Innocent Blood

by Linda S. Prather

  “Nothing.”

  Loki dished up a bowl of stew and passed it to Dadron. “Why don’t we take this to him and see if he’s up to talking now.”

  “Only if you dip up another bowl. I’d hate to see the poor guy eat alone.”

  Laughing, Loki filled another bowl and stood. “I’m a little tired of rabbit stew. Maybe tomorrow we can find some fish.”

  Their guest was propped against a tree, sipping on the bottle of water Loki had given him. She passed him the bowl. “Go slow with that at first. I know you’re hungry, but like with the water, too much too soon will only make you sick.”

  “Did you find my brother?” He dug into the stew, ignoring Loki’s advice to take it slow.

  “Not yet. Why don’t you start by telling us your name and what you were doing here.”

  Lifting the bowl to his lips, he drained the last of the liquid. “Anniston Thompkins. My brother Cecil and I were on a hunting trip.”

  “There’s no hunting allowed on the reservation, Mr. Thompkins, without a special permit. Did you have one?”

  “No, ma’am. Our guide told us he knew about a place where we could find lots of wildlife. Didn’t even know we were on the reservation until those other two showed up.” He lowered his head to his chest. “My brother’s dead, isn’t he? They took him away that night, and later I heard these god-awful screams. You might as well tell me.”

  Loki exchanged a glance with Dadron. Everyone had been wrong. There were only two hunters. “He isn’t dead, but he was badly injured. A tribal policeman found him. He’s in the hospital in Jackson.”

  “Thank God. Could I have some more of that stew, please? Never been so hungry in my entire life.”

  Loki crossed to the fire and filled his bowl. “Do you have any idea why these men took you?”

  “I heard them talking that first night when they thought I was asleep. Somebody is paying them a lot of money to capture three Indians. The one was angry because only two of them were here. They moved outside then, and I couldn’t hear anything else.”

  “These men, was one of them an old man, a Choctaw?”

  “Maybe. One was dressed in this long black robe like a judge wears, and he was wearing a mask. He was spouting some nonsense about time running out and how he hadn’t killed his own son just to lose everything now. Told the others looking for me he would keep the two here, and the other one would show up.” He glanced at Loki then at Dadron. “Shit, you’re the two they want to capture. Who’s the third?”

  Dadron’s anger was tangible, and Loki took a deep breath before answering. “Our brother. Finish your stew, Mr. Thompkins. We’ll be leaving as soon as we pack.”

  Loki forced down a bowl of stew, knowing it might be some time before she got to eat again. She would be traveling fast. “Leave everything except the water.”

  “Do you really think he can travel that far, Loki? There’s no way he’ll be able to keep up.”

  Loki picked up her pack. “If he can’t keep up, then you’ll leave him behind.” Her eyes narrowed, and her jaw jutted forward. “I want you to travel as fast as you can, get off the reservation, and find Jules. Take him someplace safe and let Harry know what’s going on.”

  Dadron grunted something under his breath, and Loki stalked past him. “You’re going to be a forest ranger, and Jules is going to marry Grace and raise Hope.”

  “And what about you?” Dadron grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “I’m supposed to just leave you here? What do I tell Jake?”

  “Tell him I went to avenge the death of my mother and father. That’s something he’ll understand.”

  19

  Harry parked in front of the Ashton residence. It was late, and he was tired, but he didn’t think he’d misjudged Ashton. He was a good man caught in a bad situation, and his guilt over Kirby Cain would work to Harry’s benefit.

  The porch light came on, and Harry exited as Don walked out. “Hello, Harry. I see I had you pegged right. Didn’t think it would take you long to figure it out.”

  “Only part of it.” Harry stared at the pistol glinting in the moonlight. “Are you going to shoot me, Don? Wasn’t Kirby’s death pain enough for this family?”

  Don sat down on the steps. “My family, yes. I don’t think there’s enough pain in this world to punish me for my sins.”

  “Why don’t you put the gun down, Don? We can talk. I think you’ve been wanting to tell someone what happened out there that night for a long time.” Harry edged closer to the porch.

