The Dead Chill

by Linda Berry

  “Anytime.”

  Granger and Selena followed Darnell out into the biting cold. Her fingers brushed against Granger’s and he took her hand, squeezed it lightly, and let go, which made her smile a little. They piled into the truck. Selena scrambled into the back behind the steel mesh screen.

  Their breath puffed out in the cab and the leather felt icy through Selena’s jeans. Darnell revved up the engine and the vents blasted cold air. Selena’s thoughts turned inward and she barely noticed as Darnell pulled out of the empty lot.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  WATCHING FROM the window, it was well after nine when Sidney saw the headlights of Darnell’s truck bounce into Nikah’s driveway. She left the house and waded through the soft snow, reaching the truck as Granger climbed from the passenger seat into the rear seat next to Selena.

  “What happened to your head, Chief?” Darnell asked as she strapped herself in.

  Absentmindedly, Sidney touched the bandage and winced, then she shared an abbreviated version of the nights’ events—how she and Amanda intercepted two prowlers, her attack, and subsequent injury. Without a pause, she proceeded to tell them of the tin box and its contents, the grocery receipt, which confirmed Nikah died between late Friday night and Saturday morning, and the discovery of blood in her office, which someone had tried to clean up. “Hard to imagine someone surviving that kind of blood loss.”

  “Christ,” Granger said.

  “The prowlers might be the killers,” Darnell said.

  “They probably wanted that cash,” Granger said. “And whatever’s in the deposit box.”

  “I don’t think they’re the killers,” Sidney said. “They would’ve searched the house the night of the murder. The house needs to be processed thoroughly. Stewart’s on his way over to help Amanda.” Sidney shifted in her seat and stared out at the drifting snow in the headlights. “How’d your interviews go?”

  “No one saw shit,” Granger said.

  “Why am I not surprised. Fear of cops?” Sidney asked.

  “Fear of Tommy,” Granger said.

  “Tommy?” Sidney turned to view Granger over her shoulder. The shadow from the mesh screen played over his face.

  “He’s got some kind of hold over these people. Fear or respect. They clammed up when he walked in the door.”

  “I thought the same thing,” Darnell said as he navigated the icy road. “Folks kept glancing over at him, as though gauging his reaction.”

  “It’s a side to Tommy I’ve never seen,” Granger said. “A little creepy.”

  “Cadence, the singer, said as much when I spoke with her in the restroom,” Selena said. “She acted like someone was watching her every move. She didn’t want to talk there. She’s going to meet me in town tomorrow.”

  “Sounds like you’re the only one who made an inroad tonight,” Sidney said. “Maybe tomorrow you’ll get some straight answers.”

  “You want to tag along?”

  “No. She trusts you. We don’t want to spook her by ganging up on her.”

  “When I left the restroom, I saw Tommy gripping her arms. He was really angry.”

  “Don’t like the sound of that,” Sidney said. “Tommy warrants a closer look. We’ll head back out there tomorrow. Talk to folks without Lurch skulking in the shadows.”

  “What about the skinny dude on the porch, Darnell?” Granger asked. “He was vibrating with eagerness to talk to you.”

  “He shared something, all right. He said he saw Lancer’s truck parked in Nikah’s driveway last week. Then he saw her a day later in the general store. She was wearing a scarf, but when she moved it to scratch her throat, he saw a purple bruise on her neck.”

  “That’s scary,” Selena said.

  “Lancer sounds violent,” Sidney said. “Granger and I are heading over to his house to talk to him.”

  Darnell pulled up next to Sidney’s parked Yukon. When she climbed out, she tapped the bag left on the passenger seat. “I know you’ve put in a long day, Darnell, but I need you to get into Nikah’s computer. Look at her financials. Scan through her social media. See if anything crops up.”

  “I’ll get right on it, Chief.” Darnell looked and sounded fatigued. Like Amanda, he’d already put in a fourteen-hour day. Sidney felt a twinge of guilt for asking so much from her officers. She demanded nothing less than she asked of herself. A violent killer was on the loose. Until he was caught, she’d drive them hard.

