Chapter 23

 

 

Seven o’clock. Would the boys even be up? Trini had asked the Two Sisters to prepare waffles that could be quickly warmed up for a good, hot breakfast. True to their word, a box of the goodies along with butter and syrup waited for her to pick up. She was just going up the steps of Ben’s trailer when Oscar ran up.

“You talked to the boys?”

“No. I’m just taking them breakfast now.”

“Well, something’s wrong. The horses showed up sometime last night without saddles or tack, and Apache’s got some pretty nasty-looking scratches on his shoulder. Looked like they’d been running for awhile. I rubbed ‘em down and fed and watered ‘em. But those boys would never leave their horses in that condition. You sure they’re all right?”

“Oscar, I just said I’m here to see them now.” She knew she sounded short, but he could be exasperating—not always paying attention. And maybe, if she were being truthful, he struggled to understand even the simplest things. Trini turned and knocked on the door. She knocked again and the door, apparently unlatched, pushed open. “Oh, I don’t like that. They know better than to leave the door unlocked. Nathan? Zac?” No answer.

“Let me get by. I’m going in.” Oscar pushed the door fully open and entered the living room.

“What do you see?” Trini called from the doorway. Not getting an answer, she entered the trailer.

“I could be wrong, but I’d bet they haven’t been here for a day or so. Look at the beds here in the front bedroom. Now what two boys are going to make their beds when their dad isn’t here to tell them to. And nobody’s eaten anything in that kitchen recently.”

“I talked to them yesterday morning when they were taking the horses to the north pasture. And last night I assumed they were in the trailer because I saw the light go out.”

“Betcha it wasn’t one of the boys.”

“Oh, this couldn’t be more awful. I have no idea when Dr. Pecos will get back. I assured the doctor that I’d keep an eye on them. I’m going to call Chief Billie. But I have no idea where to start to look for them.”

 

* * *

 

The faint gray light of dawn brought Zac back to consciousness and he knew he must make his way back to the trailer.

He’d gotten away. And no one had chased after him. No animal or spirit. Follow the road. Wasn’t that what Nathan had told him to do? Good advice if he could find it. It was easier to know directions back home; the ocean was on the west and there were mountains to the east. Everything out here was pretty open—lots of grass, some pretty tall cactus and that was about it.

The night had been moonless and that didn’t help. No moon and no stars, only a dense cloud-cover. The result was an inky blackness that acted like a blanket over everything. He couldn’t really see to move forward. Wouldn’t it be best to just stop? What if he was being tailed by cougars, or wolves, or bears—the real kind. That was a scary thought. That’s when Zac had decided to just wait until dawn. He’d probably run a couple miles—far enough away that he felt safe from the Skinwalkers. But he could still close his eyes and see the Skinwalkers and the sandpainting that foretold his death. He shivered and swallowed hard. He had to be careful.

It was almost dusk but still light when he’d started out. He’d looked for the horses, but he couldn’t even find the place in the trees where they had eaten lunch. Were the horses still grazing? Or had they found their way back to the camp? Would wolves and cougars stalk them? Attack them? Would they even be safe? And where could he go to be safe? Maybe he’d find a sheepherders’ camp. But there was no being able to find anything at night.

When he was just about ready to give up, he’d stumbled upon a lean-to—poles laced with sinew holding several tattered hides together to form a roof. It looked used but not for a long time. Now, it sat all by itself. He must be in one of the two secondary pastures—one that currently wasn’t used. He imagined it took pastures a good amount of time to recover after being grazed.

The blankets inside were filthy, half buried in sand. The structure wasn’t new, but it had a door—another hide that could be draped shut across the opening from the inside making it, at least, warm by keeping the wind out.

Zac shook out the blankets and discovered some animal had made a nest at the back. The big bundle of twigs and dried grass could have just been tinder for fire building and might not have anything to do with wildlife. If it was a nest, Zac hoped the animal was long gone. If he’d thought he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep, he hadn’t counted on how tired he was. The afternoon had literally sapped his energy. The minute he stretched out on the dusty bedding, not even the dirt and musty smell could keep him awake.

 

* * *

 

Ben realized he should be thankful for small favors—it appeared that his driver didn’t chew in the mornings. The maintenance guy who had brought him to Albuquerque was also taking him back to the compound on the reservation. The country music was still a couple decibels too high, but it kept conversation to a minimum. And that was a good thing. Talking about how hard it was to learn to line dance seemed to be the limit of challenging things the driver had done lately. That and whether he’d try to ride the bull, Smokey Mountain, at the Bernalillo county fair next month—if they even had a fair, due to the virus.

There probably wasn’t any topic of interest to Ben. He wasn’t up to chatting. In addition to the failure of the PPE mission, he was worried. In more than two days, he hadn’t been able to reach the boys. He tried to stave off any panic—there could be a dozen completely reasonable explanations for it. They could have taken the horses to pasture and decided to spend an overnight camping out. He remembered that Nathan had brought a tent from the camper he’d shared with his grandmother. And Ben had to admit that would be a fun thing for a couple boys to do.

