by Eva Pohler
THE GHOST OF BLACKFEET NATION:
THE MYSTERY HOUSE SERIES, BOOK SIX
Eva Pohler
Published by Green Press
Copyright 2020 Eva Pohler
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: A Midnight Emergency
Chapter Two: Glacier National Park
Chapter Three: Badger-Two Medicine
Chapter Four: The Sweat Lodge
Chapter Five: Talks to Buffalo Lodge
Chapter Six: A Paranormal Investigation
Chapter Seven: Lost
Chapter Eight: The Jesuit Priest
Chapter Nine: A Different Kind of Boat Tour
Chapter Ten: The Lady of the River
Chapter Eleven: The Sun Dance
Chapter Twelve: Crow Woman
Chapter Thirteen: Change
Chapter Fourteen: Return to the French Quarter
Chapter Fifteen: The Masquerade Ball
Chapter Sixteen: Back to Montana
Chapter Seventeen: Sidney Longfellow
Chapter Eighteen: The Vision Quest
Chapter Nineteen: The Burial Ceremony
Chapter Twenty: Coming Home
Chapter One: A Midnight Emergency
“Did I wake you?” Tanya asked Ellen over the phone.
Ellen sat up in her recliner—what used to be Paul’s recliner—and paused the Netflix show she was watching. “I’m a night owl, remember? Everything okay?”
Tanya sounded frantic. “No. Dave’s out of town. I called Sue, and she’s on the way over, but now I’m worried she’ll use her gun.”
Ellen jumped to her feet. “Tanya? What’s going on? Why would Sue use a gun?”
“Can I explain when you get here?” Tanya said. “I need you on my side.”
“Do I need a bra for this?” Ellen was serious. Putting one on would slow her down.
“No. Just hurry.”
Ellen ended the call, turned off the television, and slipped on her shoes, all the while wondering what could possibly be wrong at Tanya’s house.
When Ellen arrived, she pulled up near the curb behind Sue’s Porsche Taycan and scrambled to the front door.
Tanya opened it immediately. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her blue eyes were red, as though she’d been crying. “It’s out back.”
“What is?” Ellen asked as she followed Tanya through the house. “Do I need a weapon?”
“God, no. It’s just an armadillo.”
Ellen grabbed Tanya’s hand and turned her around to face her. “Wait a minute. Did you get me all worked up over an armadillo?”
Tears filled Tanya’s eyes. “I think it’s dying, and it’s all my fault.”
Ellen followed Tanya through the back door to the yard outside, where Sue was standing over a small cage containing an armadillo lying on its side.
“Is it still breathing?” Tanya asked Sue.
“Barely,” she said as she pushed her brown bangs from her eyes. “You sure you don’t want me to put it out of its misery?”
“Can someone explain to me what’s going on?” Ellen insisted.
Through her tears, Tanya said, “Dave set out this trap, because something’s been digging up my garden. Then he went out of town on Friday, and I forgot all about it, until this evening. This poor animal has been trapped inside that cage without food or water in this summer heat for maybe three days, and we need to save it. I tried putting water in there, but he didn’t move.”
“What’s the plan?” Ellen asked.
“There’s a place I know where we could release it. I was hoping one of you would drive, since I don’t like driving at night.”
Sue put her hands on her wide hips. “I could have helped you with that. You didn’t need to drag Ellen here, too.”
Tanya glanced nervously at Ellen.
“I don’t mind,” Ellen said. “I’ll grab the cage. Sue better drive.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Sue said. “I forgot about your new Jag.”
Ellen had recently splurged on a shiny blue Jaguar, to mark the beginning of a new chapter in her life. It had been meant as a pick-me-up, but she should have known that material things, no matter how sexy and exciting, can only do so much.
“My trunk would be too hot,” Ellen said. “Unless you don’t mind sitting with the cage in the backseat.”
Sue laughed. “I think I’d rather have raw eggs thrown at me.”
Ellen and Tanya laughed as Ellen said, “We could arrange for that, I suppose.”
“Maybe another time,” Sue said. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
After they were on the road, Ellen asked from the back, “So, where is this place, Tanya?”
“Not too far,” Tanya said from the passenger’s seat. “It’s that new area under development just north of us.”
Sue blanched. “Won’t there be tractors and other equipment tearing up the land? I wouldn’t think that would be safe for the critter, but I’m no expert.”
“Are you talking about where they’re building that new strip mall right off of 281?” Ellen asked.
Tanya glanced back. “Yeah. Why?”
“Isn’t it too close to the highway?” Ellen pointed out.
“I’m beginning to doubt that you care about that poor creature,” Sue teased.
Tanya was soon in tears again. “What do we do, guys?”
“I vote for McAllister Park,” Ellen said.
“That’s a good idea.” Tanya wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Sorry, I’m just not thinking straight.”
