Coyote's Wife (10 page)

“I see your reasoning,” Ella said. “So if you had to take a guess …” She let the sentence hang.

He thought about it some more, tapping his pencil on the corner of the desk. “There’s only one person I know about that Ervin flat out considers his enemy,” he
said, then suddenly his eyes widened. “Whoa, forget I said that.”

“I can’t do that, but I’ll do my best to keep what you say under wraps.”

“I like my job here, so I’ll hold you to that.” He expelled his breath in a hiss, then at last nodded. “It’s just a mother-in-law thing, I’m sure, but six months ago things got really tense between Ervin and Abigail. In fact, Abigail threatened to pull out
of StarTalk and take her money with her. Thing is, without her financial support, StarTalk would have gone belly-up.”

“Do you know what led to that?”

“Pretty much. I sat in on most of that meeting. Abigail wanted a statewide push for StarTalk. She said that there are lots of rural New Mexican communities, especially in the mountains, that are in the same fix as we are—no reliable phone service.
She wanted to expand our operations the second we got our first contract. Ervin thought we’d overextend the company and it would be a disaster. Barbara was trying to get both of them to settle down and reach some halfway compromise. Me and the other supervisors were finally asked to leave, because things were really getting intense between the executives. The doors here are pretty solid, but we
all heard them yelling at each other. Everyone listened, because our jobs would have been history if Abigail pulled out.”

“Unofficially, did you side with Ervin or Abigail on the issue?”

“I could see Ervin’s point. It’s not that I think Abigail’s wrong. It’s her timing I have a problem with. It might be a great idea to go statewide in a few years, but right now we have our hands full here just
trying to get things off the ground. Barbara stays late almost every night doing the number crunching, and Ervin works overtime promoting StarTalk. Everyone has been working impossibly long hours. Even our receptionist seldom quits before eight at night, handling and directing calls in and out of the warehouse.”

Toby’s desk phone rang and he picked it up, signaling Ella to wait. After a few seconds
he placed the caller on hold, and glanced back at her. “I’ve got to take this. It’s from our factory in Mexico. They’re the ones manufacturing our custom-designed phones. I’ve already told you everything I know. How about letting me get back to work?”

Ella nodded, started to walk out, then stopped and turned her head as he reached for the phone. “How long did Patrick work here?”

Toby placed
his hand over the receiver. “I can’t remember. All I know for sure is that George Charley, the man who died in that woodcutting accident yesterday, was the one who took over for him. If you need dates, ask Barbara. She oversees the personnel records and will be able to answer your question.”

Ella left the warehouse office and walked back to the main building, considering this new lead and wondering
just how far coincidences could stretch. The guy who’d taken over for the troublemaker was now dead—and that, while driving Ervin’s flashy new pickup. Ella knew they’d be paying Patrick Tsosie a visit next.

Justine came out from one of the supervisor’s offices just then. “I’ve spoken to the office manager and the warehouse
supervisor. But there’s also the marketing director, Toby Wallace. Did
you get him?”

“Yes, and now I need to find out how long Patrick Tsosie worked here. Turns out George Charley was his replacement at StarTalk.”

Barbara, whose office door was open, overheard Ella and called out in her high-pitched voice, “I can give you those dates, Detective Clah.”

Ella walked inside Barbara’s office, Justine following. Despite the title of vice president on the door, this
office was no more plush than the one assigned to Toby. It had a computer, a simple desk, and two vinyl chairs.

Barbara switched computer screens then glanced at Ella. “Patrick Tsosie worked for us six weeks and three days.”

“Thanks,” Ella said, then in a casual tone added, “Your husband sure got lucky missing out on that wood gathering trip yesterday with George Charley.”

Barbara nodded somberly.
“It didn’t really hit me until I got a look at the company pickup over at your impound yard. I really feel for George’s poor wife.”

“Were Ervin and George friends?” Ella asked. Barbara’s high-pitched voice was grating, but Ella worked hard not to let it distract her.

“Ervin never met him before he came to work for us. But everyone in this company knows each other and we’re not stuck on titles
here,” Barbara said.

“Whose idea was it to go get firewood?”

“Ervin’s, I think. He loves the scent of piñon in our fireplace and he was just itching to try out that new chain saw. But they were halfway there when Ervin got a call from Toby about a shipment that came in with the wrong equipment. Ervin had to come back, but told George to go on ahead.” Barbara sighed loudly. “My husband sure feels
guilty about
that now. Ervin thinks that maybe if he’d been there, the accident would have never happened, or at the very least, he could have given George some first aid and driven him to a clinic.”

“Who else knew where Ervin was going, and that he was forced to come back early?” Ella asked.

“That’s an odd question.”

“Just trying to cover all the details,” Ella replied. “Who knew?”

Barbara
shrugged. “My mother and I knew where Ervin was going, along with everyone here that morning. Almost all of us heard when he came back, too, because of that problem with the shipment. It really ticked him off.” She paused for several long moments. “Ervin works really hard. He’s our show horse. He’s smooth, pretty to look at, and makes a great presentation. He’s got a real way with people. Our suppliers
and clients all love him. That’s why it’s so hard for him to get away.”

“Thanks,” Ella said, then excused herself as Barbara went to answer her phone.

As Justine and she headed out of the building, Ella said, “Patrick Tsosie is our first solid suspect. Although Toby thinks otherwise, I know that some drunks can be incredibly clever.”

“I’ll get his address from Dispatch,” Justine replied.

“Also, I’d like to find out how Abigail and Ervin settled that dispute on expanding company operations,” Ella added, explaining what she’d learned. “Abigail has a reputation for never backing down when she wants something, so there’s probably more to that story. There are a lot of ways to put pressure on someone, and I can’t see her letting Ervin flat-out win.”

