Read Online Red Mesa by Aimée & David Thurlo - Free Book Online
Authors: Aimée & David Thurlo
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troubled, I’m sure you have your own circle of friends that you trust and confide in. A beautiful woman like you never lacks for friends.”
Professor Manyfarms was annoying her. Ella glanced at Wilson and saw that he shared her sentiments.
“We better go back to the college,” Wilson said, gesturing back to his SUV.
“I’ll catch you later, Ella,” Jeremiah said with a casual wave ofhis hand.
Ella watched them go. Wilson had floored the vehicle, leaving a trail of dust behind him. There was nothing except friendship between Wilson and her, but he still didn’t like it when a man paid too much attention to her.
There had been a time when Wilson had hoped a romance would develop between them, but the spark had never been there. Romantic love was not something any Navajo expected,but a match between them had seemed a bad idea to her. Wilson would have expected more from his wife than she, as a full-time cop, would ever be able to give him.
Still, there were times when she wished it could have been different. They’d grown up together and were as close as friends could be. She’d always been comfortable around Wilson.
She pushed the thought aside. At times she could barelycope with the demands her mother made, let alone the ones a husband would make on her. What she had in her life was enough.
Ella headed home, trying to force herself to relax, and taking care not to bounce the truck around on the dirt track. Dawn, as always, no matter how bumpy the road, fell asleep. She envied her daughter’s ability to shut out the world and relax so totally.
After hittingthe main road, Ella glanced in the rearview mirror. It was an ingrained habit drilled into her after a decade of police work. Off in the distance she could see one vehicle leaving a thin trail of dust on the graveled road. Employing the aggressive caution she’d developed over the years, she avoided taking the turnoff that would lead her straight home. When she reached the next side road, running parallelto a natural-gas pipe line, she chose it immediately.
The vehicle stayed with her, even after she’d changed roads again, this time back toward a small lake. Despite that, she wasn’t sure if it was a threat. The driver was certainly not trying to narrow the gap between them. She considered calling in, but with the department’s current manpower problems, she didn’t want to take another cop awayfrom his patrol for what could turn out to be nothing more than coincidence or joyriding teens.
Ella had to make sure that someone was really tailing her, not just heading in the same direction. Trying to ditch it with so few road choices made things tough. She headed east back to the paved highway, devising a plan.
The vehicle remained half a mile behind, and from this distance she couldn’teven be sure of the make and model. Ella slowed her speed, proceeding at half the posted limit. Then, suddenly, after she went around a sharp curve in the road, she slammed down on the accelerator and roared down the road.
Ella raced over the next hill, then lost sight of the vehicle behind her momentarily. Slowing down, she inched along, waiting for the vehicle to clear the hill and come racingafter her, trying to catch up. She’d get a good look at him then.
Seconds went by and her pursuer failed to appear. With no other traffic around, Ella turned around and raced back in the opposite direction, hoping to still catch a glimpse of the car. After a moment she saw it off in the distance, heading toward Shiprock. Even if she floored her truck, she’d never catch it before it reached town.Reluctantly she decided to head home.
Ella looked at her daughter, who was still sleeping in the car seat without a care in the world. The thought that someone might come after her for real when Dawn was with her worried Ella. Maybe it would be better if she stopped taking Dawn on outings for a while. She hated the thought of making any concessions out of fear, but she wouldn’t
Professor Manyfarms was annoying her. Ella glanced at Wilson and saw that he shared her sentiments.
“We better go back to the college,” Wilson said, gesturing back to his SUV.
“I’ll catch you later, Ella,” Jeremiah said with a casual wave ofhis hand.
Ella watched them go. Wilson had floored the vehicle, leaving a trail of dust behind him. There was nothing except friendship between Wilson and her, but he still didn’t like it when a man paid too much attention to her.
There had been a time when Wilson had hoped a romance would develop between them, but the spark had never been there. Romantic love was not something any Navajo expected,but a match between them had seemed a bad idea to her. Wilson would have expected more from his wife than she, as a full-time cop, would ever be able to give him.
Still, there were times when she wished it could have been different. They’d grown up together and were as close as friends could be. She’d always been comfortable around Wilson.
She pushed the thought aside. At times she could barelycope with the demands her mother made, let alone the ones a husband would make on her. What she had in her life was enough.
Ella headed home, trying to force herself to relax, and taking care not to bounce the truck around on the dirt track. Dawn, as always, no matter how bumpy the road, fell asleep. She envied her daughter’s ability to shut out the world and relax so totally.
After hittingthe main road, Ella glanced in the rearview mirror. It was an ingrained habit drilled into her after a decade of police work. Off in the distance she could see one vehicle leaving a thin trail of dust on the graveled road. Employing the aggressive caution she’d developed over the years, she avoided taking the turnoff that would lead her straight home. When she reached the next side road, running parallelto a natural-gas pipe line, she chose it immediately.
The vehicle stayed with her, even after she’d changed roads again, this time back toward a small lake. Despite that, she wasn’t sure if it was a threat. The driver was certainly not trying to narrow the gap between them. She considered calling in, but with the department’s current manpower problems, she didn’t want to take another cop awayfrom his patrol for what could turn out to be nothing more than coincidence or joyriding teens.
Ella had to make sure that someone was really tailing her, not just heading in the same direction. Trying to ditch it with so few road choices made things tough. She headed east back to the paved highway, devising a plan.
The vehicle remained half a mile behind, and from this distance she couldn’teven be sure of the make and model. Ella slowed her speed, proceeding at half the posted limit. Then, suddenly, after she went around a sharp curve in the road, she slammed down on the accelerator and roared down the road.
Ella raced over the next hill, then lost sight of the vehicle behind her momentarily. Slowing down, she inched along, waiting for the vehicle to clear the hill and come racingafter her, trying to catch up. She’d get a good look at him then.
Seconds went by and her pursuer failed to appear. With no other traffic around, Ella turned around and raced back in the opposite direction, hoping to still catch a glimpse of the car. After a moment she saw it off in the distance, heading toward Shiprock. Even if she floored her truck, she’d never catch it before it reached town.Reluctantly she decided to head home.
Ella looked at her daughter, who was still sleeping in the car seat without a care in the world. The thought that someone might come after her for real when Dawn was with her worried Ella. Maybe it would be better if she stopped taking Dawn on outings for a while. She hated the thought of making any concessions out of fear, but she wouldn’t
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