by Aimée Thurlo
“Dr. Becenti was furious when he found out she’d gone to Dr. Finley. Those two really hate each other,” Mae replied.
“What’s the source of trouble between them?” Luca asked.
“Word has it that it’s because of what happened last year. Dr. Finley got a lot of recognition from the tribe and the college for his journal article on Navajo healing rituals. Dr. Becenti, an expert on Navajo culture who’d been scheduled to research some secret society on the Rez—something that I heard would have completely upstaged Dr. Finley—got stonewalled by the tribe. I think his previous research into skinwalkers made a lot of people nervous, but I’m not sure about that. All I can tell you is that he wasn’t able to finish his article and had to return all his funding. It was an embarrassing mess for the entire department. What made it really bad is that Becenti’s part Navajo. Finley’s Anglo, yet he not only got published, he was given some kind of award.”
“When your friend got the dry painting, did she ask either professor about it?” Valerie asked.
“She went to Dr. Becenti. Since he’s part Navajo she figured he’d know more about stuff like that. Besides, she didn’t want to diss him because she still had to pass his class.”
“So she snapped a photo and took it to him?” Valerie asked.
“With her cell phone, yeah. Then she rubbed it out with a stick,” Mae said and shuddered. “My friend told me later that the photo really shook Becenti up. He warned her to watch her back and not go anywhere alone if she could help it. He even offered to teach her how to protect herself from things like that.”
“Did she take him up on his offer?” Luca asked.
“Between school and her job, there wasn’t time left over for anything else, but Dr. Becenti knew that and offered to meet her whenever she could get away. He really went the extra mile for her. A few times he drove her to the print shop where she worked so they could talk on the way.”
“Do you think Dr. Becenti might have been attracted to your friend?” Luca asked.
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is that he took time to help her even though she’d created problems between him and Finley. But even if Dr. Becenti had been attracted to her, it wouldn’t have done him any good. She wasn’t ready for another relationship—not after the way her last one ended.”
“Tell us about that,” Luca said, his attention focused on Mae, though in accordance with Traditional customs, he didn’t make direct eye contact.
“She met Frank Willie, a member of our tribe, after she graduated from high school. He was a part-time student at the university. They moved in together for a while, but after several months things began to fall apart between them and she moved out. She told me later that Frank was just crazy and that it was time for her to focus on her own future.”
“Did he ever get violent with her?” Luca asked.
“I don’t know. If he did, she never said, and she never showed up with bruises or anything like that. Then again, that was during a time we didn’t see each other that much.”
“Do you happen to know where Frank lives now?” Valerie asked.
“No, but I think he’s still a student at UNM, or at least he was last year. I saw him once or twice on campus,” she said. “I didn’t say hi or anything. Frank always creeped me out.”
“Why? What about him made you uneasy?” Luca probed.
“He always kept secrets from my friend, and would go off for days without telling her. She’d get worried that something had happened to him, but if she said anything about it after he came back, he’d just get mad.”
Seeing her father waving at her, Mae waved back. “I have to go now. I wish I could do more to help you catch the one who…” Tears formed in her eyes and she turned away.
“Is there a phone number where you can be reached if we need to talk to you again?” Valerie asked.
Mae nodded. “My aunt’s,” she said, giving Valerie the number.
After thanking her, Valerie and Luca walked back down the route they’d come. As the silence between them stretched Valerie considered the details of the case.
“Even though neither professor has a clear alibi according to the officer’s report in my in-box, the issues between Becenti and Finley don’t necessarily lead back to Lea in any clear way. But being dumped—that provides a motive for this Frank Willie character,” she said. After a thoughtful pause she continued, “But if Willie’s our man, why didn’t he just kill Lea outright? Why bother with all the ritualism? And why attack the other girl? She wasn’t even Navajo.”
“She may have been a mistake, or maybe she knew Willie, too. We know that the two victims lived in the same area of the valley. I studied the map and they were practically walking distance from each other. We should track down Frank Willie as soon as possible, particularly because the rituals followed at each scene tend to indicate that the killer’s Navajo.”
Valerie nodded. “I agree, but it’s still possible that Willie’s not our man. If that’s the case, we’re back to square one and more people will die.”
“The killer’s taken great pains to do things like the ash paintings correctly—something another Navajo would notice,” he said, thinking of the skinwalker’s challenge to the Brotherhood. “That makes me think he prefers to focus on Navajo women, and that more from my tribe are in danger.”
“Until we figure out how he chooses his victims, we won’t know if he’s after Navajo women and vic one was a mistake, or if he’s looking for women who fit a certain description. Or it could be that he’s after women who’ve offended him in some way—real or imagined—and it’s just a coincidence they lived in the same area.”
As she slipped behind the wheel, pain shot through her and she winced. Without much protest, she took Luca up on his offer to drive.
While en route back to the city, Valerie called the station, requesting a location on Frank Willie. A deputy was sent to his last known address, but by the time they reached the city, they’d learned that Willie had moved out weeks ago. At the moment, they had no idea where he might be living.
