Bad Medicine

by Aimée

  After Rose had retired for the night, Clifford, Wilson Joe, and Ella met in the study. Ella filled them in on the outbreak of meningitis, cautioning them both to be on the alert for symptoms that might be mistaken for the flu. Clifford, as a medicine man, did not feel he could recommend modern medicine directly, but promised to make his patients aware of the danger. He also refused police protection despite skinwalker threats, but Ella wasn’t surprised.

  Finally Clifford stood. “I’ve done all I can here for tonight. It’s time for me to tend to my family.”

  As Clifford left, Wilson Joe lingered behind. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

  There was something in his expression that made her heart shrink. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s nothing wrong,” he answered softly, “but there’s something I wanted you to hear from me first. I’m getting married.”

  Ella felt as if someone had taken all the oxygen out of the air. She held her body perfectly rigid. “To whom?”

  “Lisa Aspass. I don’t believe you know her, but she’s a teacher at the college. She started last semester with an introductory Navajo language class. I’ve been seeing her a lot, and I think this is the right move for me.”

  Ella noted his eyes were searching hers, but she wasn’t sure what he expected her to say. She knew that their friendship would cease to be the ever present comfort it had always been once he had a wife and other responsibilities and priorities. Although she hadn’t expected him to remain single all his life, the news hit her hard. “I wish you only the best,” she managed with a weak smile.

  “I’d like to say that it won’t make any difference to our friendship, but I think we both know better,” he said softly.

  “Yes.”

  Wilson kissed her on the cheek then drew back. “I have to go now. Lisa and I are hoping to catch a late movie in Farmington.”

  Ella watched him leave, a tear falling down her face. She supposed it was inevitable that their paths would diverge like this. He was handsome, intelligent, and very well liked by everyone who knew him. And he was marrying someone in his profession, someone who would share the worries and daily ups and downs of his chosen field.

  Ella walked back into her room and turned on her computer. For the first time in months, there was no E-mail message from Wilson Joe. Ella switched screens to the game of solitaire.

  * * *

  Ella left the house shortly after seven without saying good-bye to her mother, who was out in her garden with Two. The dog, almost fully recovered, was sunning himself as she watered the young plants. Still distressed by the previous night’s revelations, Ella wanted to avoid her mother’s eagle sharp gaze for a few more hours. Her heart felt leaden inside her chest, and her mother would not be likely to miss her mood. Ella tried telling herself over and over again that she was being selfish, but she had so few really close friends. Knowing that the camaraderie she’d shared with Wilson would dwindle left her with a flatness of feeling that was as wrenching as it was unyielding.

  She drove slowly down the highway, noting the small corrals just off the road where sheep were being penned in preparation for shearing. The rhythms of the spring rituals she’d once found comforting because of their sameness now left her feeling worn down and old.

  Ella arrived at the station and went to her office without encountering another person. Files covered the top of her desk, having no doubt reproduced themselves during the night. At least this would never change. Ella checked her voice mail, and there was finally one cheerful message. It was an invitation from Carolyn at the hospital to join her for breakfast. Realizing she was hungry and that company would do her good, she quickly checked the incoming reports for anything critical. The Santa Fe lab had still not completed the Yellowhair autopsy tests. The rest would wait a bit longer.

  Before Ella had reached the door, Justine came in, minus the crutch, her injured foot almost back to normal. “You’re walking a lot better,” Ella observed.

  “Your brother recommended a few herbs to me after the accident, but I’ve been too lazy to prepare the poultice. I started to use it last night, and you see the results. I only wish I’d done it sooner. The swelling is nearly gone and my ankle doesn’t hurt.”

  Ella nodded, not surprised at Clifford’s ability to get results. “What’s on your agenda today?”

  “I’m going to go over my portion of the mine’s employee list one final time, checking it for anything that might lead us to a suspect. Then this afternoon I’m going to meet Raymond Nez before he goes to work. He called me earlier, and I think he’s been thinking about what I suggested.”

  “Which was?”

