Tattered Legacy (A Nora Abbott Mystery) (18 page)

Abigail succeeded in getting to the garden, Cassie in tow. Her perky chatter carried across the yard. Annoying at her best of times, when she put an effort into it, Abigail could make Mother Teresa snap. Although Cassie seemed nice enough, she was no saint. “We don’t allow tourists in our garden.”

“Oh, look at these carrots. How do you keep your rows so
straight?” Abigail was doing her best to distract Cassie.

A lot of good it did Nora, with Lydia eyeing her like a hawk sizes up a mouse.

Nora struggled for something to say while trying to take in everything in the compound. “You should have seen her at the Hopi reservation. She kept looking in people’s houses.”

Lydia perked up, her eyes becoming lasers. “Hopi? Not LDS?”

Lydia’s reaction seemed strange but then, nothing about this place was normal. Nora understood why she kept asking if they were LDS since the mainstream church didn’t approve of polygamists and this place could be one of those cults Marlene spoke of. But why would mentioning Hopi set her off? “I’ve got friends on Second Mesa.”

Lydia flicked her hands in a “scat” motion. “It’s time for you to leave. Pick up that fool and get gone.”

There wouldn’t be any finessing this woman. Abigail crossed the yard toward Nora and Cassie stormed behind her with a stony face.

They heard the rumble of an engine. Whoever was coming might mean trouble for Nora and Abigail. They should leave now. “Come on, Mother. We should go.” Nora tried not to appear panicked as she hurried back to the Jeep.

Abigail slowed her pace even though Cassie seemed determined to keep her moving. “I’d love to see the inside of the barn. I’ll bet it has some history. When did the Mormons settle this part of the country?”

Wheels rattled on a cattle guard, warning of an approaching vehicle. Nora tried to sound casual. “Mother? I think we’ve bothered these people enough. We really should be heading back.”

“Perhaps we could come back another day,” Abigail said, not making a move toward the Jeep.

The hood, then cab, then bed of a white pickup popped around the barn, taking the curve of the road into the yard. The silhouette of a black hat hung in its rear window. Lee.

Was the Tokpela Ranch his? If so, that doubled Nora’s suspicions.

Abigail finally noticed it. She spun around and skipped to the Jeep. “Thank you much for the tour. You have a lovely spread here.”

Spread?

They both jumped into the Jeep and slammed the doors. Nora turned the key and shifted into reverse.

She twisted to look behind her, aware that a couple of children could be anywhere.

The white pickup loomed in her rearview mirror like a shark with open jaws.

Nora spun around, jammed the gear into first, and eased off the clutch to crawl forward. She might have to run across the yard a little, but she’d just be able to squeeze around the hitching post.

Before she moved more than an inch, though, Lee jumped in front of the Jeep and banged his fists on the hood. The clang made Abigail scream.

Nora squeezed her brakes.

He slapped the hood of the Jeep again and glared at her.

Abbey barked. The noise gnawed through her control. She disengaged the gear lever.

Cassie joined Lee in front of the Jeep. Her fierce expression was even more frightening than Lee’s. Lydia, probably the scariest of all, hobbled in that see-saw way toward them.

Nora grabbed the door handle and Abigail clutched at her. “Don’t go out there. This is an evil cult and they’ll take you into the barn for human sacrifice.”

While that jibed with Nora’s imaginative scenario, it seemed an exaggerated response, even in Nora-world.

She jumped out of the Jeep, slamming the door before Abbey could join her. With way more courage than she felt, Nora demanded, “Get out of the way.”

Lee strode over to her. She fought the wise urge to run. He stopped within inches of her, breathing hard. “What do you want?”

Nora countered with, “Did you mess with my brakes?”

He let out air as though she’d punched his stomach. His face clouded. “Did I what?”

Nora felt a little momentum shift her way. “Like you tampered with Lisa’s brakes.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re crazy, aren’t you?”

Nora imagined him slipping his hands around her throat and squeezing her like a chicken. A smart woman would bolt, run for the hills. But even if Nora could leave Abigail to fend for herself, locked in the Jeep, she wouldn’t get far with Cassie standing a few feet behind her. Her only weapon was her wits.

