The Armadillo Way

By Carol L. Jenkner

            Carol L. Jenkner, author of the Dr. Gerald "Road Kill" O'Connor series has a new book introducing Stonewall Jackson "Armadillo Jack" McCullough. Jack owns a ranch in the Panhandle of Texas where he lives with his daughter and grandson. A former rodeo performer, he has retired and spends his days creating outsider art featuring his spirit animal, the armadillo, and helping his friend, Chief of Police Jones Johnson solve mysteries and catch criminals.

            A woman disappears from a college town in the Texas Panhandle. Another woman with a gunshot wound to her head crawls out of a shallow grave at Fort Union, New Mexico. Stonewall Jackson "Armadillo Jack" McCullough, his daughter, Sue Ellen, and the town's chief of police, Jones Johnson, seek the connection between these women and a killer who will not stop until they have erased their past history of killings to get what they want. From the Texas Panhandle to New Mexico and Arizona the search is on for the female victims and missing persons related to them. With its twists and turns, this story will keep you on the edge of your seat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carol L. Jenkner
• Release date: Jul 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223678472

Book preview

The Armadillo Way

By Carol L. Jenkner

Copyright © 2023 by Carol L. Jenkner

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

All references in this story to Native American culture are made in good faith on the research done by the author; no commentary is intended on the culture or its people, nor is any of this story intended as an educational piece or political commentary.

Edited and Formatted by Cat Webling

Cover Art by Megan McBride

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Mysterious Disappearance

Chapter 2

Stonewall Jackson McCullough

Chapter 3

Father Daughter

Chapter 4

The Academic Life

Chapter 5

An Unknown Woman

Chapter 6

A Frantic Man

Chapter 7

Sue Ellen Is Interviewed

Chapter 8

Armadillos

Chapter 9

A Phone Call

Chapter 10

More Information

Chapter 11

Surprises

Chapter 12

Dr. Gray’s Interview

Chapter 13

Search Of The Gray Home

Chapter 14

What They Found

Chapter 15

Dr. Angela Garcia

Chapter 16

Chief Johnson Versus Dr. Garcia

Chapter 17

Jones Talks To Jack

Chapter 18

Jones Goes To Fort Union

Chapter 19

Another Surprise

Chapter 20

Albuquerque

Chapter 21

Memory Loss

Chapter 22

A Suicide Becomes A Suspicious Death

Chapter 23

Dinner With The Wilsons

Chapter 24

Fort Union Again

Chapter 25

Visit With John Honanie

Chapter 26

Jones is Discouraged

Chapter 27

Back to Texas

Chapter 28

Jones Gets More Information

Chapter 29

Witchcraft

Chapter 30

Gossip

Chapter 31

Bad Experience

Chapter 32

Rescue

Chapter 33

Another Murder

Chapter 34

Looking At Suspects

Chapter 35

Senator Sam H. Hunter

Chapter 36

No Headway

Chapter 37

Honanie Offers New Information

Chapter 38

Jones Johnson Reveals His History

Chapter 39

Lena Gray Wolf

Chapter 40

Another Visit With Dr. Garcia

Chapter 41

Jones Apologizes

Chapter 42

Jack Explains

Chapter 43

Angela Garcia’s Escape

Chapter 44

Sue Gray

Chapter 45

She Lived

Chapter 46

Graves

Chapter 47

Test Dig

Chapter 48

O’Connor

Chapter 49

The Plaza Hotel

Chapter 50

What They Found

Chapter 51

Ghosts

Chapter 52

Jack Explains

Chapter 53

What Lena Gray Wolf Knows

Chapter 54

The Hunt Is On

Chapter 55

Dinner At Jack’s

Chapter 56

Agent Burns

Chapter 57

A Visit With Lena Gray Wolf

Chapter 58

Jack and Jones

Chapter 59

Heads Together

Chapter 60

Sue Ellen

Chapter 61

The Phone Call

Chapter 62

Angela’s Missing

Chapter 63

Figuring It Out

Chapter 64

Angela’s Abduction

Chapter 65

A Girl Has To Try

Chapter 66

Jones Plays With Fire

Chapter 67

More Wrangling

Chapter 68

Still No Evidence

Chapter 69

The White Board Approach

Chapter 70

Lena Is Missing

Chapter 71

Progress

Chapter 72

On the Reservation

Chapter 73

Who Were These Guys?

Chapter 74

Human Bodies

Chapter 75

Bodies

Chapter 76

Digging A Grave

Chapter 77

Passing Days

Chapter 78

Gruesome Discovery

Chapter 79

John Honanie Is Down

Chapter 80

Finding Lena Gray Wolf

Chapter 81

Regarding Angela Garcia

Chapter 82

Psychological Help

Chapter 83

Figuring It Out Again

Chapter 84

Still Missing

Chapter 85

Sue Ellen Nails It

Epilogue

About the Author

Also By Carol L. Jenkner

Prologue

The rising sun signaled the beginning of another hot summer day in New Mexico. The

red adobe walls of the ruins at Fort Union glowed in the morning light, still warm from the previous day’s heat.

