Navajo's Woman (21 page)

Russ's body was partially shaded by the ponderosa pines on the nearby hillside. The moment Joe and Andi approached, Russ shot straight up and, without looking at them, started to run.

"Russ!"

He slowed, but didn't stop.

"Russ, please,don't ran," Andi called. "We'll just have to follow you."

Joe eased away from Andi so that a good ten feet sep-arated them. He wanted Russ to concentrate on his sister and not on him.

Russ stopped and turned slowly to face his captors. “Why did you have to come after me?''

"You need to come home," Andi said. "We can help you. We'll prove to the police that you and Eddie—"

"Did you find Eddie?"

"We found him in the cave where you'd left him," Joe said, his tone harsh.

"I didn't leave him," Russ said. "I went out for more wood to build up the fire, and then I planned to leave and find a phone to call for help. I knew he needed a doctor real bad."

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"Why didn't you come back?" Andi moved forward, but when Russ edged backward, she stopped dead still.

"I saw you two and knew you'd find Eddie." Russ's dark eyes darted back and forth as his gaze tried to keep both Andi and Joe in sight.

"The police were right behind us," Andi told him. "They could have—"

"I outsmarted them."

"You've outsmarted yourself," Joe said. "Running makes you look guilty, and by trying to elude the police you put your life and Eddie's at risk."

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't understand." Russ all but snarled at Joe,then focused on Andi. "Why did you hook up with him? Don't you know that you can't trust him?"

"Russ, you're wrong. We can trust Joe. He wants to help you."

Russ glowered at his sister. "Yeah, sure we can trust him. The same way our father trusted him."

"You can't keep running." Andi held out her hands, a gesture for him to come to her. He ignored her plea. “You don't have any food or provisions of any kind, do you? And you have nowhere to go. Come back with us and tell the police what happened the night Bobby Yazzi was killed."

"I can't. They'd never believe me. You know how much trouble I've been in in the past couple of years.

Everybody knows I'm a bad seed. Besides, I've got no-body who'll back up my story."

Joe thought that Russ suddenly looked like a small boy instead of the strapping sixteen-year-old he really was. He was no doubt hungry, tired and scared. And fear seemed to control his thoughts and actions.

"Eddie can back up your story," Andi said.

"Eddie didn't see what happened that night at Bobby's," Russ all but cried. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Eddie wasn't with you when Bobby Yazzi was mur-dered?" Joe asked. "And you've dragged him across New Mexico and half of Arizona with a bullet wound in his shoulder!"

"Yeah, blame it all on me," Russ shouted. "See—" he turned to Andi "—I told you, didn't I? He thinks I'm guilty. He blames me for everything. And the police will be just like him. I'm not going back to be railroaded on a murder charge." He clenched his fists and lifted them toward heaven in an angry protest.

"I did not kill Bobby Yazzi!"

"I believe you," Andi said. "I never thought you killed anyone."

"But Joe believes I'm guilty, that I'm to blame, and so do the police."

Andi whipped around and looked right at Joe. He tried to avoid a direct confrontation with her, but knew he had no choice but to accept whatever she tossed his way.

"Tell him that you know he didn't kill Bobby Yazzi, and tell him that you don't blame him for—"

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"I wouldn't believe him," Russ said. "So he can just save his breath."

"Well, whether you would believe me or not isn't the point." Joe took a tentative step toward Russ.

"Right now, you're coming with us, and when we get back to civilization we can work things out.Between you and me.And between you and the law."

"You must be deaf, Ornelas." Russ started backing away. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Yes, you are." Joe lifted his rifle and aimed it directly at Russ.

Andi gasped. "No, Joe, you wouldn't!"

"Yeah, he would," Russ said. "He'd kill me in a heart-beat. He killed our father, didn't he?"

"No, Russ, he didn't kill our father. Our father killed himself."

"Man, Ornelas has done a number on you. You're tak-ing his side over mine, aren'tyou. "

"I am on your side," she tried to explain. "You're my brother. I love you and I want what's best for you.

And so does Joe."

"I'm not going back." Russ stood his ground, glaring at Joe. "If you want to take me back, you're going to have to shoot me."

"No!" Andi cried.

