Coyote's Wife (8 page)

“Mo-o-o-m!” Dawn said, poking her in the ribs. “Mrs. Lee asked you a question.”

Ella looked at the young Navajo mother sitting across from her at the table and smiled. “I’m sorry. My mind drifted. Ask again?”

“I was just saying that it must be difficult to be a mom and have a demanding career like yours.”

“It is,” Ella said. “But I’ve got a great kid,” she added, looking down at
Dawn, who stared at the plate, embarrassed.

As Ella leaned back on the bench, she saw the woman again. This time she was at the outside exit doors looking in at the displays, and Ella was able to get a clearer look. She was around Ella’s weight and height, which was unusually tall for a Navajo woman, and had shoulder-length black hair with reddish highlights.

Ella was still trying to remember
where she’d seen the woman before when Dawn tugged at her sleeve. “Come on, Mom. It’s time to go over to the displays. Wait until you see how cool everything looks!”

As they bussed their trays, Ella reasoned that the woman
was undoubtedly a parent—maybe someone pressed for time who’d skipped lunch to peek in at her kid’s project. Why else would anyone hang around?

“Where’s the school’s security
guard? I haven’t seen him today,” Ella asked Dawn.

“Mr. Vigil? He’s usually in the parking lots during lunch, watching cars, or looking for kids who’ve sneaked out from the playground. Did you want to see him right
now?
It’s eleven-thirty and you still haven’t looked at the projects yet.”

Hearing the exasperation in her daughter’s voice, Ella smiled. “It’ll wait. I hadn’t seen him, so I wondered.”

They crossed the former gym to the side where the science projects had been set up, and Dawn proudly walked to her own, just below the stage. Three foam-backed posterboard sections stood in a self-supporting U shape. All were filled with photos of Dawn’s pony and hand-lettered charts with data. The header, on a piece that connected the two side pieces in slots, read A
NIMAL
B
EHAVIOR
—T
EACHING A
H
ORSE A
T
RICK
.

The display included photos of Dawn with Wind and the different types of treats she’d used. Each was listed under R
EWARD
V
ARIABLES
. Ella noted with a chuckle that at one time Wind had turned down marshmallows, Dawn’s favorite treat.

“This came out fabulous, daughter! You kept great records—even recording the time of day and the weather, knowing that those factors affect horses and
they can behave differently then. I’m so proud of you!” Ella said, beaming at her. “I especially like your attention to detail.”

“Details are important. You told me that, remember? I want to be a police detective, too, when I grow up,” she said, smiling happily.

Ella felt a bittersweet tug hearing Dawn say that. It was
flattering to know that her daughter admired her. On the other hand, she’d
hoped to see Dawn in a career that would give her a greater measure of safety and a more secure future. But she was worrying needlessly. Dawn was very young, and she’d change her mind a zillion times between now and then.

“Your hard work really shows,” Ella said.

“Thanks for taking the photos and checking my spelling and sentences, Mom. My teacher complimented me on my English and grammar, too.”

Just then one of the teacher/parent judging teams approached, congratulated Dawn, and handed her a red ribbon for second place. Dawn smiled, held it up so Ella could see it, then put it up on the display with a tack.

As the judges continued down the line, Dawn looked at Ella. “Maybe I would have come in first if I’d done my project on native plants, like Mrs. Mendoza suggested, but you’ve always
said I should do what’s right for me.
Shimasání
loves plants and would have helped me out, I know, but I love horses more!” she said with a happy shrug.

Ella chuckled softly. She had no reason to worry. Dawn would eventually choose the career that was right for her. Her kid was an individualist, and chances were that wouldn’t change. Although that thought gave her some measure of comfort, a part
of her continued to worry. Dawn, a police officer …No, on second thought, she couldn’t see Dawn in any job where she had to take orders. Hopefully, becoming a rap star would never be on the list.

“Congratulations again, daughter! I’m very proud of you! We’ll celebrate soon, I promise, but now I’ve got to get back to work.” Looking toward the twin outside doors and seeing the same woman she’d
seen before still hanging around, Ella gave Dawn a quick kiss and hurried out.

“Bye, Mom,” Dawn called out, then turned to talk about her project to some parents who’d come up to admire her photos.

