roll. Sheriff Taylor doesn’t tolerate sloppy paperwork.”
“On the good-news side, I’ve got the phone numbers of three area merchants who carry those gelatin capsules.”
“Save it for later,” Ella said, and filled her in on the current situation. “Right now I need you protecting Ford, partner. You’re the logicalchoice.”
Justine nodded. “This’ll be a first for me. I’ve never gone inside a church packing.” She looked at Ella. “I’m assuming you want me to take my service weapon?”
“You’ll be on the job, so don’t close your eyes even if they have a prayer or moment of silence. Trust no one.”
Justine nodded once. “Nothing will happen to Ford, Ella, not on my watch.”
Ella left the station shortly afterwards,driving west out of Shiprock, then turning south. Once clear of traffic, she asked to be patched through to Officer Charlie, whom she’d met several times in the past.
Officer Charlie was a dedicated tribal police officer who came from a long line of Traditionalists. Walking the line between Traditionalist and New Traditionalist, he’d found a way to make peace with his job. After all, Navajo policeofficers restored the balance between good and evil and that was at the heart of walking in beauty.
Ella reached Officer Charlie on a direct channel a moment or two later and listened to his report. So far he’d encountered nothing unusual. After warning him to stay alert because things could change at a moment’s notice, she let him know about Justine. “SI Goodluck will be replacing you soon,but until she gets attuned to things there, she may need your backup. Will you be able to stick around?”
“No problem. I need the overtime.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ella turned up the road leading to Clifford’s medicine hogan. The house beside it was his family’s home. Although she’d never liked Loretta, his wife, Ellawas the first to admit that Loretta and Clifford had done a wonderful job raisingtheir son, Julian. Almost thirteen now, Julian went to visit patients with his father as often as possible. He’d made it clear, too, that he wanted to be a
hataalii
like his dad, something that had pleased Clifford to no end. Since it was Saturday, Ella was hoping she’d get a chance to see her nephew.
When she drove up, Ella saw a chestnut horse loosely tied to a hitching post near the frontof Clifford’s hogan. The animal was grazing on the meager grasses and weeds within reach. Ella parked next to Clifford’s truck, fifty feet away, then turned off her engine and prepared to wait until she was invited to approach.
As she settled back in her seat, she could hear her brother’s voice chanting a healing song in Navajo. Loretta soon came out of their home, about twenty yards up the road,to hang an old bedspread on the clothesline. Without so much as a glance in Ella’s direction, Loretta went back inside.
Ella hadn’t expected her sister-in-law to invite her into their home. Loretta would have known that she wasn’t here just to visit. Word traveled fast on the Rez, and the news of the bombing and Tache’s injuries would be common knowledge by now.
Ella got out of her unit andglanced around for signs of Julian, but didn’t see him or his bicycle. Just as she was stretching her legs, her brother’s patient came out of the medicine hogan. The wrinkled, silver-haired Navajo man, despite his obvious advanced age, mounted his horse with the ease of a twenty year old, then rode away.
Clifford, wearing his white headband, looked out of the blanket-covered entrance, saw Ella,and waved for her to come in.
Ella stepped inside, and watched as he put away jars filled with various collected herbs and powders, illuminated bythe light of a kerosene lantern. The dry painting that had been created on the hogan floor as part of the treatment was no longer there. Only its outline remained. Those sand paintings were often incredible masterpieces, particularly the intricateones she’d seen
“On the good-news side, I’ve got the phone numbers of three area merchants who carry those gelatin capsules.”
“Save it for later,” Ella said, and filled her in on the current situation. “Right now I need you protecting Ford, partner. You’re the logicalchoice.”
Justine nodded. “This’ll be a first for me. I’ve never gone inside a church packing.” She looked at Ella. “I’m assuming you want me to take my service weapon?”
“You’ll be on the job, so don’t close your eyes even if they have a prayer or moment of silence. Trust no one.”
Justine nodded once. “Nothing will happen to Ford, Ella, not on my watch.”
Ella left the station shortly afterwards,driving west out of Shiprock, then turning south. Once clear of traffic, she asked to be patched through to Officer Charlie, whom she’d met several times in the past.
Officer Charlie was a dedicated tribal police officer who came from a long line of Traditionalists. Walking the line between Traditionalist and New Traditionalist, he’d found a way to make peace with his job. After all, Navajo policeofficers restored the balance between good and evil and that was at the heart of walking in beauty.
Ella reached Officer Charlie on a direct channel a moment or two later and listened to his report. So far he’d encountered nothing unusual. After warning him to stay alert because things could change at a moment’s notice, she let him know about Justine. “SI Goodluck will be replacing you soon,but until she gets attuned to things there, she may need your backup. Will you be able to stick around?”
“No problem. I need the overtime.”
Fifteen minutes later, Ella turned up the road leading to Clifford’s medicine hogan. The house beside it was his family’s home. Although she’d never liked Loretta, his wife, Ellawas the first to admit that Loretta and Clifford had done a wonderful job raisingtheir son, Julian. Almost thirteen now, Julian went to visit patients with his father as often as possible. He’d made it clear, too, that he wanted to be a
hataalii
like his dad, something that had pleased Clifford to no end. Since it was Saturday, Ella was hoping she’d get a chance to see her nephew.
When she drove up, Ella saw a chestnut horse loosely tied to a hitching post near the frontof Clifford’s hogan. The animal was grazing on the meager grasses and weeds within reach. Ella parked next to Clifford’s truck, fifty feet away, then turned off her engine and prepared to wait until she was invited to approach.
As she settled back in her seat, she could hear her brother’s voice chanting a healing song in Navajo. Loretta soon came out of their home, about twenty yards up the road,to hang an old bedspread on the clothesline. Without so much as a glance in Ella’s direction, Loretta went back inside.
Ella hadn’t expected her sister-in-law to invite her into their home. Loretta would have known that she wasn’t here just to visit. Word traveled fast on the Rez, and the news of the bombing and Tache’s injuries would be common knowledge by now.
Ella got out of her unit andglanced around for signs of Julian, but didn’t see him or his bicycle. Just as she was stretching her legs, her brother’s patient came out of the medicine hogan. The wrinkled, silver-haired Navajo man, despite his obvious advanced age, mounted his horse with the ease of a twenty year old, then rode away.
Clifford, wearing his white headband, looked out of the blanket-covered entrance, saw Ella,and waved for her to come in.
Ella stepped inside, and watched as he put away jars filled with various collected herbs and powders, illuminated bythe light of a kerosene lantern. The dry painting that had been created on the hogan floor as part of the treatment was no longer there. Only its outline remained. Those sand paintings were often incredible masterpieces, particularly the intricateones she’d seen
Similar Books
