Free Never-ending-snake by David Thurlo Page B

mugging or the threats with an obvious connection to what went down here. I also spoke to ATF as well as local law enforcement to see if any pawn shops and gun dealers in the Four Corners have been under investigation, or even under watch. One name came up—DanButler—someone I know has sold more than his share of assault rifles this past year.”
    “Friend of yours?” Ella asked.
    “Not a friend, no, but I know him. Word has it that he’s the go-to arms merchant for area militia and doomsday groups. Dan’s acquired a rep for being able to get whatever weapon a client wants—just so long as they’re legal. He’s got a clear record and wants to keep it that way.Dan also has the skills to work on virtually any firearm ever made. That’s what has made him a favorite of local gun enthusiasts, and not just the nut jobs.”
    “If the gunmen at the airstrip were local, then he may have done business with them,” Ella said, concurring. “We need to talk to Butler. Helping us bring down those who attacked a local hero will earn him a lot of goodwill. That should giveus a bit of leverage.”
    “Agreed. I’ll see you when you get here. After we talk to Tolino, we may want to head over to Dan’s shop in Farmington.”
    As Ella closed up the cell phone, she updated Justine. “With luck, Kevin will finally be able to shed some light on what happened.”
    After they arrived at the hospital, Ella followed the nurse’s directions and went to a private room at the end of a longhallway. A plainclothes officer Ella recognized as TylerSells was sitting to one side of Kevin’s door. Ella greeted him with a nod and went inside. Justine remained at the doorway, talking to the young officer. Glad for her partner’s insight into her methods, Ella went up to Kevin’s bed, ready for a one-to-one with him.
    “So much for coming home to some peace and quiet, huh?” he said with a wrygrin.
    Ella pulled up a chair. “I hope you feel up to answering some tough questions.”
    “I can try, but I don’t know how much I can tell you. That whole thing at the airstrip came out of nowhere.” He paused. “I understand Adam’s in real bad shape.”
    “He took some nasty hits, Kev.”
    “Yeah, defending
me
. He’s the one who pushed me down, and pulled me behind cover. Saved my life. I’ll tell you onething, I’m going to make sure that his family lacks for absolutely nothing while he’s laid up. And if he needs any rehab later . . .”
    “Are you two friends?”
    Kevin shook his head. “Adam’s difficult to get to know beyond a certain point—very private. But I understood him, man to man. He had a lot of drive, Ella, and big plans for his future.”
    “Funny you should say that,” she answered. “Do youknow he was carrying seventy-five thousand dollars in cash in that briefcase of his?”
    Kevin stared at her, then blinked. “I don’t think my brain’s working right. Repeat what you just said.”
    Ella did and gave him the highlights.
    “Monopoly money, right? I got shot three times, and here you are messing with my mind?”
    “No, this was the real deal. The play money had been replaced with Uncle Sam’sfinest, all Ben Franklins. The bills were in bundled stacks thick enough to stop a bullet, as a matter of fact.”
    “Adam’s barely scraping by right now. The cash can’t be his. Do you know where it came from?”
    “I was hoping you’d tell me,” Ella answered.
    “I always carry some cash on business trips, and Adam does, too, but we’re talking a few hundred. I can’t explain a sum like that. The wholerevelation sounds like something out of a movie.”
    “I’m open to any ideas you might have.”
    Kevin paused for a minute or two, taking a sip out of a glass using a straw, careful not to tangle the IV attached to his other arm. “Here’s a thought. Maybe Adam decided to do some freelance work—buying for a client back in D.C. Wholesalers who deal with tribal artisans often carry large sums onto