Once outside, Ella discovered the woman was nowhere in sight. Taking it as a good sign, Ella walked toward the tribal SUV, halfway across the lot. As she reached the row where she was parked, Ella
saw the shadow of someone standing around the other side of her unit, beside the door.

Ella’s muscles tensed and her senses went on full alert. Automatically she reached up and felt the badger fetish. It was cool to the touch—a good sign.

Standing still for a second, she studied the woman’s reflection in the passenger’s side mirror and concluded that she wasn’t armed. In that tight sweater and
close-fitting jeans, anything larger than a set of keys would have been obvious. Ella breathed easier, but remained on her guard as she walked around the front of the vehicle and met with her.

“I’ve been wanting to speak with you,” the woman announced.

“Well, now’s your chance. Do I know you from someplace? You look a little familiar.” Ella responded casually.

“I was a patrol officer in the
tribal department and we used to pass each other every once in a while when my shift began. We were never introduced, as I recall.”

Ella remained on her guard, trusting the instinct that told her to expect trouble. “I guess not. Is there something I can do for you?…”

“Roxanne. I’m Roxanne Dixon,” she answered.

“So how can I help you, Roxanne?”

Roxanne smiled, but the expression never reached
her eyes. The only thing shining there was a cold, almost lethal intent. “I’m dating Kevin.”

Ella stared at her for a moment, but when Roxanne didn’t say anything else, answered, “Well, congratulations.
That means you probably know that Kevin and I have separate lives and we haven’t been a couple for years. We’re dating whom we choose now. So what do you want with me?”

“I know that you two stay
in contact because of Dawn, so I thought you could help me out. I accidentally misplaced Kevin’s new home number after he moved, and I need to get in touch with him.” She brought out a small pad and a pen from her jacket pocket, then looked at Ella expectantly.

Ella was still getting bad vibes about the woman, and Kevin was a lawyer. Maybe this was some kind of scam, or an attempt to track down
and harass Kevin on some legal issue. Whatever the reason, Roxanne had used Dawn to track her down, and that didn’t sit well with Ella.

“I’ll be glad to pass your message on next time I talk to him, but neither of us gives out personal information without the other’s permission,” Ella said, opening the driver’s door.

“So you’re refusing to give me his number?” Roxanne said, her voice a rough
whisper.

“It’s not personal, so please don’t take it that way. I never give out anyone’s private phone number. But if you really need to speak with Kevin, just call the tribal offices in D.C. I’d bet he’s there until late every night.”

“I need to discuss something personal with him and I’d rather not interfere with his work at the office. Just give me a break, okay? His home number?”

“I’ll
tell you what. He’ll be calling tonight to ask my daughter about the science fair. I’ll tell him we spoke and ask him to contact you right away,” Ella said, then added, “Does your child have an exhibit at the gym?”

“No. I don’t have any kids. I just came to look at your daughter’s project. Kevin will want to know all about it, and that she was awarded a red ribbon.”

“I prefer that my daughter
be the one who gives him the
news, actually,” Ella said coldly. “Our meeting here is now over. If you have no business being on school grounds, I suggest you leave.”

Roxanne’s eyes grew hard. “I’m here as a
friend
—not an enemy. Get over yourself.” Without another word, she turned and strode to a large, green four-door pickup parked two rows over.

Ella remained where she was until the truck left
the school grounds, then went back inside to find Dawn. She saw her daughter still beside her project, talking to some of the parents.

Dawn spotted Ella the second she entered the big room, and waved. Ella went to join her daughter and listened as she explained her project to the visitors.

While Ella waited, she watched the doors, making sure that Roxanne hadn’t come back. When the parents moved
on, Ella stepped close to Dawn. “I spoke to a lady outside by the name of Roxanne Dixon,” Ella said, giving Dawn a description. “If she ever approaches you, I want you to call one of the teachers
immediately.
Then ask the teacher to call me, okay? I don’t want that woman around you.”

“Sure, but I don’t remember anyone with that name,” Dawn said. “Should I?”

“No. But remember what I’ve told you,
okay? It’s important.”

“Okay.”

As another group of parents approached Dawn’s table, Ella went back outside. She strolled around the parking lot for a few minutes, but the four-door green pickup was nowhere to be seen.