They were screwed.

“It wouldn’t be a good idea to hurt us. Everyone knows we came out here. If we don’t show up in town, they’ll come after you.” Sweat beaded on her lip and pooled under her arms.

He smirked. “Everyone? Rachel?” He chuckled.

She didn’t see the little girls so she wouldn’t have to worry about flattening them with the Jeep in a quick getaway. If she jumped in and gunned it, they could probably make it out of here. Lee didn’t have a gun in his hand, so he’d have to get to his pickup to chase them down.

“She’s not the only one who knows we’re here. We told Marlene. She already suspects you killed Lisa.” How would he react to an accusation of murder?

He laughed. “Half the town of Moab thinks I killed Lisa. They’re convinced I swallow hikers whole. They suspect I kill cyclists and sell their mountain bikes on the black market. They can’t prove it any more than you can prove I messed with your Jeep.”

His ridicule brought out her anger. “Did you hate Lisa because she was a lesbian or because of her work to expand the park? Or maybe it was something else
.”
Like her helping rescue girls from polygamist cults like yours?

Cassie let out a huff of annoyance.

He spoke slowly. “I wasn’t the one trying to change her way of life. She—and all you people—are working pretty darned hard to destroy mine.”

So you killed her
. She didn’t say the words out loud but they must have been plain on her face.

His face looked like black thunder. “Lisa was someplace she shouldn’t have been and she had an accident.”

Cassie put a hand on her hip. “You don’t belong here, sister.”

The air felt like lead as Nora tried to steady her breath. Was this where they’d drag Nora and Abigail away and bludgeon them?

Lee’s hateful eyes bored into her. “You’d best get while you can. You’re too scrawny to do much good, but we can always use some bones for soup.”

Cassie lunged forward, as if to attack, and laughed.

Nora marched to her Jeep with as much dignity as she could muster. She pulled open the door and pushed Abbey into the back seat.

Abigail’s voice squeaked. “Could we please get out of here?”

Nora turned at the anxiety in her mother’s tone. Abigail sat straight, staring ahead, all blood drained from her face. Her hands trembled.

Lydia stood outside Abigail’s rolled-up window. Her creepy
dried apple face hovered only inches away, a malevolent and
toothless grin aimed at Abigail. The nightmares from that image would stay with Nora for a very long time.

Nora eased forward, the vehicle nearly brushing the hitching post. As soon as she straightened the wheel, she surveyed the area for any stray children, saw none, and gunned the engine. They sped around the curve by the garden and down the road.

Nora’s insides felt as solid as the marshy lake in the meadow. Her hands shook on the wheel. “That was straight out of a horror movie. I expected an army of zombies to come out of the barn with scythes and torches.”

Abigail reached for her handbag and rummaged inside. Her hands shook every bit as much as Nora’s. She pulled a lipstick case out and opened it, taking out the tube. She held the case open for the mirror and started to apply the lipstick. She shook too hard for precision and dropped both hands to her lap. “They lacked basic social graces.”

That was the worst Abigail could come up with? “Can you imagine tea and cookies with Granny Evil?”

Abigail shook her head. “The woman should have started a good skin regimen about eighty years ago.”

They laughed and it eased some of the strain.

Nora didn’t start breathing regularly until they found the road to the highway and headed safely toward civilization. “Marlene knows they’re dangerous. That’s why she told me to stay away.”

Abigail finished a successful attempt at her lipstick and slid the kit into her bag. Her voice shook and she clutched her hands together. “Who knew farmer’s markets could be so lucrative?”

“What do you mean?”

“I assumed they’d have a couple of old tractors in that big barn. But they had three SUVs back there. One of them was an Escalade.”

What?

Recognition slipped into place. The dark-haired little girl sitting on the grass reminded Nora of the little girl outside the outfitters in Moab yesterday. She wore the same purple T-shirt and light-up shoes. Wasn’t she getting into an Escalade?

“Something else,” Abigail said.

“There’s more?”

“You know those images on the petroglyphs? The symbols you were so fascinated with?”

“The symbols you said my father doodled?”