A young Hopi native, a park ranger at Fort Union, began his morning routine, inspecting the site to make sure everything was ready for the arriving tourists. John Honanie stood facing the rising sun shining through the early morning mist and smelled the burning odor associated with a controlled burn some miles away. He said his morning prayer, thanking the gods for the sunrise and asking for their wisdom to guide him through this new day.

As he faced the Eastern horizon, John saw something remarkable emerging from the mist. A ghostly shape staggered forward against the backdrop of a New Mexico dawn, the rays of the new risen sun elongating the surreal figure. To the gaping park ranger, the apparition resembled a giant Kachina Mudhead figure, but, as the form drew near, his fears were dispelled and he saw the shape emerge as a mere human being, obviously in distress.

Rushing forward to help the faltering individual, he realized why the Kachina image had been so strong; the person was covered in dirt and blood.

The ranger caught what he now realized was a woman as she tripped and fell forward, mumbling, Where am I? Am I dead?

Easing her carefully to the ground, he fumbled for his walkie talkie and called for assistance and an ambulance. He then checked her pulse and found that she was alive but obviously suffering from fatigue and probably hunger and thirst. She was covered in dirt, as though she had been buried. 

Once help arrived, he would follow her footsteps in the morning dew and see what he could find.

Fellow rangers arrived with a litter to carry the distressed woman to the visitor’s center. One was a nurse, and checked the woman to make sure she could be safely moved before lifting her onto the litter and carrying her to shelter. The ranger in charge of the visitor’s center was on the phone with a 911 operator, giving them detailed information as the nurse further checked the woman’s vital signs.

While the others attended the woman, who, now awake, did not appear to remember how she’d gotten there, or even who she was, John went in search of her footsteps and some answers to this woman’s mystery.  He traced her footsteps, still barely visible in the wet grass, following them up over the slight rise and down the slope.

At the bottom of the slope the rapidly disappearing marks made a turn to the south. The sun was up now, and the mist had dissipated creating long shadows across the ground.  He stopped short when he noticed a shadow that should not have been there – the dark stain of what appeared to be a freshly dug grave in the grass. 

He began backing away instinctively honoring the customs of his heritage, and then remembered that he was a park ranger and that he was trained in investigative techniques. He stepped forward once again, this time carefully approaching so as not to destroy any possible evidence.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the grave was empty. It wasn’t very deep, and he had little doubt that this was where the woman had come from.  He backed away, marking his steps as he retreated so that investigators would know these impressions were his and not the victim’s or the perpetrator’s.

The gods’ guidance was certainly going to be needed on this day, John thought to himself as he moved back toward the visitor’s center.

Chapter 1

Mysterious Disappearance

S tonewall Jackson McCollough !  What in the hell do you think you're doing? cried a strident female voice.

Now that's a mighty fine way to speak to your dad, little missy! I'm fixing supper for me and Number Two over there. We were startin' to get hungry so I figured I'd just rustle up some of my special scrambled eggs, calmly replied Stonewall Jackson McCollough, Armadillo Jack to his friends.

Don't call your grandson ‘Number Two;’ his name is Wally, retorted Jack's redheaded daughter, Sue Ellen.

Wally! scoffed Jack, Sounds like the movie about that little robot. What's wrong with Jackson or just Jack?

"Jack is your name, Dad, said the exasperated young woman, involved again in the same old argument. Your grandson is Stonewall Jackson McCollough the second and he's Wally so no one gets confused over who's who. I always hated hearing families refer to grown sons as ‘Little Tom’ when ‘Big Tom’ was five inches shorter and twenty years older. It's silly!"

Okay, sweetie, you win, he grinned. Want some eggs?

Are you gonna clean this mess up? she asked, still unwilling to let go of her irritation.

Yes, I always do, was the calm reply. You want some cheese and jalapenos in yours?

Sue Ellen had left the kitchen and headed to the back of the sprawling ranch house to kick off her boots and slip into a pair of loose-fitting shorts and an over-sized t-shirt.  She didn’t hear his question about the eggs nor his comments to her son about what was eating her today.

Shrugging, Jack turned back to the stove and removed the first batch of eggs, plating them on to a plastic child's plate in the shape of a popular children’s character. He added a piece of buttered toast and half a banana, then scooped up his grandson and lowered him into a high chair, tousling the boy's blonde hair. He placed the plate, a sippy cup half full of milk, and the boy's favorite spoon in front of him, then tied on a bib.