  “Don’t come any closer, Harry. I don’t want to have to shoot you.”

  “I guess we’re waiting on Benson. Is he the one who shot my partner?”

  Ashton nodded. “Told him I wouldn’t be part of this anymore. I should have reported it after Mullins was killed, but I was scared for my own life and for my family. I’d already watched them kill three people. I never thought anything like this would ever happen.”

  Harry glanced at the darkened house. “Is Sharon here?”

  “No. I sent my wife away with Sharon and the kids. My confession is in the safe. It details everything that happened. I had it notarized so there’d be no mistaking it’s my signature.” He smiled sadly. “Don’t think too badly of me, and none of this is your fault. I wrote that confession eight weeks ago.”

  “So why use a Choctaw arrow to shoot Jake?”

  “I didn’t know about that until you came here and it was too late to do anything about it. The less you know right now, the safer you’ll be until Benson is caught. He knew your partner was looking into this, and then you showed up and Merriweather stumbled onto the answer. Benson figured Merriweather would be even more suspicious if he used a gun.”

  “And Brad Mullins, do you know where he is? He’s going to do this again, Don, if we don’t stop him. How much more innocent blood has to be shed?”

  A cruiser pulled up and parked behind Harry.

  “The blood about to be shed isn’t innocent, Harry.”

  It took only seconds for Don to raise the gun, place it in his mouth, and pull the trigger. To Harry, it felt as if hours passed, and he knew that for the rest of his life, he would wonder if he could have saved Ashton. Two officers rushed past him as a third was on the radio, screaming “Officer down!” and demanding an ambulance.

  Harry didn’t have to wait for the official announcement as hostile eyes turned toward him. They didn’t need an ambulance. Harry slowly raised his arms, placed his hands on top of his head, and dropped to his knees.

  Harry opened his eyes as the door to the interrogation room squeaked. He knew how these things went and had rightly figured he’d be here for hours. The short nap had refueled his energy.

  “Harry Redmond?”

  The man coming through the door was one of the biggest men Harry had ever seen. Huge shoulders threatened to burst out of his uniform shirt as he pulled out a chair and sat across from Harry. “I’m Captain Walters. Your story checks out. We found Don’s confession in the safe. You’re free to go, but if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  “What about Benson?”

  “We’ve put an APB out on him and Brad Mullins. We’ll find them.”

  Walters had a lot more confidence in their ability than Harry did. “I’ll answer all your questions if you’ll answer a few of mine.”

  “Figured that was coming.” Walters rose and walked to the door. “You take your coffee black?”

  Harry nodded and waited until the coffee had been ordered and Walters closed the door. “For what it’s worth, sir, I believe Don Ashton was a good man. Guilt over Kirby Cain’s death was eating him alive. This would have happened eventually even if I hadn’t shown up.”

  “Wish it had been sooner. We lost four good men because of him and Benson. I’m not up to forgiving that just yet.”

  The door opened, and a young officer brought in two large cups of coffee. “Anything else, sir?”

  “No. Close the door on your way out.” W
alters passed a cup to Harry. “It’s department brew, so you know what it’s going to taste like.”

  “I’ve got a good idea. Don said he detailed everything in his confession. Tell me what happened on that raid.”

  “Bart Mullins and his brother Brad were just out of the academy. Shouldn’t have been there to start with. Close as Don could figure out, Jones and Benson were in on the chop shop activity and had tipped off the brothers. They were cleaning up when the doors burst in. Bart tripped, and his weapon fired. Jones shot him in the back. The rest of it’s pretty much what Don told you. The brothers jerked out guns and started blasting. Jones was killed, Brad disappeared, and they covered up Bart’s murder.”

  “Benson said Brad disappeared after his brother’s funeral.”

  “Lies. You can pretty much count on anything Benson told you being lies. Don also put in his confession that Benson shot your partner. How’s he doing?”

  “He’s getting better. Therapy starts on his arm tomorrow. We’ll know then just how severe the damage is.”