“Yes. Well, that was painted on the barn.”

twenty-seven

Crickets chirped somewhere in
the desert beyond Lisa’s front porch as night closed around the cabin. The glow from a citronella candle gave the only light. Abbey stretched on the porch floor, twitching in the rabbit hunt of his dreams.

The boards on the north end of the porch squeaked again as Nora pivoted and paced back to the south. She was convinced Lee had tampered with her breaks and tried to kill her and Abigail. He’d murdered Lisa. Did he really think he could eliminate everyone advocating park expansion? He’d eventually run out of clever ways to arrange accidents and the environmentalists would keep coming. Sort of like the Indians trying to staunch the flow of white immigrants two hundred years ago. Right or wrong, Lee would lose.

But Nora didn’t care about the park issues right now. Runaway girls, religious cults, and attempted murder seemed more important. Abigail had gone to ground. Actually, to her room. When they’d returned from the excursion to Tokpela, she’d marched upstairs and closed her door. She’d done her share of pacing, too, but Nora hadn’t heard movement since the sun set several hours ago. Maybe she’d finally gone to sleep.

Rachel wasn’t home when Nora and Abigail reached the cabin and still hadn’t returned.

Aside from the crickets, the night had the volume set on mute. The perfume of the sand, sage, and other scents from the typical afternoon shower didn’t do much to ease Nora’s concerns. A sliver of moon barely restrained the darkness. Nora wore Lisa’s old hoodie to ward off the chill.

Did whatever Lisa left on the camera reveal Lee’s threats to her or the runaway girls? Where would Lisa hide it so that Nora would find it? And what about the symbol? It was in Nora’s dreams, on Rachel’s pictures, and now on Lee’s barn.

Headlights swung from the dirt road to shine along the rutted driveway lane. Rachel must be coming home. Nora steeled herself. Rachel might be on a war path and want to engage Nora in combat. Or their truce from breakfast might hold and she’d want company.

The soft purr of an engine approached, sounding nothing like the rumble of Nora’s old Jeep. When it got closer, Nora let out a breath. It wasn’t Rachel’s Passat. The Toyota 4Runner belonged to Darrell. He shut the engine off and climbed out.

“I’m glad you’re still up,” he said. “I was afraid it’s too late. I got hung up in a meeting with some constituents, but I wanted to check on you and your mother.”

He plodded up the steps and leaned on the porch railing. Somewhere along the day, he’d pulled his tie off, leaving the collar open on his wrinkled blue shirt. Dark whiskers dusted his chin and cheeks.

“You didn’t need to come all the way out here. We’re fine.”

“You seemed pretty upset at the fundraiser this afternoon and I felt bad about not being able to help you.” He stood and held out his arms. “So here I am, even though it’s nearly midnight, at your disposal.”

His easy grin teased one of her own in response. “Can I get you something? A beer? Iced tea?”

He plopped into one of the Adirondack chairs and slumped down. “Mormons have some strict rules about alcohol and caffeine.”

She should have known better. “Let me see what Rachel has in the kitchen.”

He laughed. “I’d love a beer. But if you tell anyone, I’ll call you a liar.”

“I have to warn you, I crack under torture.”

“I’ll take my chances and hope the Mormon deacons don’t get a hold of you.”

She slipped into the house for the beers. The light from the refrigerator splashed across the dark kitchen. She was trying to flirt with Darrell, but it didn’t feel right.

It should be Cole on the front porch. They’d sit together on the steps, laugh and tease and share a kiss or two. Maybe even stroll into the soft night hand in hand. She pictured his lanky frame in his jeans and hiking boots, goofy grin on his face, pointing out the columbines on the hillside next to the trail. “I’d pick you a bouquet but I know you’d rather I let them live,” he’d say.

In the short time they’d been together, Cole seemed to understand her and know her from the inside out.

“Did you get lost?” Darrell’s voice floated in from the porch.

She reached inside and grabbed two bottles of beer, then shut the door. While she opened the bottles in the scant light from the window, she reminded herself that Cole was married and though she clung to some hope he’d work it out, she had to be prepared that he wouldn’t.

By the time she got back to the porch and handed Darrell his bottle, she’d found a smidgeon of equilibrium.

“Did you raise a lot of campaign money today?” She sank into a chair.

