Death Walker (40 page)

“He’s one crazy Navajo. He should have stayed in Nevada with his father.”

“What can you tell me about him?”

“I know that his mother is Navajo and his father is an Anglo card dealer at some casino in Lake Tahoe or Reno. His mother and father
divorced a few years back, when Anton was in his twenties. Some say Anton’s been on his own since he was seven. His parents never paid any attention to him unless he got into trouble.”

“Have you met Lewis?”

“Nah, the only ones who come into contact with him are his followers and the people who attend that Christian church on the Rez. Lewis gets his rabble to stand in the road or in front of
the doors and block the way to the church services. He makes a big pain out of himself.”

“Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.”

Ella checked in with the dispatcher on the way back to the station, then was patched through to Justine. “What progress have you made?” Ella asked.

“I’ve narrowed it down some. My calls to the tribal government led to a few cars that had come in for servicing.
I went to the garage, but none had front-end damage like we’re looking for. I then arranged for several departments to have their supervisors check each car for exterior damage as it’s driven in tomorrow. They’ll call us if they find anything. Last of all, I finally received permission to check the fleet vehicles the college uses. The campus is going to be my next stop.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

Justine gave her directions to the assigned area where the vehicles were parked. “Just drive up to the fence behind the library. I’ll be there by the time you arrive.”

“Expect me in thirty,” Ella said and increased her speed. The transit times were starting to wear on her. With Peterson on the loose, she knew there was little time to lose. Somehow she felt certain that the promise he’d made in
his letter of another murder was not part of a mind game, but rather a very real possibility.

Ella stayed on the paved roads. It was after lunchtime, and the heat was oppressive enough to have made the roads almost deserted. People had a tendency to stay indoors when it was in the one-hundred-degree range.

Ella saw the distortions of objects nearby as heat seemed to shimmer off the pavement
and rise up in curling waves. Poor Justine was probably cursing the investigation and Peterson Yazzie by now. Extremes in heat did little to improve anyone’s mood.

Ella drummed her fingers on the wheel, reviewing the case and listening to radio calls as she drove. She had to get a lead to Peterson soon. She had a feeling he was frantically trying to locate his remaining followers. The murders
might have all been intended to keep her distracted while he escaped and regrouped his people.

That thought sent a shudder up her spine. She was no coward, but a fight with skinwalkers would always involve the trickery and illusion that were so much a part of their arsenal. As much as she hated to admit it, those things unnerved her deeply. She preferred cleaner fights, where toughness and skill
determined the winner.

As she arrived at the college, Ella followed Justine’s directions and met her at the parking lot.

Justine opened the gate for her and led her to the cars. “I’ve got the first row done. The secretary couldn’t remember any vehicles reported as being in an accident, but their computer is down. Since there aren’t that many, I figured that I’d go through these one at a time
and search for damage or attempts to fix or cover up something.”

“I’ll take the second row while you take the third, and we’ll finish the lot twice as quickly,” Ella said.

“I’ve also got some other news,” Justine said as they worked. “There was nothing particularly relevant about the rope used on Morgan, or the knots, or anything along those lines, but I did find one interesting thing about
the chloroform. I suppose one could mail order it, but I found out that there are a couple of places that keep it on hand around here.

“One is the high school science lab. They’ve had one bottle for years. They don’t tend to use it very much anymore. The teacher checked, and no one’s tampered with it. Then I went by the Math and Science building here on campus, but I couldn’t get hold of anyone.
I figured I’d try again later.”

“Wilson’s the chairperson of the math and science department. I’ll be happy to pay him a visit once we finish here.”

Justine smiled.

“What’s that grin for?” Ella asked.

“He really likes you. And if any civilian understands the demands of our job, he does. You should give him a break.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “I socialize with him more than with anyone else.”

“Which isn’t saying much, from what I’ve heard,” she teased.

“When was
your
last date?”