Have at it, Wally, he said, smiling. Hopefully when your momma gets back in here she'll be in a calmer frame of mind.

I heard that!

What's got you so upset this evening, honey? Jack asked his thirty-year-old daughter.

Sorry I got so snappish with you, Dad, she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. It's been one of those days!

Why don't you tell me about it while I fix your eggs? he invited.

Guess you haven't heard the news, Sue Ellen began.

Nope, been babysittin' and workin’ on a project when he was nappin', replied Jack.

Well, began Sue Ellen, fixing herself a tall glass of sweet tea, it seems the wife of one of the professors out at the college just up and disappeared this morning. Two of my sales girls didn't come in on time because the police were interviewing everyone who knew her. Then all we did all afternoon was talk about it. Got to be the end of the day and I realized we hadn't gotten a thing done, which is why I'm late. Plus, I’ve been ordered to make myself available because she’s a good customer and I know her, too.

What do you mean 'disappeared'? he asked. Where'd she disappear from?

Way I heard it, she brought her husband in to work this morning so she could take his car to get the oil changed. She was supposed to meet him for lunch at their favorite restaurant just off campus and she didn't show up. He tried texting, then calling her. She didn't respond, and when he kept calling, he got the message about her inbox being full. Sue Ellen tucked into the plate of eggs and chorizo sausage her father set before her and waited on his comments.

He call the police? he asked as he turned back to the stove to get his own plate.

They didn't take him seriously at first. Said she was an adult and maybe just went shopping, lost track of time, mislaid or lost her cell phone. I guess he finally convinced them something was wrong when he called the dealership and found out the car had been sitting out in the customer service parking lot all afternoon waiting to be picked up. When he asked if anyone had seen his wife, he was told she'd been sitting in the customer's waiting room drinking coffee and talking on her phone. Found the phone shoved down in the side of the chair where she'd been sitting. Purse was on the floor under the chair.

Don't sound good, said Jack. Guess the police are on it now, huh?

And the Rangers, too, Sue Ellen informed him. Apparently, the professor's wife is a well-known socialite called Sue Gray.

Dr. Gray’s wife?

That’s the one. But it isn’t his influence that finally drew law enforcement into this. Her family is well known for their wealth; they’re all philanthropists and politicians. That and the fact that Dr. Gray says his wife has been receiving anonymous threats.

That’s interesting. I wonder why the police haven’t been contacted about that before now? asked Jack.

Not sure, Dad, but I’m sure you’re going to find out! she laughed.

Chapter 2

Stonewall Jackson McCullough

Stonewall Jackson McCullough was born prematurely to Dolores and Jack McCullough. He announced his readiness to enter the world a month early, catching his parents completely off guard, a fact that necessitated a home birth in the old ranch house in the middle of nowhere on the family’s Texas Panhandle ranch.

He was in his father’s big capable hands after a delivery that had to be a record for its quickness and efficiency, a little small but apparently completely healthy.  The couple still wrapped their new son in a blanket and made the trip to the hospital, normally an hour away, in record time thanks in part to the flashing lights on his father’s state car.

Big Jack was a Texas Ranger, intimidating in his sheer size, standing at six feet, five inches and two hundred seventy-five pounds of hard muscle. But there was an even bigger heart beating inside that manly chest, and a gentleness that he tried to hide while on the job. The two most important things in his life that night were his diminutive and vivacious wife, Dolores, and his tiny son.

The doctor kept Dolores and her son for observation, but he soon declared them both healthy, scheduled a well-baby appointment in two weeks, and sent them home after twenty-four hours. Big Jack took some vacation time to be home to help Dolores, but it was soon evident that the new baby was going to be a happy and accommodating child.  They named him Stonewall Jackson McCullough, after the family hero who died in battle during the Civil War in 1863.

His first weeks of life in the old house in the Texas Panhandle would set the pattern for Jack’s entire life.  He was an impatient man, but never unkind – just in a hurry to live his life.  He was happy and good-natured, and pushed the limits of his experiences. He was a creative man who cheerfully accepted what life gave him and made lemonade out of it. He made his own choices, lived his life on his terms, and even when others were upset with his decisions, they couldn’t stay angry with him for long.

Jack was never going to be as big as his father, nor was he interested in following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a Ranger. He did, however, have an analytical mind that wanted to find the answers to the questions that confronted him.  He wasn’t going to be the teacher his mother had hoped he would be, but he loved children and was eager to share his experiences with them.

In the end, he learned to run the ranch with a businessman’s drive for success and had a successful, if brief, career as a rodeo cowboy and, later, a rodeo clown. The last trampling put him out of the rodeo ring for good and he returned home to the ranch, young wife in tow. Dolores and Big Jack welcomed the young couple and helped them build a new ranch house on the family property.