  Darnell drove away in a plume of exhaust. Tiny snow crystals sifted down through the branches and the faintly metallic smell of snow was in the air. The Yukon was buried in white and resembled some crouching Arctic beast. Sidney fished out her keys and hit the remote. Granger opened the door on the passenger side and a sheet of snow fell to ground. He helped Selena climb in.

  Sidney opened the door on the driver side, waited for the snow to crash around her boots, then climbed inside. The windows were blocked and it felt like entering an ice cave.

  “Got a scraper?” Granger asked.

  “In the back.” She started the engine and cranked up the heater and freezing air blasted the cab. Granger disappeared, the tailgate opened and shut, then he started scraping off the windshield.

  “My hero,” Sidney said.

  “Brrrr,” Selena said, her gloved hands pressed between her knees.

  “Hang in there. Just takes a minute.”

  This was the first time Sidney and Selena had been alone all day. Her heart ached when she thought of the trauma Selena experienced. Eleven years her senior, Sidney had been Selena’s protector when she was small. As an adult, Selena was taking her own punches and she had shown remarkable resilience. Sidney squeezed her sister’s hand. “You had a hell of a day.”

  “Yes, I did.” Softly illuminated by the dashboard lights, Selena’s face showed signs of stress, yet the corners of her mouth lifted. “It’s also been a good day. I got to play detective. I was part of the A Team.”

  “You’ve been a big help. Dad would’ve been proud.”

  “Thanks. That means a lot. There’s something I forgot to mention. About Tegan.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He seemed to know something about Nikah’s murder, but he wouldn’t tell his dad. I sensed he was frightened.”

  “Hmmm. He and Nikah were close. He may have seen or heard something.”

  “Also, be prepared. He hangs out with a huge white wolf.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  Selena was dead serious. “Not kidding.”

  “Thanks for letting me know.”

  “His name’s Lelou. He seems friendly enough. Tegan seems to have him under control.”

  “This case gets stranger by the minute.”

  “Also, be careful when you go see Grisly Stokes. He sounds scary.”

  Sidney thought the same thing, but portrayed calmness for her sister’s sake. “No worry. Granger and I can handle him.”

  By the time Granger had all the windows and side mirrors cleaned, the seat warmers and heater were doing their jobs.

  Sidney dropped Selena off at home fifteen minutes later. Granger walked her to the front porch, both slipping a little on the walkway. He pulled her close and ducked his head to kiss her. Sidney smiled, grateful her sister was allowing the handsome officer to infiltrate her inner sanctum. After a decade of getting emotionally pummeled by her lying, cheating husband, having a man like Granger fill the void was a blessing wrapped in a big red bow.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  TEGAN STARTLED awake and bolted into an upright position. He felt a deep chill, but not from the cold. The timber and logs of the cabin groaned and creaked, shifting with the drop in temperature and the wind. He heard the pulse of the antique clock in the living room, keeping time with the rhythmic snores coming from the bedroom of his great-grandmother.

  Pushing his covers aside, he wormed his feet into sheepskin boots that were positioned just so by his bed, and grabbed his flannel robe that was draped over the headboard
. He tugged the robe over his pajamas, padded down the hallway, and paused at the entrance to the dining room. He felt his father’s presence sitting at the table with his back to him. He took a few steps forward and felt the radiant heat of his father’s body. And something more. Distress. Tegan reached out to touch his shoulder, then quickly withdrew his hand. His father was hunched over with his face in his hands, quietly weeping. Tegan felt each shudder of his father’s body like the tremor of an earthquake. He stood stunned and frightened, camouflaged by stillness.

  “Nikah…Nikah,” his father softly moaned.

  His heart thumping loudly, Tegan retraced his steps and almost collided with Elahan, who stood in the doorway of his bedroom. Her presence was more like smoke than flesh and bone, drifting rather than walking—like the ghostly man. She smelled like the herbs that seasoned tonight’s stew—bay leaves, thyme, tarragon, basil.

  She stepped aside to let him pass and shut the door behind them. He burrowed under the covers and she sank into the straight-backed chair next to the bed. He sensed concern rather than anger wafting off of her.

