Death Walker by Aimée & David Thurlo Read Free Book Online Page B

residue left by a piece of masking tape. The residue was tacky enough to have been recent.
    Shestood and surveyed the rest of the room. Something had been taped behind the drawer, out of sight. She considered the possibility that the previous tenant, Peterson Yazzie, had hidden something there.
    Playing a hunch, Ella stretched to the right and looked down into the trash can beside the desk. Beside a few wadded-up balls of paper, a discarded piece of masking tape rested in the bottom. Takinga pair of tweezers from the desk drawer, she retrieved the tape and studied it. There was an imprint etched into the sticky side. Ella recognized the pattern. It was the outline of a key. Now she knew why the intruder had come.
    Turning the tape back and forth, she tried to guess what the key unlocked. It wasn’t a house key; it was the wrong shape. The impression was long and relatively narrow,like that of a key used on a safety deposit box or a car. Perhaps lab experts could enhance the impression using laser technology and give her more information.
    Ella carefully placed the tape into an empty computer disk box and placed a rubber band around it to hold the flap shut. Labeling and initialing the box, she placed it into a manila mail pouch. This had to be sent out for analysis tomorrow.Only Peterson Yazzie or one of his skinwalker cohorts would have known about the key and been able to retrieve it right under the nose of the department.
    Ella looked around, wondering what else had been touched, or tampered with. She searched the entire office methodically, going through every drawer, including underneath and behind each piece of equipment or furniture. Nothing seemed missingor out of place. Finally all that was left to search was the closet. She opened the door and glanced inside, but what she saw made her jump back instinctively, reaching for her pistol.
    Slowly Ella relaxed and returned the handgun to its holster. The small rattlesnake coiled on the floor of the closet was missing its head, and the smell told her it had been dead for hours.
    Hearing footsteps comingdown the hall, Ella turned around. Tache stopped at her door, holding a manila folder in his hand. “What in the heck is that?” He stared at the snake with obvious distaste.
    “A present,” Ella said in clipped tones. “Will you go and make sure all the evidence taken from the murder scene is secure?”
    “I can assure you it is. It’s all kept in a vault, and any attempt to open it would be obvious.”
    “Check anyway.”
    Ella picked up the dead reptile with the mop handle, locked the door, and walked to the Dumpster outside. Snakes were said to be messengers, but the only message this one carried was the sign of death. By the time she returned, Tache was standing just outside her door, waiting.
    “Everything’s accounted for,” he said.
    “Good.” She unlocked the door, went back inside, and handedhim the envelope. “See if the experts can track down what kind of key this is.”
    “I’ll make sure Ute gets it,” he assured her.
    “And lock your offices from now on.” She glanced at the folder in his hand. “Do you have something for me?”
    He nodded. “I developed the shots of the crime scene. I had a feeling you’d want to see them.”
    “That’s why I came back,” she admitted. “Thanks for expeditingthis. I especially need the shots of that dry painting done in ashes.”
    He handed the file to her. “They’re in here along with the others. By the way, I took a real close look at it. I’m no expert, but I’ve studied our ways and I didn’t recognize any of the figures. Of course, that may just mean the killer’s a lousy artist.”
    “Or the figures may not be traditional. I’m planning to look into ittonight.”
    “Will you let me know what you find out? I’m really curious.”
    She nodded once. “Have we had any press nosing around yet? With the murder, then that bus accident, I expect a lot of traffic. But the reporters really