“I came across Furman Brownhat about an hour ago, and we had some iced tea in the student center. We talked about the case a little. He didn’t have much to say, except that he’d seen you here the other day.”

“That was when I visited Wilson Joe.” Ella lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

After several quiet
moments, Justine glanced over at Ella. “By the way, don’t worry about my relationship with Furman, okay? I’m friendly with him, but it’s not like we’re dating. I try to make sure he feels comfortable around me, but that’s just part of the job.”

“It’s a hard line to walk,” Ella observed.

“Yes, but I can handle it.”

“Out of curiosity, when was your last real date, Justine?”

Justine considered
Ella’s question. “I can’t remember. Gee, boss, thanks for depressing me.”

“If you say that around my mother, she’ll fix you up before you can blink an eye.” Ella bent over the front of one of the cars in her row, searching for damage.

“Remind me not to,” Justine said with a wry smile.

Ella walked down to a white sedan parked two empty spaces away from the others, next to the fence. She edged
against the fence, studying the front end. “Bingo. I’ve got something here.”

Justine joined her and noted the extensive damage to the right front of the vehicle. The hood and front fender had been dented, and half the plastic grille on that side was broken away. The signal light cover and headlamp trim were missing as well. “This car certainly hit something, and it wasn’t another car, or we’d
see smudges of the other car’s paint somewhere.”

“Have it towed in and find out who drives it,” Ella said. “Also, see if any of the front-end fragments we recovered match the damage here. If it turns out to be the wrong car, we’ll return it, but I don’t want to leave it here unguarded another second.”

Justine nodded. “I’ll get on this right away. It shouldn’t take me too long to get a comparison
done on the paint from this car and the chips from Haske’s clothing. If you okay it, I can have a courier get on a flight out of Farmington to Albuquerque.”

“Have Blalock put a rush on it like before. They’ll give it top priority then.”

Ella watched as Justine called the information in, then glanced at her watch. “I’ll meet you back at our office later. I’ve got several people to see.”

Ella
took a few steps, then turned and came back to look at the damage closely. After a moment, she stood up and waved to Justine, who was still at her car.

Justine ran back to join her. “What did you find?”

Ella pointed to the damaged bumper. “See those circles where water droplets dried up? It hasn’t rained in this area since the murder.”

“Maybe the car was driven past a sprinkler,” Justine speculated.

“Or washed off with a hose.” Ella got down on her hands and knees and looked up under the front of the damaged area. “Here it is,” she exclaimed.

“What are you looking at?” Justine got down beside her and peered up.

Ella pointed to several dark drops that had been washed down from above but had not fallen off the car completely. “These look like blood that the Packrat hastily tried to wash off
the car. Make sure you get a good sample of this to check before the vehicle is towed. I don’t want to lose it in a scrape or a puddle.” Ella stood and brushed the grit off her slacks. “I have a feeling this is Haske’s blood.”

While Justine stayed behind to collect the dried droplets into an evidence container, Ella drove to Wilson Joe’s office. Although lab science wasn’t one of his courses,
he would be able to get the information they needed faster than if she went through channels. She found him walking down the hall as she went around a curve.

“Coming from or going to class?” she asked.

“Coming from,” Wilson said. “It’s good to see you. But am I ever going to get to see you when we’re both alone?”

Ella glanced in both directions. “We’re alone now.”

“I mean really alone, for
more than twelve seconds,” he answered as another member of the staff strode quickly past them. “One of these days, I’d like to take you to dinner or a movie.”

“And one of these days I’d love to have a chance to go,” she answered with a wistful smile.

“But right now, you’re in a rush for something,” he observed. “What’s going on?”

“I need you to check and see if you have chloroform in the lab
or storeroom. If you do, I want you to verify that all your bottles are accounted for.”

“You need this right away?”

“It would help. Can you manage it?”

“Sure. Let’s go. I have a key to the storage room.”

A few moments later, after a walk around the circular hall to the other side of the building, they reached a room the size of a large walk-in closet, blocked off by a half door.
CHEMICAL STORAGE
read the sign overhead, and there were various other warning signs as required by the fire marshal.

