Blood Trail

Joe wasn’t sure what to say. His daughter amazed him. Where had little Sheridan gone?

“Hey, nice hat,” he said.

WHEN THE telephone rang Sheridan sprang out of her chair to answer it, assuming it was for her. She said, “Just a minute, I’ll get him,” and handed the handset to Joe.

“Your boss,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Gotta go.”

Joe sighed. “Yes?”

Randy Pope said, “Any progress?”

“None.”

“None?”

“None.”

“What’s your plan of attack?”

“I don’t have one,” Joe said. “I’m reviewing the FBI files. I just got home at one in the morning.”

Pope cursed. “So you’re just sitting around? Do you not quite understand the significance of this case? Are you aware that your sheriff is assembling teams to go into the mountains and hunt the shooter down? That he is on the Associated Press saying, and I quote, ‘Since the governor has thrown up his hands and gone to ground, we’ve got to take on this thing ourselves.’”

“I hadn’t heard,” Joe said. “But wouldn’t it be good if the shooter was arrested? Isn’t that what we want?”

Pope paused uncomfortably long. “Of course that’s what we want.”

Joe wondered, Why the hesitation?

“Is there something you’re not telling me, Randy?”

Pope snorted. “Back to that again, eh? Why can’t you just do your job without constantly questioning me? If you spent half the time trying to find this killer that you do questioning my motives, we might actually have some progress. Have you thought of that?”

Nice dodge, Joe thought.

“I put my reputation on the line supporting your insistence on springing that Nate Romanowski,” Pope said. “I hope you’re in control of him. Is he there with you now?”

“No.”

“No? Where is he?”

I don’t have a clue, Joe thought, but said, “He’s following some leads on his own.” He hoped it didn’t sound like the lie it possibly was.

Pope took an audible breath before shouting, “On his own! He’s got federal charges against him and he was released to your custody! On his own? What are you thinking?”

Joe didn’t respond.

“Are you out of your mind? If either the governor or the FBI finds out he’s on his own you’ll be toast. I’ll be toast. And so will the governor! Jesus, what are you thinking?”

Joe swallowed. “Nate operates on different channels than we do. He works best with a loose rein.”

“All I can say is you had better rein him in! Like right now.” Pope moaned, and Joe could visualize the man pacing his office with his free hand flying around his head like a panicked bird. “I don’t know why the governor even trusts you,” Pope said.

Me either, Joe thought.

“I’m calling you tomorrow,” Pope said, “and when I do, you had better be able to hand the phone over to your friend Nate Romanowski so I can talk to him. And if he isn’t there. . . there will be hell to pay.”

Joe raised his eyebrows.

“If he isn’t there, I’m coming up there again to take over this investigation. Do you hear me?”

Joe punched off the phone.

HE DIDN’T like what Pope had told him about the sheriff, though. Not that the sheriff was disparaging the governor so much as McLanahan leading parties of armed men into the field was a recipe for disaster.

ATTACHED TO the summary of Bill Gordon’s calls were several sheets of names Gordon had gathered from rallies around the country. Joe guessed it was the closest thing there was to a membership roster of Klamath Moore’s movement. A caveat at the top of the first page, written by the agent who compiled the list, said the spelling of the names couldn’t be verified.

Joe skimmed the list. A couple of names jumped out at him because they were Hollywood actors.

On the third page he saw it: Alisha Whiteplume.

He moaned and raked his fingers through his hair.

Joe recalled what Marybeth had said about Nate: “What it all boils down to is you either trust him or you don’t.”

20

FOR THE REST OF Saturday and Sunday, Joe tried to reach Nate Romanowski while at the same time avoiding calls from Randy Pope. Joe tried Nate’s home on the river and his cell (both long disconnected) as well as Alisha Whiteplume’s home (no answer, but Joe left repeated messages) and her employer (Wind River Indian High