“Abigail’s hard on a lot of people,
but her own life
hasn’t been a picnic,” Justine said quietly as they headed for the tribal SUV. “If Abigail hadn’t been one major hard-ass, she wouldn’t have made it.”

Surprised to hear her partner defending Abigail, Ella turned to look at Justine. “What’s going on? What haven’t you told me?”

Justine said nothing for several long moments. When she finally spoke it was slowly, and with effort.
“About five months ago, my mom and dad got themselves in a real financial bind. My sisters and I helped out, but it wasn’t nearly enough.”

“That was about the time your mother had to stop working?”

Justine nodded. “Her medical expenses were all met by the tribe, but fear about what would happen—whether her cancer would go into remission or not—ate Dad alive. He went a little crazy and began
to gamble up at that casino on the Ute Rez. He ended up owing a chunk of money, much more than he could ever pay back. Then collectors started coming around,” Justine said in a taut voice.

Justine paused for a long moment before continuing. When she finally did, her voice was resolute and controlled. “My sister Jayne went to Abigail and she loaned us the money to cover the debt. Things settled
down at home after that, and Mom’s health improved. Jayne and I have been paying Abigail back a little at a time, but she’s refused to charge us any interest. She said that everyone gets in the hole from time to time.”

To Ella, it was clear that Abigail Yellowhair had put her partner in the position of owing her a favor.

As if reading her mind, Justine nodded, slipping behind the wheel. “Yeah,
I know what you’re thinking. She wanted me indebted to her. But her kindness won’t cut her any slack during an investigation and she knows that,” Justine said
firmly. “But back to what you said. I think Abigail would do whatever she thought would ultimately benefit her daughter. Blood’s blood, Ella. We’d all do that.”

“So what do you think happened?”

“My guess is that Barbara and Abigail reached
a compromise of some sort. Abigail and she share the title of V.P., after all, though Abigail doesn’t even have a formal office on site. But I’ll see what I can find out using a back door. Jayne and Barbara went to school together and are friends,” Justine added, switching on the ignition.

Ella nodded but didn’t comment. Although she was sure Justine would never compromise her work for anyone
or anything, the connection between Justine and Abigail Yellowhair bothered her.

Justine called Dispatch and received Patrick Tsosie’s address. He’d been arrested before, so she was also able to get a description from records. As they started backing out of the parking space, Abigail drove through the main gate, the gleam of her luxury SUV attesting to a recent wash and wax.

Justine stopped
and waited for the vehicle to pass behind them. Without even glancing in their direction, Abigail continued on, and parked in the empty slot by the main entrance. As Abigail got out of her vehicle, Justine started to back out once again.

Just then a large object came flying over the wall facing the street. Catching a fleeting glimpse of the projectile, Ella yelled to Abigail, “Duck!”

The object
hit the asphalt less than three feet from Abigail’s SUV and burst, splattering a thick red liquid all over the vehicle—and Abigail.

As Justine hit the brakes, Ella jumped out of their cruiser, and raced to the wall. Barbed wire was strung at the top so she couldn’t climb over easily, but she was able to grab the top of the blocks and do a chin-up. A blue older-model
Chevy pickup was racing away
to her left, its license plate obscured with either mud or dirt. Someone in a green shirt was sitting or crouched in the bed of the truck, obviously the individual who’d thrown the water balloon or whatever.

When she jumped back down, Justine was crouching next to what appeared to be a plastic trash bag. From the odor Ella realized the red liquid was paint.

“They were too far away for me to
get much of a description,” Ella said. “What have you got?”

“A paint bomb,” Justine said. “Whatever happened to water balloons, or eggs?” she added, watching where she put her feet. “But it smells like latex, so it should wash off with water, providing it’s not allowed to dry overnight.”

Abigail stormed over to where they were, speckles of paint splattered over her carefully applied makeup and
wool jacket. “Now you’ve seen for yourselves what we’ve been going through. It’s just maliciousness, plain and simple, but it’s getting costly. You saw who did it, so what are you still doing here? Go arrest them.”

“By the time I got to the top of wall, they’d already reached the corner, too far away for a clear look,” Ella answered. “All I saw was a blue Chevy pickup with a guy wearing a green
shirt in the back. The license plate was obscured—deliberately, no doubt.”

Ella turned to look back at the wall. “Do any of your security cameras cover the street?”

Abigail glared at her. “No. But we didn’t expect to be under attack. I don’t care how you do it, but take care of this problem. You understand me? I’ve had it with these jokers. If I have to hire my own investigators because you
can’t handle this, I promise you that everyone from the top down will hear about it. I have a
very
loud voice.”

As Abigail spun around and went inside, Ella glanced
over at Justine. “Any chance that we can get prints off the bag?”

“I’ll have to wait for it to dry and hope there’s a spot that the paint didn’t cover,” Justine said.

Justine walked back to the unit, then returned with a cardboard
box. After putting on latex gloves, she examined the torn bag carefully, then picked it up, and set it into the box. Paint dripped everywhere.

The vandalism incidents were escalating and Ella wondered what would happen when those responsible realized that their campaign wasn’t working. Violence was usually the next step. But maybe that had already happened. George Charley had been driving Ervin’s
truck and had worked for StarTalk.

“After we talk to Patrick Tsosie, I need you to go to the impound yard and check out the Benally’s Dodge pickup one more time,” Ella told Justine. “See if it might have been tampered with while George was cutting wood. Also, remember the set of footprints we found just a short distance from the truck? Narrow down the list of suspects to just StarTalk employees
and see what turns up. There’s a lot happening beneath the surface of this company.”

“All right. I’ll get on that. I’ll also check back with Barbara and see who took off for a few hours that day.”

“Let me know the moment you have something.”

“Gut feeling?” Justine asked her.

“Big-time.”