Leigh Ann drove down a narrow, wavy asphalt lane between two thick rows of poplars that must have been thirty or more years old. They were sickly looking and in need of pruning.
The trees lined the road near an abandoned housing development that had been built for employees of a natural gas company long gone from the area. The entire place gave her the creeps. Decades ago, this complex could have been overrun with children, but now there was only emptiness and an eerie silence.
A pickup pulled onto the road from one of the turnoffs to the development. It turned half toward her, blocking her way, then stopped.
“Crap, now what?” she muttered, tensing up.
The driver stepped down out of the pickup and Leigh Ann saw, despite the fading sunset, that he was wearing a ski mask and carrying a baseball bat, or club.
She slammed on the brakes and put the Jeep in reverse. Looking in the side mirror, she discovered that she was cut off behind, too, by a van that was parked across the asphalt. It must have come from a street behind her while she was watching the pickup.
The second driver was also wearing a ski mask and carrying a club of some kind, maybe an axe handle.
This was no carjacking; this was an ambush. She reached for her purse, then remembered that her .38 was still at home. Without a concealed carry permit, she hadn’t wanted it around when the sheriff’s department stopped by to question her. Stupid! She should have kept it in the Jeep.
Trapped, she tried to figure out what to do next. She could try to run one of them over, but even if she did, she’d never get around their vehicle and through the trees fast enough to get away. Her only chance was to jump out and run before they got any closer.
Leigh Ann threw open her door and raced across the road, slipping between two trees heavy with low branches, then into the thick undergrowth beyond. Thank goodness she was wearing loafers instead of western boots, slacks, and her Outpost knit shirt.
Though the brush scratched her arms, she forced her way through until she broke into a clearing to the west. Ahead were four houses in a row, flanked by empty concrete pads where other buildings might have sat years ago.
Maybe she could find someplace to hide in one of the empty homes. Then, once it was completely dark, she’d made a run for the highway.
Leigh Ann dialed 911 as she raced toward the closest building. It was clearly unoccupied, judging by the broken windows.
She glanced back and realized no one had come after her, but she still wasn’t about to slow down. Maybe they’d gone back to their vehicles and planned to chase her down that way. Or maybe they were trading their weapons for something with more range, like a rifle.
Hearing a voice, she brought the phone to her ear.
“911, what is the nature of your emergency?” a woman said calmly.
“My name is Leigh Ann Vance, and two men wearing ski masks and carrying clubs came after me. I had to leave my Jeep and make a run for it. I’m in the old housing area west of the gas road turnoff in Kirtland.”
Leigh Ann stopped to catch her breath. She looked back, but still couldn’t locate either man. Yet, peering through the trees, she could see all three vehicles still on the road.
“Where are your assailants now, Leigh Ann?”
“I don’t know. They might be hiding where I left my Jeep, waiting for me to come back.”
“Keep moving away from the vehicles, Leigh Ann. Can you see anyone else?”
“No. Maybe they wanted to steal my Jeep. Hell, they can have it.”
“Help’s on the way, Leigh Ann. Keep moving and stay on the line. Can you see the main highway?”
“Yes, it’s about a quarter mile away, to the south.”
“Head there. There’s going to be traffic and that’ll work in your favor.”
“Okay.”
“You’re doing fine. Stay calm and keep moving. A patrolman’s heading your way now.”
“Tell him to hurry,” she managed, breathing hard as she ran.
* * *
Five minutes later, Leigh Ann was standing beside a sheriff’s department cruiser, breathing normally again, almost relaxed now as she tried to recall all that had happened the past quarter hour. The deputy, a slightly overweight man in his late forties with a bald patch, was on the radio, directing other patrol units that were searching for the two men who had threatened her.
Her description of the attackers wasn’t very detailed. “I’m sorry, but the two things I noticed most were their masks and their clubs. All I could think about after that was running away as fast as I could.”
