Coyote Gorgeous

by Vijaya Schartz

  "Huntley, here. Can you pick up a foal carcass on Cave Creek Road? It’s for the lab. Assignment 5634."

  "Sure can do."

  "Make sure they do a necropsy. I found strange tracks, and I could use a second opinion."

  "Ten four."

  "Thanks."

  Leaving the truck in the shade of the sycamore, Madison walked a wide circle around the corral, hoping to find more tracks. Sure enough, she spotted a perfect paw indentation in the sand of the dry riverbed separating the Esteban ranch and the A-frame property. The same large hind paw. She snapped a picture. Strangely, she found no front paw tracks. Did the animal walk on two hind legs, like a dancing bear? Strange. She loosened the collar of her uniform shirt. The sun burned hotter already.

  As she followed the tracks toward the neighbor’s house, the violence of the attacks and the unusual prints bothered Madison. Could this be a sinister prank? A disgruntled neighbor taking revenge over a dispute? Imitating an attack by a mythical monster to avoid being sued? Had he worn a costume?

  The tracks led through an open landscape, toward the back of the neighbor’s tall, futuristic house. On her way, Madison stepped over steel rods, pipes, and metal sheets of various sizes and shapes. There were odd parts, a car engine behind a boulder, a dismembered motorcycle. She walked around a small tractor, fifty-gallon drums, and farm machinery blades. Was this a public dump? Why would someone with such a fancy house tolerate that clutter of junk around it?

  From the side, Madison could see a fancy wrought iron fence around the front yard, with a trimmed green hedge, flowerbeds, and scarce pine trees. The back yard had no visible property line and blended into the desert. A small boxy building looked like some kind of workshop, and a white canvas tent, about ten by ten feet, stood close to the back deck of the house. It looked too clean for simple storage.

  Closer to the house, a bloody rag on a woodpile caught Madison’s attention. She picked it up and sniffed it. Not blood, paint. But animal fur stuck to the paint. Odd.

  Should she call for backup? What if the neighbor was the dangerous predator? No. She couldn’t call for help. After the javelina incident last year, they’d say poor little Madison feared the Chupacabra. She’d never hear the end of it.

  She was perfectly capable of handling a predator, human or otherwise. Besides, these attacks happened at night. And even if the neighbor was the culprit, he would not blow his cover by attacking her. At least not as long as he believed she didn’t suspect him.

  Nothing moved in the backyard. She called toward the house, "Anyone home?"

  No one answered. Madison circled the white tent to peek inside from the open flap. She came face to face with a life size... Chupacabra? A cloud moved across the sky, hiding the sund and bathing the tent in shadow. Her heart raced and she reached for her sidearm. She stopped mid movement. When did she get so jumpy?

  The object of her fright was a tall metal sculpture, an armored muscular man with the head of a coyote. Or was it Anubis, the Egyptian god with the jackal head? The bright silver finish and turquoise decorating the black metal could indicate either. Madison had never made the connection between the jackal and the coyote. In this representation, they looked identical.

  More sculptures crowded the concrete slab inside the tent, all stylized, teaming with life, strikingly beautiful and awe-inspiring, with bright enamel colors. There were Native American warriors with war paint and elaborate headdresses of multicolored feathers, a meditating Buddha, a mother and child, a golden eagle. The art lover in Madison couldn’t help but admire the mastery and the sensitivity of the artist. The sculptures looked alive. All exquisite.

  In the far back, Madison discerned a giant oriental goddess with many arms. The black sculpture seemed to dance and brandished deadly blades. She wore a necklace of human skulls. Red blood seeped from the lips of her monstrous head. Madison shivered at the bloodthirsty expression on her face.

  Something growled behind Madison. She whirled about, holding the 9mm .357 SIG pistol in a two-handed grip. Aiming, she stared into the yellow eyes of a large bobcat, sitting atop a flat boulder in the shade of a pine tree. The animal had an orange top coat and white spotted belly. Forty pounds of quick muscle. Was this the killer? Was it rabid? The bobcat growled again but didn’t crouch to pounce.

  "Felix seems to like you."

