Destiny Canyon Read online

  Destiny Canyon

  by

  Val Welch

  Destiny Canyon

  Copyright @ 2013 by Val Welch

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  http://www.valwelch.com

  E-mail: [email protected]

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

  Cover Design by Melchelle Designs

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Epilog

  About the Author

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  There are many people who helped me with this book that I would like to thank.

  My friends Renie Sullivan and Wanda Hill, who read the first draft and offered invaluable insight into what worked and what didn’t.

  Cynthia Robertson, leader of the Arizona Novel Writers’ Workshop, who edited the manuscript and helped me put the finishing touches on the story.

  Also, to all the members of the Arizona Novel Writers’ Workshop, for their unwavering support and encouragement.

  And, as always, to my husband Jerry, who has never stopped believing in me.

  Thank you all.

  One

  The dust was still settling when Gabe Navarro came upon the overturned SUV resting in the weed choked gully next to the road. He skidded to a stop, jumped from his truck and ran toward the wreck, crunching broken glass and indistinguishable bits of automobile under his boots. Bracing for yet another bloody MVA, he dropped to the ground and looked into the SUV’s cab.

  Empty.

  He pushed back to his feet and ran around the vehicle. A woman was crouched in the gully fumbling with something at her side. The thought that she may have a gun hit him at about the same time he found himself staring down the barrel of a lethal looking 9mm. His hand instinctively inched toward his weapon.

  “Stop. Right. There.” She slowly rose, holding the gun on him despite the blood trailing down her forehead and dripping into her right eye.

  “I’m a police officer,” he said, slowly raising his palms. He forced his eyes from the barrel of the gun to the woman. She was dark-haired, probably midthirties and had one hell of a determined glint in her blue eyes as she stood there deciding his fate.

  It was dead quiet except for the occasional ping from the cooling SUV engine until he said as calmly as possible, “My wallet’s in my back pocket. Check my ID if you don’t believe me.”

  She jerked her chin toward the overturned SUV. “Hands on the car.”

  “Listen, lady.”

  “Do it,” she said, edging away from him.

  He turned, stepped up to the SUV and placed his hands on the exposed undercarriage. “Are you a police officer? Are you arresting me?”

  “Slowly, take your wallet out of your pocket and toss it over here.”

  He did as instructed and waited while she picked up the wallet. He heard a long exhalation of breath and she said, “Okay, Chief Navarro, you can put your hands down.”

  He turned around. She handed him his wallet and shrugged. “Sorry. I may have overreacted a little.”

  “A little?” he said, jamming the wallet back into his pocket. “Who the hell are you?”

  She slid her weapon into the holster clipped at the waist of her low slung jeans and said, “Special Agent Ryan, FBI.”

  She was surprisingly calm for someone who had just rolled a vehicle and pulled a gun on someone twice her size. “Well, Special Agent Ryan, I’d like to see your ID.”

  She gestured toward the cab of the SUV. “It’s in my handbag.”

  He put his hand on the butt of his weapon and said, “Get it.”

  She laughed. “All right, I guess I deserve that.” She retrieved her ID, slapped it into his outstretched hand and arched a brow at him. “Okay, I’ve seen yours and now you’ve seen mine. What’s next?”

  He had to work at keeping a straight face. She was sure cocky as hell. He took a good look at her as he handed her ID back. “Let’s talk about where all that blood is coming from.”

  She pushed her hair back revealing a small gash on her forehead. “I got whacked by my coffee cup when the SUV rolled. It’s no big deal. Head wounds always bleed a lot.”

  “You’ll need to have it checked out though.” He glanced over his shoulder at his truck. “It’s going to take an ambulance thirty minutes to get here and another thirty minutes to get you back to the hospital in Pine Ridge, or I can take you.”

  “Let’s go,” she said.

  After loading Ryan and her gear into his truck, Gabe called the accident into the sheriff’s office, had them send a tow truck for Ryan’s vehicle and alert the hospital that he was transporting her. He was almost to Pine Ridge when Ryan softly groaned. He glanced over. She was huddled against the door shaking. He reached over the seat, grabbed his jacket and handed it to her. She draped it over herself and said, “Thanks, Chief Navarro.”

  “Just call me Gabe,” he said. “What happened? Why’d you roll the SUV?”

  “An animal … maybe a coyote, ran in front of me. I swerved and everything got crazy.”

  “Why’d you pull your weapon on me?”

  She shrugged and looked out the window. “I’d just flipped a vehicle. I may have been a little confused.”