“Under the circumstances, that was the right thing to do,” the officer said. “We’ve put out a BOLO for their vehicles, but without license plates or a better description…”
“You’re right. What does ‘BOLO’ stand for, anyway? I hear it on TV a lot.”
“It’s law enforcement jargon: ‘be on the lookout for,’ ma’am.”
“Makes sense.”
“Come on. I’ll take you back to your Jeep. I want you to check and see if anything’s missing.”
A few minutes later they pulled up in front of her Jeep, and in the glow of the vehicle’s dome light, she could see that both doors were open. “This makes no sense, Officer. As far as I know, they never even chased me. So why the trap? Look at my old Jeep. Did they want to steal it, then change their minds once they got a closer look?”
“From your statement, I’d say you were the target, but after you got away, they decided to see if you had anything of value in the Jeep.”
“Like my purse,” she said. She hadn’t taken it with her. She’d bolted instantly, knowing her cell phone was in her shirt pocket.
She stood by the driver’s side of the Jeep and looked inside, her anxiety returning as she accessed her losses. The box with Melvin’s clay figures had been opened but she could see that the figures were still hidden in tissue paper, which hopefully meant that they were intact. The glove box was open, too, and her owner’s manual and insurance card were on the floorboard, along with the tire gauge and a credit card receipt for gas.
Her purse had been dumped out on the passenger seat, but her wallet, two credit cards, and the photos of Melvin’s sculptures were all still there. The little bit of cash she’d carried, however, was gone. “All this for ten bucks?”
The deputy shook his head. “That’s doubtful. Based on what I see, I think their intent was to scare you off, then take the opportunity to search your vehicle for something specific.” His laser sharp gaze remained on her.
“Like what? Drugs? All I’ve got is a few aspirins.”
“You tell me, ma’am. According to what I read on my MDT, the computer terminal in my cruiser, you were involved in another incident on the Navajo Nation just yesterday. Someone in a big black sedan ran your Jeep off the road. So this is no coincidence, is it? What are these people after, Mrs. Vance?”
“All I’m sure about is that it wasn’t my Jeep either time. This old thing is held together by duct tape, wishes, and a prayer. Not exactly the ride of a rich woman.”
Even as she answered, she realized that there was something else she hadn’t taken with her before rushing off. She looked at the ignition where one set of keys had hung, then looked at the scattered contents of her purse for the other set. “Crap! They took my keys!”
“What were they to?”
“The Jeep, my house, a friend’s home, my sister’s car key—and the trading post,” she said, her eyes widening. “See the logo on my shirt? I work at The Outpost.”
“Targeting a business makes a little more sense,” the officer said. “You need to tell the owner to change the locks. You should do the same thing at your home, and warn your friend and sister, too.”
“None of the keys were labeled, but I’ll tell everyone. Am I free to go?”
“Do you have an extra set of keys to the Jeep or should I call a tow?”
“I’m fine,” she said. There was a magnetic key holder inside the wheel well.
Minutes later, she was on her way. Her hands were shaking even as she gripped the steering wheel. What the heck was happening to her life? Two attacks in two days … Kurt—this had to be connected to him. He’d never been anything but trouble, and now he was having the last laugh from his grave.
“You mangy old toad,” Leigh Ann muttered under her breath. “I’ll straighten out your mess, and after that I’m going back to my maiden name. I don’t want anything more to do with you. I’m going to bury the memories, just like I buried you.”
* * *
Jo arrived at the trading post early as usual the next day, still thinking about yesterday’s brief conversation with Ben. Months ago Ben had told her that she’d get a visit from an area army officer if anything ever happened to him. At times like these her gaze continually searched the parking lot for a government motor pool car.
Jo walked up the steps leading to the back door, fumbling in her purse for her keys. Leigh Ann had called last night to let her know what had happened and warn her to rekey the locks as soon as possible. Since none of Leigh Ann’s keys had been labeled, Jo figured it wasn’t an emergency. She’d get to it later today, or early tomorrow. After all, unless the person coming in quickly turned off the alarm, the security service and police would respond almost immediately.
