Read Online Mourning Dove by Aimée & David Thurlo - Free Book Online Page B

Carolyn muttered with a sad smile, then shook her head. “Enough of this. Let’s talk shop. It’s simpler and doesn’t give us nearly as manyheadaches . . . or heartaches.” Carolyn poured herself another cup of coffee, then wiggled the pot at Ella, who shook her head.
    “I told you about the traces of gunpowder residue on the victim’s hand. Judging from the amount, he got off several shots.”
    Ella shook her head in exasperation. “Why didn’t he turn over the car keys! It was just a rental, for Pete’s sake. What a waste.”
    “
You
wouldhave fought back too—just on principle,” Carolyn observed.
    The thought made Ella pause. “Yeah, before I became a mom I probably would have. What the hay, even these days I would have had to force myself not to react. Reacting’s easier in a lot of ways—more natural.”
    “For a warrior, not a civilian. I’d have given them the car, the keys, my credit cards, and my shoes just to get them out of myface.”
    Ella laughed. “Yeah, but listen to yourself. You would have
given
them your car. Ultimately, you would have made it your choice.”
    Carolyn smiled. “Different points of view but, you’ve got to admit, mine has definite advantages.” She glanced down at her report and continued in a somber tone. “The victim went down hard. Most of his wounds weren’t lethal, but once he was incapacitated—outof ammo, or whatever—his killer came up and fired twice at point-blank range.”
    Carolyn glanced up at Ella who nodded, then continued. “There’s one curious thing. I found evidence that the victim had been in the water recently—probably less than a half hour prior to his death—but he used no soap. Didn’t have any scent traces of that. And no scent or evidence of chlorine on his skin either, asin a public pool or with treated water. If anything, he smelled more like—river or ditch water, if that makes any sense.”
    “Well, he never made it home, so we can rule out the shower angle right away. Maybe he stopped somewhere beside the road earlier and fell in the river or a ditch, then dried off and put on a new set of clothes. But that sounds pretty unusual. I’m reaching here, obviously.Still, if you find anything else the least bit out of line once you finish the screens for drugs and the rest, call and let me know. Big Ed wants a quick wrap up on this, so don’t wait for the paperwork. Pick up the phone.”
    “You’ve got it. And, Ella, I hate to eat and run, but today lookslike it’s going to be a long one for both of us. We’ve got to get back to it. But hey, let’s get togetherfor lunch sometime soon again. On me, next time. I can bring something from home.”
    Carolyn loved to cook—and she was very good at it. But because of what she did for a living, there weren’t many who wanted to share a meal with her. “Call me anytime,” Ella said.
    As Ella walked out of the hospital and her friend’s domain she thought about their lives. In certain ways they were vastly different,but they were kindred spirits when it came to their dedication to the work they’d chosen and the tribe they served.
    Ella drove back to her brother’s and pulled up in front of his hogan, noting the other vehicle by the corral, a flatbed truck with high wooden sides. She intended to wait in the SUV for an invitation to approach as was customary but, as she turned off the ignition, she heard a sharpwhistle and saw her brother waving at her from the bed of the truck. Clifford and another man she didn’t recognize appeared to be unloading metal fence sections.
    Ella went over to join them, her eyes on the man working with Clifford. He walked with a very pronounced limp, but it didn’t seem to keep him from doing his share of the unloading. Seeing a cane propped against the truck, she joggedforward.
    “Let me take one end,” she said, reaching for the opposite end of the eight-foot section of metal fencing he was carrying.
    “I’ve got this one. Grab one off the