  He didn’t buy it. There was something about the way she refused to look at him that bothered him. “How are you doing now? Are you warm enough?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just glad you came along when you did.”

  “What were you doing out here?”

  “Cutting over from I-40 on my way to Pine Ridge.”

  “Is there someone I can call to meet you at the Medical Center?”

  “My dad’s on staff there.”

  It all clicked then. He knew who she was and he had a real good idea why she was there. “You’re Shelby Ryan, Doc’s daught
er, right?”

  She slumped back, closed her eyes and sighed. “Yeah.”

  “Keep talking to me.”

  She opened her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not going into shock. It’s just been a really long couple of days.”

  He didn’t like her color or the tone of her voice and worried that she may have some sort of internal injury. He sped up, maneuvering the truck as fast as he dared across the wash boarded surface of the road. “I should have made the connection to Doc Ryan before. How is it I’ve never seen you around town?”

  She slowly rolled her neck. “My parents were divorced when I was four and my mother and I moved to DC.”

  “Guess you didn’t get to see Doc much, huh?”

  “Actually, more than you’d think. It was a pretty amicable divorce. He’d fly out and spend most holidays with us. Then during the summers, he and I would take off for a month together. We traveled all over the world. We still try to take at least one trip a year together.”

  “He talks about you all the time. You’re with the domestic terrorism unit, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “You were out at the power plant, weren’t you?”

  No answer.

  He flipped on his flashers as he left the dirt road and turned onto the pavement of Highway 260. “You’re investigating the bombing.”

  He glanced across the cab at her.

  She was gently probing the growing lump on her forehead “Do you think I’m going to need stitches? I hate needles.”

  She obviously wasn’t going to talk about what she’d been doing. Gabe decided to let it go for the moment. “I wouldn’t worry. Your dad’s pretty handy with a needle. He’s stitched me up a few times.”

  She glanced over at him. “Oh yeah? How long have you known Doc?”

  Gabe concentrated on passing a line of vehicles that had pulled off the narrow two lane road for him. “My whole life.”

  “You grew up in Pine Ridge?”

  “Yeah. My grandparents emigrated here from the Basque territory in Spain. They raised sheep, which didn’t exactly endear them to the local cattle ranchers who’d been here for generations.”

  “Ah, so you got your butt kicked at school?”

  He laughed and glanced at her. “I like to think I gave as much as I got.”

  “Yeah, I could see that. How long have you been chief of police?”

  “Going on ten years now.”

  “How big is your force?”

  “Not big. Eight full-time officers, a couple part-timers and three admin support people.”

  “Hmmm … that does seem kind of small given the area you have to cover. What’s the population of Pine Ridge now?”

  “We’ve got about two thousand year-round residents. When the tourists and summer residents show up, we probably hit close to four thousand.”

  “Sounds like a lot to handle.”

  “It can be, especially during the summer. We’ve had to call on the county sheriff to help out occasionally.”

  “Sounds like you like your job. Have you always wanted to be in law enforcement?”

  They were entering the outskirts of Pine Ridge. He slowed, kept his eyes on the traffic in front of them and answered her question. “Yeah I have. Since I was a kid. I guess it goes back to the defending the family honor thing. I saw too much injustice and wanted to help make things right. What about you?”

  “Kind of the same reason. My stepfather is with the FBI. Growing up I got a first hand look at what worked and what didn’t in our judicial system. After I graduated from law school I joined the bureau.”

  Gabe flipped off the lights as they pulled into the circular driveway at the ER entrance. He parked in front of the automatic doors. “Wait here. I’ll go get a wheelchair.”

  She shook her head, pushed open the door and slid out of the truck.

  They were approaching the doors when Doc Ryan rushed out to meet them. “Shelby, what happened? I couldn’t believe it when they said you’d been in an accident.”

  “I’m fine, Doc, just a few cuts and bruises.”

  He gently pushed her hair aside and closely inspected the gash on her forehead. “Let’s go clean that up and take a look. You may need a couple of stitches. Any pain? Dizziness?”

  Shelby looked at Gabe and rolled her eyes. “Doc, I’m fine.”

  “Thank God you found her, Gabe. She could have been out there all night,” Doc said over his shoulder as they walked toward the ER doors.

  While Doc took care of Shelby, Gabe went to make a couple phone calls and get a cup of coffee. He was going to hang around, speak to Shelby again and try to find out what she was doing in the area. He had a hunch it was a lot more than just a visit to see Doc and that worried him. He’d learned a long time ago that having federal agents snooping around was not a good thing.

