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  Gabe had half a mind to go looking for Orlando, but held back. Orlando didn't need an overprotective cop father looking for him in the middle of the night. He was over twenty-one, technically an adult, and a hell of a good kid to boot. If he needed a night out to blow off some steam, so be it.

  Gabe stripped down to his underwear, dumped his clothes on top of the dresser, and climbed into bed. He wanted to get an early start in the morning. There was still a bunch of work to do on the AlaridSantistevan bust, and he planned to get settled into his new office before the shift began.

  Gabe checked Orlando's room early in the morning. His bed hadn't been slept in. He decided to think positively about Orlando's overnight absence. The kid didn't talk about his love life, and Gabe didn't pry.

  Sometimes Orlando would stay out all night, come home looking pleased with himself, and shrug off any mention of where he'd been. Within a couple of days, Orlando would start getting lots of phone calls. When that happened, Gabe didn't see much of his son until Orlando's interest in the girl cooled off.

  He got to work before the day shift arrived and found a hand-carved name plaque with his new rank and name on the desk in his new office. A card rested against the plaque. The gift was from Captain Garduno.

  Gabe unpacked some personal gear he'd brought from home. He put a framed enlargement of Orlando's senior high school yearbook picture on the desk and hung a few of his department commendations on the wall.

  Then he cleared out his paperwork from the watch commanders' cubicle and dumped it on the floor next to his office desk. He put the Alarid-Santistevan case file on top of the stack and checked with dispatch to get an update on the Barela surveillance. Bernardo had stayed home all night with no visitors.

  That made Gabe feel better about things. Orlando had probably spent the night with some girl. What normal kid wouldn't trade a night of flipping burgers for a hot date with a babe? If there was a new girl in Orlando's life, maybe that was part of the reason he was restless to move. Maybe the girl was graduating, going to Albuquerque, and Orlando wanted to be with her. If so, then it all made even more sense.

  He left a message on the answering machine at home for Orlando to call him at the office, and hung up as the day shift trickled in. He spent some time accepting congratulations, along with the usual kidding, teasing, and small gifts that went with them, before the troops started work.

  He put the Alarid-Santistevan files for his meeting with the ADA in his briefcase and looked up to find Art Garda standing in the doorway. New sergeant chevrons decorated his uniform shirt.

  "Those stripes look good on you. Art," Gabe said.

  "You want to go in on a promotion party with me?"

  Garda forced a smile.

  "Yeah, let's do that."

  "What's wrong?"

  "A rancher just called in the license plate of an abandoned vehicle south of town, on the Gallinas River. Dispatch ran it through Motor Vehicles. It's your son's car."

  "Orlando didn't come home last night."

  "It may mean nothing, Gabe. The rancher said kids use that spot along the river all the time to party. Maybe Orlando just left his car and went off with some friends."

  "Who's the rancher?"

  "Arlin Pullerton."

  "Did he give you directions?"

  Art held out a slip of paper.

  "Call Pullerton back and have him meet me there.

  Tell dispatch to cancel my meeting with the DA's office.

  I'll reschedule later."

  "You want somebody to go with you?"

  Gabe shook his head as he hurried out the door.

  Garda found Captain Garduno making coffee in the break room and filled him in.

  Garduno put the pot down.

  "Is that all you have?"

  "So far."

  "Is Bemaido Barela still at home?"

  "No. He's sitting in a truck outside a hardware store.

  You want him picked up?"

  "Negative. Call Chief Kerney and brief him. Then put search and rescue on standby, including bloodhounds.

  When did Gabe leave?"

  "Two minutes ago."

  "I'm on my way," Garduno said.

  Orlando's car was unlocked and his keys were in the ignition. A bank envelope sat on the dashboard. Gabe reached in through the open window, picked it up, and counted the bills-over seven hundred dollars. There were two withdrawal slips and a pay stub, all with yesterday's date. Orlando had cashed his check and zeroed out his accounts.

  He looked at Garduno and fanned the bills.

