Dance of the Bones

“I doubt it. Who would? Max is in jail. Paul and Carlos are dead. Their mother is in the hospital.”


“Then we have to,” Lani insisted. “The FBI agents need to know that both Gabe and Tim are missing and that, because of the note, we know Gabe may be tied in with whatever the José brothers have been up to. You go tell Delia. Don’t tell her over the phone. Talk to her in person. I’ll track down the agents and talk to them.”

“Wouldn’t you rather talk to Delia?” he asked.

“Sorry, Leo,” Lani said. “I’ll take the easy duty—-Milgahn FBI over a pissed--off Delia Ortiz, any day. After you talk to Delia, you need to let Law and Order know about this, too.”

When Lani arrived at the café the Suburban was gone, and only one of the two agents lingered inside. Agent Howell was there; Agent Armstrong wasn’t. The first time Lani had met Agent Howell, she had been at a distinct disadvantage. Therefore, it was no accident that she showed up at the café in full M.D. regalia—-a pair of scrubs topped by a lab coat and with her name tag fully visible. Clearly annoyed at the interruption, Agent Howell looked up from her computer and then closed the lid abruptly as Lani sat down at the table without waiting for an invitation.

“I came to talk to you about Gabe Ortiz,” she said.

“The boy from your campout?”

Lani nodded. “He and the youngest José brother, Timothy, are best friends, and as far as we can tell, they’re both missing. With Paul and Carlos dead, I’m worried about Tim. He hasn’t been seen since last night, and Gabe was seen possibly being forced into an unidentified pickup earlier this morning.”

Leaning back in her chair, Agent Howell frowned. “Just how is it that you happen to know the names of the two victims? That information has yet to be released.”

Lani stiffened. Clearly Agent Howell had focused on only one small part of what Lani had said. If that’s how the woman was going to play the game, Lani could, too.

“I’m not sure how the names came to my attention,” Lani answered with a shrug. “Smoke signals, maybe? The tom--tom telegraph? Does it matter how I know? The point is, I do. The real issue here is that Gabe and Tim are missing.”

“I’m assuming Gabe’s parents have reported the situation?”

“Gabe’s father is probably doing so right about now,” Lani answered. “I thought you should know as well, in case the two boys happen to be together.”

“That’s very kind of you, Dr. Pardee. We appreciate your assistance, and I’m sure the tribal police will be looking into the missing persons situation.”

Dismissively, Agent Howell made as if to reopen her computer, but Lani placed her hand on top of the lid. She had fully intended to go into detail about the bag and the note they had found in Gabe’s drawer. That was no longer the case.

“I’m not finished,” Lani insisted, still holding the computer shut. “Have you spoken to Lorraine José and done the next--of--kin notification?”

“We’re not in the habit of discussing investigations with civilians,” Agent Howell said icily. “You need to remove your hand from my computer.”

“And you need to get over yourself. You need to remember that you’re a guest of the Tohono O’odham Nation, and you need to start acting like it. Lorraine José is one of my patients. I’ll be seeing her in a few minutes, and I need to know what to expect.”

“Yes, the mother has been notified,” Agent Howell said.

“Good,” Lani replied. “That’s all I wanted to know.”

With that, Lani removed her hand, stalked out of the café, and drove straight to the hospital. In the convalescent wing she found Lorraine José, sitting in a chair next to her bed, weeping.

“They used to be such good boys,” she said brokenly as Lani sat down on the bed beside her. “What did I do wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong,” Lani murmured. “I’m sure you did the best you could.”

“Carlos and Paul are dead,” Lorraine added, “and now we can’t find Tim.”