  On his way back to the ER, he rounded a corner and found Shelby sitting in a wheelchair outside the X-ray department. They’d washed the blood and dirt from her face, put a bandage on her forehead and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

  “Is that coffee?” she asked, looking up at him.

  He handed her the steaming cup. “Here, take it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep. I’ll get another one.”

  She took a tentative sip and smiled up at him. “Thanks, it’s good for hospital coffee.”

  “I timed it right. They’d just made a fresh pot.”

  “I think your timing is impeccable today. You definitely came along at the right time for me.”

  “Glad I could be there to help out. How’s your head?”

  “Good. It looked much worse than it was. Why didn’t you tell me what a bloody mess I was? I terrified the little girl in the room next to mine.”

  “Guess I was too busy looking down the barrel of your gun to mention it.”

  She laughed. “I’m glad you can joke about it. Most guys would still be mad as hell.”

  “I’m too damn relieved you didn’t shoot me to be mad.”

  She laughed again and he realized she’d inherited Doc Ryan’s lopsided grin. And damn if it didn’t look good on her. He nodded toward her forehead. “Did you get stitches?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “They just glued it together. But, my wrist hurts so Doc ordered an X-ray.”

  The X-ray tech came out for her and Shelby looked back over her shoulder as she was being wheeled away. “Are you going to be around for a while, Gabe?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be around,” he said, as both she and his coffee disappeared into the room.

  Two

  Shelby had finished Gabe Navarro’s coffee and was idly wondering what his story was when Doc came back into her ER room.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed, took her hand in his and said, “Good news. Your wrist isn’t broken, just sprained. I’m going to put this fiberglass splint on it and it’ll be fine in a couple of weeks.”

  Shelby watched as he slipped a cloth sleeve over her arm and strapped the splint into place. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Gabe is still here. If you don’t mind, I’m going to have him drive you home. I’ve got a couple patients I need to check before I leave.”

  “That’s fine. How well do you know Gabe?”

  “I’ve known the entire Navarro clan for years. You’ve met his parents, Lydia and Victor, numerous times at the restaurant.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. The restaurant. Navarro’s. Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t make that connection.”

  He patted her knee and stood. “Understandable given the circumstances. You know you were damn lucky today, don’t you? I’ve seen many less fortunate people in here after rolling their vehicles.”

  “I know, Doc. Don’t worry. I always wear my seatbelt.”

  He smiled down at her. “Good. I’m just relieved you’re all right. And I’m happy you’re going to be around for awhile. I know the power plant bombing is an important case for you and Carson. Let me know if there
’s anything I can do to help. It goes without saying that you can both stay at the house. Do you have any leads yet?”

  “Nothing yet.”

  “Okay. Well, go on home and get some rest. I’ll bring dinner home with me in an hour or so.”

  He paused as he turned to leave the room. “Oh, where is Carson?”

  “I left him in Holbrook.”

  “You’re making the poor guy work all weekend?”

  She shrugged. “No. He didn’t want to come.”

  Doc turned toward her and raised a brow. Growing up, she’d called it the Evil Eye. And though she’d tried many times, she’d never been able to resist it. But, she was an adult now, a highly trained federal agent, with a top secret clearance and damn it, this time she would resist.

  “What’s going on, Shelby?”

  “I’m not sure. He’s going through something and he refuses to talk about it,” she said. Spilling her guts, as usual. “We had a big fight about it yesterday.”

  He frowned slightly. “Do you want me to talk to him?”

  “No … maybe … I don’t know. It’s probably nothing. We might just need a break from each other. It’s been pretty intense lately. And now with the bombing case, and all the media attention …”

  Doc nodded. “I know. That’s a lot of pressure. Just let me know. I’ll do whatever I can to help. Carson’s a great guy. I’m glad he’s your partner. Just knowing he’s out there with you makes me feel a lot better.”

  “I know it does, Doc. And thanks for offering to help.”

  “You never could resist the ol’ Evil Eye, could you?” he said, laughing as he walked out the door.

  “Hey,” she said as he disappeared from view.

  She was still smiling a few minutes later when Gabe Navarro stepped through the door, pushing a wheelchair. “Doc said you needed a ride.”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem, Special Agent Ryan.”

  She slipped off the bed, grabbed her handbag and walked toward him. “My name is Shelby, like the Mustang.”

  “Well, Shelby, like the Mustang, you’re going to need to get into this wheelchair. It’s hospital procedure and you don’t want to get into trouble with the chief of staff. He might ground you.”