But it didn’t feel right. Zac would have let him know. He was smart enough to leave a message on his phone saying where he was. No, Ben’s sixth sense was screaming an alarm. He’d tried twice more to reach Zac before they left the city and again only voice mail. He stopped leaving messages.

The three-hour drive to the reservation seemed like an eternity, and seeing Chief Billie’s SUV parked outside the trailer when they turned down the road to the hospital tents just about made his heart stop. The minute Ben hopped out of his ride’s vehicle, Trini ran to meet him.

“Dr. Pecos, I’m so sorry. I meant to be better at watching the boys, but they’re gone.”

“Gone?”

Chief Billie came out of Ben’s trailer. “Not sure what’s going on, but I don’t think there’s a need to panic. Not yet, anyway. I’m just getting ready to drive up to the north pasture. We know that’s where they took the horses. My guess is they turned the horses loose to graze and something spooked them. I think we’re going to find a couple kids with saddles and tack by the side of the road trying to lug all that stuff home.”

“Are you saying the horses returned?”

“Yeah. According to Oscar, it looked like they’d been running hard. That’s why I’m guessing they were spooked—doesn’t take much, a coyote or bobcat, and those horses will take off. Fight or flight is truly the choice.”

Just then the two-way radio in the Bronco squawked. “Damn, I need to get that.” Chief Billie hurried down the steps and reached through the SUV’s open window to grab the receiver. Ben couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it was a short conversation.

“Problems?”

Chief Billie motioned for Ben to get in the Bronco.

“We need to take a detour before we check the upper pasture. Report just came in of a car fire out on old Highway 666 just before it turns toward Gallup. Somebody called it in after passing it on the side of the road. Says it looks like there’s someone still in the car—driver’s side. An emergency vehicle is on the way.”

Ben and the chief took off with lights on and siren wailing. Forty-five minutes later the smoldering ruins of a car came into view. A tank truck with New Mexico Highway insignia on the side was hosing the car and surrounding area.

“Didn’t get here in time to save the driver. But not sure he was feeling any pain before the fire started. Woman who reported smoke coming out from underneath the hood said the driver was slumped over the wheel. Said she was alone and was afraid to get involved.”

“Drugs.” Chief Billie said it more as a statement than a question. “Wish I had a nickel for every time I’m called out on a suspected overdose.”

“And I think we know the driver,” Ben added.

The back end of the silver and black Camaro was a giveaway. Blackened but not destroyed, there was only one car like that on the reservation. And J.C.? Not a lot left to identify.

“I’m just glad he was alone—didn’t have some young sweetie with him.”

“Who’ll do the autopsy?”

“Not allowed. That is, if he’s on the reservation our rules will win out. The question is, was he on state road land? That would make a difference. I’ll get a deputy out here and then we need to visit his grandfather. I feel badly for the old man. I think J.C. was a big help to him. It won’t be easy being alone out here.”

Another forty-five minutes before they could leave, but only fifteen minutes to the road that led past where Nathan and his grandmother had lived and on up the road behind the windmill to a large hogan. And standing in the doorway was Nathan. His uncle was sitting in a folding chair with his leg propped up on a log.

Ben barely waited until the Bronco had stopped before jumping out. “Nathan, is Zac with you?”

“No. My uncle twisted his ankle. He was helping us with the horses. A couple cousins gave us a ride home. I needed to help him, so Zac offered to take the horses back to the compound. You mean he didn’t get there?”

Ben shook his head. “The horses made it, but he didn’t. When was this?”

“Yesterday afternoon. He just got lost. I’m sure he’s okay.”

Chief Billie had squatted down beside the old man and was saying something to him in Navajo. Nathan turned to listen, then kind of shrugged.

“Do you want a ride back to the compound?” Ben asked.

“I need to stay here with my uncle. He won’t be able to walk for a while. He needs somebody to cook and take care of the stock. I’ll catch a ride with a neighbor down the way and come get the horses. Probably tomorrow.”

“I understand. I hope you’re right about Zac just being lost.”

Nathan nodded. “It probably got dark before he found the road and he stopped for the night.”

 

* * *

 

Chief Billie backed the Bronco away from the hogan and onto the dirt road, then turned toward the compound before finally breaking the silence.

“Something was wrong. The old man didn’t even flinch when I said J.C. was dead. No questions, no comment—no surprise. He just said he’d have someone take care of the body.”

“Yeah. More or less the same thing with Nathan. He overheard and just shrugged—also like it was no biggie. I know Nathan didn’t like J.C., but that was just callous. And no questions about how it happened.”

“Looks like the kid is staying out here, too. I was hoping that wouldn’t happen. Nathan needs a better life.”

“Told me he needed to help his uncle—which I guess is the truth. It looked like the old man had suffered a nasty sprain.”

“Let’s go find Zac. If Nathan is telling the truth, it makes sense that he’s just lost.”

“I wonder if the boys had a falling out. Some of this isn’t adding up.” Ben said.