Chilling Effect (17 page)

“No. I’m faster than you are. Besides, you have a watch. If I’m

not back in two hours, go for help.”

She turned to go. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her close.

“Hurry. And remember, Roo. I love you.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she covered his mouth with hers and

laced her hands together behind his neck in a long kiss.

He stared at her face, memorizing the curve of her cheek, just

in case he never saw her again. Her eyes were fi erce, like a warrior’s.

He could almost see the ancient heritage running through her.

She locked eyes with him for an eternal moment. Th en she

smiled sadly, dropped her arms, and jogged out of the cave without

a word.

He listened to his heartbeat pound in his ears while he set the

timer on his watch. Th en he crossed to the opposite side of the

cave—as far away from the drone as he could get—and slid down

the wall to the ground to wait for his wife to return with the cavalry.

131

Boom parked Isaac’s red car in the fi rst empty spot in the elementary school’s small parking lot. He felt vaguely guilty about using the car without seeking permission from Isaac’s mother, but he reasoned

that Cathy Palmer had enough on her plate trying to get a handle

on her son’s aff airs and—not to be cruel—Isaac had no use for the

vehicle anymore.

He killed the engine and slipped the key into his pocket. As he

locked the door, he noticed that he was parked askew—the back end

of the Tercel was over the line, encroaching into the next spot. He considered trying to straighten it out, but he was enough of a realist to know he was unlikely to improve the situation. It had been well

over a decade since he’d had occasion to get behind the wheel of a

car. He was a cautious and reluctant driver but a terrible parker. Th at had been true even when he used to drive regularly; he thought it

unlikely his parking skills would have improved with disuse.

CHILLING EFFECT

He put the car out of mind and focused on what he was about to

say and do. Walk into the school building and tell Kelly in the offi ce that he needed to fetch Lily Smith. Everyone at the school knew and trusted him; they all loved his storytelling sessions with the kids.

Once they’d called Lily out of class, he’d get her to the car and off the reservation before Lee or anyone else knew what had happened. He

hoped Ruby had told the school that he was authorized to pick up

the girl, but he didn’t think it really mattered one way or the other.

He mounted the wide, cracked steps slowly, holding fi rmly to

the metal railing splitting them down the middle. Inside, he paused for a moment in the silent hallway and thought of all the trusting, young souls sitting in quiet circles and uneven rows in the rooms

that lined the hall. Th en he smiled and pushed open the door to the offi ce to greet Kelly.

Four minutes later, he walked back out of Mary Proudfoot Ele-

mentary School with Lily by his side.

“I don’t understand. Why does my mom want me to leave

early?” Lily asked as she adjusted the wide, padded straps of her

backpack, stooping a little under the weight of her school books.

“And why didn’t she come get me herself? She doesn’t work until

tonight.”

Boom waited until they reached the parking lot to answer. He

turned and faced the girl squarely.

“Lily, I’m going to treat you like an adult, okay?”

“Okay.” Her small voice quavered.

“I was reading a book by my living room window when I heard

a car door slam. I looked up and saw Lee Buckmount getting out

of a car in front of your house. He knocked on your front door. A

moment later, he and your mom got in the car, and he drove off .”

Lily scrunched up her face in confusion. “Mr. Buckmount

picked up my mom? Where did they go?”

133

MELISSA F. MILLER

Boom spread his hands wide. “I don’t know, little one. But it

seemed to me that I should come and get you now. Th at is what my

heart told me to do.”

Lily shook her head, still puzzled. Th en her eyes fell on the red car.

“You’re driving Isaac’s car?”

Boom unlocked the passenger side door and held it open for the

girl.

“Just borrowing it.”

He shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side, scan-

ning the road in front of the school as he did so. He saw no signs of casino security, tribal police, or anyone for that matter.
So far, so good.

He lowered himself into the seat and contemplated the steering

wheel like it was a wild horse. Th en he inserted the key and exhaled a long, slow breath before starting the car.

134

Aroostine ran.

She ticked off all the tips on form that Rosie had drummed

into her head during their grueling lunchtime runs when she’d been

working at Main Justice. Rosie had been training for a marathon.

Aroostine had been running to forget her failing marriage, so she

hadn’t really cared if she was breathing effi ciently or putting too much strain on her shins. But listening to Rosie’s enthusiastic advice had helped pass the long, excruciating minutes. If she’d known she’d be putting the wisdom to the test under such dire circumstances,

she might have paid closer attention.

She dug in and increased her speed as she crested the hill.

Whenever her energy fl agged, she fl ashed back to the ominous metal beasts crouched in the cave and found a new burst of power.

Finally, the asphalt ribbon of gray highway appeared in the dis-

tance. She poured it on and sprinted fl at out toward the road. She reached the berm and bent, hands on knees, panting.

MELISSA F. MILLER

Keep moving when you cross the fi nish line; stay loose.

She groaned a curse at the little voice of Rosie Montoya that

had taken up residence in her brain, but did as it said. She walked, taking big strides, with her arms raised overhead and gulped down

the clean air as if it were cold water.

She walked on, following the curve of the road. All that running

seemed to have depleted the oxygen from her brain nearly as much

as it had taxed her muscles. Her ears were popping as if she were in an airplane, and the only way to describe her thinking was fuzzy.

She didn’t recall Rosie mentioning a decrease in IQ points with

each completed race. She laughed aloud at the thought then stum-

bled, tripping over her shoelace. She caught herself at the last second and bent to tie the loose lace.

As she was crouched near the ground, a black Lincoln Naviga-

tor blew past her so fast the wind ruffl ed her loose hair.

“No, no. No!” she staggered to her feet and raised her arms over-

head, waving them as if she were fl agging down a rescue helicopter.

Hot salty tears spilled from her eyes as the SUV grew smaller.