Sue did a U-turn and headed for the park. Fifteen minutes later, they stood beneath a tree canopy staring at the cage on the ground. The SUV was parked on the side of the road about fifty yards away. The park was quiet and empty. Ellen hoped the animal was still alive.
“I wish I had gloves,” Tanya said as she reached out with a shaky hand. “I’m scared to touch it.”
Sue rolled her eyes. “I’ll do it.”
She lifted the door to the cage and then uttered a hysterical cry as the armadillo jumped to its feet and scrambled past her and into the woods. Sue lost her balance and fell back onto the dirt.
Tanya leaned over her. “Are you okay?”
Sue busted out laughing. “That scared the heck out of me!”
Once she’d recovered from the shock, Ellen laughed, too, and offered Sue a hand. “Do armadillos play dead?”
“I guess so,” Tanya said. “What a relief! I can’t thank you guys enough! I’m sorry to have dragged you out here in the middle of the night. I owe you, big time.”
“I know how you can thank me.” Sue wiped the dirt and dried leaves from the back of her capri pants. “Why don’t we grab a lemon loaf and a latte at Starbucks while you hear me out?”
Ellen followed her friends to the Taycan. “I hope you mean to drive through, because I’m not wearing a bra.”
“Just carry your purse in front of you,” Sue said.
Sue had to drive a bit furth
er to find a Starbucks with a café that was open twenty-four hours, but she managed, and once they were sitting around a table with their lattes and cakes, she said, “Promise me that you’ll keep an open mind.”
Ellen and Tanya glanced at one another.
“I know you two wanted to pass on the project at Blackfeet Nation,” Sue began, “but hear me out.”
Ellen sighed. They’d already been over this a million times.
“Montana’s too far,” Tanya said.
“I get that you guys aren’t interested in a vacation home near Glacier National Park—though it’s still beyond me why. It’s the crown of the continent, and the most beautiful place in America.”
“I don’t want to fly any more often than is necessary,” Tanya reminded her. “Not after that crash landing in Brian’s plane. We could have died.”
Sue took a sip of her latte. “I’m not going to say all the things I’ve already said to try to change your mind—like the fact that the Blackfeet are practically giving the house away, along with the one hundred acres it sits on, or the fact that it’s located right where the majestic Rocky Mountains meet the sweeping grassy plains, or the fact that the train is roomy and will boast amazing views along the way.”
Tanya groaned as she took a bite of her lemon loaf.
For someone who wasn’t going to say all the things she’d already said, Sue was saying quite a lot, Ellen thought as she sipped her latte.
“However,” Sue paused dramatically. “I want the house for myself, and I’m asking you, begging you, as my dearest friends, to help me with the paranormal investigation. I’ll take care of all the renovations. I’ll pay for all of our expenses while we’re there. And I’ll make the three-day train ride worth your while.”
Ellen lifted her brows. “How do you intend to do that?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll think of something.”
Ellen and Tanya glanced dubiously at one another again, but Ellen was feeling less reluctant than she’d felt in the past. An entire year had passed since the Boulder City Hospital Hotel and Museum had been completed, and she was itching for another adventure.
A lot had happened since then. Ellen and Brian had broken up, Sue’s mother Jan had passed away, and Tanya had fostered a five and six-year-old brother and sister, who’d just been returned to their mother upon her release from prison. All three of their hearts had been broken.
“I wasn’t going to play the grief card,” Sue said with tears in her eyes, “but I need to get away.”
Ellen bit her bottom lip, recalling how she had felt in the wake of Paul’s death. She understood all too well.
“I need to get away from San Antonio,” Sue said, breaking down. “I need a distraction.”
Tanya reached across the table to squeeze Sue’s hand. “I still miss my mother, but it does get easier.”
Ellen felt a tinge of guilt for not thinking of her own mother. She’d thought only of Paul.
“At least we finally found someone to take over at the Gold House,” Sue said. “That was a nightmare, wasn’t it?”
“I’ll go with you,” Ellen blurted out. “I’ll help you with the investigation, and, if you want, the renovation, too.”
Sue’s brows shot up. “Really? Does that mean you want to go in with me?”
“I don’t know yet,” Ellen said. “I’ll need to see the house and the property first.”
“Of course.”
They turned to Tanya, who said, “Thanks a lot for throwing me under the bus, Ellen.”
“Not under the bus,” she said. “On the train. Come on. I’m anxious to see how Sue plans to make it worth our while.”
Sue lifted her brows. “I guess you’re going to hold me to it, even in my grief.”
Tanya shook her head. “She’s just teasing. Your company is enough to make it worth our while. Wouldn’t you agree, Ellen?”
Ellen cocked her head to the side. “Let me get back to you on that.”
Sue lobbed a piece of her lemon loaf at Ellen’s face. The cake bounced off Ellen’s nose and onto the floor.
“Darn,” Sue said. “I wanted that bite. Thanks for getting me all riled up.”
The three friends laughed.
