Earthway (27 page)

He paused and looked at Ford. “But as far as the attempts on your life, Reverend, that’s an entirely different matter. You serve God, and you’re not involved in political causes. The whole thing makes no sense to me.”

“If the Freemen avoid contact with the outside, how do you stay so current on what’s happening locally?” Ella asked.

“We don’t watch TV or read the newspapers, but we
do
have some communication with members of the community,” he said.

“How about sharing your sources?” she asked. “Lives could be at stake.”

Atwood shook his head. “That’s the cop talking now, and we’re not compromising ourselves by becoming informants.”

Atwood stood, indicating the meeting was over. An instant later one of the armed men reappeared.
Ella suspected that their entire meeting had been monitored and recorded.

“My Freeman brother will escort you out.” Atwood
looked at Ford and added, “You’ll always be welcome here, but leave your woman behind from now on. An off-duty cop is still a cop.”

When they were in the car, clear of the gate and driving away, Ella finally breathed easy. “We managed to avoid a real confrontation. That’s
a win—and maybe a miracle,” she said with a tiny grin.

Before Ford could answer, Teeny called Ella’s cell. “I’ve been monitoring everything and I wanted to let you know that the tone of Atwood’s voice changed slightly when he told you to look in your own backyard.”

“The man knows more than he’s admitting,” Ella said. “I could feel it in my gut.”

“I’ll ask one of my people to follow anyone who
leaves that compound, and keep tabs on whoever they meet. Maybe we can track the information Atwood gave you back to its source,” Teeny added.

“Excellent idea.”

Ella hung up and glanced at Ford. “You’ve been very quiet.”

He gestured to the bug Teeny had placed on his jacket and shook his head.

Knowing Ford was uncomfortable with it, Ella called Teeny and asked him to turn off the device. Once
both had been deactivated, she focused on Ford once again. “What’s bothering you?”

“This visit. . . . I went there undercover, propagating a lie, or at the very least, shading the truth and misleading people. That’s in direct opposition to what God expects from me. I’ve betrayed a trust.”

“You risked your life to serve the community and our country, Ford,” Ella said. “That’s brotherly love—the
greatest of all the commandments.”

He looked at her in surprise.

Ella smiled. “I
am
a minister’s daughter.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Until now, I never realized that any of what he’d taught you had actually sunk in.”

“Most didn’t,” Ella answered. “Well, let me clarify that. It’s not that it didn’t sink in, it’s that I didn’t agree with a lot of the doctrine he was pushing. What I saw as just
one of many ways to live a good life was the
only
way to him. I was caught in the middle, forced to choose between his religion and my mother’s traditional Navajo beliefs. So I walked away, choosing not to choose,” Ella said. After a long pause, she added, “Rather than disappoint either one of my parents, I ended up disappointing them both.”

He nodded, understanding. “Could you still live with
a servant of God even if you disagreed with the doctrine?”

“Excuse me?”

“Let me put this another way,” he said, struggling to find the right words. “What I said in front of Atwood wasn’t all talk. I’d like for our relationship to eventually progress . . . you know, to the traditional conclusion.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I’d also hope that you’d say yes when the time comes.”

Taken
by complete surprise, she stared at him, dumbfounded. In her occasional daydreams, she’d envisioned a romantic proposal at sunset, or maybe at daybreak—but not in the car, on the job, and sounding so odd.

“I’m sorry. I’m bungling this big time. I can only imagine what you’re thinking right now. Please don’t feel pressured, this isn’t an official proposal,” he added with a shaky smile. “I just
want to know how you feel about the whole thing. If it’s something you can’t see happening between us—ever—I need to know.”

Ella smiled. “I wouldn’t say never—not to anything.”

“That’s not a yes.”

“Yours wasn’t a question. We were talking possibilities,” she teased. “Nothing official, remember?”

He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “I love you,
Ella. I have from nearly the moment
we met. But our beliefs are very different. I know that hasn’t been a problem between us, but if we ever had kids—”

“Whoa! Kids? Aren’t we jumping the gun?” She gave him a gentle smile. “We’re both happy the way things are. Let’s not change anything for now.”