Ella found Mr. Vigil, the school guard, alerted him, and then the office staff. At long last she returned to her SUV and began the drive back to the station. On the way, Ella
dialed Justine.

“Have you ever heard of Roxanne Dixon? She’s supposed to have been one of ours,” Ella said.

“Yeah, I remember Roxanne. If I recall right, she left the department about a year ago, something about anger management issues. I might be able to get you more information off the record, but it would mostly be gossip,” Justine said. “Personnel files are sealed unless a tribal employee
is under formal investigation.”

“I know. Ask around and see what you get, but make sure you keep it under the radar for now.”

Ella hung up, lost in thought. Things weren’t adding up right. If Roxanne and Kevin were dating, or had dated in the recent past, how come Kevin hadn’t mentioned her before when they were together with Dawn? And why hadn’t he stayed in touch with her after he moved to
Washington? Had Kevin experienced her “anger management issues” firsthand?

Knowing how Big Ed felt about guarding the privacy of his officers, her chances of taking a look at Dixon’s file without a legal reason were almost zero. The fact that Roxanne had been at Dawn’s science fair to try and push for Kevin’s personal number wouldn’t be enough.

Better to go through Justine and talk to Kevin
later on as well, or send him an e-mail once she got home. And later, if she got any indication that Roxanne could pose a danger to Dawn, Ella knew Big Ed wouldn’t hesitate to help. He might not actually let her look at Roxanne’s file, but she was sure he’d at least brief her on Dixon’s history with the department.

As she arrived at the station, Ella met Justine in the hall.

“Good timing,” Justine
said. “Big Ed has called the Special Investigations Unit to his office.”

“Any idea what this is about?” Ella asked, falling into step beside her.

“Not a one,” she said.

A moment later, Ralph Tache met them out in the hall and they went inside Big Ed’s office. To her surprise, Sergeant Joe Neskahi was there, waiting.

They all sat down at Big Ed’s invitation. “I have good news,” he said, rocking
back in his chair. “The tribe has boosted the Special Investigations Unit’s budget—enough to put Sergeant Neskahi on your team.”

Ella was first to congratulate Neskahi, but according to Navajo customs, they didn’t shake hands. There was a hearty round of welcomes from the rest of her team, then the chief looked at each one of them.

“That was the good news. Now here’s the flip side. What tipped
the scales in our favor on that budget request was a push from Abigail Yellowhair. All of you know she has powerful friends in Window Rock. If truth be told, almost everyone owes Abigail a favor.”

“Me, too,” Ella admitted grudgingly. “She helped me find Kevin and Dawn after they were forced to go into hiding that time.”

Big Ed nodded. “She also got us funding for the SI team’s cell phones when
our radio communications were giving us fits. And now this StarTalk issue is coming to a head. Abigail, like others, wants our assurance that George Charley’s death wasn’t related to StarTalk in any way. Of course I couldn’t give it to her at this point. Your investigation isn’t complete, and I told her that. When she insisted we give the problems Benally has been having top priority, I explained
that the S.I. team was undermanned as it was. Next thing I knew we got the budget increase. Then I got a call from the tribal president demanding we give anything associated with StarTalk top priority. He, like others, is afraid that unless we get things under control—immediately—StarTalk could suffer.”

“We’ll do our best, chief,” Ella said.

“Stay active on the Charley death, but concentrate
your main efforts on Benally and the incidents surrounding him. It may be that we’ve got a bunch of low-rent hoods out to stir up trouble. If that’s the case, shut them down fast,” Big Ed said.

“Understood,” Ella said, then motioned for her team to follow her.

They met in Ella’s office minutes later. Joe Neskahi closed the door behind them and took a seat to the side of Ella’s desk.

“Joe, you
spoke to the people present at the chapter house meeting after I left, but I haven’t seen your report yet. I know about your conversation with the Benallys, but did you get any leads from anyone else that we can follow up?”

“
Hosteen
Nez didn’t know anything specific, but news of the problems at StarTalk has already spread. Word has it that Ervin’s starting to get worried. He’s convinced that
a traditionalist group of radicals is responsible, like with the nuclear power plant. He’s afraid of them and what they may be ultimately capable of doing,” Joe said.