  “If he doesn’t help us the crisis at the mine will eventually reach the boiling point. If that happens, jobs will be on the line and more violence will erupt, maybe costing lives on both sides. The best way to keep our level of necessary intervention low is to make sure trouble doesn’t get the upper hand. Cooperating with us now is the best way to insure that.”

  “And he agreed? Just like that?” Ella shook her head. “Something doesn’t smell right.”

  Justine nodded. “I agree, that’s why I intend to be very careful.”

  “Go wired for sound. Neskahi and I will be your backup.”

  “I’d rather handle this solo.”

  “You will, but with help nearby. I have a bad feeling about this, Cousin. I just don’t trust the guy.”

  Justine’s eyes widened, but she said nothing. Ella realized again that few of her fellow cops argued with her gut feelings.

  “Shall I contact Neskahi, then, and tell him to stand by for this afternoon?” Justine asked.

  “Yes. And tell him I want a full report on his activities. I figure he’s probably busy working behind the scenes, but we’re a team. I want to be kept current on everything he’s doing.” As the words left her mouth she realized that she sounded just like Big Ed. Now there was a sobering thought. With her role in the department changing, and people under her command, she had new responsibilities that went well beyond keeping her own butt safe.

  “I’m going over to the hospital, Justine. You can reach me there.”

  On the way to the hospital Ella contacted Blalock on the cellular to update him and find out about his own progress.

  “I’ve been interviewing the Anglo workers, but so far I’ve got zip. Something big is in the works, though. They’re just too squirrely when I talk to them.”

  “I’ve been getting the same vibes from my own people.”

  “Then we both better dig deeper.”

  Ella hung up, wondering if she should have told him about the meeting between Justine and her contact. At this stage it seemed premature at best. After all, she wasn’t sure they’d get anywhere, and the more people who knew about it, the more likely it was that the operation would fall flat. Deciding she’d made the right decision by not saying anything, she pressed on toward the hospital.

  When Ella arrived at the morgue she saw Carolyn packing cartons of medicines into protective foam containers. “You must have had a short day yesterday. Are you guys going to go back out this morning?”

  “We had a real low turnout, so we came back around dark and dropped by the police station. We inoculated everyone there, and set up a schedule to get the rest. Word is slowly getting out, and we’re booked the rest of the week. Unfortunately, two more confirmed cases of meningitis were reported during the night.”

  “Breakfast is off, then?” Ella asked, disappointed, but understanding.

  “Not at all. We won’t be leaving for a few more hours and I’ve got to eat something. I haven’t had a bite since late afternoon yesterday.”

  “Me neither.” Ella smiled ruefully. “Cripes, what a pair we make.”

  Carolyn led the way upstairs to the cafeteria. “I’ve got to tell you, going out onto the Rez has not been without it’s pluses. They don’t know me in the rural areas, or even about me, so I’m merely treated with the same contempt they’d show an
y other M.D.”

  Ella chuckled. “That’s an improvement?”

  “I’ve grown used to being shunned. But, out there, it’s more a matter of just not being wanted. Do you understand the distinction I’m making?”

  “You’re pushed away, but without revulsion?”

  “Exactly. Kind of strange when being soundly rejected is actually making progress, huh?”

  “Sometimes I wonder whether either of us would have chosen the path we now follow, had we known the full cost.”

  “That’s a question everyone asks themselves from time to time, not just us.” Carolyn regarded her thoughtfully. “But what’s really eating at you?”

  “Did you know Wilson Joe is getting married to another professor at the college?”

  Carolyn’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t tell me that now you’ve discovered you’re in love with him.”

  “No, that’s not it. What he has always been to me was a friend I could count on. It’s terribly selfish of me not to want him to get married, but there it is.”

  “It is selfish, but also understandable. At our age, when you’re single and career driven, friendships are hard to maintain. Making new friends is almost as difficult because we’ve become so set in our ways its hard to adapt to someone else’s interests and needs. When a male friend gets married, it’s often hard for the wife to accept another woman who is close to her husband, so the friendship is bound to suffer.”

