by R. S. Scott
I conclude Chris is going to turn on us. As his sanity starts breaking down, his corruption will come quickly soon enough. We are no longer safe to trust him to any degree. Pastor in no way can endorse what Chris has done. He cannot, he dare not. Men become self-serving, destructive maniacs that soon defile themselves as their souls begin disintegrating. I stand looking into the shower faucet. Chris is lost. I hope everyone knows that.
“Keller,” Chris pats my shoulder. “I hear you had yourself an awesome time, three hot women in your bed. Well done.”
I glare at Chris. “It didn’t happen like that, where is the child?” I glance toward Henry. “Is she still safe?”
“She is, Officer Keller. Join us, would you?” Henry points at a table in the buffet corner.
“Call me, Steve.” I pat Henry’s shoulder, “Don’t strain yourself with sinister pleasantries.” I head to the buffet and get a plate. Jeremy follows me.
“You? And Karen? And Jess?” Jeremy looks back at our table. “And Hailey?” He laughs. “Lots of hot women there.”
“We got drunk, way drunk. Then passed out. That’s it.” I scoop gravy onto bits of bread on my plate.
“Lies,” Jeremy says, spooning scrambled eggs onto his plate. “That’s not what Salt River PD says.”
“It’s the truth.” I take my plate of gravy-soaked sin to our table. I order a pitcher of orange juice from our waiter.
We eat in awkward silence as Karen arrives wearing sunglasses. “Morning gentlemen. Excuse the sunglasses. It’s too bright everywhere.”
She marches to the buffet timidly, steadying herself with every monumental step.
“That’s our Karen, right there,” Jeremy points at mismatched shoes.
“Chris, how went your ceremony?” I scoop bits of gravy-soaked bread into my mouth. “You realize that you might be the enemy someday.”
“Keller. Listen, it’s not like that,” Chris says, appearing apprehensive. “It’s not evil or bad as we know it, it isn’t.” He chews on his bacon as Karen seats herself.
“Yeah, there was chanting. Some weird talking in the old language, like old Navajo, then the bearskin came on. Chris disappeared for a bit then came back, and it was over.” Jeremy says while scooping eggs into his mouth. “Nothing to it, no dead people’s ash, no flesh-eating cannibalism, nothing like that witchery stuff.”
I sit in silence eating.
“Steve, I’m not like that, OK?” Chris eats nervously. “I will never be one of them.”
“So, you have a bear pelt now. Do you actually need it?” I fiddle with my fork.
“What do you mean?” Chris motions in my direction. “What’s that mean?”
“The pelt, the bearskin, do you need it? That particular ceremony is powerful. That’s way beyond lowly skinwalker crap. That’s up there with the monster slayers and the rainmakers.” I glare at Jeremy, Henry, then Chris. “You no longer need a skin, right? That’s how that works. You no longer need the darkness. You just go at will.” I gawk at Chris. “So, where did you go when you just disappeared? You all make it sound as if it’s no big thing, you ‘just disappeared,’ where did you go?”
“Keller.” Jeremy mumbles.
“No, seriously. You did the incantations, you’ve buried your soul and blood with the bear, and you’ve uttered the blood declarations to that brand of magic. You disappeared from sight, Chris!” I raise my voice. “No mortal being could see you, where did you go?” I frown at Chris. “Where did you go?”
“Steve, maybe you should let it go.” Jeremy has finished eating and gulps his orange juice. “We’re all here, we’re together, no harm done. What’s the problem?”
“We’re not all here. Where is Holden? Where’s Pastor?” I ask.
Jeremy shares a glance with Chris. “Holden and Pastor decided to stay on the Rez.”
I stand up and storm away from the table. I pull out my phone. I dial Holden’s number. The local wait staff is roused, as are other patrons to our commotion at our rear table.
Jeremy leaps up from his chair as does Agent Henry. “Steve, let’s not panic here.”
My phone still rings as I press it onto my ear. I back away from an approaching Jeremy. “Back, back!”
“Chris, you didn’t answer the question, where did you go?” Karen gets up and stands in front of me. “Are you one of them now?”
