Dark Side of Noon (Wind Dancer Book 2)

by Tierney James

  “No. Please. Chaveyo. Naki. Naki.” Cleo circled the ogre’s waist and cried, “Nuʼ umi unangwaʼta.” I love you. Immediately, she felt him drop Wind Dancer, who coughed and gulped air. The ogre turned to face her, his jaws snapping and eyes rolling. “Nuʼ umi unangwaʼta” she repeated. She took his hand and led him away from Wind Dancer.

  Before she understood what was happening, the Chaveyo kept stepping toward her, causing her to walk backward.

  “Cleopatra, stop.” Wind Dancer’s breathless shout enough to make her glance behind her to see she was about to step into the hole of the kiva.

  She dug in her heels and shoved against the ogre’s chest. It felt like attempting to move a brick wall. “No, I cannot go, naki.”

  “Chaveyo,” came a new voice from the other Chaveyo that had helped her escape. Alo. He emerged from the underbrush near the woods. Alo picked up the saber from the ground then pointed it at the ogre. “Let her go. My naki, too.”

  He pivoted and bolted toward this new threat. But Alo met the charge with his own and held the saber up to ram it into the gut of the ogre. Unfortunately, he was too slow, and the Chaveyo snatched it away like a bully stealing a toy. He tossed the saber into the brush and stomped toward the kiva. Wind Dancer struggled to breathe but managed to jump onto the ogre’s back as he passed.

  Farrentino reached Cleo, who had been cut off from them until Wind Dancer tried to slow the ogre down. He edged her away from the kiva opening as Jacque ran up to the Chaveyo and fell down on his hands and knees. Wind Dancer managed to force the Chaveyo off-balance causing him to fall across Jacque who then was pinned beneath the long legs.

  Alo ran to block the kiva opening. “Take me, Chaveyo. I have no life here. Please.”

  The Chaveyo slowly rose to his feet and snatched Cleo away from Farrentino before shoving him to the side.

  “Let her go,” ordered Chief Perez. Everyone including the Chaveyo turned to see the chief and Mansi. The chief raised her weapon when Cleo heard another shot fired, hitting the chief in the shoulder. In that split second when blood began to pool on her shirt, she dropped her weapon. Mansi caught it and nearly dropped it as he fumbled to hold it correctly.

  Floyd Miller, owner of the mechanic shop, stepped out into view, holding a rifle. “Should have figured you’d get in my way, Mansi. Your boy there”—he nodded toward Alo—“was always following me. Messin’ in my business. The freak. Who’s that?” He leveled the rifle at Chaveyo. “Another freak like your son?” He gave a sarcastic cackle.

  “Just put the rifle down. I’m sure you’re here to help out,” Jacque said, easing toward Perez who covered her wound with a bloody hand.

  She struggled to rise but fell again. “I have people everywhere looking for you, Floyd. Some are right behind me.”

  The Chaveyo’s deep rolling growl got the mechanic’s attention, and he turned the rifle on him. When he advanced, Floyd pulled the trigger. He’d managed only one shot when the ogre grabbed the gun away from him and clubbed the man’s head with the stock.

  Cleo pulled free of Wind Dancer and gently took the rifle. “Alo, do you speak Hopi?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell him he must return to his world without me so that I might heal Chief Perez. It is my duty. She is a good woman.”

  Alo circled carefully until he stood in front of the ogre. He told the Chaveyo Cleo’s words several times before the beast focused on Perez lying on the ground then on Cleo.

  He extended his hand to her, and she took it. Feeling its massive size close around her fingers she, smiled up at him. Without fear, she placed his hand on her cheek and whispered, I love you, friend, in Hopi. “Nuʼ umi unangwaʼta, naki.” She laid a hand on her heart. “Askwali.” Grateful. She then motioned to the kiva and walked, leaning him gently toward the opening. Pointing to the inside, Cleo whispered, “Goodbye.”

  Wind Dancer retrieved the saber and ax then handed them off to the ogre.

  The Chaveyo hurried to the opening and jumped inside, bypassing any need for a ladder.

  Other officers swarmed into the clearing, along with several EMTs.

  Farrentino edged to the opening in the kiva and hesitantly peered into the depths of the darkness. Jacque came alongside him and also glanced into the hole.

  Cleo watched the two men as Wind Dancer gathered her into his arms. She then went to assist the EMTs to make sure Chief Perez was stable. They called in a helicopter to transport her to Santa Fe, but she insisted the hospital in Sunset Rock would be just fine.

  “Don’t listen to that hard head,” Jacque said as he came up alongside the gurney. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, Chief Perez.”

  She grinned. “Maybe I’ll tell you over dinner.”

  “You buying?”

  “I have an expense account.”

  “I was thinking maybe the Signature Room in the Hancock Building.”

  “That’s in Chicago.”