  “Your father is sad tonight, Tegan,” she said in a hushed tone. “He cries when he is alone. He wants to be strong for you, so you know he can protect you from all bad things. Nikah’s death has torn holes in our hearts. Grief hangs heavy in our home tonight.” She paused and he heard her swallow. “In time, the holes will mend. The pain will get smaller.”

  “How long does it take to get smaller?”

  Elahan sighed. “Weeks. Months. There is no way to measure suffering.”

  “I hope it’s soon. The hole in my heart feels as big as my chest. It hurts really bad. It hurts worse to see dad cry.”

  “Do not let him know you saw him.”

  Tegan nodded.

  She reached out and pushed his hair back from his forehead, a rare display of affection. He knew the old withered woman loved him with primal fierceness, like a she-wolf or grizzly sow. Etched in his memory was every crease in her face, every sharp angle of her body, and her crooked spine that resembled a tree bent by savage wind. Tears welled in his eyes. He loved her with all of his being, but he feared her more. Elahan walked with one foot in the spirit world. She had powers other humans could not comprehend. When she leveled a piercing stare at him it went through him like an arrow.

  Tonight, the tenderness of her touch moved him deeply. He remembered her gnarled fingers rubbing ointment over his burned chest and his back, easing the pain while chanting incantations in her native tongue. Her magic healed him. He often wondered if she bargained with the higher spirits, offering his eyesight as payment for his return to this physical world.

  “I know why you cannot sleep,” she said. “Your heart is heavy with secrets.”

  Tegan had confined his secrets to a place in his mind that was shut like a fist that would never open. If his fears were locked away, he could pretend they weren’t real.

  “I know you’re afraid, Tegan. To cast out fear, you must bring it into the light. Let me share your burden.”

  Tegan sat mum.

  “It is more dangerous to do nothing, my boy. That gives your enemy the advantage. Tell me what you know.”

  Elahan’s skeletal hand grasped his with amazing strength. He thought of her as physically frail but her fierce touch evoked the enormous power she carried within. The magic. Tegan felt his hand buckle under the weight of her fierce grip. He began to tremble. The vault cracked open. Memories emerged.

  “You are the bravest of all warriors, are you not?” she rasped.

  “Yes. I am brave.”

  “Strong, like Sitting Bull. Like Chief Joseph.”

  “Strong, like Sitting Bull. Like Chief Joseph,” His voice grew stronger.

  “Fear will not rule you.”

  “Fear will not rule me.” His chest swelled with a surge of confidence.

  “Now tell me what you know.”

  Tegan felt the secrets forming into words that flowed from his mouth like water in a stream. “When you and Dad were at the tribal meeting yesterday, I went to see Nikah. She invited me to breakfast. When I got there, the front door was open. I went into the living room, calling out her name, but she didn’t answer. Then someone slammed into me like a bull. I crashed to the floor and hit my head pretty hard. The person ran outside and took off in a car.” The memory made the hair rise on his arms. Tears filled his eyes and his voice grew husky. “I smelled death, Nana. I wanted to run home but I was worried about Nikah. The smell grew stronger when I entered her office. She died in that room.”

  Elahan’s fingers pressed painfully into his palm. “Go on,” she said.

  “A dark force held me there, like strong hands on my shoulders. I fought back with all my strength, and I finally broke free. I ran home and hid in the barn.” He swallowed, licked his dry lips. “Lelou was there. He always seems to know when I need him. I stayed in the corner of the stall until I heard you and dad come home.” Tegan wiped his eyes with shaky fingers, humiliated that he cried in front of Elahan.

  “Tears cleanse the soul like rain cleans the forest,” she said softly. “You have earned the right. You faced fear. Fear tried to own you, but you fought back.” Elahan sank next to Tegan on the bed. He leaned into her and she looped one arm around his shoulder. Her other hand stroked his head, brushing the hair from his warm face. Her touch had the effect of mesmerizing him. Slowly, his shoulders relaxed and he seemed to float in a misty world that existed between sleep and wakefulness.