“Karen, listen, it’s not like that.” Chris gets up as more wait staff arrive at our table. Henry and Jeremy try to calm the wait staff.
“Chris! Where the fuck did you go?” Karen’s voice echoes throughout the buffet. “I drank so much last night, so fucking much. I…it was like I wasn’t even in control.”
She backs into me as my phone rings and rings. “Chris, what did you do?”
“I didn’t go anywhere, didn’t do anything,” Chris says.
“Fucking liar!” Karen picks up a butter knife from a nearby table and backs away in my direction, hoisting the butter knife as one would a dagger.
“Karen,” Jeremy slowly approaches her. “Let’s just put the butter knife down, OK?”
“Chris, where did you go? You tell me now!” Karen yells.
My phone still rings.
“I didn’t go anywhere. I just sat there, and the room clouded up. Everyone had this reddish hue to them. Then it went away, and that’s it. Jeremy and Holden say I disappeared. That’s it,” Chris says.
Local hotel security arrives. We show our Indian Police badges.
Holden answers. “Hello?”
“Holden, what happened?” I move away from the commotion as Karen follows.
“Simon is on his way there, to Scottsdale. Be careful. He has two others with him. Powerful skinwalkers, but they don’t seem like skinwalkers. Tracy Monroe came by, as well. She got down and started licking Simon’s cell, then she just disappeared,” Holden says.
“What about Christopher?” I ask.
“Be careful, Pastor doesn’t like it. I don’t like it. There’s a lot wrong with it,” Holden says.
“Thanks, Holden,” I tell him.
“Watch yourself, Keller. Leave if you want. I don’t think you or Karen being there is going to make any difference with what might happen, so just leave,” Holden tells me.
“What’s going to happen?” I ask him.
“I don’t know. A monster and his goons are coming down and you might have another monster next to you. I don’t know what might happen,” Holden says.
“Tell Pastor hello. I’ll call you later,” I say.
“OK.” Holden hangs up. Karen stands near me.
“Steve, it’s not like that,” Chris says again and approaches me.
“Sure, I guess not, huh?” I take Karen’s butter knife and toss it on a nearby table. “This is not going to stop Simon or Christopher.”
“This is the plan. We are doing the plan. Bullets can’t stop whatever is coming.” Chris seems genuinely concerned.
“But you can, right?” I glare at Chris.
Chris stands silently for a few moments. “I hope I can. Simon is coming with two shifters at his command. These guys are hardcore. They don’t care who they hit, and they’re very good at what they do. They’ll be here this afternoon. We need to prepare.”
I turn to Henry. “And what about you, are you part of this plan?”
“I’d rather not say,” Henry says, folding his arms.
“I don’t like this. I really don’t. Before my father became a Christian, he was one of them. You, actually.” I point at Chris. “His pupils, his underlings, attacked him, almost killed him. The power of the bear and the corn god. You’re dealing with very powerful stuff here. This is beyond you. It’s just a deception, a distraction. Soon it will start controlling you. It will overcome you. The only way to hold that back is to start killing. You know this. It’s going on right now on the Rez, and you’re joining their ranks. How long until you start killing? We all work with you, and you know Pastor.”
“It won’t happen, I swear.�
�� Chris returns.
“You know, last night, I spent the evening with three lovely ladies, beautiful ladies, who acted like teenagers, like kids without a care in the world. Did you do that?” I ask.
“No.” Chris shrugs.
“Please don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to me!” I inch closer.
Chris sits quietly.
“I can smell a lie, Christopher. I can smell it, and I can smell you.” I raise my voice, “You’re knee deep in shit. You just don’t know it yet. What are you hiding?”
“OK, look. I didn’t, but others might have.” Chris says.
I sit nodding next to a quickly sobering Karen who is listening attentively. I continue. “So, the others were able to control three women and their motives. Let’s see, a native woman and two white women, but also the environment and situations thereof, too?”
Chris sits silently.
“I don’t want to be around when that turns evil.” I motion to Karen. “We’re going back up north. I’m going to pack, then leave. You guys don’t need me. You have each other.” I get up. “Good luck fighting the monster. Fuck that shit.”