As Jo stepped up, key in hand, she suddenly froze. Hanging from the doorknob was a medicine bag made from the skin of a horned toad—clearly a gift from a skinwalker.
She placed her hand over the deerskin jish Rudy had made for her. The little bag was fastened to her belt and contained Talking Rock medicine, scrapings from a rock found in a cave with a pronounced echo. That, along with other items in the bundle, protected Jo against Navajo witchery.
Jo circled the trading post, entering though the front entrance and quickly turning off the alarm. After cleaning her hands using a lotion made from a Game Way plant, she pulled on a pair of work gloves and opened the back door from the inside.
She removed the toad-skin pouch, then built a small fire in the gravel of the parking area and burned the artifact, being careful not to inhale the fumes. Holding an arrow point in her left hand, she carefully recited a prayer and concluded by throwing tiny bits of turquoise into the air.
Neither the Modernist police nor most of the trading post employees would really understand this kind of danger—but she did. It would be up to her to keep them safe, and that’s precisely what she intended to do.
* * *
Leigh Ann made it to work just in time, apologized to Jo once again for losing her store keys, and made the changes in the display showcasing Melvin’s work. By nine, she was finished. After studying the result for several seconds, she turned to her boss, subtly straightening her long, lavender broomstick skirt, which nearly reached the tops of her western boots. Today, with a Western-style blouse and a tooled leather belt, she was dressing the part of a trading post employee. She even wore a ponytail.
“What do you think, Jo?” she asked, anxious to show off her work.
“It’s perfect,” Jo said. “Take a photo of it with your cell phone and send it to Sam. She asked me to collect images of all the displays and events at the store for our Web site.”
Leigh Ann did as she asked, then took up her station at the cash register. It was a slow morning and time dragged, with the only interruption being the coming and going of the locksmith, who was smooth and efficient during his half-hour visit.
Regina, across the big room, was lucky. She’d elected to straighten out the dairy cases and could, at least, keep moving.
She was surprised when the door opened to admit John, with Melvin right behind, holding his arm. Leigh Ann’s heart quickened. As usual, Melvin turned slowly and smiled directly at her.
“Hi there,” she said, stepping up to him and taking his hand just as he was about to bump into a wire rack filled with cookie packets. “Let me lead you to your display. Everything’s been carefully staged on a Burntwater Navajo rug woven in sand, gold, and white. It’s very eye-catching. Your maquettes are on the center of the table on top of small wooden boxes of various heights.”
She guided his hand over them. “Photos of the finished pieces are placed next to each,” she added.
His touch was so light that nothing was displaced. As she watched him, her thoughts wandered, imagining his fingers touching her that gently, and her skin prickled. She stiffened. This was neither the time nor place to revisit any fantasy.
Leigh Ann mentally pulled herself together, adjusting her blouse, adding silent emphasis to her resolve. She saw a knowing smile on Jo’s face and realized she’d given herself away.
“This was well thought out. Thanks for the care you took,” Melvin said, his voice softening just a little, but not too much.
Remembering what John had said about Melvin’s cash-flow problem, she said, “This is going to give business a boost, for you and for us.”
“No rush. I have a special project in hand now and since it’s very different from what I usually do, I’d like a little bit of time to settle into it.”
“Did I hear right?” Jo asked. “You’re doing a new kind of sculpture?”
Melvin nodded. “I needed the challenge.”
“So what’s your new project?” Jo asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it yet. I need time to get a better feel for what it is I’m trying to create and what I want the sculpture to say.”
“Fair enough, but you’ll bring it here first?”
He nodded. “You’re the only retailer I deal with these days.”
“I know it’s halfway to lunch now, Melvin, but have you had breakfast yet?” Leigh Ann asked.
“If you call a Coke and Hershey bar breakfast. We nearly ran out of gas and had to find a station in a hurry,” he said, and laughed.
