CHAPTER 4
“I don’t think any of the Diné would do this.”
Reggie listened as Clah argued his point. It was undeniable that the man was attractive. Several wisps of his hair had pulled out of the ponytail at his neck, and Reggie had to restrain herself to keep from reaching out and smoothing them down.
They had gone back to the Red Lion Hotel to get rooms and were now hashing out the case with the tribal policeman over meals at the local greasy spoon. The food was not fantastic. Hell, it was barely edible.
Coop hadn’t eaten any of her food. Reggie wasn’t sure she’d actually spoken since Piven had been killed. It was like the man’s death had snapped something inside her. The final sinew that was holding up the entire organism. She was a marionette with strings that had been cut. Reggie turned her attention back to the tribal officer.
“I agree with Clah,” Reggie said, nodding at the officer. “I can see them going after Piven, maybe. But not the kids.”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Clah piggybacked, seeming to be in synch with her. “The Diné value our children far too much to go after one of them.”
“What if they aren’t related?” Had asked.
“The gunshot wounds were both from a 22, and they both had the ash,” Joshua said, looking from Reggie to Clah and back again. He then fell silent. No more suggestions came up from the table. They had been back and forth over this case so many times that the remainder of the food had congealed, except for the shakes, which had melted.
Joshua rubbed at his face. The former agent looked exhausted, and Reggie could see why. He had taken the lead in just about everything out here in New Mexico, and from what Reggie could tell, it had been a long time since he’d done that.
The former special agent sucked in a breath. “Alright, I think we just have to admit the obvious.”
Reggie cocked her head. “The obvious?”
“Yeah, that we screwed up, again. We barked up the wrong tree.”
Coop’s head hung down, possibly even lower than it did before.
“But hey, this happens. If every first suspect was the killer, they wouldn’t need us, now would they?” Joshua queried.
Reggie supposed that was meant to cheer up Coop. It so did not work.
“We’ve got to back up. It is way too easy to assume that a criminal is a killer,” Joshua explained.
“At least Phillip was guilty of something,” Had stated.
“Yes, but not of murdering those boys, and we should have taken a beat. He didn’t fit our MMO.”
“MMO?” Had asked, taking off his ten-gallon hat and putting it on the table.
“Motive, means and opportunity,” Coop stated in a flat tone. Hey, Reggie would take it. At least it proved she was still alive and listening.
“We never had any motive,” Joshua said. “The guy was cashing the checks on those missing kids, dead or alive. Why would he kill his golden egg?”
Reggie settled back in her chair, taking a sip of the strong coffee that was now going cold. Joshua was right of course. Phillip was a sleazebag. But also kind of a wimp. She didn’t think he had the backbone or upper body strength to kill even a teenager.
“We need to wipe the slate clean,” Joshua said. “Go back to basics. Who kills kids?”
Everyone around the table shuffled, not answering.
“Parents,” Joshua said. “Not very pleasant to think about, but those are the stats. Just like when a wife dies, look at the husband. If a kid dies look at the parents.”
“I am telling you—” Clah interrupted, but Joshua held up his hand.
“I know, I know, Kai couldn’t have done it. But that is my point. We’ve got to look with unbiased eyes at that household.”
Despite the tension around the table, Bella was in Joshua’s lap, trying to angle herself so that she could steal some of his fries. Reggie had to restrain a chuckle. It was a serious situation, but Bella could always cheer people up. Like that serious-faced boy back at the group home.
What was his name? Danny? No, Darrel. And there was that other Navajo nickname that Sam, the strange white lady, had called him. Dii’twóósh. Troublemaker.
“Hey, Clah. What’s the deal with Sam out there at the group home?” Reggie asked the officer.
Clah looked up from playing with the remainder of his shake with a straw. “What do you mean?”
“She speaks Navajo. At least a little. And I saw her using corn pollen with one of the kids. Like a protection or cleansing ritual. Was she raised on the rez?”
