “That van’s coming up too fast,” she said. “Give him more room if he wants it. The entire road, in fact.”

  Kevin glanced behind him again. “He’s going eighty, at least, and closing fast.”

  As Kevin slowed and started to pull to the side, Ella’s instincts for danger came to life. Something was wrong. That van wasn’t just speeding, it was going to try to hit them.

  “No, don’t slow down, speed up. Get out of here!” Ella yelled, reaching for her cell phone. In a breath, the van was alongside them, and Ella felt the bone-jarring thump as the van smashed against them, then heard the screech of tires as Kevin tried to keep them on the highway.

  Ella’s hand was shaking as she tried to punch up 911 on her phone. She’d almost managed it when the van suddenly slammed into them again.

  “I can’t hold it,” Kevin yelled. His truck veered to the right and careened off the highway. Bouncing heavily, they flew off the shoulder and into an alfalfa field.

  “Hold on!” Kevin yelled, keeping a death grip on the steering wheel as he pumped the brakes.

  Ella reached over to help him steady the wheel, but they hit a patch of sand just then and it was like hitting a wall. The rear end of the pickup rose off the ground, then the air bags popped and they were slammed back into their seats, blinded by the fabric and deafened by the noise.

  In almost slow motion the truck tipped over nose first, and Ella blacked out for a moment.

  When she opened her eyes again, she felt an odd sensation, then realized she was hanging upside down in her seat belt. Pushing away the collapsed air bag, she looked to her left. “Kevin? Are you okay?” She undid the safety belt, held out her arms to stop her fall, and landed on her knees atop the ceiling of the cab.

  Kevin tried the same, except his knees collided with the steering wheel. “That hurts,” he grumbled.

  “You still okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m in one piece, more or less,” he said, operating the door latch, then kicking it open. “Can you get out on your side?”

  “Yeah, my door’s banged in, but it’s not jammed against the ground. Your roll bar saved us.”

  A moment later they stood by the side of the totaled vehicle, the smell of gasoline, dust, and hot oil intermingling. Kevin looked at her, worried. “Are you sure you’re okay … and the baby?”

  “The baby at this stage is so small, it’s well protected. Besides, my stomach wasn’t hit, just both my shoulders.”

  As she spoke, she looked over at Kevin and saw blood streaming down his arm. “But you’re hurt,” Ella said quickly. “Let me find my cell phone. If it still works, I can get the paramedics.”

  Kevin sat down on a large boulder at the edge of the field. “I’ll be okay. It’s just a cut … and my arm feels like it may be broken. You know, all in all this is turning out to be one helluva day.”

  She gave him a thin smile. “For me, too.”

  Ella retrieved her phone, called for a rescue team, then contacted the police department. Next, she rejoined Kevin, carrying the first aid kit he kept behind the seat. The blood flowing from the cut on his upper arm had slowed down considerably, so she decided against trying to bandage it because of the possible break.

  “What was it with that van? Do you have an enemy who works in a repair shop? I really didn’t get a good look at the driver, but I saw the logo on the side of the door. Near as I can remember, I haven’t got any unpaid repair bills,” he joked halfheartedly.

  Ella had seen the logo on the side of the van as well. It was from a well-known appliance repair shop. “I don’t know what’s going on. The driver didn’t handle that van like he was drunk. I got a partial on the plates and I’ve already called it in. Let’s see if our guys can catch him.”

  Hearing sirens wailing in the distance, Ella started to walk back to the road. “It’s a good thing we weren’t far from town. I’m going to lead them over here. Don’t move too much until they check you out.”

  Kevin didn’t argue. As she made her way to the road, questions filled her mind. If it had been a deliberate attempt, had it been aimed at her, or at Kevin? It was his vehicle, after all. An attorney in his position
made almost as many enemies as a cop. Every time he won a case, there was a new disgruntled loser to contend with.

  Ella tried to recall if the van had been in the area of the police station earlier, but couldn’t remember. Although she had plenty of old enemies that would have been very happy to see her crash, she didn’t think she’d ticked off anyone lately.

  Ella greeted the paramedics, then led them over to Kevin. One stayed with him, but the other one came to where she was standing. “I’m okay,” she said, but the paramedic refused to accept her answer. Not in the mood for an argument, she submitted to the usual field tests for unseen trauma, and had some small cuts on her hands and knees tended. By then, Sergeant Joseph Neskahi had arrived on the scene.

  Ella spoke to him while the paramedic bandaged her cuts. “Go to Ben E’s Repair Shop. Talk to everyone there until you can narrow down who the driver was. We want to lock up whoever was behind the wheel. Impound that van when you find it, too.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Neskahi said as they loaded her into the ambulance. “Do you want me to break the news to your mother before she hears it from someone at the hospital?”

  “If you could, I’d sure appreciate it, Sergeant. Just make sure she understands that I’m fine. Tell her I said so personally.”

  Ten minutes later, Ella allowed the doctor at the Shiprock hospital to check her over. Although she kept telling everyone that she was fine, no one seemed to believe her, especially after she advised the doctor that she was pregnant.

  By the time she emerged from the ER with a clean bill of health, except for her cuts and bruises, Rose and Wilson Joe were waiting for her. Wilson seemed a bit cool, but she put it down as his way of dealing with the news the car accident had happened while Kevin had been at the wheel. He’d never been a big fan of Kevin’s.

  “Are you all right, Daughter?” Rose asked as they walked down the hall.

  “I’m fine, just banged up a bit. Kevin got the worst of it.”

  “We overhead one of the nurses say that his arm was broken,” Wilson said stiffly. “What happened?”