“It wasn’t a dire emergency, but I figured I better play it safe and not push it,” John said quickly.
“I don’t know how you define ‘emergency’ but I heard you curse the orange gas pump symbol, and that’s a sign the truck’s almost out of gas,” Melvin said, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Memory like an elephant,” John grumbled. “Yeah, that’s true enough. But I can usually make it another fifteen or twenty miles. I … tested it once.”
Melvin burst out laughing. “That means you’ve run out of gas before. Where did that happen?”
“On that highway west of Morgan Lake. I had to hike six miles to the Chapter House to catch a ride,” he admitted grudgingly, then glanced up at the clock. “I’d better hurry. I’m meeting a man about a horse and I’m late. I’m sorry that I have to drop you off so early at the doctor’s, Melvin, but they’ve got a comfortable waiting room so you’ll be fine.”
“Melvin, if you’d like you could have a late breakfast here and we’ll find someone to give you a ride later,” Jo said. “After all, you’re one of our most talented artists. You’re also welcome to pick up a breakfast burrito on the way out, John. They’re fresh. My treat.”
“I’ll take breakfast and the ride,” Melvin said.
“I’ll be on my way then,” John said. “Thanks for the breakfast offer, Jo, but I’m good.” He nodded to Leigh Ann and hurried out.
Melvin chuckled as he heard the bell over the door. “I think I’ve pissed him off.”
“How so?” Jo asked.
“Uncle John hates being wrong, and he especially didn’t like a blind man suggesting that he almost ran out of gas,” he said. “The thing about John is that he takes care of the big things, like picking me up, but tends not to bother with the details,” he said.
Regina, who’d finished her work at the dairy case, came over.
“Hello, Regina,” Melvin said easily.
“How did you know it was me?” Regina asked.
“It’s the way you walk. You move with very little sound, like on tiptoes. You’re very light on your feet.”
Leigh Ann’s stomach tightened. She suspected that Regina had acquired that ability as a way of not attracting attention after years of being married to an abusive man.
“Hey, who called the staff meeting?” Esther said, coming over with a smile on her face.
Leigh Ann looked over at Jo. “Since most of us are here, do you think this would be a good time to tell everyone what’s been happening lately and why the store locks had to be rekeyed this morning?”
“I haven’t heard all the details of last night’s incident from you either, Leigh Ann. So why don’t you start?” Jo asked.
“Last night?” Melvin asked quickly. “Does this have something to do with the deputy who dropped by my house about nine P.M.? Once he figured out I couldn’t have seen anyone, he asked if I’d heard any vehicles passing by. He mentioned something about an attempted carjacking?”
“I ran into some trouble after I left your place, Melvin,” Leigh Ann said, then told them about the van and the men wearing masks and carrying clubs. When she finished, all eyes were on her.
“And all they took were a few dollars and your keys?” Regina asked, surprised.
“Yeah, but they searched the Jeep from top to bottom, even dumping out the contents of my glove box. The deputy thought they were looking for something specific—just what, I’m not sure,” she said, then added, “My sister is having our house locks rekeyed this morning. You should do the same, Melvin.”
“I’ll get it done, don’t worry,” he answered.
Jo filled everyone in about the poison in Rudy’s tea, the vandalism at The Outpost, the time when Leigh Ann and she had been run off the road and, lastly, the medicine pouch she’d found on the back door this morning.
“Are we all in danger again, like when Tom was killed?” Regina asked, looking at the faces around her.
“From what I can see, Jo and I are the only targets,” Leigh Ann said. “As for why Jo’s being targeted … That could be the result of being with the wrong person, me. Keep in mind that I was alone when those men came after me.”
“Is this all connected to the deputy who came by to talk to you?” Regina asked. “I couldn’t help but notice.”
