Ghost Medicine

by Aimée

  “Looks like Mr. O’Donnell’s going down,” Blalock said. “Let’s go have a talk and see what else he’s trying to hide.”

  FOURTEEN

  Ella was on her way out the door, Justine beside her, when her cell phone rang. As she glanced down, Ella saw that the call was from Sergeant Neskahi. She answered quickly.

  “What’s up, Joe?”

  “I’m on patrol duty today, and right now I’m answering a call at Truman John’s place. Mr. John claims that Norman Yazzie took a shot at him.”

  “Did he actually see Yazzie do that?”

  “No, but a few hours before the incident, Mr. John got into an argument with Norman’s grandmother and threatened to kill her sheep if she didn’t keep them off his land.”

  “Did the grandmother file a report?”

  “No. Truman said he apologized later for losing his temper, but Norman’s out for blood now. John’s words, not mine.”

  “We need to question Yazzie—the grandson. I’ll meet you over there as soon as possible.”

  Ella glanced at Blalock. “Can you hold off questioning O’Donnell for a couple of hours? I need to deal with another issue relating to the case,” she said, filling him in.

  “Go. I can hold O’Donnell for forty-eight hours. While you’re on the Rez, I’ll have the deputies process O’Donnell’s stash and the compartment itself and see if they can get prints.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Ella glanced at her partner. “Head over to Norman Yazzie’s. I’ll update you on the way.”

  * * *

  Later, as they reached the hill where Harry had been shot, Ella felt her chest tighten.

  “It’s hard coming back here,” Justine said softly, echoing her thoughts.

  “What makes it even harder is knowing that we still haven’t found any answers,” Ella said. “We don’t even know why he was killed.”

  “We will, and we’ll also find his killer. None of us will give up till we have the shooter behind bars,” Justine said.

  Silence settled between them until they passed that spot in the road.

  “Something else has been bothering you lately, Ella,” Justine said. “What’s up?”

  Ella sighed. “I’m wondering just how good a detective I really am. Maybe I am losing my edge,” she said. “Things have been changing all around me, partner, and I never even noticed.”

  “This have something to do with Carolyn dating Kevin?”

  “That’s only part of it. The lives of the people I love most have been changing—a lot. Look at you and Benny. You’re ready to take things to the next step, but until you brought it up, I had no clue. I should have been more aware.”

  “You can’t know everything that’s going on around you, Ella. Your family’s your priority.”

  “Things are different at home, too. You should have seen my family’s reaction to that skinwalker’s attempt to scare them. Mom was as cool as could be and so was Herman, though I’m sure he’s keeping his hunting rifle loaded and ready,” Ella said. “My daughter kept her head, too. She went to look up skinwalkers on the Internet. I expected them to panic, but that never even entered the picture.”

  Justine nodded slowly. “I get it. Up to now, you’ve been the one who kept things running smoothly, but now they aren’t so dependent on you. They’ve found their own strengths.”

  She nodded. “Mom has Herman, and Dawn’s growing up. Their lives are leading them in new directions, away from me, and I feel … left behind.”

  “You’ve moved on, too, Ella. You’re pursuing a brand-new relationship, and good things are just beginning. Dan’s nuts about you.”

  “True, and I care about him. But don’t assume this is going to result in anything like marriage. There’s still a lot more we need to know about each other.”

  “So go with it and see where it takes you.”

  “Sage advice from my single cousin?”

  “Ella, I know you better than most. You’re gun-shy about relationships because of your past.”

  “Which is why we’re taking it slow,” Ella said, then grew quiet for a while. As they turned off the main road and went down what amounted to a residential lane, Ella’s focus shifted back to business. “Keep your eyes open, especially along the fence line.”

  “You think we’ll find more skinwalker surprises?”

  “I’m not sure.” The badger fetish around her neck felt cool, but training and instinct told her not to let her guard down.

  Justine soon pulled up in front of a double-wide trailer. Joe’s cruiser was parked about ten yards away behind a big Ford pickup.