  "Orlando would never do this with his money. Never. Or leave his keys in an unlocked car."

  "Take it easy, Gabe," Garduno said.

  "You can't always tell what kids will do. When Orlando shows up, I'm sure he can explain everything."

  "Orlando didn't party here last night. Nobody did.

  Look around. There's no fresh litter or beer bottles anywhere."

  "Maybe the party was over there." Gaiduno raised his chin toward the crumbling walls of two old homesteads that flanked the dirt road.

  "Or maybe he's camped nearby with some friends."

  Gabe looked at the dense forest on the far side of the river.

  "Orlando doesn't like to camp. Where the fuck is that rancher?"

  "Pullerton will be here," Garduno said as he went to his unit and reached for the radio handset.

  "Check around those stone walls. Lieutenant."

  Gabe didn't move.

  Garduno took his thumb off the transmit button.

  "Stop thinking the worst and check the ruins, Gabe.

  Let's go to work and find Orlando."

  Garduno waited until Gabe moved off before clicking on the handset.

  "I want search and rescue and every available unit at my location ASAP," he said.

  "Contact Chief Kerney and ask him to get up here pronto."

  He dropped the handset on the car seat and went to join Gabe.

  The helicopter pilot cleared the ridgeline and dropped down to follow the river. Below, Kerney could see an assembly of police cars and search and rescue vehicles, some with horse trailers. A blue domestic coupe, cordoned off with crime scene tape, sat in the middle of a dirt road. On a small rise behind the car, several uniforms were searching the ruins of old settlers' cabins.

  The pilot gained altitude to keep propeller wash from disturbing the activity on the ground and planted the bird on the road a hundred yards away from the blue coupe. Kerney jumped out. Garduno and Gonzales met him halfway.

  Gabe's face had worry written all over it. Garduno's impassive expression looked forced.

  "What have we got?" Kerney asked.

  Garduno took the lead.

  "Gabe's son left home yesterday morning. He cut his classes at the university, didn't show up for work last night, and never went home.

  One of Ariin Fullerton's ranch hands noticed Orlando's car here about noon yesterday. There was nobody around.

  The car wasn't reported as abandoned until this morning when Fullerton and a few of his people came back to move some cattle to another part of the ranch."

  Kerney looked at Gabe.

  "No sign of struggle?"

  "No," Gabe said flatly.

  "You searched the car?"

  Gabe nodded.

  "Nothing's missing. But I found over seven hundred dollars on the dashboard. Orlando cashed his paycheck and cleaned out his savings and checking accounts right after the bank opened yesterday morning.

  Withdrawal slips were in the envelope with the money."

  "That gives us a time frame to work with," Kerney said.

  "Was the vehicle locked?"

  "No, and the keys were in the ignition," Gabe said.

  "Orlando would never do that. He worked too damn hard for the money to buy that car."

  "Did the car break down?"

  "It runs just fine," Gabe answered.

  "Do you have any ideas why Orlando needed so much cash?"


  "None," Gabe said.

  "But it's every dime he had."

  Garduno broke in.

  "Ariin Fullerton said mat people park here to hike and camp in the woods or party by the river. There are several trails on the other side of the river that lead to some remote, pretty canyons."

  "Orlando isn't into camping," Gabe said.

  "I'm still sending the search and rescue people up there," Garduno said.

  "For all we know Orlando may be with some of his friends, or snuggled into a sleeping bag with some pretty young thing."

  They reached Garduno's unit and stopped.

  "Have you found anything to suggest Orlando is with friends?"

  Kerney asked.

  "We lifted four different sets of fingerprints from the vehicle, but that could mean anything," Garduno said.

  "Is there any other physical evidence?"

  Garduno shook his head.

  "Pullerton and his people trashed the area. They loaded the cattle on stock trucks right in the road. There's nothing but hooforints, cow shit, and heavy-duty tire tread marks."

  Kerney turned to Gabe.

  "When did you last see Orlando?"

  "Early yesterday. About an hour before he went to the bank."