Leigh Ann wasn’t quite ready to share all the details, but she wouldn’t lie to them either. “I found some papers in my attic that indicated my late husband may have been involved in some shady business practices,” she said, then added, “That may have been what the Jeep-jackers were looking for—more papers—but I’d already handed everything over to the detectives.”
“Uncle John works at a farm supply business that competes with Total Supply,” Melvin said. “He told me that every time they bid for a tribal contract, Total Supply manages to undercut their price by a small margin. John thinks that there’s some under-the-table dealings going on with tribal officials, but he can’t prove it.”
“That’s interesting,” Leigh Ann said, “but the papers I found only involved my late husband, and had nothing to do with tribal contracts. At least I don’t think so.”
“Leigh Ann and I will stay on guard, but it wouldn’t hurt for the rest of you to do the same,” Jo said. “If you notice anything out of the ordinary, or you think you’re being watched or followed, call the sheriff immediately.”
Leigh Ann looked at her watch. “Melvin, you’ll have to eat now if you’re going to have breakfast before your doctor’s visit.”
Esther took his arm. “Let me show you where we keep the good stuff.”
Regina walked to the front cash register, where a customer with a shopping cart was headed, as Leigh Ann took a quick look around. No other customers were in the store so she decided to join Melvin and Esther in the break room.
Before she could, Jo touched her arm and held her back. “We need to talk.”
“If this is about Melvin’s new sculpture, I don’t know much more than what he’s already told you.”
“That’s not it. I want to go to my teacher’s house. I called him earlier today to make sure nothing bad had been left at his place, but found out they’re staying with Victoria’s cousin for a few days. Since my teacher’s still unable to drive and is relying on relatives to take him and Victoria whenever they need to go, he asked that I go check.”
“Let’s both go and I’ll help you look around. We’ll drop Melvin off first, then keep going. Right now we should travel in pairs as often as possible.”
“I agree. Do you mind if we use your Jeep? My truck’s at Benny’s Garage right now, getting a tune-up,” Jo said. “I won’t have it back for another couple of hours.”
“That’s fine, but I’m curious. You never drive the truck that belongs to the trading post. How come?”
“I use it for business on occasion, but it really belongs to Ben now.”
“And everything in it reminds you of where he is, and the danger he’s facing,” she said, not bothering to turn it into a question.
“Yeah, it’s like that,” Jo admitted.
“Let me see if Melvin’s ready, then we’ll go.”
“Wait.” Jo reached into her medicine pouch and gave Leigh Ann an arrowhead.
“What’s this?” Leigh Ann asked her.
“Flint. I know you’re not Navajo, but I hope you’ll keep it in your shirt pocket. If we find something bad at my teacher’s place, it’ll protect both of us.”
Less than ten minutes later they set out. Jo insisted on sitting in the back, so Melvin took the front passenger’s seat. Noticing that he was being unusually quiet, Leigh Ann asked, “Are you worried about your doctor’s visit?”
“No, it’s only a check-up,” he said. “I was thinking about my new sculpture. I need to work out some details.”
A gust of wind blew in through her open window and Leigh Ann shook her head, trying to get the strands that had worked loose from her ponytail away from her face. Using one hand, she tried to tuck her hair back beneath the rubber band, but the elastic snapped.
“Melvin, will you reach into the glove compartment that’s directly in front of you and feel around for a hair scrunchie? There should be one in there.”
He did as she asked. “There’s a pencil, some paper, and a … piece of metal with a hole. A bent-up washer, maybe?”
Leigh Ann felt her breath catch at the back of her throat. “Beg your pardon?”
He brought it out so she could see.
Leigh Ann stared at it in shock, then quickly focused back on the road, hoping Jo hadn’t noticed her reaction. That had been Kurt’s lucky piece. He’d taped a quarter to the bull’s-eye of a target one day, and shot a hole right through it. Since then he’d always carried the coin with him. Yet it hadn’t been among the items the police had brought back to her. She’d wondered where it had gone, but really hadn’t given it much thought. At the time, she’d had a lot more important things to occupy her mind.
