The Valley of Dry Bones (25 page)

If, as Zeke suspected, the other man in the car was DEA, the two agencies were working together, meaning it wouldn't be long before the holdouts would be exposed. Even if Kaga and Yuma vouched for Doc and he was cleared of malpractice in Gaho's case, Kineks would pursue the religious harassment charge against Zeke and Pastor Bob until the entire group was banished from California.

When the taillights disappeared, Zeke gingerly extricated himself from the scrub. He couldn't let Kineks succeed. That Gaho had been found with Scripture in her hand when she died meant the holdouts could be on the verge of a real spiritual breakthrough with the Nuwuwu in spite
of Kineks. Kaga had invited Zeke and his friends back for the burial, and the old man and even his son, Yuma, would want that Scripture read at the Crying Service ritual.

What an impact that could have on the whole tribe!

But what would happen when Kineks showed up with officers from two federal agencies and discovered Zeke had just been there? Would she talk the agents into trying to find him before he got back to the compound? Or was she crafty enough to let the invitation stand and have them ambush Zeke and whatever friends he brought with him to the burial service the next night, Wednesday?

She didn't know he knew the agents were there, and the easy answer was to get back to the compound and not show up at the service. But that would be thumbing his nose at the invitation of the tribal leader to the burial of his own mother—and reading publicly the salvation verse that clearly meant so much to her. It would also mean sacrificing, out of fear, everything they had been working toward with the Nuwuwu. Could Zeke not trust God to protect them?

Of course he could, even if it required a bedfellow as strange as Willard the WatDoc.

“He who believes he is unworthy.”

That's who You were talking about!

Kineks and her federal agents would get to the Nuwuwu settlement long before Zeke would reach his compound. Even if Kaga and Yuma were wise enough not to tell her he had just been there, could they keep Zaltana from saying anything?

Kineks was likely angry enough to invent a story about why no relatives had returned with her, and she would make up another about why the agents had come. It would probably have something to do with legally documenting Gaho's death and properly disposing of the body, though she had never trusted the United States before. Why now?

Whatever she devised, Zeke only hoped it wouldn't cause her husband and her father-in-law to let down their guard and reveal that they had invited him and others from the compound to return for the Crying
Service. But he was kidding himself. Except for how long it took them to reveal the existence of the ancient Gaho, he had never known of a kept secret in that tiny community. Everyone knew everyone else's business, and if the adults didn't say anything, the irrepressible Zaltana would.

Zeke's best-case scenario was that if the agents did learn of his plan to return with friends, they would resist the urge to come looking for him and wait to ambush him when he arrived.

Against his better judgment, Zeke guzzled half a bottle of water and broke into a trot again. He was beyond exhaustion now, but he had to be proactive. He wasn't about to wait around to see whether he had to elude agents or hope to be rescued by his own people. It was time to get home.

Z
EKE NEARLY WEPT
when he realized he was standing atop the decline that led to the garage door of the compound. In his absence Doc would be in charge, and he had apparently made the wise decision to go dark. He had also undoubtedly sent out a search party, and whoever was left inside raised the periscopes only intermittently.

Still reluctant to announce himself orally over the walkie-talkie, Zeke switched it on and clicked it twice.

Almost immediately two clicks came in response and the two east-facing periscopes rose a couple of inches. Zeke apologetically waved wearily, hoping Alexis or Sasha was monitoring one of the scopes but knowing they would be immediately informed regardless.

The garage door began to rise and he started down the decline, but just as quickly his walkie-talkie squawked to life, the scopes sank back down, and the door stopped and reversed itself.

“You gotta be kiddin' me, Zeke!” Willard's voice came over the air. “What the heck'r you doin' all the way back over'n this area! Wasn't a half hour ago I run into some o' yer people and sent 'em hightailin' where y'all tol' me ya said ya's gon' be! If ya ain't there, where ya at?”

“Oh, no, WatDoc! Where are you?”

“Jes' sittin' here havin' a smoke, man. I sent my guys home.”

