Free Black Thunder by David Thurlo Page B

a world of stress and tragedy that can turn them upside down. I just hope that’s not the case. What do you think was going on today that led to the shooting?” Big Ed said, leaning forward in his chair.
    “My guess is that he was scouting out thearea, in preparation for his next hit, when he came across the boy. Once he realized he’d been seen, and we’d found the bodies, he tried to neutralize that witness—his first major mistake that we know about. Now that he’s failed, he may go to ground, or at the very least, he’s going to be more cautious next time. He’ll probably scout out another burial site. With luck that’ll set back his scheduleand give us the opportunity to track him down before he can strike again.”
    “I hope so. The press is going to be all over this,” he said.
    “Yeah, I know. TV and the Internet already have the story and by tomorrow it’ll also be the front page headline in all the local newspapers.”
    “What there are left of them,” he said.
    Ella nodded. The Diné Times had cut back to publishing only twice a week,and the statewide papers and the Farmington daily were clearly in trouble. The afternoon paper in Albuquerque, second largest in the state, had expired two years ago. These days, most newspapers seemed to be on life support. “They ran into problems when they could no longer compete with real-time news, and advertising revenue fell off due to the recession. Now their only salvation is to give readersmore in-depth, local pieces that can’t be found on the Internet or TV. That’s why the reporters are getting so aggressive. They’re fighting for their jobs.”
    “Watch your back on this one, Shorty—literally.”
    “Always.”
    Ella walked out of the chief’s office, and hearing her stomach growl, checked the time. She hadn’t eaten since noon, when an officer had brought pizza for the crime scene unit.Dinner at home had probably been consigned to the refrigerator by now, but her mother’s leftovers were second to none. Looking forward to that, she got ready to leave.
    Ella passed Justine in the hall and asked, “Are you on your way home?”
    Her partner nodded. “You asked me to talk to Emily, and this is the best time to catch her. She should still be up, tending the plants in her greenhouse, andwe can walk around and talk. It’s how we both decompress at the end of the day.”
    “You like having her around, don’t you?”
    Justine nodded. “When I first moved into that house, I thought being alone was great. For the first time in my life I didn’t have seven brothers and sisters in my face. For a while, I loved the silence,” she said. “But as the months went by, I found the quiet … unnatural.I started to bring people over more often, but that’s not the same thing as actually sharing a home.”
    Ella nodded. “It would take me a long time to get used to living alone again. I haven’t done that since my years in the FBI. I thrived on action back then, and my apartment was just a place to sleep, shower, and change clothes.”
    “Have you ever wondered what it’ll be like for you once Dawn goesaway to college?”
    “Are you kidding?” Ella laughed. “I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to survive her high school years!”
    They parted company in the parking lot and Ella drove the SUV home. Dawn might still be up, and if she was, Ella intended to spend some time with her. Although rigid bedtimes weren’t really part of traditional Navajo culture, the Modernist in her insisted that Dawnbe in her room no later than ten. Months ago, that had meant Dawn would be asleep, or nearly so, shortly thereafter. Now, more often than not, she’d find her twelve-year-old still on the computer. That was why Ella had implemented a new rule. No social networking after nine.
    As Ella walked through the living room door, Rose, who’d been sitting in her chair reading, looked up from her book witha worried look on her weathered face. “Are you