Whitehorse

"You and I will meet again," Johnny told him, the tone of his voice enough threat that Richard looked nervously toward the nearest exit.

Searching his pocket for coins, Johnny moved to a pay phone on the wall. He punched in the ranch number and waited as the phone rang. Ed answered.

"Is the meeting arranged?" Johnny asked.

"One hour from now."

"Did you reach Inspector Parker?"

"Everything"s arranged. How"s Val?"

"He"s going to be fine," Johnny replied in as strong and positive a voice as he could manage, then he added, "But I"m not so sure about his mother."

Savanah paced as Roy Moon, Ed, Jack, and Johnny drank their hot coffee in silence. Inspector Parker, District Attorney Singer, and Ted Weir chatted quietly in the corner of the office, laughing occasionally, as if arresting someone on suspicion of murder and attempted murder was nothing out of the ordinary.

The door opened suddenly and Robert walked in. "Sorry I"m late. I was on an overseas call when I got your message." He stopped short upon seeing Parker, Singer, and Weir. "This looks serious."

"Very," Johnny said. "Sit down, Bobby."

Robert cleared his throat and sat down, placed his briefcase beside his feet, and took a deep breath. "Should I get my recorder for this?"

Johnny shrugged. "Why not?"

Robert dug into the briefcase for the recorder, his gaze moving over the law officials in the back of the room. "I hope you haven"t discussed anything with them that might prejudice your rights."

"Wouldn"t think of it, Bobby. You"ve taught me better than that." Johnny grinned as Robert hit the On b.u.t.ton, then sat back in the chair.

"So what"s up?" Robert asked.

Savanah moved up behind Johnny. "I work for the Crystal Casino in Toronto. I"m Dolores"s sister."

"Really. My condolences to your family." He crossed his legs and looked from Savanah back to Johnny, then to Ed and Jack.

"Where were you the night of my accident?" Johnny asked.

"That"s a very odd question."

"Did you have a conversation with Dolores two days before her death?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. You know Dolores. She was always calling me or Ed, asking our advice on one thing or another."

"What was her reason for calling you that day?"

"I ... don"t recall."

"I"ll tell you why she called you." Savanah moved around the desk. "To ask legal advice regarding evidence I supplied her of Senator Foster"s a.s.sociation with Formation Media. She thought way too much of her career to jeopardize it in any way. Although she didn"t mention you by name, she told me when we spoke on the phone that she intended to contact an attorney just to be on the safe side."

Savanah sat on the desk before Robert, her knee touching his. "Aside from me, Johnny, and Dolores, you"re the only other person who knew about those photographs, Mr. Anderson."

Johnny opened the desk drawer and retrieved several papers. He handed them to Robert, remaining silent as Robert shifted through them, his brow beginning to sweat.

"Would you like to explain what you were doing in Albuquerque before my accident? Why you rented a car at the airport that afternoon and returned it early the next morning, apologizing for the fact that you were in a slight accident but the insurance you took out on the car would take care of it."

"After the accident, I phoned your home," Roy stated. "It was around one o"clock here. I got your answering service and left a message that was urgent. You called me back an hour later and said that you would be on the first flight available."

"At two A.M., after turning in the car you used to run me and Dolores off the road, you went over to another rental company and hired another car. The one sitting in my driveway right now. You grabbed a few hours" sleep at the Best Western near the airport, then you drove back to Ruidoso, arriving at the ranch around seven." A.M., after turning in the car you used to run me and Dolores off the road, you went over to another rental company and hired another car. The one sitting in my driveway right now. You grabbed a few hours" sleep at the Best Western near the airport, then you drove back to Ruidoso, arriving at the ranch around seven."

Robert swallowed. "You"ve been busy the last few days, Johnny."

"You taught me to make sure all my j"s j"s were dotted and my were dotted and my r"s r"s were crossed, Bobby." were crossed, Bobby."

The district attorney stood up. "The big question is: Did you perpetrate this crime on your own?"

Averting his eyes, his lower lip starting to tremble, Robert shook his head. "Neither Foster nor Formation were involved in this in any way. I acted totally on my own. Jesus, Johnny, I didn"t mean for anybody to get killed. I just thought that if I scared her enough she"d think twice before pressing on with her investigation. I"d been working for Formation for several years. I knew if Dolores began uncovering too much, my a.s.sociation with them would come out and I"d fry right along with them."

"Who, exactly, is "them"?" Ted Weir asked.

Laughing dryly, Robert raised his eyebrows. "Oh, no. The only way you"re going to get that kind of information out of me is going to be with a promise of witness protection."

Singer picked up the tape recorder and hit the Off b.u.t.ton. He slid the machine into his pocket before turning to Johnny. "I take it you got the evidence you needed on Senator Foster and Formation."

Johnny looked past the DA, into Savanah"s eyes. "No," he replied.

"But you said-"

"I lied."

Silence filled up the room briefly, then Ted said, "It won"t end here, Johnny. Photographs or not. You realize that don"t you? At some point you"re going to have to tell what you know to the committee."

Johnny did not respond as Robert was escorted out of the office between Parker and Singer. Roy, Ed, and Jack followed, leaving Savanah and Johnny alone. She closed the door and leaned against it, her face aflame with color.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Johnny. What do you think you"re doing? You"re going to let Foster get away with it, aren"t you. All because of her. Because of Leah and the boy. My G.o.d, I never believed you would turn your back on your people."

"We all must make choices in life-"

"And you choose her."

"I can"t destroy her. I would rather destroy myself."

"You"re going to do just that, Johnny. You won"t be able to live with the guilt. Every time you look in the face of one of our people"s children you"ll know unimaginable shame. No matter how deeply you love this woman, you are who you are, and what what you are. That will never change." you are. That will never change."