Wilson flipped on the lights, then glanced around. “Here is the inventory list,” he said. He stopped to check it, then walked along the metal shelves stocked with reagent bottles until he reached the end of one row. “We’re supposed to have five bottles on hand, but there are only three.”

Ella
glanced at the shelf below. “Here’s another one, misplaced. That’s four, so you’re still one short.”

Ella and Wilson searched all the shelves. Fifteen minutes later, they hadn’t turned up the missing bottle.

“I’m afraid it’s not here. Of course, it could just be an error on the inventory, but we’re all usually quite precise about this. It’s an occupational trait, you know,” Wilson added with
a tiny smile.

“You asked about the murders before. Now let me ask you a question. Is there any kind of professional jealousy among the staff?”

Wilson looked shocked. “I’m surprised at your question. I’ve never encountered a more pleasant work environment than this one. The competition that’s so prevalent in most colleges is totally absent here. There’s a spirit of cooperation that is so—well,
Navajo.”

“It’s not a reflection on the staff. I’m simply trying to determine who might have had something against the victims.”

“Professor Morgan was well liked by everyone here. I’ve never even heard students complain about her. She went out of her way to be fair to everyone. Those who flunked her classes did so because they didn’t work. She was always available to anyone, staff or student,
who needed her,” Wilson replied staunchly.

“That piece in the tribal paper this morning, have you seen it?” Wilson added.

Ella tried not to cringe. “Which one are you referring to?”

“The editorial. They’re really pushing the common denominator, that all the victims were experts in Navajo culture, and that the People are under attack. Groups are getting together, ready to fight. Many feel that
this is the biggest threat to our people in a hundred and fifty years.”

“Vigilantes are the last thing I need. An article like that could incite people to go off half-cocked, and maybe spur the killer to find another quick victim. When the press starts putting their speculations in print, it always causes trouble.”

“Is it speculation?” Wilson asked. “I’d say it’s a sound hypothesis.”

“The crimes
have been carefully staged. That’s not general knowledge, but it’s true. Roughly what that means is that someone is trying very hard to manipulate people’s thinking.”

Wilson gave Ella a long, thoughtful look. “I’ve seen the response to that article. You’re right about major trouble brewing. People are starting to lose faith in the police and are thinking that they have to defend themselves.”

“You’re in a unique position to help the college and the community as a leader. Ask people to stay cool and levelheaded and to avoid undue speculation. Encourage your students to really think about their actions and not to go off half-cocked.”

“I can try,” Wilson answered carefully, “but young people aren’t known for their infinite patience. The only answer is for your department to solve the
case quickly.”

“We’re bringing all our resources to bear on this case. I expect to have a break very soon. Remember, my own family is on the line.”

Wilson walked Ella back to her car. “I’ve heard about the guards posted around people considered to be at risk. Some of them really resent it, are you aware of that?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “Old Samuel Pete and Herman Cloud took it as a personal
affront, a verification that you believe they’re too old to take care of themselves.”

“They’ll calm down, and when they think about it they’ll see it has nothing to do with their age. I also have one on Victor Charlie, and he’s younger than I am.”

“So that’s how Jaime Beyale of the tribal paper knew about it. Victor works for her. She said in one of her editorials that there’s got to be a better
way for the police to handle this crisis than imprisoning innocent people in their homes and letting the criminals go free.”

Ella rolled her eyes. “Oh, terrific. Just what I needed. Peterson Yazzie is probably laughing his fool head off.”

“And there are other letters in there, too, that essentially say what’s on most people’s minds. Every time one of our cultural leaders is killed, it triggers
more casualties of some kind.”

Wilson paused thoughtfully, then continued. “It doesn’t matter if there really is a connection or not, you know. If the Navajo people lose their culture through this attrition, we really will cease to exist as a tribe. All we’ll have is a lost history, and fading memories that cannot be restored.”