  Within seconds, Joe stepped out of the home and waved at them, signaling it was okay to approach.

  “Investigator Clah, Officer Goodluck, this is Norman Yazzie,” Joe said.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Investigator Clah,” the short, stocky man said, ignoring Justine. “This officer’s taking a skinwalker’s word over mine.”

  Ella looked at Joe, who shook his head.

  “I’ll join you inside in just a moment, Mr. Yazzie. I’d like to speak to the officer first.”

  Norman glared at her, then strode back inside.

  Ella motioned for Joe to join them by the SUV.

  “Bring us up to date,” she said.

  “Yazzie was really agitated when I first arrived. He said that the skinwalker, meaning John, needs to be dealt with. Norman and his friend—the woman inside named Alice—both maintain that there’s no way Norman could have taken a shot at John today. They’d been in Farmington, walking around town and window shopping, and only returned home a few minutes before I got here.”

  “Do you believe them?”

  Joe paused. “I checked and noticed that Yazzie’s pickup engine was hot. That tells me he went somewhere recently, but I have no idea where. I also went to the spot where John said the incident occurred, it’s not far from here, and looked around. I figured that the shooter must have chosen high ground because of the rolling terrain, so I climbed up and looked around. I didn’t see any spent cartridges. In fact, I found nothing—no tracks, and no evidence at all that anyone had been there,” Joe said. “When I asked John about the shot, he’d said it whistled overhead and missed his truck.”

  “Did you question the woman with Norman?” Ella asked.

  “I did, but she’s almost hysterical. She thinks we should arrest Truman John right away because he’s a danger to Mrs. Yazzie.”

  “Wait a sec, guys. Are we talking ‘girlfriend,’ here? I thought Norman was married,” Justine said.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Ella said, remembering her conversation with the elder Mrs. Yazzie, Norman’s grandmother.

  “Norman told me that he and Alice are just friends, but they’re too familiar with each other for that to be true. The way he’s constantly reaching for her tells me something more’s going on.” Joe paused.

  “Something else bothering you, Joe?” Ella said.

  “Yeah. I think Alice’s afraid of him. It’s nothing overt, but she always looks to him before she answers a question.”

  “Okay, I’ll handle it from here on. Thanks. You can take off now.”

  “I’ll be in the area if you need backup.”

  “Thanks, Joe,” Ella said.

  “One more thing. I saw the sketch of the woman that was supposedly with Harry that night. I wouldn’t rule out Alice as a match.”

  “Interesting, thanks,” Ella said.

  As the sergeant walked to his patrol car, Justine spoke up. “Do you want me to go inside with you right now or stay out here and do some quick digging into Norman Yazzie’s background first?”

  “Run him through the system and see what you get. That’ll give me time to assess the situation. I may want to split the two subjects up. If Alice is afraid of her boyfriend, I’ll probably need to talk to her privately.” Ella turned in a complete circle, studying the area. There were no moving vehicles anywhere on the horizon.

  “Worried abou
t another drive-by? Last time we were talking to the locals, our unit got toasted,” Justine said.

  “Yeah, exactly, so stay sharp,” Ella said. “Do your thing, then come join us.”

  As Ella entered the trailer, Norman waved her to the living area. The woman, Alice, was sitting on the bench seat next to the built-in table.

  Norman spoke first. “That husky cop—he’s got it all wrong. I’m no killer. I wouldn’t shoot that crazy skinwalker even if he does deserve it,” he said. “Truman’s nuts, and dangerous, too, but he plays it smart, hiding it from people. Instead of giving a good Navajo a hard time, why aren’t you arresting him?”

  “On what charge?”

  “Haven’t you been paying attention? He’s a skinwalker! What more do you need?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. How about actual evidence that he’s broken the law?” Ella said.

  “So you believe him when he says I took a shot at him, but you don’t believe me when I say I didn’t? Find any bullet holes?” He glared at her; then suddenly his angry expression changed and he smiled. “Wait a sec. I get it now. You think he’s a skinwalker, too, and you’re afraid you might get witched or something.”