“You can’t leave, Keller, you really can’t.” Jeremy motions us out of the buffet. Casino security escorts us to the hotel lobby. “We need you to protect the child.”
“No you don’t, you’ve got him.” I point at Chris.
“You don’t need me and my dyslexic ass messing things up. You don’t. I’m of no use when that crap gets loose.” I start walking toward the hotel lobby and Karen follows.
“Steve—Officer Keller—did it occur to you that you noticed the changes in Karen and Jess and Hailey? But not you?” Chris comes close.
“What?” Karen’s voice blares out. “What does that mean? Steve, what does he mean?”
I stop. “Oh shit.”
“You know what I’m talking about, Keller.” Chris continues. “The jolly good time had no effect on you. Otherwise, you’d have fucked them all, Karen, Jess, and Hailey.”
“Hey!” Karen’s voice rings out.
“Steve, we need you to watch over the child. Listen, a monster is coming for the child, a monster is coming for Rebecca Taylor, and I’m going to stand in its way and take whatever he brings. You need to protect the child. We’ve been fighting this for so long. Our community is falling apart.” Chris seems sincere. “Please.”
“You need to do this, Brother,” Jeremy says, standing by my side.
“I’ll do this, but I ask for conditions,” I say.
“Sure, what is it?” Chris inquires.
“Chris, this is evil, it will consume you, it will corrupt your soul. You will forfeit your lot as a human being. I can no longer work with you if this really happens.” I see Jess and Hailey exit the elevator. “I can’t have you around me or those I care about.” I continue. “If one day I have to point a gun and shoot you, remember this conversation. You will fail either way, either to the darkness or the rest of us. Whoever is left, will take you down no matter the cost.”
“I hear you, Keller.” Chris pats my arm. “I’ll take it to heart.”
“Hi, I’m Jessica, and this is Hailey.” Jess interrupts and introduces herself and Hailey. “That little girl is so adorable, she’s such a sweetie, and Steve, she has a cat so don’t go up there.”
“Oh no.” I bury my face into my left hand.
CHAPTER 14
I return to my room now full of federal agents and officers from Salt River PD. “What the hell is all this?” The feds are dressed in clean, pressed dark suits and light- colored shirts. The PD are in dark, rugged police uniforms. Everyone has a gun except me.
Henry greets me. “We’ve set up a surveillance system in the next room adjacent to this one. Rebecca is there along with Jessica and Hailey.”
“You’ve gotten those two involved, too? Why?” I note IP cabling from the ceiling into a closet yonder. “Where are my clothes?” My clothes sit in a pile on my hotel bed.
“Officer Keller, I’d like you to meet Abel, the local medicine man for the Maricopa people.” Henry leads a tall, medium-sized gentleman into what was my bedroom with crap everywhere.
“Hello, Sir. Nice to meet you. Please excuse the mess. He did it.” I point at Henry then shake Abel’s hand. “So, you know what’s coming?”
“Yes, and we’re prepared.” Abel seems confident and peaceful.
“That’s good. I’m not sure how Maricopa or Pima mojo is done, but Navajo mojo is just so messed up. It’s endlessly hilarious and mentally, disturbingly fucked up at the same time.”
“We’re ready.” He turns to the next room through the common door between the rooms.
“Hey Abel, do you have a minute?” I lead him away from prying ears.
“What is it?” Abel stands nearly six feet tall, very tall for a Maricopa. He wears his long hair in a ponytail and wears a leather vest over a white shirt. Around his neck is a medallion, the man in the maze.
“One of our officers, Christopher, might be dealing with some seriously bad medicine,” I say.
“Yes, I know,” Abel replies.
“OK, you know that. That’s good. What do you think about it? As I believe his corroboration with our little plan is fragile and temporary.”
“I don’t trust him, but he seems OK,” Abel says.
“He took on some powerful stuff. Up there with the rainmakers,” I tell him.
“I feel it. Listen, we are here to keep the peace when peace is warranted. After that you all must leave this land, whatever you brought here is founded in corruption and cannot be allowed to remain,” Abel says.
