Ghost Medicine by Aimée and David Thurlo Page B

she’ll be wary of cops, and I’ve got that look. With you on my arm, I become just another lucky cowboy.”
    “Love your sweet talk,” Ella said, smiling. “So, shall we meet at the Horny Toad Bar around a quarter till eight?”
    “Good enough. If I get any hitsbetween now and then, I’ll give you a call.”
    “Dan, one more thing. Mail me a copy of your sketch.”
    “Will do. The witness assured us it’s a decent likeness,” he said, then ended the call.
    “You guys have been going out pretty regularly. Is it serious?” Justine asked her, slowing down as they crossed the concrete south-side bridge leading into old downtown Shiprock.
    “No. Yes. Maybe. We’re stillgetting to know each other, and I’m trying to be cautious. How about you and Benny?” Ella asked, wanting to change the subject.
    “We’re ahead of you two, I guess. In fact, lately I’ve been getting the impression he wants us to move in together.”
    “How do you feel about that?” Ella asked, picking up the undercurrent in her words.
    “For me it’s marriage or forget it. I’m through with test drives.I’m in my mid-thirties, Ella, and if I ever want to have a kid, I can’t afford to keep wasting my time,” Justine said. “Benny’s a good man, and I think he’d be a terrific dad. If he wants to make things official, I’m ready.”
    “Seriously?” Ella asked, surprised. “You’re ready to go for it?”
    “Yeah, I am,” Justine said.
    As silence fell around them, Ella considered what Justine had said. She understoodJustine’s desire to have a child. She couldn’t even imagine her own life without Dawn. Her love for her daughter gave everything she did additional meaning. That love not only defined her, but it had also refocused her life, enriching it in ways she hadn’t even thought possible.
    As the quiet stretched out, Ella’s thoughts soon returned to the case.
    “You think those clowns today were connectedto the murder?” Ella asked. “That firebombing attempt came across as an amateur job—more like harassment than anything else. Took balls, though, trying to cook a clearly marked police unit.”
    “I agree,” Justine said. “The thing is, even an amateur could have shot Harry from ambush. He was a stationary target.”
    “What we still need is that one thread that’ll tie things together,” Ella said
    “Themakeshift bomb won’t get us far,” Justine answered. “All we were able to recover from it was leftover cooking oil, pieces of a gallon glass bottle, and the pickup’s cigarette lighter, what they used to ignite the oil. Except for the lighter, which we already know belonged with the pickup, there’s no way to track the rest.”
    “My gut tells me that the answer lies with Harry and whatever he was investigating,”Ella said. “Let’s go pay Teeny a visit again, but on the way, stop by the Totah Café. We’ll pick up some takeout green chile burgers and bring lunch with us as a bribe. I want to push Teeny for more information on Harry’s cases, and a couple of the New Mexico Beef Burners might improve his mood.”
    “One for me, one for you, and three for Teeny?” Justine asked, slowing down and pulling over to herright into the local café’s parking lot.
    “Yeah. That sounds about right, but be careful about using that nickname to his face,” Ella said. “You’re cute and female, but he might still dangle you by your boots if you call him anything but Bruce—gun or not.”
    “Yeah, you’re right,” Justine said as she braked to a stop. “Want me to place the order while you check to see if he’s home?”
    “Yeah.” Ellareached for her wallet. “I’m buying. Make my chile mild—a no burner.”
    It was one fifteen in the afternoon when they arrived at Teeny’s and, following his lead, walked into the kitchen. Big stainless steel appliances lined the wall, and a school cafeteria table, folding benches and all, was placed in the center of the room.
    While Ella and Justine sat