Coyote's Wife (Ella Clah Series #14)

Chapter One In all her years serving first with the FBI, and then the Navajo Tribal Police, Special Investigator Ella Clah had never had an office with a window---until now. Of course, back in her Bureau days, she'd never even had an office---just a desk. Progress. Budgets had grown, not due to tribal prosperity but because of an increase in violent crimes across the Navajo Nation. That had forced an expansion of their existing station and Ella, as head of their Major Crimes Unit, had landed space in their new wing. The odor of fresh paint was a constant reminder of the changes taking place in the department as was the color scheme, a palette of soft aquas, designed to relieve stress and maximize efficiency. Ella swiveled in her chair, took a sip of freshly brewed coffee, and gazed at Ship Rock, the rock formation that was their town's namesake. In actuality, the jagged rock outcropping was the eroded neck of a volcano that had formed three million years ago. Ella recalled the old story about the huge flying monsters that had once lived there. The tale was part of every Navajo child's education from before the first grade---that is, if they attended reservation schools. The story was vibrant with the richness and rhythms of the Dineh, The People's, legends. She could almost hear her mother, Rose, telling her the tale, keeping the legends alive---a gift from one generation to the next. The Dineh had lived in fear of the giant birds who'd made their home on the upper levels of Ship Rock, Rose had taught her. The birds would swoop down and smash their prey against the rocks, then feed on the remains. Monster Slayer, one of the Hero Twins, was chosen to do battle with them, but when he approached their hunting ground, one of the giant birds picked him up in his talons, flew high into the skies, and dropped him, leaving him to fall on the rocks below. Expecting nothing less, Monster Slayer had prepared well and landed gently because he'd possessed a life feather given to him by Spider Woman. Then Monster Slayer discovered that the giant birds had young and, after he killed the male and the female, the young began to cry and plead for their lives. Monster Slayer took pity on them and, instead of killing them, he turned the older one into an eagle so he could furnish feathers for men, and the younger one into an owl so men would listen to the owl's voice and be able to discern the future. Rabbit, who was below, took some feathers from the giant bird Monster Slayer had killed and stuck them in his fur. And that's why jackrabbits have large ears that look like giant feathers. All the Dinetah, the land of the Navajos, was filled with stories about the ones who'd come before. Every sandstone formation, pass or valley, mountain peak, and rock formation within the Four Corners and beyond echoed with the tradition of the Dineh. Ella sipped her coffee. It was still early, and she refused to rush as she made up for all those years of staring at painted cinder blocks and file cabinets instead of the blue sky and drifting white clouds. The wind was calm now, as it usually was during the early morning hours, and she intended to savor this moment of peace. By noon, or maybe even before, the gusts could start again, blowing sand and dust everywhere. Gathering her thoughts, she watched the crows hop around the parking lot outside, looking for crumbs and candy wrappers that still held a hint of flavor. Just beyond them she could see two support posts of a control gate built into the bank of the irrigation ditch. Last night some would-be comedian had slipped an old pair of khaki uniform pants onto the posts, then placed shoes on the ends. At first glance it looked like an officer was headfirst in the ditch. Everyone who'd driven past it on the way into the station had chuckled aThurlo, Aimée is the author of 'Coyote's Wife (Ella Clah Series #14)', published 2008 under ISBN 9780765317162 and ISBN 0765317168.