He took a long pull and sighed. “It wasn’t really about the money. We’ve got a lot of work to do with getting the locals on board.”

“It didn’t look like many ranchers or native Moab folks were there today.” Except Lee.

“That’s the problem. The activists and environmentalists that have retired here or moved here in the last few years have more money than the old timers. But votes are votes. We need to find a way to talk to the traditionalists and get them to understand how important it is to protect Canyonlands.”

“As much as I’d like the locals on board,”—
if for no other reason than to keep them from trying to kill us
—“the decision is really out of their hands. It’s up to Congress.”

He gulped his beer. “Right. Did you make any progress on finding Lisa’s camera?”

The beer tasted bitter and she set it aside and stood. “Since the cops won’t help, I went out to Lee’s ranch this afternoon.”

He sat up at full attention. “You shouldn’t have done that. He’s dangerous.”

“I didn’t know he owned the Tokpela Ranch. Lisa seemed interested in it so I wanted to check it out.”

He set his empty bottle on the porch floor. “What did Lisa … ?”

She interrupted him. “He’s a polygamist.”

Darrell stared at her. “How do you know?”

She waved him off. “There were a couple of wives and a ton of children and this creepy old lady. It’s obvious. But there’s something else.”

He leaned back and studied her. “What?”

“I can’t figure it out, but it has something to do with this symbol I saw on petroglyphs today. It’s three concentric circles, like a target. Then lines run outward, like rays. Or kind of like the state symbol for New Mexico, but instead of several lines coming out from one circle in four directions, two lines shoot out in six directions. ”

He laughed. “What are you talking about?”

She sounded like Abigail chattering away and realized she’d probably inherited that tendency.

“This symbol that I saw on the rock is the same one painted on the side of Lee’s barn.”

He tilted his head as if waiting for more. “Uh-huh?”

“It means something.” She pointed out the obvious.

“What does it mean?” He stood up and walked to where she’d planted herself by the rail.

She paced away. “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

“Maybe he likes the symbol. You know, like the coil symbol you see everywhere or the hand or kokopelli. People tack them up on their houses or jewelry because they like the design, not necessarily because of their meaning.”

The coil he talked about was a Hopi symbol telling the story of their ancient migrations. After they’d climbed from the Third World into the new and improved Fourth World, they wandered for years, probably centuries, until they settled on the garden spot of the three mesas in barren, sun-scorched Northern Arizona. The more time she spent on the mesas, the more she appreciated the hidden beauty. The Hopi might have settled in the desert but they’d figured out a way to survive and knew how to grow corn and other food. Benny had taken her to spots of lush green hidden from the casual visitor.

“Everything on the Hopi reservation has a meaning. Those symbols represent something.”

“Maybe they aren’t Hopi.” He followed her to where she’d retreated across the porch.

“They might not be. But they’re ancient. The Hopi traveled all over this area centuries ago. They claim to be descendants of the Anasazi.” She hesitated. “My cousin on the rez will know.”

“You’ve talked to him?” Darrell asked.

She swallowed a gulp of beer. “He’s not answering his phone. He probably let the battery die. He’s got a generator for electricity, but he doesn’t use it all the time.”

“Why not?”

Good question. “I haven’t figured out how he decides which modern conveniences to use and when. He grows most of his own food, but then also had prepackaged stuff. He has a cell phone but only uses it sometimes.”

Darrell seemed to consider that. “Interesting.”

It normally fascinated Nora, but not tonight. “I need to figure out what the symbol means.”

Darrell seemed to have lost interest in the conversation. He studied her face. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

No. She didn’t want any personal questions. She shrugged. “Sure.”

“Are you in a relationship?”

Yes. Cole and I should be together. We were together. Until we weren’t. “Yes. No. Not anymore. I mean, it’s complicated.”

He waited a moment. “I’m sorry. It must be a recent breakup?”

“Very recent.” She didn’t want to talk about it. And she didn’t want Darrell standing quite as close to her as he was.

“I’m sorry.” His voice softened like melting ice cream.

She stepped back. “I’m sorting through Lisa’s desk drawers. I’ll bet she left some clue for me about where the camera is hidden.”