  “There is something else you are hiding,” she said in a voice that sounded far away. “Tell me.”

  He spoke freely, as though in a dream. “Last week when Lelou and I were down by the creek, I sensed we were being followed. I didn’t hear anyone but I could smell a presence. The sweat of a man, and also the blood of dead animals, and a stink I didn’t recognize. This man meant to hurt us. Lelou stood in front of me and growled a vicious growl. The scent of the man slowly disappeared.” Tegan paused, and he took a deep breath. “Last night, the same scent was outside my bedroom window. I believe this man carries death with him.”

  “Why have you not told me this?” The sharp alarm in Elahan’s voice woke him from a trance-like state. Suddenly alert, his nerves tingling, he pulled away. He said in his own defense, “I recited prayers to push the evil away.”

  Her voice was gently reprimanding. “You are no longer a child, Tegan. To become a man, you must think and act like a warrior.”

  “What would a warrior do?” he asked, his voice wavering.

  “A warrior does not sit and wait for his enemy to come and destroy him. A warrior acts. Attacks first. A warrior becomes stronger by banding with other warriors.”

  “Are you a warrior?”

  “Yes. A great warrior. We will work together. We will make a plan.” Tegan felt her body stiffen as she reflected in silence. “Our enemy has come to our door. It is dangerous for us to stay here. We must leave the village and lure this evil man into the wilderness. We must learn his purpose, and kill him, if need be.”

  Her words went through Tegan like an electric shock. He had never heard a person speak openly of killing another person. The thought was alien and terrifying. Elahan’s words echoed those of the ghostly man.

  There are devils who wear human skin. They must be rooted out and killed, if necessary. You and I will bring Nikah justice. This I promise.

  Tegan was thankful Elahan had not drilled him for more secrets. He would sooner slash his wrists than deliberately betray his shadowy companion. If Elahan knew of what he and the ghostly man did in the woods, that their actions may have brought this evil to their door, her wrath would know no bounds.

  “Evil and Goodness live on this earth side by side,” the old woman said. “You must learn to be strong to keep evil away.”

  “How do I become strong?”

  “I will teach you.”

  Elahan’s fingers found the tender, throbbing knot where Tegan’s skull had crashed to the floor. He
winced. Murmuring a poem he didn’t understand, Elahan tapped lightly on the lump with two fingers, then she pressed harder. The pain intensified. Tegan sucked air between his teeth, then tightly clenched his jaw. His eyes watered and overflowed. The pain reached a crescendo, like a hot knife piercing his skull, but he did not cry out. Slowly, the agony ebbed, and Elahan’s healing magic breathed a shimmering energy into his entire being. Every fiber of his nervous system leapt awake. He felt a sense of heightened strength and confidence that he had not known before. A power. The medicine woman was an invincible force. Together, they would succeed in bringing the evil man to his knees.

  The two sat in silence for several minutes as the wave of energy surged through his system and slowly ebbed away. His mind and body relaxed into a soft state of peacefulness.

  Elahan’s quiet voice floated in the silence. “I know the man who is your special friend came to you in the barn tonight.”

  Her words jolted him. How did she know about the ghostly man? Tegan wasn’t sure the man was even real. “How did you know?”

  “I’ve had a bad feeling in my bones for many days. I felt the presence of evil drawing near. I summoned him.”

  What?

  “We spoke. It was his wish to speak with you.”

  Tegan’s heart raced. He bolted upright. “What is he? A spirit guide?”

  “He is a man. As real as your father.”

  Tegan was nearly bursting with impatience. “Who is he?”

  “His name is Moolock.”

  The Chinook word for elk. A good name for a man who is strong, who blends with nature, who smells of the woods, who doesn’t trust humans. Tegan swallowed, waiting for more.

  “Tonight, we agreed it was time for you to learn Moolock’s story. The dark spirit of death has been unleashed. That changes everything. Moolock can no longer be invisible. He must act. And we will act with him.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He will take us on a journey. To protect you. And to hunt.”

  A chill prickled Tegan’s scalp. Hunt what?

  “What I tell you must never be repeated. Do you understand?” she said.