  “I’m armed, and not just with the strong medicine that’s in this pouch. Until skinwalkers become bulletproof, I have no reason to fear them,” Ella said. “So tell me. Why would your neighbor assume you took a shot at him?”

  “He’s crazy, I’m telling you. We’d just come home from Farmington when the officer arrived.”

  “Is there anyone who can verify you were there, or on the road about an hour or so ago?” Ella pressed.

  He considered it, then shook his head. “Probably not. We looked in store windows downtown, then stopped at the McDonald’s on the west side. But I doubt they’ll remember us. We used the drive-up window.”

  “Do you have the receipt?”

  “Nah, we decided to eat at one of the outside tables and threw it out with our trash.”

  Ella looked at the young woman who’d remained on the sofa, sitting quietly. “I’m Investigator Clah. What’s your name?”

  “Alice Cisco,” the Navajo woman said, eyeing Justine suspiciously as she came in.

  Ella remained focused on the young woman’s face. Although the similarities to the sketch were there, including an appropriate figure, the shape of her nose was off and her eyes were rounder and bigger. Of course, that didn’t eliminate her; sketches based on eyewitness testimony were never exact.

  One thing caught Ella’s attention and held it. It was the way Alice kept glancing at Norman, then back at her. Joe had been right.

  “While my partner talks to Norman privately, I’d like you to step outside with me,” Ella said, instantly aware of the suspicious look on Norman’s face and the hard look he gave Alice.

  “Anything you want to say to her has to be in front of me, understand?” Norman said.

  “You don’t get to vote on this.” Ella gave him a cold glare, looked back at Alice, and saw the woman cringe. “Let’s go for a walk, Alice,” Ella said, and smiled, hoping to set her at ease.

  As they stepped outside, Ella allowed Alice to lead the way. The woman went to the east side of a metal shed and stood in the shade there.

  “Do you think that Truman John is what Norman claims he is?” Ella asked.

  “I can’t be sure, no, but someone around here is a witch, that’s for sure. Look at all that’s happened.”

  “It wouldn’t necessarily have to be someone who lives in this area, would it?” Ella said.

  Alice looked at Ella in surprise. “Why would an outsider want to come here and take over the place? We don’t have a spring or good grazing land, or oil, or natural gas. A few people have water wells, sure, but that’s the biggest prize I can see.”

  Ella said nothing. and silence stretched out between them.

  “There’s evil close by,” Alice said at last. “If you close your eyes, you can feel it. A man was killed in his pickup on the road over there.” She gestured in the direction of the hill.

  Ella nodded. “Do you think the skinwalker did that?”

  “Who else? Witches get their power by killing, and then they steal parts of their victim’s body to make bad medicine. That’s what I’ve always heard.”

  Ella once again allowed the silence to stretch. Alice kept tugging at her long skirt, bunching the fabric in her fist, then releasing it in a continuous cycle.

  “What’s bothering you, Alice? We can talk about it.” Ella saw her look at the trailer, then back at the ground. “Norman can’t hear us out here,” she added, hoping to set her at ease.

  “He’s a good man,” Alice whispered, “even if he doesn’t act like it sometimes. His temper just gets away from him.”

  “These days, we’re all going through tough times,” Ella said, trying to keep the woman talking.

  “He works hard. He owns the Little Bear Café in Beclabito, but sometimes he doesn’t know how to stop being the boss. I get ordered around all the time, even off the job.”

  “That can make any relationship difficult. How did you meet?”

  “I applied for a job at the café,” she said. “I was a waitress, but then he gave me a promotion. He taught me to handle all his bookkeeping. Now I have a skill I could use anywhere. I owe him.”

  “Is that what he said?”

  She shrugged. “Without him, I’d still be busing tables.”

  “So how does he collect?” Ella asked her bluntly.

  Alice cringed. “It’s not like that. I’m just here for him when his wife’s not around.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  She hesitated, then nodded. “He’s there for me when I need help, too, and I’ve never had anyone do that for me. Take last year, when I had to pawn my squash blossom necklace, something my mother had given me. When he found out, he went to the pawnshop and bought it back. I didn’t know until I came back here with him one afternoon and saw it on the table. He told me to take it home and not lose it again.”