A small smile played on his face as if acknowledging her not-so-subtle topic change. “I’m a good politician. I can mediate disputes and persuade. I can talk to people who don’t agree with me and negotiate different positions. But I’m a disaster in my personal life. As you can see from me being thirty-five and still single.”

“Single is not a bad thing.” Single is fine.

His confidence evaporated in an uncertain smile. “Even strong people need a partner.”

Time to change the subject. “What do you know about Lee? You grew up around here, right? Did you know each other when you were younger?”

He dropped his shoulders, the long day falling on him. “I left this place when I was young. My mother and I moved to Salt Lake City. I didn’t come back until I had finished law school. Don’t tell anyone, but I really came back to establish residency so I could run for office here.”

Nora pulled her hoodie closer to ward off the night’s chill. “Lee’s lived here all his life; do people like him?”

“He’s kind of anti-social, don’t you think? If you’re right and he is a polygamist, he probably doesn’t want to call attention to himself. Polygamy is still against the law, even if it is tolerated.”

Nora eyed Darrell, weighing whether to tell him her suspicions. Maybe he could help. “I’m sure he messed with my brakes. And,” she inhaled, “I think he killed Lisa.”

Darrell grabbed her hand, startling her. “Leave him alone. Go back to Boulder, send your mother back to Flagstaff. I’ll do what needs to be done here. I want you safe, Nora.”

“You believe me?” Part of her hoped he’d convince her it was all coincidence.

Darrell stared into the darkness. “Lee’s afraid of losing his way of life. He’s desperate.”

“I just need undeniable proof, then I can go to the FBI or tell someone not connected to this place.”

“I won’t allow it!” he hissed. It sounded like a shout in the quiet night.

The words fell to the porch floor like a bucket of cold water. They faced each other and it was hard to tell who was more surprised.

“You won’t allow it?”

He rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m beat and the thought of you getting hurt upsets me.”

He may act charming and steady, but a crack here and there gave Nora the uneasy feeling he might not be so perfect.

He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Don’t do anything right now. Let me make a phone call and see what I can get going.”

“Now?”

He gave her a tired grin. “I know people who never sleep.”

She watched him plod down the porch steps, murmuring into his phone. The screen door squealed and Nora jumped.

“What was that about?” Abigail stepped onto the darkened porch wearing her pink bathrobe and slippers. She smelled of expensive face cream and her skin sparkled in the glow of the candle. Darrell stood with his back to the porch, his voice vibrating quietly.

“He’s calling someone to help prove Lee is guilty of Lisa’s murder.”

Abigail frowned at Darrell but she didn’t argue. She must be starting to accept the possibility.

“I thought you’d gone to bed,” Nora said.

“I can’t sleep. I came down for some warm milk. Where do you suppose Rachel’s gone?”

Nora shrugged. Abigail folded her arms. “You need to call Cole. His pride won’t let him call you.”

Abigail had her priorities. Murder and white slavery took second place to romance. “Pride? I’d say it’s more like his wife that won’t let him call.”

“So ‘it’s your party and you’ll cry if you want to.’”

Nora lowered herself to sit on the front step. Abbey got to his feet and ambled over to sit next to her. He put a paw into her lap. She trailed her fingers through his fur. “This hardly seems like the time to discuss my love life.”

Abigail leaned against the porch rail. “Or lack thereof.”

Irritated, Nora stood, disturbing Abbey. He trotted down the porch steps. “I need to go to the rez.”

Abigail furrowed her brow. “In Arizona? That seems a bit out of the blue.”

“Benny’s not answering his phone and I need to know what that symbol means.”

“You think Benny can help?”

Nora moved close to Abigail to give her some warmth. “I don’t know, but he’s the best source I can think of.”

Abigail wrapped an arm around Nora.

Nora studied the dark circles under her mother’s eyes. “What upset you so much today?”

Abigail waved her arm in the air. “Oh, I don’t know.” Her voice rang with sarcasm. “Your antique car fell apart and nearly killed us, and if that wasn’t enough, you drove us out to a hostile enemy camp to be harassed by polygamists. And then there’s the possibility Lee Evans is a murderer.”