Failure. Blown opportunity. Disaster.

She was glad Joe wasn’t around to comment on her self-talk. She

wiped the sweat from her forehead and piled her thick, long hair on top of her head, twisting it into a loose bun, to cool her hot neck.

Th e Navigator screeched to a halt. Her pulse skyrocketed.

Th ank you, Universe.
She raised her face to the sky, joy pulsing through her veins. She began to jog toward the vehicle, a smile of

gratitude on her face.

And then the driver’s door opened. A man in a business suit

emerged from the car and stormed around to the passenger side.

He reached inside and dragged out a person—a woman. She was

screaming at him. Aroostine couldn’t make out the words from a

distance but the way the woman struggled against the man’s grasp

was unmistakable: she was afraid.

136

CHILLING EFFECT

Aroostine’s heart sank and landed somewhere in the vicinity of

her knees.

She did not have time for this Good Samaritan business. And

yet she couldn’t pretend not to see—even if it ended up that she’d

stumbled onto a garden-variety lovers’ quarrel, she couldn’t ignore the woman’s plight. She slowed to a cautious walk as she approached the couple.

Meanwhile the man half pulled, half dragged the woman across

the shoulder of the road and down a small hill. Out of sight of anyone who might drive by.

Aroostine’s adrenaline rose another notch. She began to scan

the side of the road for something, anything that might be a ser-

viceable weapon. Orgeon’s geological formations came to her rescue

once again. She bent and hefted a large gray rock—more of a small

boulder, really. She conservatively estimated its weight as twelve

pounds or so. Th e woman’s shouting carried to her on the wind.

She recognized that raw voice—a mixture of fear and anger.
Ruby.

She sped up and reached the top of the hill, hoping she was

wrong. No, she was right. Ruby twisted, screaming and trying to

wrench herself free of Lee Buckmount. Buckmount stood with his

back to Aroostine and the road. He had both hands clamped on

Ruby’s shoulders and was shaking her violently.

“Damn you, tell me what else he told you and who you told!”

Lee raged at her.

“I told you, Lee! I swear, I told you everything.” Tears streamed

down Ruby’s face.

Aroostine took another step closer. Th e movement must have

caught Ruby’s eye because her gaze traveled over Lee’s shoulder.

Her eyes widened when she spotted Aroostine, but she managed

to keep her expression smooth. Aroostine put one fi nger to her lips and raised the boulder, pantomiming bringing it down on someone’s head.

137

MELISSA F. MILLER

Ruby blinked once. An instant later, she did something that

probably saved her life. Lee dropped his hands from her shoulders

and pulled a handgun from inside his jacket. Ruby swooned and

pretended to faint. She let her legs buckle under her and crumpled

to the ground.

Aroostine crept behind Buckmount as he bent over Ruby, hold-

ing the gun down by his side. She inhaled deeply as she raised the

rock, two-handed, over her head. Th en she exhaled and smashed it

into the back of his skull with a sickening crunch. Th e impact of

rock meeting bone jarred her arms, but she clenched tighter.

Th e force carried her forward, and she fell on his back as he

rocketed toward the ground. Ruby rolled to her left and managed to

dodge them. Lee collapsed in a pool of blood, moaning. Aroostine

pushed herself off him, faintly nauseous at the sight and coppery

smell of so much blood. She scrabbled for his gun, but Ruby already had it. She held it with shaking hands, her foot pressed fi rmly

against Lee’s wrist, pinning him to the ground.

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere any time soon,” Aroostine

told her.

She gently pried the gun from Ruby’s hands, peeling her fi ngers

back one by one. Once the weapon was out of her hand, Ruby began

to sob wildly.

“You saved my life. I thought you were never coming back,” she

muttered.

Aroostine fi gured the other woman was either in shock or about

to go into a shock state.

“Listen, Ruby, this is important. Call Boom and tell him to meet

us here.”

“Shouldn’t I call the police?”

“Yes. But, Boom fi rst, okay? I want him to be here when the

tribal police get here. I don’t want to try to navigate the politics without his help.”

138

CHILLING EFFECT

It was true, as far as it went. But it was also true that Aroostine just wanted Boom there for comfort and support. Th e way a young

girl might want her grandfather, she realized. Th e realization startled her, and she told herself she’d give it due consideration sometime

when she wasn’t quite so busy apprehending a criminal.

At the mention of the authorities, Buckmount began to writhe

and groan. She pushed aside the emotions that threatened to over-

take her and crouched beside him. She intended to whisper in his

ear, but the drying blood that covered the side of his head turned

her stomach, so she averted her head and said, “Don’t even think

about trying to get up. I’ll hit you like I mean it if I have to hit you again. Or maybe I’ll just shoot you with your own gun. Wonder if

this’ll be a ballistics match for the gun used to kill Isaac?”

He went limp and silent.

She turned back to Ruby, but Ruby already had the phone to

her ear. Excellent. She mentally ticked off the phone calls they would make.

First Boom. Th en Sid. Th en the tribal police.

Hang tight, Joe. I’m coming.

139

Th e red car that had been parked outside Isaac Palmer’s house

screeched to a halt at an angle behind Buckmount’s Navigator.

Aroostine waved from the top of the hill and then pointed down

to the far side. Once Boom exited the car and waved to indicate he

understood, she jogged back to join Ruby.

She was no longer afraid that Ruby would slip into shock,

but she did have some concerns about leaving her alone with

Buckmount for too long—Ruby was mad enough to kill the man.

And Buckmount wasn’t doing himself any favors. Once he regained

his power of speech, he’d indulged in a running diatribe directed

primarily at Ruby.

Aroostine was tempted to whack him on the head with the

rock again to knock him out and spare them all. Instead she settled for removing the bullets from the gun and telling Ruby to hit him