They were delighted when their son’s wife, Gwen, announced she was pregnant, but it was soon obvious that the pert redhead was going to have a difficult nine months ahead of her.  She kept an upbeat and positive attitude believing it created an atmosphere that made a happy baby. Still, the constant morning sickness and painful swelling in her legs and feet made her miserable.  By the end of the seventh month, she was on complete bed rest.

Gwen had been adopted as a baby and had no knowledge of her biological parents. She had never been sick a day in her life and was caught completely off guard by the ongoing illness the pregnancy created.  She was as surprised as anyone when told she was at risk and needed to lay in bed for the remaining two months of the pregnancy; she simply wasn’t built that way and was constantly finding things she felt needed doing in the baby’s nursery.

At the end of the eighth month, Jack came home to find her on the floor of the nursery, passed out in a pool of her own blood. He called 911 for help and the operator gave him instructions for stabilizing her, then sent a Medevac helicopter to pick her up. When it arrived Jack had Gwen wrapped in blankets and ready to make the trip to the nearest emergency center.

Gwen gave birth to a healthy baby girl. She squeezed Jack’s hand when he named the baby the girl’s name they had agreed upon and she held her newborn close for a few precious minutes until she passed away from blood loss due to an aneurysm she didn’t know existed.

From then on it would be Jack and his daughter, Sue Ellen McCullough, facing the world head-on and with no regrets.  Jack’s parents were there to help until a fatal car accident when Sue Ellen was sixteen, took them as well.

Chapter 3

Father Daughter

Sue Ellen McCullough was her father’s daughter when it came to drive and talent, but where he was calm and methodical, she was a tornado blowing through life and leaving the wreckage behind her. Where her father was easy going and easy to get along with, she was a force to be reckoned with, running her business like a dictator.

Although a demanding boss, Sue Ellen believed that employees delivered their best when they were well-paid, provided with benefits, and given a stake in the business.  Every employee was given six months to live up to her expectations or she reduced their hours until they finally quit or toed the line.  Those who worked hard and gave her their loyalty got two days a week off, a salary plus commission, paid sick days, and a health insurance option.  If an employee stayed with her more than a year, they were offered a stake in the business that included management and creative positions.

Jack had invested in her business when she was just starting out and continued as a silent partner, though she no longer needed his financial support.  The boutique had become amazingly popular with customers coming in from a wide radius.  She offered one-of-a-kind clothing and art, decoring items, and design services.  She employed a staff to work as salespeople, then ran a cottage industry that included regional artists and designers who worked on commission. She also had a section devoted to Texas culture and antiques.

The professor’s wife was well-known to her as a frequent customer.  Even famous singer Phil Collins had visited the shop in search of an Alamo item she had acquired. Sue Ellen had a Facebook page tied to her business and was contemplating a full website to reach a wider audience for her specialty items.

Among Sue Ellen’s bestselling items were her father’s creations made from the dead armadillos found on every roadside in Texas. In addition to the occasional basket or purse, Jack created paintings and sculptures from found items that represented Texas’s best-known critter. He had even commissioned a pair of armadillo skin cowboy boots for himself from Texas’s most famous bootmaker, Dave Wheeler. He figured those were worth more than all of his own creations put together.

Sue Ellen wasn’t sorry she had such a character for a father. Together they made an amazing team.

Her young son Wally, or Stonewall Jackson McCollough the Second, had been an accident in every sense of the word, but in spite of her apprehensions, Sue Ellen had opted to keep the baby and discard the father. When Wally was born, Sue Ellen knew she had made the right decision; Wally’s sunny disposition made her decision even easier. Her father supported her decision every step of the way.

Wally’s father had been an old friend she’d made the mistake of hooking up with after their ten-year high school reunion. The boy’s father had gone home unaware that he had created a child from their one-night stand and threatened to tear his solid life apart when she’d called him to tell him she was pregnant. He was married, a fact he’d omitted to tell anyone at the reunion, and had other children of his own, so he wanted no part of the result of a lapse of his usually sound judgment and a night of overindulgence. He was happy to sign away his rights to the child.

The one and only time Wally’s father had attempted to renege on his agreement, Jack had put a stop to it and Sue Ellen was only made aware of it after the fact. The fiery-tempered young woman had ranted and raved, threatened to call and inform the man’s wife and family before finally listening to her father’s sound reasoning: no harm, no foul, but if it happened again there was going to be hell to pay.

Sue Ellen was content with her life as the owner of a successful business and a mother, and with her safe and secure living arrangements out on the family ranch with her father in the large farm house. Jack had offered to give her the other house on the property if she wanted more privacy, but she’d laughed and said she liked things just the way they were.

Life was good.

Chapter 4

The Academic Life

Professor Jonathon Gray, a name he had long ago assumed over his more traditional family name of Gray Wolf, was