  She smiled ruefully. “When you put it that way, I’ve got a helluva good reason to feel sorry for myself.”

  When they reached the cashier at the end of the cafeteria line, Ella had two apple fritters on her plate and two cartons of milk. Carolyn’s tray was still empty.

  “Hey, I thought you were hungry.”

  “I am, but I get a few perks ’cause I’m staff,” she said, giving Ella a wink. “They baked pecan pies for lunch yesterday. I knew they’d all be gone by this morning so I asked them to set aside a jumbo slice for me.” Carolyn waved at an elderly Navajo woman inside the kitchen.

  “I’ve got your pie in the walk-in, Doctor. Just a minute.”

  Ella paid for her breakfast, then walked to a table next to the big window that looked west out onto the desert. Her favorite parts of the reservation were the huge areas that were undeveloped. The wide open country appealed to her, often soothing her spirit when nothing else would.

  Carolyn joined her a moment later with her pie and a big mug of coffee. “I’ve been looking forward to my slice of pie all morning.”

  “Is that what you’re going to have for breakfast?”

  Carolyn nodded, then with a sheepish grin, added a packet of noncaloric sweetener to her coffee. “There are enough calories in this humongous slice to fill my quota for the week, so it makes me feel less guilty if I don’t have anything else.”

  “Hey, far be it from me to counsel a doctor on the risks of poor eating habits, but since there’s a health crisis where you’re going, don’t you think some fruit and cereal might be better, even if it is in addition to the pie?”

  “Yeah, sure. But we all need to be bad sometime, and I don’t smoke or drink.” Carolyn took a huge bite, and smiled. “Ah. This is decadent.” She held out a forkful to Ella.

  “No, I’ll pass. I feel badly enough about getting two apple fritters.”

  “Oh please. Like you have to diet?” Carolyn scoffed, then looked down at her own expanding girth. “I have a rule of thumb. When my waist gets close to my hip measurement, it’s time to worry. I’m not quite there yet, and since my hips grow faster than any other portion of my body, it may be a while.”

  Ella laughed. “Oh, I love these rules you set up for yourself.”

  Carolyn continued devouring her pie. “We all have our own self-imposed limits.”

  Ella looked down at the remaining fritter. She didn’t have any right to talk. In the past year, she’d put on close to ten pounds. She planned to lose it, but she hadn’t quite got around to that yet.

  Carolyn coughed then reached for her glass of water. She took another deep swallow, then began to cough again.

  Ella looked up and saw Carolyn gasping for air. “You’re choking!” She jumped to her feet to help Carolyn, but Carolyn pushed her away.

  “No—not choking!” she managed, still coughing.

  “How can I help?” Ella looked around for a doctor among the cafeteria patrons. People had noticed Carolyn’s predicament and some were starting to rise from their seats.

  Carolyn shook her head, struggling to gain control.

  An Anglo doctor who’d been nearby rushed up to their table, signalling for one of the nurses to come and assist. “Try to tell us your symptoms, Doctor,” he said calmly.

  “I—” Carolyn blinked several times. “Mouth, burning.” She coughed then gasped for air. “Throat, tingling.” She squinted with pain as she looked at Ella through watery eyes. “Poison,” she added, then pointed at the pie.

  “Jimsonweed?” Ella asked quickly, feeling in her pocket for the pouch Clifford had given her.

  The doctor was trying to take Carolyn’s vital signs, the nurse assisting him. “Stay calm, Doctor. What poison do you suspect?”

  “Monkshood,” Carolyn whispered, her voice weaker.

  “What makes you so sure?” the doctor prodded.

  Carolyn just gave him a look.

  “Take her word for it, Doc,” Ella said, and quickly picked up the plate containing what remained of the pie.

  As Carolyn was placed in a wheelchair and hurried out of the cafeteria, Ella reached for her cell phone and dialed Justine. She needed her team here, now!

  “Is Neskahi at the station?” Ella asked.

