“A fire extinguisher. The one in your truck,” Dana yelled. Before she’d even finished speaking, there was a loud whoosh and a wave of pure heat slammed against her.
“He’s dead,” Ranger said, forcing her back. “Move farther away. The gas tank’s going to go.”
Dana pulled free. “We’ve got to do something.”
“He’s beyond help, but you’re not.” He pulled her back hard, away from the inferno. “It’s over,” Ranger said, wrapping his arms tightly around her.
“Death is all we ever find!” Choking back sobs, Dana buried her head against his shoulder.
He held her tightly while she cried. Minutes passed, but he didn’t ease his hold until, exhausted, she stepped away. Before she could go far, he reached for her hand and pulled her back.
Ranger cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. “We have made progress, Dana. We’re closing the net around Trujillo,” he said, then, in a soft but strong voice, added, “But more than that’s happening.”
He pointed to the clusters of fading yellow wildflowers still clinging to the hillside. “Open your eyes and you’ll see that even in sad times, there’s still beauty all around you. Life balances itself out, but you have to be open to the good it brings. If you look for the pattern, you’ll see that even evil has a purpose, and good is never far behind.”
Ranger bent down slowly and took her mouth in a kiss as gentle as a summer rain. She responded naturally to his tenderness, needing his love more than ever to balance against the violence that surrounded them.
At long last, hearing sirens in the distance, he eased his hold and took her hand. “Let’s climb back up to the top. An emergency crew will be here soon, so it’s time for us to move along quietly and quickly.”
“Like the wind,” she said as a cold night breeze swept down the mountain.
“If you’re willing to listen, Wind will whisper secrets to you. Wind can be your best friend-or your worst enemy.”
She looked down at the hand that held hers. It was exquisitely gentle at times…or deadly. In a soft voice, she answered, “You are Wind.”
Chapter Twenty
On the way back up to the highway, Ranger called the sheriff’s department and gave them a quick rundown of the accident. By the time they reached the road, a Montezuma County sheriff’s department vehicle was on the scene.
Ranger recognized the deputy as one of the warriors in the Brotherhood of Warriors, though he didn’t know his name. Once he approached, Ranger could read his name tag. “Officer Billie, what can I do for you?”
“Agent Harris of the FBI asked us to send you back to the tribal police station in Shiprock. You’re needed there. Follow me.”
“No escort’s needed. I know the way,” Ranger answered.
“Not my call. Agent Harris wants you there, pronto, and I’m going to clear the way for you to the state line. From there, a tribal officer will take over.”
As the officer walked back to his vehicle, Dana glanced at Ranger. “That didn’t sound good.”
“Maybe Harris has news for us,” he answered, not really counting on it. He knew Harris. The Bureau man had probably already learned about Finch and the accident, and needed someone to take the heat.
The drive into New Mexico, then back to Shiprock, took less time than the drive up, thanks to the escort and the fact that it was closer to dawn than midnight.
They stepped inside Agent Harris’s temporary field office two minutes after arriving at the Shiprock station.
Harris glowered at Ranger. “You didn’t give us much lead time, Blueeyes. You trying to jerk me around?”
“Situations change quickly sometimes,” Ranger replied in a detached voice. He didn’t want to volunteer any information, particularly because of the way he’d learned about Finch’s location.
“I’ve got an update for you,” Harris continued. “I’ve been on the phone for the past half hour, and we managed to squelch the story. No reports of Finch’s death will appear in the papers or on TV for now. The deputy he shot has been cleared by the paramedics and is now assisting at the scene. The sheriff is cooperating fully on this, even making up a cover story about the incident at the lodge. I don’t want Trujillo to know one of his players is down for the count. We may be able to play this to our advantage.”
“Even if the name isn’t reported, the accident will raise questions,” Dana pointed out.
“Nothing will appear in the papers except for a story about somebody stealing and torching a car.”
“The FBI can do that?” she asked, surprised.
He looked visibly annoyed. “We’re working in conjunction with another local agency that also has an interest in making sure the facts remain hidden for a few days. It’s all worked out. Anything else you need explained?”
She glared at him. “No need for sarcasm, Agent Harris.”
“You don’t want to see me with an attitude, Ms. Seles,” he growled. “But here’s a news flash for both of you,” he said steely-eyed. “This is my case. If I even dream that either of you is withholding evidence, you’ll find yourselves in jail before your next heartbeat. Got it?”
As they walked out, Dana glanced at Ranger, who looked a million miles away. “Squelching that story took more pull than a simple request from a local FBI agent, don’t you think?”
“Our medicine man’s death sent shock waves across the Navajo Nation. Important people have important friends,” he said. Before he could say anything more his cell phone rang. It was Maria Charley.
“Hey, Maria, I almost gave up on you,” he said. “You up already, huh?” He looked at his watch and saw it was 5:00 a.m. Ranger put her on the speaker, then held the phone between them so Dana could hear.
“I’ve got animals to feed and water, remember?” she said. “The good news is that I’ve got the information you asked me to get you. The brown uniform, remember?”
“What do you have?” Ranger answered.
“Trash collectors wear light brown, and our animal control officers wear a darker brown.”
“I need another favor,” Ranger said.
“I should have known,” Maria said with a belabored sigh. “What is it?”
“Find out if Ignacio Trujillo has dogs and, if so, what address is listed on the animal license.”
“That’ll take awhile. They don’t answer their phones before nine, and I’ll have to beg Claire, and send over fry bread or something. Claire responds well to food-type bribes,” Maria said. “I’ll cover the fry bread, but you’ll owe me dinner now.”
“Deal.”
It was still dark outside, and Dana was struggling to stay awake. Ranger saw her nodding off, then shift and sit up, trying to remain alert. “Feel free to lie back and catch some sleep,” he said.
“You’ve got to be dead tired, too. We both need to rest. Is there a safe place near here we can use to crash for a few hours?”
He thought about it for a moment. The mention of dogs had reminded him of his Shicheii, grandfather, who’d loved his companions. “The safest place I can think of is my grandfather’s old hogan. He died many years ago overseas. Nobody lives there now, but it’s a solid shelter and there’s no one around for miles.”
“Let’s go and, on the way, tell me why you asked Maria that question about the dogs.”
“Ignacio’s late brother had guard dogs around his place, and my guess is that Ignacio inherited them,” he answered. “Licenses are required, and Trujillo isn’t going to risk getting in trouble over such a small issue, so he probably did the paperwork. With luck, that’ll give us another address to check out.”
“If we do manage to track down where Trujillo ’s hiding out, I’ve got a plan that may help us get some evidence against him.” Seeing his interested look, she continued. “ Trujillo ’s paying his men in cash and that requires him to have large amounts handy. Right now, since he’s trying to stay under the radar, he’ll be depending on however much cash he has on hand instead of going to the bank. So what we need to do is separate Ignacio from his money. Steal it, or make it impossible somehow for him to get access to that cash.”