Hell, how had things come to this? Joe asked himself. No way was he going to shoot that boy. How could a person be so damn stubborn? Russ was thinking irration-ally. But nothing he or Andi could say would change Russ's mind about going back with them. Joe figured he had a chance of overpowering Russ, but the trick would be to catch him. The boy was nearly twenty years younger than he, and if he remembered correctly, Eddie had once mentioned that Russ ran track at school.

"Go ahead, Ornelas. Shoot me." Russ puffed out his chest, then stuffed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a knife. "You might as well kill me, because I'll kill myself before I'll go back with you."

"No, Russ, no!"Andi screamed.

Joe lowered the rifle. Trembling, Russ released a long, deep breath. Then, with an apologetic glance at his sister, he turned and ran as if the devil were chasing him. Within moments, he had disappeared completely in the wilder-ness once more.

Andi rushed toward Joe and flung her arms around him. Joe pulled her close, then gazed at her as he lifted his hand, tucked his knuckles under her chin and tilted her face to his. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"We had to let him go," Andi said. "If hehad. . .I really believe he would have killed himself before he would have gone back with us." She clung to Joe, then whispered, “Thank you for letting him leave. I know that decision wasn't easy for you."

In that one moment, Joe knew that at long last he was once again a hero in Andi's eyes.

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They arrived in Gallup later that afternoon and went straight to Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital on Red Rock Drive. The multistory white building with wide, earthy-red horizontal stripes had a definite Southwestern appearance. Andi kept pace with Joe as he hurried down the hallway toward the surgery waiting area.

The minute Kate saw herbrother, she sprang to her feet and rushed into his arms. Andi nodded to Ed Whitehorn and J.T., who both stood in the corner talking quietly. Joanna waved from her sitting position on the sofa. Andi offered her a weak smile.

"How's Eddie?" Joe asked.

"He is in surgery," Kate said. "Oh, Joe, gangrene had set in. Dr. Shull says there is a chance Eddie will lose his arm."

"Oh, no."After the unintentional outburst, Andi cov-ered her mouth with her fist.

"If that happens, we will deal with it," Joe said. "But until it is a fact, we will hope for the best. We must be grateful that Eddie is alive."

"He could still die." Kate clung to Joe as she wept quietly.

Andi walked over and sat with Joanna, but all the while she watched as Joe comforted his sister.Kind.

Loving.A strong and caring man. During those moments, she saw in Joe the man she had first fallen in love with so many years ago.

"How are you doing?" Joanna asked.

"I've been better," Andi replied honestly.

"Any word on Russ?"

Andi nodded. "Joe and I found him."

"That's wonderful news."

"Not so wonderful. He wouldn't come back with us. Joe would have had to take him by force, maybe even shoot him."

Joanna patted Andi's arm in a consoling gesture. "So, I take it that y'all let Russ go."

"There wasn't much else we could do. I was so proud of Joe." Andi clenched her teeth in an effort to hold at bay the threatening tears.

“He would never deliberately do anything to hurt you or Russ," Joanna said. "You must know that. Joe is a good man."

“Yes. Yes, he is. I just wish that Russ could trust him.''

Joanna draped her arm around Andi's shoulder. "When this mess is all straightened out, Russ will have a chance to get to know Joe again. Once he realizes that Joe isn't his enemy and never has been, then—''

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"But we can't be sure that we'll ever get things straightened out." Andi crossed her arms over her waist and cupped her elbows. "If the police find Russ and he tries to resist, then they might. . ." Andi drew a deep breath. “And if Eddie were todie. . . or if he loses his arm, Joe will never forgive Russ. He blames Russ for getting Eddie into trouble and then dragging Eddie with him when he ran away."

"Eddie could have said no at any time," Joanna re-minded her. “Besides, both boys were seen running from Bobby Yazzi's apartment, which means they were both witnesses to—"

"No, you're wrong. Russ said that Eddie wasn't inside the apartment with him when Bobby Yazzi was mur-dered."

"Oh. Then when Russ is caught, Eddie can't corrobo-rate Russ's statement, can he?"

Andi leaned over, braced her elbows on her thighs and her face in her hands. "It's all so unfair. I know in my heart that Russ and Eddie are innocent. But they're paying such a terribly high price for having been in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Think positive thoughts," Joanna said. "Now isn't the time to give up hope—"

"I'm looking for the Whitehorn family," a female voice said.

