Death Walker by Aimée & David Thurlo Read Free Book Online

tell me if you notice the absence of anything?”
    Ernestine took a deep breath. “All right.”
    Ella walked to her vehicle and radioed in. After receiving and writing down the list Detective Ute gave her, she returned to the porch. She sat down and handed it to Ernestine.
    The woman studied it for a long time. “If something is missing, I don’t know what itcould be.”
    “There was no money in his wallet. Do you know how much he had with him?”
    Ernestine shook her head. “I don’t think he had any. I remember him asking me yesterday if I could stop by the bank because he was out of cash. He used the last he had to buy gas. Only I forgot. I intended to do it today.”
    Ernestine handed Cindi the list. Cindi studied it then, shaking her head, and handedit back to Ella. “Everything seems okay to me.”
    Ella studied their faces. They were not trying to conceal anything, but neither seemed the type to really notice minute details. The hem on Ernestine’s skirt was partially torn, and the scarf that Cindi had used to tie back her hair was practically falling off, but the girl hadn’t noticed.
    “Dad was a good teacher,” Cindi put in, “but he was neverreally organized. He could have had almost anything with him. We wouldn’t know something was missing until we went looking for it.”
    Ernestine nodded in agreement. “She’s right.”
    The older woman paused for a long time, but Ella sensed she had more to say. She waited patiently, not disturbing the silence. At long last, Ernestine spoke. “Knowledge will die with him, and the Dineh will lose partof their history forever. This shouldn’t have happened. Do you think you’ll catch the person who did this?”
    “Yes. I won’t give up until I do. Count on that.”
    When Ernestine stood and walked to the house, Ella knew she’d get nothing further from her today. She’d been lucky to get as much cooperation as she had. Cindi, meanwhile, grabbed a worn basketball from inside the screen door and went toshoot baskets.
    Ella returned to her vehicle, thoughts racing through her mind. It was clear that her family would come under personal attack again unless she found answers fast. What had come as a surprise was how quickly the suggestion had arisen that the bus accident was somehow related to the crime. The Navajo People were superstitious, and connections between these closely timed events werenot unexpected, but she had hoped not to confront it during her investigation just yet. Tense and apprehensive, she quickly decided her next move.
    Ella checked her watch as she headed down the highway toward the PHS hospital. It had been about seven hours since they’d found the body. Maybe Carolyn would have something preliminary for her by now.
    Thirty minutes later, Ella parked by the reardoors and went downstairs to the morgue. An Anglo lab technician was sitting at her desk typing, dictaphone earphones on.
    As Ella approached the desk, the woman looked up. “Dr. Roanhorse said you’d probably be by,” she said, recognizing Ella. “The doctor said for you just to go in. She’s checking tissue samples, but she wants to talk to you.”
    Ella braced herself as she went through the doors.The last time she’d been here, it had been to view her father’s body. Her skin turned as cold as ice as she stepped inside. Tile floors with a drain in the middle just accentuated the dreadful feel of the place.
    Carolyn glanced up and turned the tape recorder off. “I thought you’d be showing up here soon.”
    “Have you discovered anything so far that I should know about?”
    “Well, he’d been deadfor about an hour when I checked the body at the scene. That puts the time of death around seven A.M. Also, the bone imbedded in the victim’s eye isn’t a human bone,” Carolyn said slowly. “And it was inserted after the victim had already died.”
    “Wait. Back up a bit. Don’t skinwalkers use human bone?”
    “That’s what I’ve always thought, but maybe you