  “Yes. He’s working on his report now. I told him what you’d said,” Justine answered.

  “Good. I need you both here right away.” Ella filled her in. “Get moving.”

  Plate in hand, Ella strode up to the counter and found the elderly woman who’d handed Carolyn the pie. Her face was ashen, as were those of all the cafeteria staff. “What happened?” the woman asked, her eyes wide.

  “The doctor was poisoned. I think it was the pie.”

  The woman took one step back. “You don’t think I—”

  “I don’t know anything at this point.” Ella glanced at the woman’s name tag. Vera Mae Francisco. “What I need to know is who, besides you, had access to that slice of pecan pie?”

  “Everyone here,” the woman blurted, waving her hand around the kitchen. “We all come and go out of the walk-in refrigerator.”

  Ella looked at the nodding faces. One tall, young woman came and put her arm around the elderly kitchen worker. “Stop upsetting Vera. She didn’t do anything wrong. She put the piece of pie into the refrigerator yesterday just like she always does.”

  Ella read the name tag. Barbara Tsosie was very protective of the older woman. Then again, judging from the expressions of support on the faces of the others, Vera Mae was a favorite of the staff’s.

  “I’m not accusing anybody at the moment, not until I make a full investigation. You should all start thinking about who had both the opportunity and a motive to poison Dr. Roanhorse.”

  “Then we are all suspects?” Barbara asked.

  “And anyone else who might have come into the kitchen since yesterday, yes,” Ella answered. “Who knew the jumbo piece was for Dr. Roanhorse?”

  “We all did,” Linda Buck answered. “Dr. Roanhorse always has us set a big slice aside whenever we bake pecan pies.”

  “Do other staff members ask for similar favors?” Ella asked.

  “Dr. Natoni likes us to separate a slice of fresh peach pie when we bake them, and a couple of the nurses have us set aside apple fritters, but that’s about it.”

  “So it would have been assumed that a large slice of pecan pie was for Dr. Roanhorse.”

  “Yes,” Vera Mae said.

  Ella was about to ask them more when Justine and Sergeant Neskahi arrived.

  Ella took her two team m
embers aside and filled them in. “Speak to them separately, and try to find out who besides cafeteria staff might have come into the kitchen. Someone knows something. I’d bet on it, even if they don’t remember it right now.”

  “Do you suspect any of them?” Justine asked.

  “Honestly? No. But we’ll have to check them all out. And if any of them is related to Senator Yellowhair, I want to know right away.”

  “We’re on it,” Neskahi said, then, as Justine moved away, dropped his voice and added, “I’m sorry I didn’t call in. My cousin still refuses to talk to me. I spent quite a bit of time following him, hoping to get him to change his mind.”

  “Did he?”

  Neskahi shook his head. “He’s too stubborn. He’s also going on vacation, visiting in-laws at Zuni, so he won’t be any good to us from now on.”

  “Focus on the situation here then and see if you can find out who poisoned the M.E.,” Ella ordered.

  Leaving them to work, Ella went down the corridor to the emergency room and asked the nurse about Carolyn.

  “Dr. Roanhorse will be fine. It appears her identification of the poison was right on the money. We pumped out her stomach in time, and the contents have been sent to toxicology already. She’s on oxygen to help her breathe right now, but that’s not unusual at this point. Dr. Natoni has had her admitted and wants her hospitalized for at least a day.”

  Ella had a feeling Carolyn wouldn’t be too pleased about that. “When can I see her?”

  “She’s in Room One-oh-four. I’m sure it’ll be okay if you stop by. Just don’t stay too long.”

  Ella went to her friend’s room. Carolyn looked up at her from the bed, tired and weak, but the gleam in her eye told Ella that nothing had dampened her fighting spirit.

  “If I catch the s.o.b. who did this, he’ll end up on one of my stainless steel couches,” Carolyn whispered.

  “I’ll track him or her down,” Ella assured her friend. “Tell me, who knew you’d ordered that slice of pecan pie?”