“You're comin' in loud and clear, so you've got to be close. Your engine running?”

“I'll turn it on an' hit the lights.”

Zeke ran away from the compound, knowing they could also hear him inside and would know to stay dark. At least they knew he was safe and was protecting the place, but they had to wonder why he and WatDoc sounded so chummy.

“You need to pick me up,” he said, “and we need to catch my people before they get there. Who was it?”

“I don't know 'em, man. Three foreigners in a Rover. They was all with ya the other day. Oriental guy and the Mexican couple. Purty suspicious o' me, I kin tell ya that. Can't blame 'em, but I tol' 'em what you said to tell 'em.”

“I hear your engine, I don't see you. Flash your lights or something.”

“I'll cut a cookie.”

“There you are. I'm at six o'clock.”

“I'm comin'.”

Zeke jumped aboard and Willard raced off toward the Nuwuwu.

“If you saw them half an hour ago, they've got to be there by now.”

“Maybe not. I seen 'em quite a ways east.”

“That's good.”

“So, what's with the change o' plans?”

Zeke shrugged. “Didn't think it all the way through.”

“So you live back there somewheres, eh?”

Zeke hesitated but knew he was going to have to start trusting Willard if he ever expected the same in return. “Yeah.”

“Yer secret's safe with me, man. I won't do ya no harm.”

“I hope not. A lot of people depend on me.”

“Lemme tell ya somethin', Zeke. You can have worse guys on yer side. You got no idea how much help I kin be.”

“Good to know.” Over the next several minutes, as Willard guided the big tanker over the rough terrain, Zeke brought him up to speed.

“Oh, man!” Willard said. “You know who that blond guy is?”

“How would I?”

“He's the guy who's in my pocket. Least I got that on him. I heard o' Fritz but never met 'im. None of them Injuns like me, but the one yer talkin' 'bout, she owes me 'cause I run her over to Parker yesterday. Anyways, we got to get yer people outta there and keep them feds from even seein' you, right?”

“That possible?”

“Ever'thing's possible, Zeke. First, I don't want nobody knowin' we're even there. I'll kill the lights 'fore I get near the place, then I'll roll up short an' see where they're parked. Then we'll stash you someplace where yer people kin pick you up on their way back.”

“How're you going to get them free of the feds? They might have already arrested them.”

“What they gonna charge 'em with, that religious stuff? Where they gonna put 'em out here in the middle o' nowhere? More likely they want you and that doctor, so they'll be tryin' to force yer people to give up you and yer compound.”

“They won't get anywhere with that.”

“'Specially not when I get through with 'em. Give me somethin' I can say or show yer people so they know I'm talkin' fer you. I'll tell 'em where to find you and I'll distract the feds till they get outta there.”

“How're you gonna do that, Willard?”

“You jes' watch.”

“I'm going to be where I can watch?”

“Maybe. First I'm gonna have me some fun with their car. Then I'm gonna tell 'em I was jes' with you and can lead 'em right to ya. By time they figger out an' fix what's wrong with the car and then follow me the whole wrong direction, you'll be home with yer family.”

“Sounds risky.”

“Risky's my middle name, man. Well, really DeWayne is, but you know what I mean. Okay, here we go.”

Willard turned off his lights as they rolled to within sight of the Nuwuwu settlement, then shifted into neutral, turned off the engine, and
let the rig roll about a hundred yards to about a quarter mile from the site. “There they are.”

The government-issue sedan sat next to the Land Rover.

“Here's where I wish we was wearin' moccasins, am I right?” Willard said, slapping Zeke's knee.

Hilarious
.

“What can I write on?” Zeke said. Willard leaned over him and pulled an order pad and pen from the glove box. “I need a little light, something that won't be seen from down there.”

“Overhead's gonna come on when we jump out, but that'll only be fer a second. Lemme see.” He rummaged deeper in the glove compartment and found a flashlight. “Jes' keep it pointed down.”

“Okay, where am I gonna be?”