“Amen, Abel. I tried to leave earlier, but I’m still here. They got me corralled like sheep. I should start mooing like a cow,” I tell him.
“Whatever you do, don’t take it into your soul. Don’t do it.” Able warns and walks away.
“Amen, Abel. Thanks.” I walk back into my room. “Henry, can I get my own room, please? Now that you all have invaded this one, and where are Jeremy and Chris?”
“No, Officer Keller. This is your room. You will stay here,” he says and walks out of my supposed room.
I follow Henry. “I’m allergic to cats. Actually, they hate me. I can’t be around them. Henry?” Henry ignores me as more federal personnel work to prepare for Simon’s arrival. “I’m a decoy.”
I make my way to the adjacent room where Jess plays with Rebecca. They both seem amused with a board game at the table. “Hailey, do you have a minute?”
“Hey what’s up?” Hailey says.
“You alright?” I ask her. I note something is different about her.
“Yeah, why?” she replies.
“Nothing, I guess. Just wondering. I hope you’re not planning on leaving?” I ask.
“No, I think we’re going to be here a while. They asked us to stay and even gave us a room for free. How cool is that?” she says.
I stare at Hailey. “Yeah, who asked you to stay?”
“Henry. And the other guy,” she tells me.
“Oh, stay safe. OK?” I tell her.
“Sure.” She hugs me and holds me.
“Hailey?” I say. She lets me go and smiles. I glance in Jess’s direction. “I’ll be back.” I walk off looking for Karen.
“Steve!” Karen’s nasal voice blares out down the hotel hall.
“Karen?” I hustle to the room across the hall to our adjacent rooms. “What the hell is all this?” I point to surveillance camera feeds and an array of electronic equipment. “So, this is the plan?”
“Holden says they found a hogan burning at the Jensen residence near Hopi land. The grandma there set it on fire then started killing her sheep, but the sheepdogs attacked her and took off her left arm,” Karen says.
“The Jensens, they’re related to the Yazzies.”
“Polacca IHS sent an ambulance there about twenty minutes ago.” Karen sighs, “Leupp station also called. A massive guy wearing a smooth white mask stormed into Leupp chapter house, grabbed the ch
apter secretary and tossed her around inside the dining hall from one end to the other. Leupp deputy, a gal named Sharon…something, pulled her gun and fired on it once it was outside. Emptied an entire clip. He just laughed at her then flew off southward. Ambulance is on its way for the secretary. Sharon is freaking out.”
“Damn,” I say.
“That happened about fifteen minutes ago,” Karen relays.
“And we have no ID on who that was?” I ask.
“No, he was wearing a smoothed out white mask with feathers on top pointed up.”
“Any sightings of Simon or this other guy?”
“No,” Karen says.
“And so it begins,” I say and try to smile.
Henry and Jeremy walk up behind me.
“And where the hell were you?” I point at Jeremy.
“Around, getting Chris ready. It’s fine. You don’t want to know. Don’t tell him about Sharon.” Jeremy says and shares a nod with Agent Axelson, “Chris needs to focus. Sharon can handle things.”
“This plan is going to shit.” I say to Jeremy, “One of the goons is wearing a white mask. The Corn God. You ever hear about that? That’s old-school right there. Chris is going to get his ass kicked.”
I leave the media room to find Abel walking the hall, chanting and weaving a basket of burning sage. Smoke slowly begins to fill the hotel hall. “You go hard with that, Abel, you do your thing. God bless you.” I tell him.
A well-dressed gentleman exits the elevator. “Excuse me, where might I find Agent Axelson?”
I eye the well-groomed gentleman. “I’ve seen you around, who are you?” I ask.
“Mitch Donnelley, Manager on Duty for the resort and hotel. Where is Agent Axelson?”
“Come on,” I say and lead Mitch into the room of monitors with the many video feeds. “Yo, Agent Henry.”
Henry appears and leads us out to the hall.
“Mitch, this is Henry. Henry, Mitch.” They both glare at me, clearly annoyed.
“You guys can hug it out. Won’t bother me, honest,” I say.
“We have this floor and the above and below floors cleared out. Security and local fire department are on standby as well as ambulances, as needed.” Mitch reports.