ONCE THEY REACHED home, Valerie was ready for a break. They went past the guard at the front desk, then directly upstairs. As soon as they were inside the apartment, Valerie dropped onto a chair. “Would you go into the bathroom and get me some pain reliever? There’s some in the medicine cabinet,” she said. “No, forget that. Bring me the whole bottle.”
“I can make you feel better without that,” he said.
“If you’re going to make a pass at me, could you wait until I can at least pretend not to enjoy it?” she teased with a tired smile.
Standing before Valerie in his dark T-shirt and jeans, he gazed at her. “There’s a tub in the large bathroom and I have some herbs that’ll do wonders for the soreness you feel. All you have to do is soak for a while and let their medicine take effect.”
Luca stepped out of the room and the next thing she heard was the sound of the bathwater running. Valerie sighed, mildly disappointed that he hadn’t made a pass at her after all. For a moment or two she considered making one herself.
Luca came back a moment later and, without asking, scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. “Let me undress you. I won’t take advantage,” he murmured, not setting her down yet.
“Then I’d have to take advantage of you,” she said, enjoying the way he’d wrapped his arms so securely and gently around her.
“Be careful,” he growled. “You might find more than you’re prepared to handle.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and set her down.
His tenderness spiraled around her, softening his words of warning and turning them into a whisper of a promise, a hint of what could be.
His gaze slid down her body slowly and thoroughly, leaving her tingling everywhere. Then, wordlessly, he walked out and shut the door behind him.
Telling herself that it was a good thing he hadn’t stayed, Valerie undressed. The bathroom was filled with the most wonderful scent of wild
flowers. Stepping into the welcoming warmth of the tub, she lay back, closing her eyes, and a feeling of peace enveloped her.
As her thoughts drifted, she thought of Luca…a man like no other, the one who could make her believe in the power of magic.
SHE WASN’T SURE how much time had passed when she heard a knock at the door. “Captain Harris is on the line. He wants to speak to you,” Luca said.
Struggling to become wide-awake, she wrapped a towel around herself then opened the door to take the phone from Luca.
“Detective Jonas,” she said briskly.
“You didn’t file a full report last night, Jonas. I need to know what progress you’ve made.”
“I’m still on the case, Captain Harris,” she said, updating him quickly. “I just needed to make a stop by the apartment to get a change of clothing.”
“No explanation needed, Detective. You were attacked and hit. That buys you a few hours off,” he said. “But I’m under pressure from above and I don’t like having my butt hanging out in the wind. I need answers.”
“Got it, Captain.”
Luca took the phone from her hand. “You’re bleeding,” he said quietly.
Valerie saw the small, round spot of blood near the top of the white towel and turned toward the mirror above the sink.
“Let me lower the towel just a bit,” he said, stepping closer. “You’re okay,” he said, as he revealed what was only a small scratch.
As his hand brushed the skin just above her breast, the gentle contact made her draw in her breath and a shiver coursed through her.
“Don’t do that.” He bit off the words, acutely aware of her reaction to him.
“Or you’ll do what?” she whispered. His eyes had turned as black as midnight and she could feel the warmth of his breath touching her lips.
In an instant, he lifted her up, forcing her back against the tile wall and kissed her. His tongue danced intimately with hers while his hands drifted down to her hips, holding her steady against him.
Eternities went by before he broke the kiss and moved back, his gaze still on her. “Next time we’ll both need more.”
Before she could unscramble her brain enough to respond, Luca walked into the next room.
Valerie leaned back against the wall trying to even her breathing and wondering if her heart would ever stop racing. Luca was as unpredictable as the four elements—and, without a doubt, the most exciting man she’d ever met.
Chapter Eleven
She’d dressed and her insides had stopped thrumming by the time she entered the living room again. As she did, her cell phone rang.
“We’ve got something from the crime lab,” Captain Harris told her. “The bones found at the first crime scene came from animals. The ones from the second are human in origin. Looks like he’s turning it up a notch.”
“Did the bones at the most recent scene come from the first victim?” Valerie asked.
“No. I think he’s decided to hold on to the fingers he amputates as trophies. Are you ready for the really interesting part? The bones at crime scene number two are from someone who has been dead for at least forty years, maybe longer.”
Valerie considered it. “So we’re not talking an archaeological dig. Any established cemetery would fit the bill.”
“More tests will be run on the bones. Maybe we can learn the sex and race of the person they belong to. And one more thing. We had the computer list comparisons between crimes and one interesting fact came up. Victim number two, Lea Begay, and vic one, Ernestine Ramirez, both walked down the same ditch bank on their way home each evening. That tends to indicate that the killer knew the habits of his victims. So the chances that they were selected at random appears far less likely now.”
Valerie hung up and immediately filled Luca in. “So maybe vic one was a mistake, as you’d suggested. A similar-looking young woman came down the path close to the expected time and in the low light, he assumed it was his target.”
“Or maybe it was just a practice run,” Luca said. “But it leads to the same conclusion. The Navajo girl was his intended target.”