“Well, first yer gonna be with me an' we're gonna see what we can see an' hear. If they're meetin' in the tribal hut, which looks like the only one with a fire goin', see?”

Zeke leaned close to the windshield and looked across a dusty plain. “You're right.”

“After I mess with their car we oughta be able to hear what's goin' on in there. Then you git down there past the last hut on the right and wait about thirty yards back in them mounds o' dirt where they was tryin' to plant last year.”

“You think the Rover can get in there?”

“It kin can go past there. All's you gotta do is show yerself when they come by, and then yer gone. If I do my job, the G-men'll be lookin' under the hood by then or followin' me the wrong way.”

Zeke held the flashlight between his knees and the pad near the floor-board. He printed in small, neat lettering:

Will explain later, but on the lives of Alexis and Sasha, you can trust WatDoc. Follow his lead. Look for me past the last hut to the northwest. I'll emerge from the dirt mounds when I hear you coming. Just open the left rear door. Then straight back to the compound. Z
.

As they made their way across the plain toward the cars at the end of the settlement, Zeke whispered, “You need to promise me something.”

“Sure.”

“If this works, I want you to visit us at our compound.”

“What, you serious?”

“I am.”

“Knowin' who I am and what I done?”

“I think so.”

“Even to yer vehicles?”

“That was pretty obvious.”

“And to one o' yer people?”

“You left a lot of tracks, Willard.”

“That was me, personal.”

“You could've killed her.”

“Thought I did at first. Didn't mean to, but I had cause.”

“What's that mean?”

“You got a rat inside. More'n one.”

Zeke stopped. “You trust me enough yet to tell me more?”

“Now's not the time, but I kin tell you it ain't any of the three here.”

“And we'd better keep moving.”

“That's what I was gonna say. There'll be time to talk. Now if we're lucky, these agents didn't think to lock they ride.”

“That doesn't sound like any federal operative I've ever encountered,” Zeke said.

“Me neither, but let's see,” Willard said as they crept up on the sedan. “Nope.” He swore. “Wish I'd brought one o' my shivs. I'd be in this thing in a second. Well, more'n one way to skin a cat.” He felt around the grill and breathed more curses. “Hood release is in the car. Gotta do this from underneath. Least I got this.”

He showed Zeke a Swiss Army knife he tilted toward the moon and extracted a dull, solid blade before dropping to his back and shimmying under the front of the car. Zeke heard clinks and scrapes, and Willard soon scooted back out. “Bing, bang, boom,” he whispered. “Wonder how
them batt'ry cables come loose anyhow. Thing jist won't start, and nobody won't know why till they have a look. Then it'll be, ‘What in the Sam Hill?'”

He signaled Zeke to follow and they tiptoed to the one lit hut from which voices emanated.

“So it's settled then,” Kineks was saying. “I think this is a most agreeable solution. While I might have wished more of Gaho's progeny could have joined, it will be very special to have representatives from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as my father-in-law's dear friends here with us for the burial service. We will make you all as comfortable as possible tonight and look forward to Ezekiel, Pastor Bob, and hopefully the doctor and some others joining us tomorrow for the occasion.”

“We're just sorry we missed Ezekiel due to the breakdown in communication,” Katashi said. “We would be happy to try to connect with him even tonight and be sure he knows that those others are also welcome.”

“No,” a male voice said quickly, and Zeke was sure it was Officer Fritz. “I think it is best if we all remain here and welcome him and the others tomorrow. Should they arrive early enough that we could accompany him back to bring even more, so much the better.”

Willard held out a hand for Zeke's written note and whispered, “You'll know when to git into position, right?”

Zeke nodded as Willard moved around the entrance.

“Well, hey there, ever'body! Glad I caught ya! Never guess who I jes' run into. Zeke! I was makin' a final run and let my guys go on home, and who was headin' toward his own place but yer boss! I give him a lift and tol' him I was surprised to see him 'cause I had left him here earlier in the evenin', an' he'd left me with 'structions to tell anybody lookin' fer 'im that they could find 'im here. Which is what I'd done not so long ago to you three, right?”