  "Did the two of you talk?"

  "Yeah. He said you'd questioned him about Bernardo's friends. He asked me what was up. I told him you were investigating the mesa homicide."

  "How did he react to that?"

  "He seemed okay with it."

  "Did you talk about anything else?"

  "I asked him why he was leaving early. He said he had to meet some guy from school who wanted to borrow his lecture notes. He didn't say who it was."

  "Is that all?"

  "Pretty much. He got a phone call while I was in the shower."

  "Who from?"

  "Orlando said it was from the kid who wanted to borrow his notes."

  "Does Orlando have a steady girlfriend?"

  "No."

  "Would he tell you if he was planning to cut classes and meet some girl or go camping with friends, like Captain Garduno suggested?"

  "Not necessarily. He'd know I wouldn't approve," The search and rescue team had mounted up. Four riders crossed the river, moved through the bottom land, and disappeared into the forest.

  "So, it's possible Orlando decided to play hooky," Kerney said.

  "Don't feed me crap," Gabe said.

  "Something stinks here. You know it, and I know it."

  "Let's assume he came here to meet someone. Seven hundred dollars could buy two ounces of very good pot."

  "Orlando doesn't use drugs," Gabe said.

  Gabe was reacting like a parent, not like a cop. Kerney dedded not to push the point.

  "Who would he come here to meet?"

  "I don' trucking know," Gabe said.

  "Okay, we'll talk to all his friends. But first let's see if we can find out who called him." Kerney opened his pocket notebook, tore out a page, and gave it to Garduno.

  "What's that?" Gabe demanded.

  "The names and phone numbers of everyone I talked to about the mesa homicide." Kerney looked at Garduno.

  "Call dispatch and have them request phone company records on any calls made to Gabe's phone. Start with Bernardo."

  "You're fucking crazy to think Orlando had anything to do with that."

  "You wanted me to cut the crap, Lieutenant.

  Bernardo works twenty miles from here. He's the only person I know with a legitimate reason to be anywhere near this place during the day."

  "You're way off the mark."

  "Let's hope so," Kerney said.

  Garduno reached inside his unit to pick up the radio handset. Gabe gave Kerney an unpleasant look, walked to the river, and stood alone with his back turned and head lowered.

  Garduno finished up with dispatch, glanced at Kerney, and nodded in Gabe's direction.

  "He knows it could be bad, Chief."

  "I understand that."

  A pickup truck with three dogs in the bed stopped next to Garduno's unit, and a stocky woman with short brown hair got out.

  "I'm Martha Owens. Where do you want my dogs?" she asked.

  Before either could answer, the dogs started barking, straining against their leashes.

  Owens went to the dogs and tried to calm them. The barking continued in spite of her efforts.

  "They smell something," she said.

  "What?" Garduno asked.

  "Either a body or blood."

  "We've searched," Garduno said.

  "Nothing's here."

  "My dogs say otherwise."

  "Where?" Garduno asked, spreading his arms.

  "Anne will show us. She's the best of the lot." Martha unsnapped the leash of a female hound, and the dog jumped out of the truck before Owens could drop the tailgate. The hound made for a spot just off the road and started digging while her companions in the truck kept up a steady howl.

  Kerney and Garduno converged on Owens and her dog. Clumps of dirt flew as the hound dug deeper.

  Martha dropped to one knee, scooped up a handful of moist dirt, and sniffed it.

  "It smells like blood to me.

  Lots of it. The ground is saturated."

  "What kind of blood?" Garduno asked.

  "I can't tell you that," Owens answered.

  "But something got slaughtered here recently."

  Kerney felt the presence of someone at his side and looked over.

  "Sweet Jesus, Mother Mary," Gabe said, his voice cracking.

  "Don't jump to conclusions, Gabe," he said.

  Gabe looked at Kerney like he was a complete stranger.

  "I want Bernardo in custody now."

  "We'll do this my way. Lieutenant."

  "What way is that, Kerney?"