He made a face. “No. Bilagáanaa asáni ch’ééh Diné ádíílii.”
“Yeah. Weird.”
But Joshua had perked up at their conversation. “What did he say?”
“Just that Sam’s trying to be Navajo,” Reggie said, a bit embarrassed by their conversation. It was rude to speak in another language when not everyone could understand them. “It’s a little… awkward… when a white person who wasn’t raised on the reservation tries too hard to be like us.”
“Oh, that’s not a good thing?” Had asked, his expression dejected.
“Well—” Reggie began, not sure how to respond in a way that wouldn’t hurt his feelings even more.
“Hold on,” Joshua said, cutting her off, to Reggie’s relief. “What did she do?”
“Not all that much, I guess,” she answered. “But it was enough that it sort of stood out.”
“Can you give me examples?”
“Okay,” Reggie answered, confused. Joshua seemed very interested in Native American business all of the sudden. “She dresses more Navajo than most of the tribe members. Lots of silver and turquoise and embroidery. That kind of stuff.”
“What else?”
“She used a Navajo word as a nickname for one of the kids. And then she used corn pollen with him. The pollen’s sacred to us, and she used it like a medicine man would.” She thought for a moment. “Oh, and the kid called her Bah. Means ‘warrior woman’. Kind of a freaky name for someone that’s watching over kids.”
“What did she call the boy?”
“The Navajo word for ‘troublemaker’. The only strange part of that was that she used Navajo. I thought the name was kind of cute.”
“Hold on a sec,” Joshua said, pulling out the two lists of foster children. There was the one they had gotten from Piven, and then the other with the missing children. Joshua circled the extra names and handed the list over to Clah.
“What can you tell me about these kids?” he asked the officer.
Clah looked over the names. “I know these guys. Most of them have been in the back of my cruiser at least once or twice.”
“So, all of them have records?”
“Yeah.” Clah scratched at his chin. “There’s a big meth problem on the rez. These kids had all gotten mixed up with it. Either using or selling.”
Joshua nodded, his face animated. “We have to go back to the rez and talk to Sam and Kai.”
“Whoa, hold on,” Reggie answered. “I could maybe agree with Sam. The woman’s as bizarre as they come. But Kai? No one who is Native American would have touched those kids”
Joshua nodded. “Unbiased, remember?”
“I don’t think—” Clah began.
Cutting him off, Joshua appealed to Reggie. “They were all troubled. It could have been out of frustration. For her or Sam. You said the kid called her ‘warrior woman’? Maybe she saw herself as a protector.”
“Well, one way or another,” Had said. “It looks like we need to get out there.” He tapped Coop on the shoulder, trying to get her attention.
But it seemed that Coop had been listening all along. “I’m not going.”
“What?” Had said, his face showing his surprise.
“I’m done,” she said, her tone dull. “Besides, it’s not enough. I’m not going to make another mistake that could cost someone their reputation… or worse.”
Reggie didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
“We went after Piven, and he ended up dead.”
“Um, number one, that wasn’t your fault,” Joshua inserted. “Number two, the guy was a sleazebag.”
“A sleazebag who didn’t deserve to die for what he did,” Coop replied, without raising her voice. She wasn’t fighting. Reggie almost wished she were. At least there would be some level of passion. Right now, it felt like some zombie version of Agent Cooper.
“I’m going out there,” Joshua said. “We need to question them both.”
“I don’t care. But you’re going without me.”
Joshua gave a shrug. “Whatever. I’m out.” He turned to the rest of the group. “You guys coming?”
There was an awkward moment where Had and Reggie turned to look back and forth between the two opposing personalities. Then Reggie moved over to Joshua’s side.
Had glanced up at them, his expression sheepish. “Sorry. I think I’m going to stay here with Coop.”
“Fine,” Joshua said, turning to Clah. “Any chance we can hitch a ride?”
“I can take you out there,” he replied with a grin. “But Reggie gets shotgun.”