A week later, in mid-July, as Ellen boarded the train with her friends, she felt a sense of panic. She had forgotten to call her kids to let them know that she was leaving town. When Paul was still alive, she hadn’t felt it was necessary to tell her kids about her every move. It had been the same while she was dating Brian. But now there was no one waiting for her at home. If something were to happen to her and to her friends—if the train crashed and killed them—there would be no one alive who’d be aware of her absence for however long it would take the police to notify the family.
As she made her way to her seat, she chastised herself for being silly. Nothing was going to happen to them; yet it felt strange that there was no one waiting for her to check in, to touch base, to hear about her day.
Once she was settled next to Tanya in her seat with Sue sitting across the aisle from her, Ellen took out her phone and texted her kids. The panic in her chest lessened.
Then Sue asked, “Do they serve margaritas on this train?”
Ellen smiled. “I believe they do.”
Sue’s big brown eyes brightened.
“This is better than the sleeper room, don’t you think?” Tanya asked. “These seats go all the way back, and no one has to sleep on top.”
“From what I’ve heard, Ellen likes being on top,” Sue teased.
“I plan to spend most of the trip in the sightseer lounge anyway,” Ellen said, ignoring her friend’s crass remark.
“Did you remember to download the national park podcast I told you about?” Sue asked.
“I’ll do that now,” Ellen said.
Ellen thought of Brian. They’d parted ways six months ago at a national park. She hoped that fact wouldn’t ruin all national parks for her.
No. She wouldn’t let it, she thought, as tears sprang to her eyes.
Once the train was underway, Tanya leaned forward and asked Sue, “So, what do you know about this property, anyway?”
“It’s called Talks to Buffalo Lodge. It’s a two-story ranch that was built in 1890 and has been haunted since the 1940s, if not earlier,” Sue said. “And it’s been vacant since the seventies.”
“Since the seventies? No wonder the Blackfeet Nation is anxious to find an owner,” Ellen said.
“Do you know anything about the haunting?” Tanya asked. “Is it one ghost or multiple? What have you heard?”
“It’s not good,” Sue said. “I wish I could say that no one died there.”
Ellen glanced at Tanya, whose brows had lifted and whose jaw had dropped open.
“Why are you just now telling me this?” Tanya wanted to know.
“You know the answer to that question,” Sue said, avoiding their gaze.
Tanya’s face turned red, and she closed her mouth, her lips forming a straight line.
“Give her a chance to explain,” Ellen said to Tanya, but Tanya said nothing in reply.
Sue leaned across the aisle with a hand on Ellen’s armrest. “Well, according to the tribal secretary, the house was occupied by six different owners—all Blackfeet except for the most recent owner. The house was built in 1890 by its first owner and namesake, Talks to Buffalo. He and his wife lived there until they died—he around 1930 and she sometime in the early forties. The house was sold to another Blackfeet family with two children—a son and a daughter. They later claimed their son was possessed by an evil spirit for three or four years before it eventually took him one night in his sleep.”
Tanya’s face paled. “Unbelievable.”
Ellen turned to Sue. “You should have told her.”
“I tried to talk to both of you about the house,” Sue said, “but you shut me down every time.”
“That was before we agreed to come along,” Ellen said. “You should have told us after
we agreed but before we committed—before we got on this train.”
“Are you saying you want to turn around and go home?” Sue asked.
Ellen glanced at Tanya, whose back was to her as she stared out the window at the passing buildings in downtown San Antonio.
Ellen said, “They won’t stop the train. We’d have to wait to get off in Dallas.”
Tanya turned to look at her. “Is that what you want?”
Ellen bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “We’ve been through this kind of thing before, and we’re stronger for it. You’re stronger for it.”
Tanya wiped her eyes. “Am I?”
“Yes,” Ellen said. “But we’ll understand if you want to get off and turn around.”
“I would have liked the choice before now.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Sue leaned across the aisle again. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Tanya. Truly. I should have told you. I just really wanted you to come, because…” Sue broke down into tears. “Well, because it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Tanya said nothing for several seconds before Ellen asked her, “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know yet. I guess I have a lot of time to think about it. Sue may as well tell us the rest of what she knows.”
Sue dried her eyes and collected herself before continuing her story. “Okay. Let’s see. After Talks to Buffalo and his wife, and then the family with the son who died, there was a family who lived there in the early fifties. Something similar happened to their son, only he didn’t die. They moved away, off the reservation, to live with friends in another state, where they got medical treatment for the boy.”
“That’s a relief,” Ellen said.
“A couple without any children occupied the house from 1954 through 1960. They reported years of harassment—furniture being rearranged, cabinets and drawers being opened, clothes pulled from their hangers, and stuff like that.”
“No possession?” Ellen asked.
Sue shook her head. “But after six years, they were tired of it and moved. The fifth family had two sons, and both boys suffered and nearly died before the family moved in the late sixties.”