Never-ending-snake by David Thurlo Read Free Book Online

casual look by an x-ray screenerwouldn’t have raised any questions, particularly because the box has been rewrapped with stretch film to make it look like the factory seal.”
    “But why would Adam have been carrying this much money?” Ella asked, thinking out loud.
    Blalock stared at the bills, lost in thought. “He’s a tribal lobbyist, right? Maybe this is bribe money for his government contacts. I don’t see any logic in Lonewolfbeing paid off. The kickback money usually goes in the other direction.”
    “Following your premise, then why was he carrying it back to the Rez? That cash should have stayed in D.C.,” Justine said.
    Ella stared at the stacks of money. “Maybe this came from Casino Enterprises’ home office. It could be part of a deal to pay back the money they took from the tribe and squash the lawsuit Kevin’s throwingat them.”
    “This could also be the war hero’s savings—cashed out,” Neskahi suggested. “He might have been planning to make a down payment on, say, a condo in D.C., then changed his mind.”
    “A sergeant in the armed services with that much cash lying around?” Blalock shook his head. “Not likely—unless he had another business on the side. Of course soldiers sometimes bring back stuff from overseasand resell it here—legal or not. He could have been dealing anything from collector’s items to drugs.”
    “The very existence of this much untraceable money sends out warning signals,” Benny said. “Most legal businesses handle transactions through electronic transfers or checks, not with cash.”
    “Whatever the case, someone sure went to a lot of trouble buying the game, opening it, switching outthe play money, then carefully resealing the whole thing,” Ella said. “Adam told me he’d bought the game for his nephew.”
    “Either Lonewolf didn’t know about the stash and was being played by someone who was using him as a courier, or he lied to you. Maybe
this
is what the shooters were after,” Blalock said.
    “No, I don’t agree with that. It would have been a lot simpler for the perps with theassault rifles to demand the money up front instead of opening fire,” Ella said. “Their only interest was in their targets. As soon as Kevin and Adam went down hard, their job was done and they took off. That’s my definition of a hit.”
    “Any idea when can we talk to Tolino?” Blalock asked.
    “I don’t know. The hospital will call me when he’s conscious,” Ella said. “What we could do right now istalk to Kevin’s boss, Robert Buck. He might be able to help us rule out or establish the casino payoff possibility.”
    “Buck, he’s what . . . the equivalent of the attorney general for the tribe?” Blalock asked.
    Ella nodded.
    “It’s Sunday so he’s not going to be at the office,” Justine said, then going to her computer, found Robert Buck’s address in the tribal government database and wrote itdown. “Here you go,” she said, handing the paper to Ella. “He lives just north of Twin Lakes, not far from the turnoff to Coyote Canyon. About an eighty-minute drive one way.”
    “Good thing my house is on the way,” Ella said. “I’ll stop there long enough to shower and change. I’ve still got blood on me, and my shirt’s full of holes.” She glanced at Justine and added, “I’ll bag it all for you andbring it in.”
    Ella looked around at the other members of her team. “Justine will take care of the lab work. Benny and Joe, start interviewing everyone in the community who might have seen that van, working from the airstrip out. The shooters were probably waiting in the area, maybe at a fast food place or beside the highway, then moved in when they spotted the aircraft circling. Their timingwas precise. They also had to know we were coming in on that flight so, Benny, find out who knew Tolino and Lonewolf were scheduled to land this morning. Joe, I want you to talk to those who knew Lonewolf and see what other things he had