  "Cool it, Gabe," Garduno said.

  "Fuck you. Cap. I want to know what happened to my son."

  Garduno's call sign came over the radio. He hurried to his unit.

  "Go, dispatch."

  "The phone company reports a call made from the first number you gave me to the Gonzales residence at oh-six-fifty hours, last date."

  Ten-four."

  "Let's go get the son of a bitch," Gabe said.

  Kerney grabbed Gabe's arm to hold him back.

  "Not yet. We need a plan."

  "You need a fucking plan. I don't."

  Kerney tightened his grip.

  "Give me your weapon and your shield." For a moment he thought Gabe was going to swing at him.

  "You'd do that?"

  "Unless you work with me, I will."

  Gabe glared at Kerney.

  "What's your plan?"

  Kerney swung his attention to Garduno.

  "Check with Pullerton. Find out if he slaughtered an animal here this morning. He may have had to put down an injured calf or a yearling."

  "Pullerton is on his way back to his ranch house."

  "Contact him ASAP." Kerney turned to Gabe.

  "You're going back with me to the office. We're going to see what the surveillance team has on Bernardo, and get people out backtracking on Orlando. I'll ride with you."

  "To watch me?"

  "You bet. Send the chopper home and keep working the search.

  Captain."

  "waldo."

  "Let's go. Lieutenant."

  Garduno called dispatch and snapped off an order to make contact with FuUerton.

  "Patch me through when you reach him. I'll stand by."

  "Ten-four."

  Still clutching the microphone in his hand, Garduno watched Gabe and Kerney drive away. He threw it on the front seat of his unit in disgust, put his hands to his face, and rubbed his eyes. What a shitty, shitty day it had turned out to be.

  At the district office, Kerney kept Gabe Gonzales at his side during the time it took to implement a sweep to gather information about Orlando's whereabouts during the last twenty-four hours. Bernardo Barela would remain under full surveillance while o
fficers backtracked at the bank, the university, and the burger joint where Orlando worked, questioning employees, classmates, professors, and anyone else who might have seen Orlando, or knew where he could be.

  Kerney pulled Ben Morfin back on duty to do follow ups on the people who'd been interviewed in the Luiza San Miguel slaying. He couldn't discount the possibility that it might tie in to Orlando's disappearance.

  Garduno called in to report that Fullerton hadn't put down any of his livestock at the river, and the look on Gabe's face told Kerney that Gonzales was about to explode.

  "Tell Fullerton we're coming out to talk to him," Kerney said.

  They left the district office for the Box Z Ranch in Gabe's unit, running a silent code three. Gabe kept the unit floored until the drop-off into the canyon forced him to slow down. On the ranch road, he pushed the unit to its limit, blowing out the shocks, struts, and alignment, fighting to keep control as they pitched, bounced, and veered through rough water crossings and over jagged rock outcroppings.

  Kerney didn't say a word.

  They found Ariin Pullerton in the equipment barn watching one of his employees weld a new lip on the bulldozer blade.

  "Did you find that missing boy yet?" Fullerton asked.

  "We're still looking," Kerney said.

  "Did you see Bernardo yesterday?"

  "Yeah, when he returned the 'dozer. He was late getting it back."

  "What time was that?"

  "Pour o'dock, or thereabouts. He came looking for me to say he'd gouged a chuck out of the blade. Said he'd hit some hard rock while he was grading the road."

  Fullerton shook his head.

  "I don't see how he did it. That's mostly shale and sandstone he was moving around."

  "How did he get back to his truck?"

  "I gave him a ride."

  "Did he talk about anything?"

  "He told me you'd paid him a visit yesterday."

  "And?"

  Fullerton shook his head.

  "That was it, except for some small talk about how many cow and calf units his uncle planned to run during the summer."

  "Did you see him after that?"

  "Haven't seen him since."

  "Did any of your ranch hands see anyone around the abandoned car yesterday?"

  "I would have heard if they did. They have standing orders to run off trespassers and report them to me.