“Killing her on the ditch bank was a lot more private than the backyard of a city neighborhood just two streets over from one of Albuquerque’s busiest avenues. All things considered, I think the first girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Valerie said, going over to her laptop computer.
She accessed the department computer records and studied the facts uncovered by the crime scene teams. “The deputies who interviewed the students in victim number two’s class have filed their reports. It’s a small group, and most of the guys either had alibis for the time of death or were ruled out for other reasons. One, for example, was in a wheelchair.”
“Anyone at the college, particularly in the anthropology department, could have had access to bones in some of the lab settings—but I assume they’d be much older than a few decades,” Luca said.
“The logical place to find a supply of bones the age our perp is using is at a cemetery. We should find places that aren’t in high-traffic areas, like the ones off Menaul Avenue or in Martineztown. Maybe he dug up a grave beside an old church in one of the outlying communities, like Corrales or Bernalillo. Assuming he’s digging at night, chances are he wouldn’t exactly run into masses of people.”
He nodded. “Right. And if this is the same individual that the gang members almost collared at that neighborhood pet cemetery, he’s being extra careful now. But even if he’s gone human-grave robbing, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s left a trail we can follow.”
“Then let’s narrow it down to just a few places and stake out the most likely ones.” She paused abruptly, then quickly added, “I’ll handle this part myself. I know about your beliefs and the chindi.”
Luca shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but this is why I carry safeguards that protect me. I know my responsibilities—and I don’t run out on my partners.” He stood rock still, unmovable, his gaze steady.
His answer didn’t surprise her. This wasn’t a man who ran—from anything. “Okay, then we’ll start our survey during the daytime, see if any graves have been disturbed, then target the most likely ones for a return visit after nightfall.”
As she began a computer search for old graveyards and burial grounds in and out of the county, she saw him walk to the far side of the room and open a backpack filled with Navajo articles, some familiar to her, some not.
Determined to give him privacy, Valerie concentrated on her work. Soon he began a soft Sing. Although she couldn’t understand the words, there was something soothing about the monotone chant.
With effort, she kept her attention focused on the computer screen, and eventually narrowed down three sites based on locale. Two of them appeared to be good bets, located in old communities up on the east side of the Sandia Mountains, north of where they’d been earlier in the day and on forest service land. She ruled out the third once she saw it was situated beside a busy street.
Luca had finished the chant. Valerie glanced back at him as he was placing something in his pocket. “I know you were preparing for what we’ll be doing next, but can you tell me more about what you did?” she asked.
He held out his hand and in the center of his palm was a small stone carving. The animal fetish was in the form of a cougar. Powder of some kind covered it.
“It’s beautiful, but what’s it mean?” she asked, noticing how the polished stone caught the light.
“A few years back, I investigated a case where a Zuni medicine man was accused of murder on the Navajo Nation. He was innocent, and I was able to find evidence that cleared him and convicted the one really responsible. In gratitude, he carved this special fetish for me. It’s made of flint, which is a very powerful mineral to my tribe. When the monsters that preyed on the earth were killed, their blood and hide turned to what we know today as flint. The flash of color and light it emits frightens away evil.”
“But why a cougar?” she a
sked.
“Each fetish embodies the attributes and powers of the animal it represents. Those, in turn, become part of the human that feeds it. Corn pollen, the powder covering the fetish, stands for life and nourishes Cougar, keeping his power strong.”
He grew silent for a moment and, unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, “What special powers does Cougar have?”
“I was going to get to that,” he said, then laughed.
That deep-bodied, masculine sound rippled over her like a shower of sparks. “Hey, I’m a curious girl.”
“Curiosity is what makes you a good detective. Lack of patience…well, that one could work against you.” He brushed her cheek with the palm of his hand then moved away.
The gentleness of his touch kindled a fire inside her, but she remained where she was, fighting the urge to draw closer to him. As the silence stretched out, Valerie knew he was testing her. Rather than press him, she went to the computer, shut it down and grabbed her jacket.
Luca followed her out. Once they were inside the quiet of the car, he finally answered her. “Cougar is known to be a resourceful hunter whose intelligence is matched by his strong will. Nothing ever stands in his way. Cougar sticks to his objective because giving up isn’t part of his nature.”
“The Zuni medicine man made a wise choice. Those attributes fit you like a second skin,” she said. “It also supports a theory I’ve had about you—for why you became a detective.”
He raised an eyebrow and waited.
She didn’t answer right away, making him think about it like he’d done to her. Yet, to her surprise, he didn’t seem in the least bit perturbed by the silence.
Finally giving up, she spoke. “Police work called to you in a way nothing else could. Living life on the edge suited you perfectly. Your spirit wasn’t meant to be stranded behind a desk. The rush you get from our type of work keeps your blood pumping. I’m right, aren’t I?” She smiled, satisfied that her conclusions were correct.
Luca shook his head. “Not really. Though I suspect that’s what drew you to the work, my reasons were different. I went into police work because I wanted to take an active role restoring the balance between good and evil. My father does that by serving as a hataalii, but a hataalii has to wait until his patients need him. In law enforcement, the hunt’s always active and it’s never ending. That’s why I chose it.”