Johnny withdrew the envelope of photographs and tossed them across the desk.

"Fine," Savanah cried, grabbing up the package. "I"ll do it. For Dolores-"

"Do you think Dolores"s intent to blow Foster and Formation to h.e.l.l had anything to do with loyalty to our people? If you think that, then you are more naive than I thought. Dolores wanted a network job. She couldn"t give a d.a.m.n about the People."

Savanah marched toward the door, yanked it open, then stopped, slowly turned, her eyes filled with tears. "You know if I do this and Foster is destroyed, she will still blame you."

"Perhaps."

"You love her that much?" She shook her head. "d.a.m.n you, Johnny Whitehorse."

Leah smiled into her son"s drowsy eyes as the doctor in charge quietly relayed orders to the attending nurses. He then placed a comforting hand on Leah"s shoulder. "We"re over the worst, I think."

Shamika moved to the bed and took Val"s hand. She held it to her cheek and did her best not to cry as Leah pressed a kiss to his brow. His lips curved into his familiar smile, and light flickered in his eyes.

"Johnny?" he whispered.

"Johnny was here to see you this morning. He brought you a gift." She held up the amulet. "He made it himself, just for you."

"Johnny still love Val?"

"Oh, yes, my darling. He loves you very, very much."

"Val, Mama, and Mika go home with Johnny?"

Leah looked up at Shamika before responding. "We"ll see. First you have to get well."

His eyes drifted closed. Leah and Shamika continued to hold his hands as the doctor completed his chart, then set it aside.

"His condition has stabilized, Mrs. Starr. The best thing you could do right now is to go home and get some sleep. If there"s any change we"ll call you."

Shamika nodded. "I"ll stay with him."

Leah took a weary breath and nodded. "Maybe for a while."

Upon leaving the room, Leah found Richard in the waiting area, asleep on a sofa. She had been angry with Shamika at first over contacting Richard"s parents about Val, then thankful. Richard had arrived in a few hours, had donated blood just in case Val needed it. Thank G.o.d, he hadn"t.

"Leah?"

She turned.

Savanah Rainwater moved out of the shadows. "I"m happy that your son has improved."

"I thought you left Ruidoso days ago."

"I did. But I had some unfinished business."

Leah looked beyond her, scanned the hospital corridor.

"If it"s Johnny you"re looking for, he isn"t here. I left him back at the ranch. I a.s.sume he"s still there."

"If you came here to defend Johnny-"

"I guess you haven"t heard."

Leah frowned, uncertain if she could handle any more bad news at the moment.

"Johnny has just cleared your father of my sister"s death."

Sinking back against the wall, Leah closed her eyes.

"That"s where Johnny"s been the last few days, gathering proof that Robert Anderson is the one who ran Johnny and Dolores off the road that night. You see, Robert is involved with Formation Media. Very much involved. Along with a number of senators and governors, all of whom are making it very easy for a great many very powerful men to control the gambling in this and other countries."

Savanah reached into her purse and withdrew a package. She placed it in Leah"s hands. "Johnny gave these to me to do what I want with them. They"re photos I and another photographer took at the Crystal Casino in Toronto and the Rama Rio Resort in Aruba.

"If I use those photographs..." She looked away. "Let"s just say I"ve always considered Johnny Whitehorse a gift to our people, one, I"m sorry to say, who isn"t appreciated by the People as he should be. Sometimes we stand so close to a good thing we can"t see it distinctly enough to recognize its worth. I"ve known Johnny to love only one thing greater than the People, and that was you. Until today I simply didn"t realize just how much he loves you, that he would sacrifice all that he believes in and has worked for to protect your heart.

"At this very moment your father is preparing to go on television to make a statement regarding the fact that he has been cleared of Dolores"s murder, and the fact that Johnny has publicly stated that he will no longer pursue the senator"s affiliation with Formation Media, that as far as he knows no evidence exists that could link your father to Formation.

"I feel sick when I think of what this will do to Johnny. His reputation, his political future, his ... pride. When at last he has found a voice to speak to the world against injustice, who will listen to him now? And believe him?"

Savanah turned and walked down the corridor.

Leah opened the package and withdrew the photographs.

Senator Foster adjusted his tie as a young man blotted his nose with powder and another smoothed down a few gray hairs on the top of his head. His speechwriter shoved several papers into his hands as a KRXR producer barked orders into a headset and nodded to Foster.

"Whenever you"re ready, Senator."

Foster stepped through the door, waving at the mob of reporters who filled the room with the harsh glare of video-camera lights. He carefully moved over the tangle of electrical cords, gingerly mounted the dais, and stepped up to the mike.

The cameras whirred and clicked. Foster posed, smiling, both hands raised, thumbs up as the din of reporters began to shout for his attention. He waited for the noise to subside, smiling, laughing, shrugging and mugging for the dozen cameras zooming in for a close-up of his face.

"Senator, how are you feeling?" someone shouted.

"Relieved. The accusations hurled at me by Whitehorse the last few years took their toll, of course."

"What about the Senate investigative committee? Do you think they"ll be satisfied with Whitehorse"s statement that he doesn"t plan to further pursue this case?"

"I don"t antic.i.p.ate there being any problem with that. My attorneys are with them now."

"What about your plans regarding Whitehorse? You stated previously that you intended to bring a civil case against him for slander."

"I fully intend to do just that. What that man has put me and my family through the last few years is unspeakable."

"Senator, any truth to the rumor that you will now make a bid for the presidency?"

"Before the senator responds to that question," Leah said as she stood up, "perhaps he would like to explain what business would take him to the Crystal Casino in Toronto as well as the Rama Rio Casino in Aruba-both owned by Formation Media-both times corresponding with meetings of the very powerful and questionable Formation consortium."