  “So how did you get involved in this? It’s a long way from Corpus Christi.”

  “Radolph Wilson wasn’t satisfied with the investigation into the shootings at Tunica. He knew his brother well enough to know he’d never have done that unless he had no other choice. He hired Jake to look into it. I’m on vacation visiting my cousin, Loki Redmond, and my former partner. Jake was wounded the day I got here, and he asked me to help.”

  “You plan on staying in Mississippi long?”

  “Yes, sir, I plan on staying until Jake is on his feet, and I find Brad Mullins.”

  “Figured as much.” The captain passed a card across the table. “We might as well work together. You need anything, you give me a call, and if you find out anything, you give me a call.”

  “I could use a picture of Brad Mullins if you’ve got one.”

  Walters pushed back his chair and stood. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll have one at the front desk, waiting on you.”

  20

  “If you’re going, I’m going with you.” Grace folded a pair of jeans and placed them in the backpack.

  “You can’t.” Jules tossed in a box of rifle shells. “You need to be here for Hope.”

  “Dr. Coomer and Anna Claire can watch her while we’re gone. They called earlier to check on Dadron and Loki. I asked them to stop by.” Car lights illuminated the window. “That’s probably them now.”

  “Grace, you can’t go with me.”

  “I promised Jake and Loki I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.” She headed for the front door. “Besides that, you’re going to need me.”

  “What do you mean I’m going to need you?”

  Grace opened the front door. “Please, come in.”

  Mary Ann Coomer ushered Anna Claire in front of her. “Please tell me you’ve heard something. This child is driving me insane.”

  “Nothing yet. Jules and I are packing to go look for them.”

  “Good Lord, have you taken leave of your senses? Instead of having two to worry about, we’ll have four.”

  “I need you and Anna Claire to take care of Hope for me while we’re gone. And we need a ride to the reservation in the morning.”

  Anna Claire was already leaning over the crib, cooing in a silly voice to Hope. “Grandma’s right, Grace. We should notify the authorities and wait until we hear something.”

  “Tell her she can’t go, Dr. Coomer. She won’t listen to me.” Jules picked up his rifle and a cleaning kit. “The reservation is no place for a girl like Grace.”

  “Neither of you should go. Have you discussed this with Jake?”

  “He’s still in the hospital.” Grace started a pot of coffee then pulled sandwich meat from the refrigerator. “I made up the spare bedroom. We can leave right after breakfast in the morning.”

  “I know you two see things I don’t, and maybe you feel things I don’t. Can’t understand all of it, and don’t want to.” Mary Ann sat at the table, her eyes darting to the living room, where Anna Claire was playing with the baby. “Tell me the truth. Are Loki and Dadron all right?”

  Grace glanced at Jules, giving him a chance to answer, but he continued to stare down at the rifle. “The truth is we don’t know.”

  “Don’t lie to her, Grace.” Jules glanced up, his brown eyes filled with shadows of pain. “She asked for the truth.”

  “Dadron is in great danger.” She lowered her head, her voice soft. “I don’t know if he’ll survive.”

  “And Loki?” Mary Ann asked.

  Grace swiped at a tear. “She’s in a dark place in her mind. It’s leading her astray. Unless we find her, even if she survives, she’ll never be the same again.”

  Mary Ann crossed the room and took the sandwich meat from Grace’s trembling hands. “If we’re leaving early, we need a proper meal.” She tossed the meat in the refrigerator. “You two go finish packing. We’ve got a lot to do before morning.”

  Harry entered the hospital just as Reggie was leaving. “How’s Jake?”

  “Like a razorback pig in a corner. They told him about his arm. He ordered me to go find him some clothes or he was leaving buck naked. I think he’ll do it too.”

  “Come back in. We all need to talk.”

  Merriweather walked beside him. “Got to admit the captain sure had me fooled. The whole department is in shock. I haven’t told Jake yet. The mood he’s in, I was afraid he would walk out.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to know who the good guys are.” Harry pushed open the door to Jake’s room just as a bedpan crashed into the wall. “Damn it, Jake, you almost took my head off.”

