Ghost Medicine by Aimée and David Thurlo Page A

want to take a closer look at that van. It rained around the time of the shooting. Maybe we can find mud on the vehicle that matches what’s around the crime scene.”
    With a nod, Justinedid a 180 and headed back down the road.

 
    SEVEN
    The van turned out to be a disappointment. The vehicle had been recently washed. There was even a local car wash receipt in full view on the dashboard.
    Halfway back to Shiprock, Ella started looking through her notes. “I’m thinking of crossing Albert off our list at least for now. We don’t have much on him, but somehow I doubt he’d know enough about Navajo witches to effectively misleadus.”
    “And how would he know where Harry was going to be unless Al set him up somehow? On the other hand, the guy has access to plenty of tools,” Justine said.
    Ella nodded, knowing she meant heavy cutting tools, like bolt cutters. “My gut’s still telling me he’s not our guy. Al’s personality suggests he’d be more likely to use his fists than a bullet. Let’s dig deeper into this county theft investigationinstead.”
    “That’s going to be tricky,” Justine said. “It’s out of our jurisdiction, so you’re going to have to rely heavily on Dan. You’ll be seeing him tonight, right?”
    “Yeah, but I’ll need to make things official, so I’m going to ask Big Ed to call Sheriff Taylor and request Dan,” Ella said, weighing her strategy. “What makes this a risky proposition is that we don’t know who’s behind thethefts. Instinct tells me we should keep things as quiet as possible.”
    “What if Sheriff Taylor doesn’t know about the missing stuff? He’s a straight arrow, and I can’t see him not taking immediate action on something like that,” Justine said.
    “If he does know, he may purposely be keeping it low profile. He wouldn’t want to tip off the perp or perps. Then there’s also the political angle to consider.He’s an elected official, so he wouldn’t want news of this to get out, not until he can make an arrest,” Ella reminded.
    “Guess you’re right,” Justine said. “While you’re handling that, is there anything in particular you want me to be doing?”
    “Yeah, get a warrant to look at all of Harry’s phone calls. Maybe his ‘date’ has his number. We’ll also want to seize any mail that arrives at his apartment.We need a solid lead.”
    “What about the skinwalker angle? Have you been able to talk to Clifford about possible suspects?”
    “Not yet, but I’ll keep trying to reach him,” Ella said.
    *   *   *
    It was five thirty in the afternoon and still in the high eighties outside when Ella left work for the day and headed home. She drove at a leisurely pace, welcoming a little time to herself.
    She passedthe scattered houses and businesses lining both sides of the long hill rising to the south. To the west, the volcanic cone of Ship Rock rose from its base in the dry sand. Off to her left, Cathedral Mesa stood alone, like an enormous bench rising in the desert.
    She soon reached the turnoff that led to her home and, beyond that, her brother Clifford’s place. After a five-minute drive down thedusty road, she pulled up by her large wooden frame house.
    As Ella stepped out of the vehicle, the wonderful aroma of freshly baked pinto beans, fry bread, and roasted green chile filled the air. Rose’s cooking was second to none.
    Rose appeared at the kitchen screen door a moment later. “Daughter, you’re just in time for dinner.”
    “Navajo tacos?” Ella said, suddenly very hungry.
    “How did you—?Oh, of course,” Rose replied with a wide smile, sniffing the air.
    “Mom, I wouldn’t be much of a detective if I couldn’t pick up the trail of freshly cooked pinto beans.” Ella held the screen open while her mother went inside. Dawn, still in her riding clothes, was already at the table eating. Her mouth full, she waved with a twittering of her fingers. Herman, seated at the end of the table, stoodas they came