The former agent stopped in his tracks at that, the muscle at his jaw working. He then took a deep breath and gave them both a glare.
“Make the white guy ride in the back? That’s so racist.”
“You know it.”
They headed out toward the car, but Reggie couldn’t help but glance back over her shoulder. The growing tension in the group had finally caused a rift in the team. This wasn’t a strategic move to divide and conquer.
This was the team splitting in half.
* * *
By the time they got back out to the group home, the only real light was coming from the moon. Joshua looked around at the landscape, seeing the edges of rocks and sagebrush lined in silver. He began to see how someone could want to live here. There was a stark beauty to the surroundings that he’d never seen back east.
Bella pushed her nose up into his face, giving him a lick. He pushed her back down, playing with her, scratching her behind her ears. She rolled over onto her back, exposing her belly for a rub. He obliged, thinking of how innocent and vulnerable this little creature was. How much a part of his life she’d become.
Innocent and vulnerable. Just like the kids in the home.
As Clah pulled the cruiser up in the dirt driveway, the gravel crunching under the tires, Joshua glanced up at Reggie in the front seat. Her cheekbones were lit from underneath with the green glow from the dashboard. Amazing that he had never noticed her Native American heritage before.
They were approaching the entrance, when the front door burst open and Kai rushed out, a rifle in her hands. She was dressed in a t-shirt and loose, flowing pants, with her hair loose around her head. The gun was leveled straight at Joshua’s head.
For a moment, it looked like Joshua’s suspicions about parents had been spot on. Then she lowered the gun.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “I almost blew your heads off.”
“Sorry to bother you, Kai,” Clah said. “But we need to talk to you and Sam.”
“Sam?” she said, her expression confused. “She’s out hiking. Always does that at night. She should be back soon.” She peered closer at their faces. “What’s this about?”
“We just need to ask her some questions,” Reggie replied.
“Can you point us in the direction she usually goes?” Joshua asked.
“There’s a trail just over there,” Kai pointed off in the direction of the moon. “You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. But don’t you want to just wait?”
“Actually, why don’t I stay here?” Clah said. “I’ll chat with Kai while we’re waiting, and I can be here in case Sam comes back while you’re out looking for her.”
“That’ll work,” Joshua agreed. He went to leave, then thought better of it. “And could you keep Bella with you?” He passed the leash over to Clah and stayed long enough to watch his puppy cover the Native American man in kisses. Looked like she’d be okay here.
They moved out into the night, the moon bright enough that they could mostly see where they were going. Reggie breathed in the air.
“It’s strange,” she said. “I’ve never lived here, but it still feels like home.”
Joshua stayed silent, listening to the sounds around them. There was the ever-present chirping of the crickets, punctuated with the hoot of a horned owl or the cry of a coyote. The night was alive around them.
“Where’s home for you?” Reggie asked.
It was a question that Joshua had no idea how to answer. He’d had a home once, certainly. But where was that for him now? He opened his mouth to answer, when the crack of a gunshot sounded around them.
“Down!” he shouted, pulling Reggie along with him as he dove for the dirt. He shimmied over behind a nearby sagebrush, motioning for Reggie to follow. One thing was sure. He was sick and tired of getting shot at.
Another shot rang out in the night air, but this time Joshua was able to zero in on where it was coming from. Right in the direction of the moon.
Dammit.
They would have a tough time spotting the shooter, but any movement on their part would be completely exposed. They’d have to circle around somehow.
“Okay, I need you to go that way,” he whispered to Reggie, pointing to the left. “Stay low and go for the sagebrush. I’m going to circle around this way.” He gestured off in the opposite direction. “Go!”
They sprinted off in opposite directions, but were immediately hounded by gunfire. Reggie made it over to one of the scrub oaks that dotted the landscape. She pulled out her gun and fired once toward the shooter.
