Shifting Calder Wind (Calder Saga 7)

Echohawk’s pause was slight. During it, Laredo felt the probe of those gray eyes, gauging the degree of threat Laredo represented. “No, you and Garcia stay here. We shouldn’t be long.”

The walk back to the patrol vehicle was made in silence. Laredo slid into the passenger side and waited while Echohawk fastened his seat belt. Not a word was said until they were heading toward the old fire road.

“I had an interesting phone call yesterday morning.” The comment by Echohawk was made casually, with no change in the expression on his chiseled features. “It was from a friend of mine at Treasury.” Laredo mentally braced himself for the worst. “It seems the Mexican government is very interested in a man who sometimes uses the name Laredo.”

“Did they say why?” Laredo asked as if Echohawk hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary.

“He’s wanted in the murder of a prison guard. As I understand it, this Laredo was part of a small group that broke two Americans out of a Mexican prison, killing a guard in the process.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not that Laredo,” he stated smoothly. “A Mexican prison is the last place I would want to spend the rest of my life.” Laredo focused his attention on the road ahead of them. “Your turn is just ahead.”

“You fit his general description—blue eyes, light brown hair, somewhere between six-one and six-two.”

“So do a lot of other men.”

“It will be interesting to find out if there are any fingerprints on file.”

Laredo swore inwardly. “Hopefully there will be,” he lied smoothly. “It’s the quickest way to prove you’re talking about two separate people.”

“I agree.”

Laredo’s many trips up and down the slope to the line shack had worn a set of parallel tracks across the rough ground to point the way. Seconds after the patrol vehicle crested the foothill’s shoulder, Hattie stepped out of the cabin, wearing an expression of mild curiosity.

She smiled pleasantly when Echohawk introduced himself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She gave his hand a firm shake. “Although I have been expecting you.”

“Really?” He managed to inject a request for an explanation in his single-word response.

“Not you in particular, but—after Laredo told me about finding the body, I expected someone in authority would come to find out what I might have seen or heard,” Hattie explained.

“And what was that, Mrs. Smith?”

“Not much, I’m afraid. I do remember hearing a vehicle on the road sometime yesterday. It did stop for a while, then start up again and drive away. It didn’t seem all that unusual at the time,” she told him. “I assumed it was one of the ranch hands fixing fence or checking on livestock.”

“What kind of vehicle was it?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have any idea. I wasn’t curious enough to look. And, as you can tell, the view of the road from here is somewhat limited.”

“Yes, I noticed. Do you remember hearing anything else?”

“Like what?”

Laredo supplied the answer. “I think he wants to know if you heard a gunshot.”

Hattie released a laughing breath of denial. “Definitely not. I would have mentioned that first thing. It isn’t something as common as hearing a truck on the road.”

“Do you keep any weapons here?”

She darted a quick glance at Laredo. “We have a .30/.30 Winchester.”

“Would you mind showing it to me?” Echohawk watched her closely.

“Not at all. I’ll get it for you.”

When she turned toward the cabin, a voice came from inside. “Ask Logan to come in, Hattie.”

Logan’s reaction to the discovery of a third person was small but significant—a sudden tensing of muscle and a quick movement of his right hand to the holstered weapon at his waist. But it was the flicker of confusion and doubt in his expression that brought a slight curve to Laredo’s mouth.

“I guess we sprang a little surprise on you, didn’t we? Then again, maybe it isn’t so little,” Laredo said and moved past him toward the door.