Andi jerked her head up and stared at the middle-aged nurse standing in the doorway. Joanna grasped Andi's arm, and Andi helped her pregnant friend to stand.

"Yes, I am Mrs. Whitehorn," Kate identified herself, all the while holding on to Joe's hand.

"Eddie is out of surgery," the nurse said. "He's in recovery. Dr. Shull will be out to see you shortly."

"Please, can you tell us if. . ." Ed Whitehorn came for-ward, J.T. at his side. "Is my son going to live?"

"Eddie came through surgery just fine," the nurse as-sured them. "And he didn't lose his arm. But that's all I can tell you. Dr. Shull can answer your questions."

A collective sigh of relief filled the waiting room. Kate hugged Joe, then went to her husband and clasped his hands in hers. Kate and Ed smiled at each other. Tears trickled down Kate's cheeks. A fine mist covered Ed's eyes. J.T. wrapped his arm around Joanna's shoulder. Joe turned to Andi, who opened her arms and reached out to him. He accepted the comfort of her embrace, his big body relaxing as she laid her head against his chest and hugged him to her.

By the time Dr. Shull entered the waiting room, every-one had released some of their emotional tension with tears and hugs and words of comfort and hope. Ed and Kate approached the doctor, hand in hand.

"Eddie's recovering nicely. We were able to repair his shoulder, but we had to remove a section of the infected area. With medication, the rest of the infection should clear shortly. There's a slight chance that Eddie might lose some mobility in that arm, but only time will tell. We'll be moving him into the surgical ICU shortly."

"When can we see him?" Kate asked.

"In a couple of hours," the doctor replied."Immediate family only, for the first twenty-four hours."

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Joe and J.T. followed the doctor out into the corridor. Andi excused herself, closed the door behind her and waited several feet away, but close enough to hear the entire conversation.

"Doctor, how soon will Eddie be able to talk to the police?" J.T. asked. "Captain Cummings, with the Na-vajo Tribal Police, was by here earlier, and he has a man waiting to stand guard over Eddie." J.T.

gestured with his head to the right side of the waiting area.

Andi was surprised that this was the first time she had noticed the uniformed policeman.

"I won't allow anyone to disturb or upset Eddie. I can assure you of that, Mr. Blackwood. In twenty-four hours, I'll assess Eddie's condition and let the police know when they can question him."

Russ checked his pocket for change. He had four quar-ters.Enough for four phone calls. He had to get in touch with Jewel. Maybe this time she wouldn't hang up on him. And he wanted to call the hospital and get a report on Eddie. He figured they'd taken him to Rehoboth McKin-ley. But first, he had to get a cola and maybe some crack-ers. He studied the cola machine in front of the garage and sighed with relief when he saw that the machine took dollar bills. Thank goodness, he still had the two dollars Eddie had given him. His buddy had almost forgotten that he kept a couple of dollars stuck inside his shoe, for emer-gencies. Russ's stomach growled. Yeah, he was hungry.Hungrier than he'd ever been in his life.

Before inserting a dollar into the cola machine, he glanced up and down the road. No one was in sight.

Everyone had closed up shop and gone home. Even the trading post had closed for the evening. Maybe he'd been a fool to come back to Black Rock. But then, he figured nobody, least of all the police, would expect him to back-track.

The machine took his dollar on the second try, spit out a quarterchange and dumped a frosty can into the bottom slot. Russ retrieved his quarter, picked up the can and popped the lid. He gulped down the dark carbonated bev-erage as if it were water—cold, sweet,delicious . When he finished half the cola, he eyed the machine that held candy, crackers and cookies. He used another dollar to buy two packs of peanut butter crackers. Taking his food with him, he walked behind the garage, out of sight of any passing vehicles, and slumped down on the ground. He ripped open the cellophane paper covering the food and gobbled both packs of crackers. After washing the food down with the remainder of his drink, he crushed the can in his hand. He slipped around the building, checked out the surrounding area, and decided it was safe to make his way to the pay telephone outside the trading post. He tossed the empty can into a trash basket along-side the gas pumps,then made a mad dash across the desolate street. Ever mindful that someone could spot him at any time and notify the law, Russ kept one eye out for any sign of human fife.