“There are things we need to settle before we can ever look to the future, Ella. You’re an open book with few secrets. Could you accept
the fact that there are some things you’ll never know about me?”

“Like what really drove you to become a pastor?” she asked, and his reaction told her she’d struck a nerve. “It wasn’t just God’s call, was it? You were trying to leave something behind. . . .”

He nodded slowly. “But you never can, you know. Certain things follow you.”

“Could something from back there be the reason you’re a target
now?” she asked instantly.

“The Bureau people I worked for have looked into my past assignments and they’ve assured me that’s not the case.”

“And that’s all you can tell me?”

“I trust you, Ella, but these aren’t my secrets to tell.”

Ella’s curiosity fueled her imagination. More than ever she wanted to find out about Ford’s past, but the last time she’d tried to pursue information, doors had
shut firmly—and irrevocably—everywhere she turned.

“Now you’re wondering who I really am . . . and if you want any part of the baggage I’m sure to bring,” Ford said softly.

“No, that’s not it. I’m just very curious about you, that’s all. You were a little too cool and calm back there, even when that guy was waving around a shotgun.”

Ford shrugged. “You already know that I used to do special
work for the Bureau, Ella. Don’t try to dig any farther
into my past. You’ll bring down a ton of grief on yourself. Believe me.”

She did.

Less than an hour later, Ella was in Big Ed’s office, along with Justine, Blalock, and Anna. Joe Neskahi was on surveillance detail now that Dr. Lee was back on campus, and Marianna was getting some much needed sleep.

“I want an update,” Big Ed said.

“We don’t have much,” Ella said, giving him a report.

“The reverend’s past, and the possibility that his former bosses are missing something . . . How much clearance do we need to open those files?” Big Ed asked Blalock.

“I’ve handled special ops in the past and have TS clearance,” he said, referring to top-secret clearance. “When I tried to read his file I found critical information redacted—blacked
out. To access everything, I would have needed even more clearance than I have. The Washington Bureau agent who studied the file told me that there’s nothing in it that can help us. I insisted on taking a look for myself, but was told we had no need-to-know, so the file would remain closed.”

“Need to know . . . ,” Big Ed said slowly. “How are
they
determining what
we
need to know? They’re not
part of this investigation,
we
are. If anyone has the need to know, it’s us.”

“They told me that they’ve studied the matter in depth and have reached the conclusion that what’s happening now is not related to the past. But I can tell you this much,” Blalock said. “Bilford Tome is still considered an important asset.”

“Because of his skill in cryptography, right?” Ella asked.

Blalock shook his
head. “From what I’ve been able to put together, that’s only
part
of his area of expertise.”

“Unofficially, what else can you tell us?” Big Ed asked.

“Officially or unofficially, you now know what I do,” Blalock answered.

Big Ed, visibly annoyed, nodded once, then looked at Ella. “What else have you got for me, Shorty?”

“My team has compiled a list of possible suspects who may or may not be
working in conjunction with Jane Lee,” she said, then gave Anna a nod.

“Only a few officers fit our suspect profile—expert marksman and proficient with explosives,” Anna said. “Here they are, in no particular order. There’s John Butler, an Anglo sergeant in the County Sheriff’s Department. He served with the Los Angeles Police Department for ten years and has all kinds of specialized training,
including SWAT.”

“Where was he when the last attempt on Ford’s life was made?” Ella asked.

“Backpacking into the Gila Wilderness,” Anna replied. “So it’s unverifiable.”

“Does he have any connection to Dr. Lee?” Ella asked.

“None that I found.”

“You checked his background without tipping anyone of your search, right?” Ella asked.

“My information didn’t come from their personnel files. I couldn’t
access those without pointing a finger back to myself and this department.”

“Then how—,” Ella asked, then quickly held up a hand, and shook her head. “Never mind.”

Anna continued. “Officer Danny Martinez is with the Farmington PD. He’s taken a lot of special classes, most notably he underwent SWAT training with the Albuquerque Police Department. He’s half-Navajo and his sniper skills are really
extraordinary. His kill scores at six hundred yards are 100%, and 90% at a thousand.”

“That’s impressive,” Big Ed commented, voicing what they were all thinking.