Now, here it was. She knew it hadn’t been in that compartment before because she washed the Jeep and cleaned out the glove box once a week. A chill settled over her as she realized that she’d searched to see what might have been taken from the Jeep, but had never thought that anything might have been added.
“Leigh Ann, are you okay?” Melvin asked.
“Yeah, I just hadn’t seen that coin in a long time.” There was only one possible answer. The lucky piece had been taken by Kurt’s killer, and he wanted her to know he had his eye on her.
“Here’s the hair band,” Melvin said at last.
She took it from him, but decided to leave her hair loose for now. Her hands were shaking, and trying to fix her hair while steering probably wouldn’t be a great idea.
“If you don’t mind me interrupting, Melvin, tell me about your new project,” Jo said from the back, unaware of what had just happened.
“It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but wasn’t sure how to go about it,” Melvin answered. “It’s going to take some time though. This kind of piece needs to develop in my mind first.” He looked over at Leigh Ann and smiled.
“So, in the meantime, what should we tell customers wanting one of your animal sculptures?” Jo asked.
“We’ll work things out. My new project isn’t something I can work on continuously, at least at this point. In the interim, my animal sculptures will help me stay focused and relaxed.”
This time, when he looked over at Leigh Ann, he winked. It was clear he was going to keep this a secret between them, at least for now.
Minutes later they arrived at the medical center. Leigh Ann found a handicapped parking space and pulled in. “Okay we’re here, Melvin.”
Leigh Ann got out of the car, circled around, and took his arm as he climbed out. “Jo, I’ll walk in with Melvin and be right back. You might want to move the Jeep, though. I don’t have a handicapped sticker.”
“Sounds good,” she said.
As they walked into the building, Leigh Ann tried to stay calm. She’d disliked hospitals as far back as she could remember—the antiseptic smell, the white uniforms, the carts, the odd sounds …
“You hate hospitals?” he noted in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Your muscles tightened up the second we stepped inside, and you’ve got a tight grip on my arm,” he answered, placing his hand over hers.
She eased up instantly.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to walk me in. A lot of people hate hospitals, particularly traditionalist Navajos, though their reasons are undoubtedly different from yours.”
“How so?”
“Since death occurs here, hospitals aren’t considered safe places to be,” he said. “John isn’t a traditionalist, but he still won’t go past the entrance unless he has no other choice. He drops me off and I rely on the staff to take me to any new destination.”
“With me it’s nothing more than a dumb phobia. I’m fine,” she said, and pressed the elevator button that would take them to the second floor.
“When are you going to tell me about that metal piece—the coin with the bullet hole in its middle?” he asked as the elevator began its ascent.
“We’re here,” she said as they came to a stop. “That story will have to wait.” After getting his doctor’s name, she led him down the hall. “Here’s the office,” she said.
“One thing before you leave. I’m going to have my own locks rekeyed, but hang on to the old key until I can give you the new one. I want to remind you that you still have an open invitation to my home.”
“Thanks for doing this,” she said. It was more than just the key, he was letting her know he still had faith in her. A lump formed at the back of her throat. “It means a lot,” she added in a thick voice.
As soon as they walked into the office, the receptionist came over and took Melvin’s arm. “It’s good to see you again,” she said in greeting.
Knowing he was in good hands, Leigh Ann stepped back. “If you can give me an approximate time when you’ll be through here, I’ll make arrangements to pick you up,” she said.
“Thanks, but there’s no need. John will come get me, we’ll have a late lunch, and afterward he’ll drive me home.”
“All right, Melvin. See you later.”
As Leigh Ann hurried out, she decided not to tell Jo about Kurt’s lucky coin. She knew traditional Navajos stayed away from the possessions of the dead. They were said to be contaminated with the chindi, the evil side of a man that was condemned to remain earthbound after death.
As for herself, she wished the danged thing would have stayed lost. Everything connected to Kurt brought back toxic memories and trouble.