  “I thought you were the doctor. Let me have the pan back. He should be on his way.”

  “Reggie, why don’t you go have a word with the good doctor while I calm my partner down.” Harry picked up the pan and approached the bed. “You know, Jake, trying to get yourself thrown out isn’t going to work. At best they’ll come in and sedate you.”

  “The doctor says I might never be able to use my right arm again. Too much muscle, tendon, and nerve damage.” Jake laughed, the sound harsh and bitter. “I was going to ask Loki to marry me. The last thing she needs is half a man.”

  Harry walked to the window and stared down at the parking lot. “I’d say you’re right. She doesn’t need half a man.” Harry turned around, his fingers curled tight into fists. “But it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with your arm. The Jake Savior I know doesn’t give up when the going gets a little rough. I guess you’re not that man anymore.”

  “I can still whip you with just one arm.”

  “Then why don’t you get out of that bed and prove it?”

  Jake glared at him, his eyes flashing fire. “Give me a day or two.”

  “Take all the time you need, but in the meantime, you want to help me solve this case so I can get to the reservation and help, or do you want to lay there and feel sorry for yourself?”

  “Any law that says I can’t do both?”

  Harry grinned. Their fights didn’t usually last long, and Jake was already coming around. “None I know of. Are you done now?”

  “Pity party over. What’d you find out from Ashton?”

  Reggie hadn’t been kidding when he said he hadn’t told Jake anything. “He killed himself, Jake. He waited until a cruiser showed up so I wouldn’t get blamed, then he just blew his brains out.”

  “I’m sorry, Harry. I know you liked him. So fill me in.”

  Harry recited everything he’d learned from Ashton and Walters, ending with, “Benson is the one who shot you. Don put it in his confession.”

  “Benson will be on the run. We won’t worry about him until we find Brad Mullins. I have a gut feeling he isn’t finished yet.”

  Reggie stuck his head in the door. “Is it safe?”

  Jake picked up the bedpan. “Only if you brought coffee.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Walters was putting an APB out on Benson
and Mullins. He gave me a picture.” Harry passed the photo to Jake. “Of course, that was taken ten years ago.”

  Jake frowned. “Think about it, Harry. You’re with a group of cops you trust, only you find out some of them are dirty. They kill someone you love. Do you wait ten years to come after them?”

  “No.”

  “We need to find some family members and get them to talk. If he doesn’t have family, we’ll check every prison and mental hospital in the state. Brad Mullins has been somewhere for the past ten years that kept him from seeking revenge.”

  “I’ll pass that on to Walters. He can start checking hospitals while Reggie and I are looking for family members.”

  Reggie walked in with three cups of coffee. “This stuff is really hot.”

  “Give Jake his and pour the rest down the sink. We’ve got work to do.”

  “I thought I was on vacation.” Reggie handed Jake his coffee and poured two cups down the sink. “I hope you know this stuff is a dollar a cup.”

  Harry winked at Jake as he pushed Reggie toward the door. “We’ll fill out a reimbursement slip and see if we can get it approved, but as you said, you’re on vacation.”

  21

  Loki traveled at a fast pace, not bothering to stay within the shelter of the trees. Whoever was watching them, she wanted them to see her and come after her. The important thing was getting Dadron off the reservation—and stopping Jules from ever setting foot on it. Whatever her grandfather was trying to do, it had to be done here so he could blame Nalusa Falaya. That would up his respect in the eyes of the young people he was turning against the tourists. He wasn’t just delusional, he was crazy.

  Kneeling beside the spot where she’d fallen earlier, Loki studied the tracks. A branch broke, and she leapt to her feet quickly and turned to find two men only a few feet away. Their leers told her they were part of the group looking for her and Dadron.

  “Looks like we done found us a squaw, Pete.”

  “A pretty one too.” Pete motioned to the rifle. “Just drop that and step away from it, little lady, and I won’t have to shoot you. Me and my partner here just want to have a little fun before we take you back to camp. Got someone there real anxious to see you.”