“Lastly, there’s San Juan County Deputy Henderson
Whitefeather,” Anna continued. “I think I’ve seen him somewhere before, I just can’t recall where. He’s Navajo and lives somewhere on the Rez. He was a sniper in the military, which
puts him on a par with Martinez, maybe better. He has some explosive-ordinance training, too, but I’m not sure how extensive,” she said, closing her small notebook. “I wasn’t able to verify the whereabouts of these last two men during the times in question.”

“It’s still an impressive bit of investigative work,” Ella said. “Good job.”

“One last thing. I also managed to get photos,” Anna said.
“I thought Reverend Tome could take a look and see if he recognizes any of these men.”

“Good thinking,” Ella said, taking the photos from her and glancing down at the faces. “I know Reverend Tome met Whitefeather recently, though we were outside in the dark at the time. He was the deputy who visited Ford’s home after the attempted break-in. That happened the same night as the bomb attack.”

“Coincidence? Or something more?” Big Ed asked.

“Whitefeather took the call, and responded pretty fast for a non-emergency stop,” Ella said, thinking back. “It might not hurt to find out if he’s usually in the vicinity around that time. Also we should check and see if Dispatch sent him or if he volunteered.”

“I’ll handle that,” Justine said. “And one more thing comes to mind, now that I think
of it. The county lab never could find that lost .22 bullet Whitefeather said he turned in. What if he never did?”

“If it came from one of his personal weapons, he certainly wouldn’t have wanted it booked in as evidence,” Ella responded. “And I remember something about him using air freshener. That could have been used to cover the scent of recent gunshots originating from his vehicle.”

“So
we keep him on the suspect list. But what about
Henry Mike? What’s going on with that part of the investigation?” Big Ed asked.

Ella brought him up to date. “He’s still on the run. At the moment, we’re trying to track down his wife.”

“I’ve got a lead I’m following on that, Big Ed. I’ll know later today if it pans out,” Justine said.

Big Ed nodded to the group. “All right. It looks like there’s
plenty of work to go around. Get to it.”

As everyone began filing out, Big Ed signaled to Ella to remain behind. “I’m thinking that you may be too close to this case, Shorty. Perspective is everything, and if what I hear is right, you and Reverend Tome are pretty close nowadays.”

“Yes, we are. That’s no secret. But if anything, that’s an asset to this case. He’ll trust my judgement far more
than he would a stranger’s, and that’ll help me keep him safe.”

“I’ll take your word on that for now, Shorty. You’ve got good instincts, but be careful,” he said. “This case is running your team in circles, and we still have no idea what Dr. Lee and her people have up their sleeves concerning the power plant.”

Ella paused for a long moment, then spoke. “I think we’re being played, chief. My
gut tells me everything’s connected somehow, but we’ll need a lot more to go on before we have any definitive answers.”

“Watch your back,” he said somberly. “I have a real bad feeling about this one.”

Absently, Ella reached up and touched her badger fetish. It felt cool to the touch, but she knew he was right. There was too much beneath the surface that had yet to be uncovered.

Ella drove
to Teeny’s shortly thereafter. As she took a seat in the main room with the wall-to-wall electronics, Ford swung his chair around and faced her. “I don’t have anything new for you, Ella. I’m still working on the codes.”

“I won’t interrupt you for long. I just wanted to show
you some photos. I need to know if you recognize any of these men,” Ella said, handing him the file folder.

Ford set each
out on his desk, studying the faces. “I know this man,” Ford said. “He’s the deputy who came to the house the night someone tried to shoot Abednego. His last name was Whitefeather.” He paused for several seconds. “But I also recall having met him somewhere else in the past. His hair was longer back then . . . I think.”

Teeny, standing behind him, shook his head. “I’ve never seen Whitefeather
before, Ella.” He then glanced at Ford. “Maybe you remember his face from one of those traffic blitzes—the roadblocks checking for DWI. Or maybe it was at the scene of an auto accident?”

“He apparently lives on the Rez. Could he be one of your parishioners, Ford?” Ella pressed.

Ford’s gaze remained on the photo. “No. I know the people at my church. Whitefeather. . . . I definitely recognize
the man’s face, but the name doesn’t seem to fit. What’s his first name?”