up.”
“I want the dirtbag who turned the hospital into a shooting gallery. He’s not getting away from me—not for long anyway.”
Gun in hand, Ella approached carefully, keeping the angletight as she moved closer to the pickup. While Justine covered the driver, Ella ordered the passenger to step out.
The person moved slowly and climbed down from the seat. When she pushed back the hood, Ella immediately recognized Cornelia Yazzie—her hair gone from the ravages of cancer therapy. Placing her gun back in its holster, Ella apologized quickly. “I’m so sorry. There’s someone with agun running around the hospital. He was wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt.”
The driver glanced over the hood at Ella. “Detective Clah? What’s going on?”
Ella recognized Don Yazzie from Ford’s annual churchpicnic. “I’m really sorry for the mixup, but this may be a good thing after all. I’ve been wanting a chance to talk to you—and I think you know why. Will you come back to the hospitalwith me? It’ll look like I’ve held you up for questioning because of the hooded sweatshirt Cornelia’s wearing. Those inside the hospital know I’ve been chasing a suspect fitting that description.”
“And no questions will be raised,” he added softly. “Not a bad idea. But let me take my wife into an empty treatment room where she can lie down. The hospital staff won’t mind, and it’ll give her achance to rest. She’s always beat after chemo.”
Less than ten minutes later, Ella sat with Don in one of the rooms inside the Administration offices.
“Are they after Mr. Tolino?” Don asked quickly, once the door was shut. “Is that what the explosion in the parking lot was all about? If that’s the case, I’m in real trouble. If you’ve found out that I’ve been helping Kevin, maybe they have, too,”he said, his words tumbling over each other. “I warned Kevin that they’d fight back—hard and dirty. CEM plays rough. They know the casino business, and they know how to get around . . . obstacles.”
“And you think Kevin’s an obstacle?” she asked.
“Let’s say he’s a problem, and they’ve got a lot of experience making problems disappear.”
“This is now a police investigation and that’s why Kevingave me your name. Your cooperation will remain confidential.”
“Good. I was helping Kevin because my bosses aren’t playing fair with the tribe and I didn’t want to be part of that. But Cornelia can’t take any more problems, Ella. She’s handling all she can.”
“If things close in on you, you’ll have police protection, but the incident today has nothing to do with you. They’regunning for eitherKevin or Adam, or maybe both. We just don’t know enough to determine that yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Adam and Kevin, but I’m glad they didn’t come after me, particularly when I’m with Cornelia,” he said.
“Who do you think is running the scam at the casino?” Ella asked him.
“Alan Grady. He’s the casino’s business manager. Everything that has a dollar sign attached to it goes through him.He’s not in it alone, but he’s the one calling the shots.”
“Where can I find Grady?”
“His office is at the casino, and he’s usually there eighteen hours a day. He has a home somewhere near the Rez, too, within a five minute drive.” He shook his head slowly. “Can you believe he was allowed to practically write his own contract with the tribe? Sweet deal, huh?”
“Sounds like it,” she said. “Byany chance, were you working at the casino yesterday morning?”
“Sure was, all day, from ten a.m. to six p.m. We’re open twenty-four/seven, and my days off are Monday and Tuesday, normally,” he said. “Yesterday morning . . . wasn’t that when the shooting took place?”
“Yeah. Did you happen to notice if Alan Grady was at the casino then?”
He thought about it for a minute. “I saw him around eleven.He always walks the entire casino just
“I want the dirtbag who turned the hospital into a shooting gallery. He’s not getting away from me—not for long anyway.”
Gun in hand, Ella approached carefully, keeping the angletight as she moved closer to the pickup. While Justine covered the driver, Ella ordered the passenger to step out.
The person moved slowly and climbed down from the seat. When she pushed back the hood, Ella immediately recognized Cornelia Yazzie—her hair gone from the ravages of cancer therapy. Placing her gun back in its holster, Ella apologized quickly. “I’m so sorry. There’s someone with agun running around the hospital. He was wearing sunglasses and a hooded sweatshirt.”
The driver glanced over the hood at Ella. “Detective Clah? What’s going on?”
Ella recognized Don Yazzie from Ford’s annual churchpicnic. “I’m really sorry for the mixup, but this may be a good thing after all. I’ve been wanting a chance to talk to you—and I think you know why. Will you come back to the hospitalwith me? It’ll look like I’ve held you up for questioning because of the hooded sweatshirt Cornelia’s wearing. Those inside the hospital know I’ve been chasing a suspect fitting that description.”
“And no questions will be raised,” he added softly. “Not a bad idea. But let me take my wife into an empty treatment room where she can lie down. The hospital staff won’t mind, and it’ll give her achance to rest. She’s always beat after chemo.”
Less than ten minutes later, Ella sat with Don in one of the rooms inside the Administration offices.
“Are they after Mr. Tolino?” Don asked quickly, once the door was shut. “Is that what the explosion in the parking lot was all about? If that’s the case, I’m in real trouble. If you’ve found out that I’ve been helping Kevin, maybe they have, too,”he said, his words tumbling over each other. “I warned Kevin that they’d fight back—hard and dirty. CEM plays rough. They know the casino business, and they know how to get around . . . obstacles.”
“And you think Kevin’s an obstacle?” she asked.
“Let’s say he’s a problem, and they’ve got a lot of experience making problems disappear.”
“This is now a police investigation and that’s why Kevingave me your name. Your cooperation will remain confidential.”
“Good. I was helping Kevin because my bosses aren’t playing fair with the tribe and I didn’t want to be part of that. But Cornelia can’t take any more problems, Ella. She’s handling all she can.”
“If things close in on you, you’ll have police protection, but the incident today has nothing to do with you. They’regunning for eitherKevin or Adam, or maybe both. We just don’t know enough to determine that yet.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Adam and Kevin, but I’m glad they didn’t come after me, particularly when I’m with Cornelia,” he said.
“Who do you think is running the scam at the casino?” Ella asked him.
“Alan Grady. He’s the casino’s business manager. Everything that has a dollar sign attached to it goes through him.He’s not in it alone, but he’s the one calling the shots.”
“Where can I find Grady?”
“His office is at the casino, and he’s usually there eighteen hours a day. He has a home somewhere near the Rez, too, within a five minute drive.” He shook his head slowly. “Can you believe he was allowed to practically write his own contract with the tribe? Sweet deal, huh?”
“Sounds like it,” she said. “Byany chance, were you working at the casino yesterday morning?”
“Sure was, all day, from ten a.m. to six p.m. We’re open twenty-four/seven, and my days off are Monday and Tuesday, normally,” he said. “Yesterday morning . . . wasn’t that when the shooting took place?”
“Yeah. Did you happen to notice if Alan Grady was at the casino then?”
He thought about it for a minute. “I saw him around eleven.He always walks the entire casino just
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