  “How did he know you pawned it, and what happened that forced you to pawn something that special?”

  “I stop at the casinos when I go to Albuquerque. Last time I was there, I was on a winning streak, so I kept playing, but then my luck changed,” she said, and shrugged. “After that, I was broke. It was the middle of winter, and they were going to turn off my gas ’cause I kept missing my payments. I pawned the necklace so I could catch up.”

  “How did Norman find out? Was he with you at the casinos or did you tell him?”

  “Sometimes I guess he follows me.” She stared at the ground. “He always knows where I’ve been.”

  “And that doesn’t bother you?”

  “He only does it to protect me.”

  “So why are you afraid of him?”

  Her eyes grew wide. “I never said I was.”

  “No, but I can see how careful you are around him. Does he hit you?”

  She shook her head. “No. He yells a lot and gets upset, but he’s never hurt me.”

  “Emotional threats can be scary. Is that what frightens you?” Ella asked.

  She shook her head once more. “He can have anyone he wants, but he chose me. I’m lucky to have him. I want him to be happy with me, so I try not to get him upset. I’ve got a good thing going here.”

  Alice started walking back toward the mobile home. Halfway, she stopped and turned to face Ella. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s right about his neighbor. Something’s really wrong with Truman. I work with Eileen at the café, and I’ve seen what he’s done to her when he gets angry.”

  “He hits her?”

  She nodded. “She didn’t say so, but one day when she came in to pick up her check, she had a black eye and a split lip. It’s what a man’s fist does, I know. My dad used to do that to my mom. That’s why I’d never stay with Norman if he ever hit me. Bruises hurt, but what a man breaks inside a woman—that never heals.”

  Ella watched her walk away.
What amazed her was that Alice didn’t see that she’d allowed herself to become just as trapped and controlled as her mother, and Eileen.

  As they went back into the house, Norman immediately met them by the door and placed his arm around Alice’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” She looked back at Ella. “You should hear the calls at night—the howling. It makes your hair stand up on end. You can tell it’s not an animal.”

  Norman nodded. “She’s right. I went out last night, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but the howling stopped once I started getting serious about tracking it down.”

  Ella gave him her card. “If you hear it again, stay inside and call me.”

  “The cops have been out here plenty of times, trying to find the howler. Ask your patrol officers,” Norman said. “The really bad stuff just started happening, but those calls have been going on for over a month.”

  “I’ll look into it myself, so if you hear it again, call me.”

  Ella nodded to Justine. “Let’s go, partner.”

  Neither of them spoke on the way back to the SUV. Once Justine switched on the ignition, she glanced at Ella. “Where to, boss?”

  “Go straight to the sheriff’s office in Kirtland. I want to be there with Blalock when he questions O’Donnell.”

  * * *

  Ella called Blalock on the way and updated him.

  “It’s interesting that even before Harry was killed, someone was busy trying to scare the residents,” Blalock said in a thoughtful voice. “We need to figure out if Harry’s murder was part of someone’s strategy to frighten the residents, an escalation of events already taking place, or a completely separate incident.”

  “I still have no idea why a skinwalker would target that area. As Alice said, there’s nothing much there.”

  “Don’t let the skinwalker angle sidetrack you, Clah. Right now we need to focus on Billy. The deputies didn’t get any usable prints. We’ve got a date for the revolver but no idea when the other gear was taken. Get over here and let’s see what we can get from Billy. He knows a lot more than he’s told us.”

  Ella ended the call and turned to Justine. “While I’m helping Blalock question O’Donnell, I want you to look deeper into Truman John’s past. He’s almost flippant about the presence of Navajo witches, and I don’t trust someone with that attitude. Also, have Benny and Joe pull a photo of Alice and show it to the bar patrons and Alan Scott, Harry’s neighbor. See if anyone can ID her as the woman who was with Harry that Monday night.”