  The low baritone at her back made Madison’s skin prickle all over, but she maintained eye contact with the bobcat. Never take your eyes off a wild animal in a standoff. "Felix?"

  "You better put that thing away. He’s like me. He doesn’t like guns." The calm male voice seemed to caress her. "It’s okay, little brother."

  The wild cat grunted a response, lay down on the flat rock and yawned. He licked a front paw and rested his head on it to resume an interrupted nap.

  Madison lowered her firearm and relaxed her finger on the trigger, but her heart beat like a jungle drum. Reluctantly, she turned to face the man who had spoken in such a smooth voice.

  Tall, with a welding mask flipped up over his head, he stood legs apart, boots firmly planted in the ground. The top part of his leather apron had fallen, and his black open shirt exposed a thick silver chain resting on the copper of chiseled muscles glistening in sunlight. Madison allowed her gaze to linger on such male perfection.

  "Sorry if Felix startled you." The Native American man removed the welding mask with gloved hands, revealing a face streaked with soot like black war paint. He wore his long black hair in a ponytail and stared at Madison with the most startling green eyes she had ever seen, fearless, with intense fire, like a wild animal.

  Shaken, Madison buried her lusty thoughts under a gruff attitude and returned her sidearm to the holster. "A bobcat is not a pet. There are laws protecting wildlife."

  "Felix chooses my company." He didn’t seem sorry at all and grinned, showing white teeth, as if he’d enjoyed her fright. Something was odd about him.

  The man’s bold stare made Madison uncomfortable. "This is a dangerous animal to keep around, mainly for your neighbors’ pets. Don’t they complain?"

  "Felix and I have an understanding. I feed him, and he doesn’t kill." He grinned at her with insolence. "My name is Kaletaka, and I own this house."

  Chapter Two

  Kaletaka exulted at the ranger’s shock and surprise. He’d startled her all right. She’d almost turned her gun on him. He hated firearms but loved a gamble.

  She removed her sunglasses and tucked them in her belt. "Ka-le..."

  He smiled inwardly at her struggle. No one ever got his name right the first time. "Kaletaka. But my friends call me Kal."

  "Kal." She hesitated, her wide blue eyes fixed on him. "You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that."

  She looked beautiful in a fierce kind of way, for such a little bit of a girl, sun-kissed, with sassy blond hair. Almost as fierce as the sculptures in the open tent behind her.

  "Nice to meet you, too." The words came out too fast as excitement rushed through him. Kaletaka strove to keep a calm demeanor. Lately, all kinds of strange urges ran amok inside him, like right now. "But you are the one trespassing, Ms..."

  "Officer Madison Huntley." Her melodious voice reminded him of silver chimes in the soft breeze.

  Kaletaka pulled off his long asbestos gloves in anticipation of feeling her hand in his. He already imagined her skin against his naked body. Tendrils of electricity coursed through him at the lusty images in his head. "Beautiful name, Madison. It suits you."

  "Thanks."

  He threw the gloves into the welding mask, tucked it under his arm, and stepped closer, extending his hand.

  She frowned and stepped back, staring at his blackened fingers. She didn’t take his hand. "I just have a few questions."

  "For me?" He grinned to cover the sting of the rejection, but his hand was black with metal grime.

  "A predator killed animals at the ranch last night. The tracks lead to your property. Mind if I look around?"

  Did
she say tracks? Something in his stomach fluttered. He’d seen them, too, but wanted to know what she had deduced. "What kind of tracks?"

  She hesitated and knitted her brow. "Probably a bear."

  "I’ve seen a few around, but not lately." Kaletaka could sense her agitation as her hand hooked nervously on her belt. What was she afraid of? Felix? No. She didn’t even glance at the bobcat. He wasn’t her primary suspect. Then Kaletaka realized she might suspect him. He growled inside with frustration. He couldn’t let her poke around. "Do you have a warrant?"

  "I can get one, but I hoped for your cooperation." She straightened her tiny frame and indicated his sculptures with her chin. A whiff of fragrance floated around her. Gardenias after the rain. "Interesting collection."