“Drop your gun, Reggie,” a voice called out. It was Sam. “I’ve got a bead on your friend there. I’d hate to have to shoot him.”
There, less than twenty yards away, a regal figure in a long skirt and a white blouse stood up, a rifle in her hands pointed straight toward Joshua.
“Reggie, take the shot!” he yelled at her.
“Shut up! You don’t have the right to speak here,” Sam snarled at him.
“Sam, what are you—?” Reggie began.
“I said to drop it,” she reiterated, and then fired a shot in Joshua’s direction. Reggie dropped the gun into the dirt in front of her. “Now don’t move.”
Fantastic. Reggie was now unarmed, and Joshua didn’t carry a gun. Reggie called out to her once more.
“Sam, I don’t get it. How could you do this?”
“You know. You’re Diné. You can understand.” The woman’s tone was pleading. “They were skin-walkers. All of them. Jaime. That bastard Piven. The others.”
Others? Joshua watched as Reggie seemed to clue in on the same idea. “Wait. You mean the ones that ran away?”
Sam clucked her tongue. “Please. No one ran away. They couldn’t. Kai was too good to them. They knew they could take advantage of her kindness forever. Who would leave that?”
“But, Sam, they were just kids,” Joshua called to her, drawing her attention back. If he could just keep her focused on himself, Reggie might have a chance to get out of this alive.
“They were not children. They were monsters,” she screeched, suddenly enraged. “Only a monster wouldn’t be able to appreciate what an amazing woman Kai was. What she was doing for those kids…” She broke off, a deep sob escaping her. “But then you showed up, poking around, checking into things.”
“That’s just our job, Sam,” Reggie answered. “It was for the kids. We had to do it.”
“No, you didn’t. You could have left it alone,” she rasped. “But then I realized… that one…” She pointed at Joshua. “He’s another one. A skin-walker. Leading around his familiar spirit, the one that’s teaching him to transform. Where’s your bitch now? Did you send her out after me?”
“Sam, that’s not--” Reggie began.
The woman cut her off. “I saw the way Darrel took to that do
g. And that child is so close to taking the Witches’ Way. You were more than happy to help him along.”
“Sam, he’s not a skin-walker,” Reggie corrected her. “He’s just helping us. Helping you. See, we were chasing Piven. Who was a skin-walker, right?”
“Stop it! You’re just trying to confuse me. I know evil when I see it.”
“No, please—” she begged.
“Shut up. Shut up!” Sam swung the rifle back up, the barrel pointing toward Joshua. “You may not believe it now, but you’ll see that I’m right later.”
Joshua stared down the barrel of the gun as the retort of a rifle was heard echoing through the landscape. He flinched, expecting to feel a bullet tear into his body. But nothing happened. He felt nothing. Was he already dead?
He opened his eyes to see Sam’s form crumple to the ground. Off to the west of them, a figure stood, almost seeming to rise out of the ground around her.
Agent Cooper’s voice carried out to them, over the dusty ground, through the sighing sagebrush.
“That was one crazy-ass white woman.”
EPILOGUE
Sariah took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of sage and burnt dirt. She might have learned to appreciate desert beauty a bit more than she had before this experience, but she was ready to get back to some degree of humidity. It felt like all the moisture had been sucked out of her body, leaving behind a dried-out husk.
She had saved Joshua. On an intellectual level, she knew that was true. But emotionally, she felt like a fraud.
It was just going through the motions. She’d given the right answers in the psyche eval; she’d taken down the killer here. But she knew she was still broken. Still damaged, beyond repair.
She entered into the lobby of the hotel, depositing the key cards from their hotel rooms on the desk. “We’re checking out.”
“Thank you,” the haggard-looking woman behind the counter said, scooping up the cards. “Oh, wait. Do you have a Joshua Wright in your group?”
“Yes,” she said. That was strange. Who would be looking for Joshua? Who would know to find him here? Maybe Clah or Kai had dropped something off for him as a thank you present?
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