  "I don’t collect. I create. I’m a sculptor." Her sweet scent overwhelmed him. The notion of seducing her despite the danger she represented crossed Kaletaka’s mind. Kaletaka felt like the Big Bad Wolf inviting prey into his lair. "Would you care for some lemonade?"

  "Thanks. It’s hot out here." A smile strained at the corners of her full pink lips. She glanced at Felix, who napped on the flat rock, but easily turned her back on the bobcat. She trusted Felix but not him. That couldn’t be good.

  With his free arm, Kaletaka indicated the wooden sun deck with its table and chairs and let her walk first up the few steps. He followed the sway of her hips and round derriere with delight, so close behind her, he could feel her body heat. He burned to touch the small of her back but feared she might bolt.

  Checking her shapely reflection on the tempered glass pane separating the living room from the deck, he dropped the welding mask and gloves on a metal bench and flinched as the intruding sound hit his sensitive ears. Then he stepped ahead of her to pull open the glass door, getting a whiff of gardenia as she brushed past him. His acute senses detected her reluctance, but he relished the challenge. He would make her trust him, and more.

  She surveyed the open floor plan and took in the masculine brown leather couch and chairs of the living room. She also glanced at the wrought iron vine banister he’d sculpted for the stairs, but she did not comment. Her gaze scanned the split-level balcony and large structural beams crossing the empty space under the vaulted ceiling.

  She returned her attention to him. "Did you hear anything unusual last night?"

  "Coyotes, why?" Kaletaka made his way to the shiny granite island separating the living room from the open kitchen. But mostly he walked away to hide his growing erection.

  "What do you know about the incident at the ranch?" Her inquisitive tone seemed to accuse him of the nasty deed.

  When he glanced at her, Kaletaka could plainly see suspicion in the narrowing of her eyes. He averted his gaze and washed his hands in the sink. Could she read him? Hell, he couldn’t even read himself. And although he suspected he was responsible, he had no memory of last night at all. He kept his back to her as he dried his hands on a towel then walked to the large, stainless steel refrigerator.

  "Pablo says it’s Chupacabra." Kaletaka opened the refrigerator door.

  A bar stool scraped the tile as lovely Madison pulled it out, and he imagined her sweet behind settling onto it. He growled inwardly. She wasn’t helping his growing problem.

  "You are friendly with the ranch hand?" That chiming voice didn’t help either.

  "We talk." Kaletaka grabbed a pitcher of freshly pressed lemonade and quickly closed the door on the week old P.F. Chang’s cartons of leftovers. "What do you think of his testimony?"

  "I deal with facts, not imaginary monsters." From her tone, she would never believe. Too bad.

  Kaletaka chose two clean tumblers from a French, glass-door cabinet and managed to return to the island, thankful for the tight jeans and leather welding apron restraining his erection. Prudently, he kept the counter between himself and Madison while he poured the lemonade.

  She straightened her back and her perky breasts pushed against the rough fabric of her khaki uniform. How painfully delightful. Watching Madison drink and relax was pure torture. Juice wet her full lips. She licked them and sighed, a soft contented sound. "Thanks. This is really good. Not too many people bother to make fresh lemonade anymore."

  "Delicious, isn’t it?" But Kaletaka wasn’t thinking of the lemonade. Yet he had to keep his wits about him. He shook himself out of his reverie. If Madison was after him, he must keep her close and find out what she planned.

  "If it’s a bear killing these animals, how are you going to catch it?"

  She sighed and her face relaxed. Was she starting to trust him? Good. He wanted her to confide in him.

  She drummed her fingers on her glass, deep in thought. "The predator struck at night, so I guess I’ll stand watch tonight. They often come back where they think there is more prey."

  Against his better judgment, Kaletaka couldn’t resist the opportunity to see her again. "Feel free to use my backyard as hunting grounds."

  "Well," she considered his offer for a moment. "The tracks led me here. So, this could be part of the animal’s trail." Still, she hesitated. "I wouldn’t want to impose, but it would be nice to have a base of operation, without distressing Mrs. Esteban any further."

  "Right. Pablo says she loved her dogs." Kaletaka relished the idea of spending time close to her, although controlling his urges might prove difficult. "I would truly enjoy having you as my guest tonight," he managed in a light tone. "The back deck provides a clear view of the ranch. I’m also a great cook, and dinner is on the house."

  She smiled genuinely for the first time. "Thank you for your generous offer. That would be very helpful."

  With his heightened awareness, he detected a spark in her eyes and eagerness in her smile. She held his gaze just a moment too long. Did she find him attractive?

  "It’s a date, then."

  "A date? No!" Her smile vanished into a cute frown. "This is strictly business. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression."

  "Of course not. I was just kidding." Kaletaka hid his disappointment under a playful smile. She sent mixed signals but might not be aware of her attraction to him. How innocent... and adorable.

  She raised her glass. "Thanks for the lemonade." She gulped the rest of her drink then slid off the stool. "I’d like to check your property for tracks, if you don’t mind."

  "Not at all." Kaletaka would keep a close watch on her. "And I’ll be glad to help in any way I can."

  *****

  Under the lazy stare of Felix the bobcat, Madison searched the grounds but didn’t find any tracks leading away from Kal’s property. Who or what could have made those tracks? How could the beast just disappear? Unless there was no beast, just a heinous crime against animals.

  Walking back to the truck, she still couldn’t make sense of the facts. Something didn’t add up. A prankster would not leave evidence leading straight to his own backyard. Unless Kal was the intended victim of the prank. Unlikely. Madison had to assume it was a bear, no matter how unusual the paw prints.

  On the drive back to headquarters, she caught herself looking forward to dinner with Kal. She couldn’t get his enchanting green eyes and bright smile out of her mind. She could also tell from his guarded expression that he was hiding something, but what? She intended to find out.

  Once at headquarters, she filed the paperwork then went to Jake’s small office. She knocked and entered. He didn’t glance up from his computer screen and she knew he did it on purpose, to irritate her. How childish. Left standing, Madison stared at the poster of a black panther on the wall behind him, framed by two green corn plants. The picture was new.

  "Sir?" She couldn’t control the hint of impatience in her voice.

  "It’s too early for the necropsy results." Jake finally said in a condescending tone without looking up. What could she possibly have seen in him to fall for such a jerk? His good looks? Physically he was the same, but now she found him repulsive.

  "I know." Madison wouldn’t let him intimidate her. "Anyone
seen these kinds of tracks before?"

  Jake shook his head, pushed back his swivel chair and set his tan uniform boots on the corner of the desk. "No. But it’s probably a bear. What else could it be?"

  "Right." Madison’s prank idea suddenly seemed stupid. "The usual sedative darts might not work on such a large beast, though. And an animal that kills for pleasure should be eliminated anyway."

  "I agree. It should be killed. I’ll expedite the paperwork." A slow smile stretched his lips. "Acing this job might redeem your image among the rangers and forever bury that unfortunate javelina incident."

  Why did he have to bring that up? "It wouldn’t have been so bad if you hadn’t spread the word to the Phoenix PD. My father and my brother never let me forget my shame."

  "Come on, it was funny." Jake snickered. "Your panic, calling for help to handle a baby javelina."

  "I was a green commando in training. No one told me the mother was dead. Potentially, it could have been dangerous." Madison struggled to remain professional.

  Jake lifted his feet from the desk, leaned across it, and stared at her with intensity. "I want all traces of the Cave Creek incident to disappear quickly. And nothing must leak to the press."

  Something in Jake’s insistence made Madison uncomfortable. "You got it, boss."

  *****

  Leaving her red Miata at headquarters, Madison drove the company truck home through rush hour traffic, confident that she would solve this crisis. For once, Jake had given her carte blanche, and she would not disappoint him.

  Once at her building complex, she parked the white pickup in her reserved carport and climbed the outdoor stairs to her second story, one-bedroom apartment. After a long shower, Madison changed into comfortable navy sweats. April nights could still be chilly on the outskirts of Phoenix.

  Mostly, she didn’t want Kal to think this was a date, so nothing girly. Bad enough she found him gorgeous, but she couldn’t take a chance. The job came first, and until she found the culprit, she had to suspect him as well. He could be playing her for the fool. She hoped not. That would be a big disappointment.