  “Exactly. We don’t have creepy stuff there.”

  She tried to chuckle but ended up wincing. “I’m not sure my expense account will cover all that.”

  “You pay for dinner, and I’ll do the rest.” She gave a thumbs-up and let the rescue team head toward the open meadow where they were to meet the helicopter.

  They made their way to where Farrentino and Wind Dancer stood guard over the kiva opening. Alo was there, mask off and talking to them. Mansi stood at his son’s side and stroked his arm. Cleo could hear the FBI side of Farrentino had kicked in and was conducting the first of many interrogations. He passed both men off to the state police to get them to Sunset Rock. The sound of the helicopter landing then taking off again brought other things to mind.

  “Cleo, I’ve asked the state police and a few of the locals here to keep watch over the kiva until we can get down there and check things out.” Farrentino motioned for several of the men to come and take up positions. “We need to get down there ASAP.”

  “He is gone,” announced Wind Dancer.

  “You don’t know that,” Farrentino insisted.

  “If he says he’s gone…he’s gone.” Jacque put his hands on his hips and peered down into the hole. “Wind Dancer knows more about the boogeyman than you ever will, so get over yourself. Let’s cover the hole and get out of here.”

  It didn’t take long to secure the scene with so many people onsite. Cleo knew if Chaveyo wanted out, there wouldn’t be much they could do to stop him. After an hour of standing around, she’d had enough.

  “Can we just go?” Cleo begged. “I’m dirty, hungry, and—”

  “Horny?” Wind Dancer asked, brow creased.

  “I was going to say tired.” Cleo smiled.

  “Buddy, that was an inappropriate question to ask her with all of us standing around.” Jacque sighed and rubbed his neck.

  “Oh.” He took Cleo’s hand and pulled her up next to him. “I am sorry. I must remember that much of what Jacque teaches me is inappropriate. Jacque says when I speak these words, I will not be lucky.”

  “No. I said you would not get lucky,” Jacque corrected.

  “I do not understand the difference.”

  Cleo took a deep breath. “Guess I’ll have to show you later, Wind Dancer.”

  Jacque shook his head and strode away as Agent Farrentino burst out laughing.

  Epilogue

  Jacque stared at the distant mountains and wondered what other mind-blowing secrets the world held because of the lack of understanding and fear man held. The air was so clean and sweet here, he found himself filling his lungs at every opportunity then releasing it slowly, to hold it in as long as possible. For a city guy, this felt a lot like a drug. Maybe he could get used to a place like this. He twisted around to see a pueblo mural on the side of the hamburger restaurant in Sunset Rock about the same time a teenager rode his horse down a side street.

  “Nope. Not for me.”

  “What’s not for you?” came a feminine voice.

  “Chief Perez, you are looki
ng down right fetching this morning,” he said, opening the passenger side door of his rental. His car had been destroyed in the fire, so this would have to do.

  “I had no idea wearing a sling and having a bruise on my cheek would make me such a head turner. Guess all that makeup, expensive lotion, and new cowboy boots I bought to impress you were a waste of money.” She slipped into the passenger seat and gazed up at Jacque who couldn’t resist a grin.

  “You don’t have a gun hidden in that sling, do you?”

  “No, but that’s a really good idea.” Her black hair, straight and shiny, fell down to her shoulders. A pair of jeans and a plaid shirt gave her a less-threatening appearance than her usual work attire.

  “How’s the shoulder? Heard you tried to tell the doctor how to do his job.”

  “He was an idiot. Kept trying to tell me jokes while I was bleeding all over myself. I finally had to tell him I’d be doggin’ his every step from now on if he didn’t shut up and get to work.”

  “Good thing I’m not intimidated by that sass.”

  “I’ll work on that.” She cocked her head and smiled while batting her eyes, like she’d done at Agent Farrentino a few days ago. Only now it was at him, and he felt inclined to think the flirting was exactly what he needed. Leaning closer, he buckled her in and caught a whiff of the lotion she claimed to have bought.

  He shut the door and hurried around the other side to climb in and start the engine. Before he put it in drive, she reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “Thanks for all your help. This could have been a big mess without you.”

  “Sure.” He pulled out onto the road and waited a few minutes before getting into detective mode. “Care to help me put all the pieces together?”

  “No problem. Floyd Miller was an angry man. There have been complaints about him being a tough boss. Apparently, his much-younger wife liked to go to see her mother pretty often, leaving him to fend for himself. He made all kinds of remarks about her lousy cooking and often said she was trying to poison him.”

  “And the truth of the matter?”

  “She liked those young men who worked for him a little too much. He caught her with Tinker, that young mechanic we found in the tow truck. Floyd told everyone his wife was gone to some baby shower, but he’d actually killed her. Found her in that trailer I spotted on his property on the other side of town.”

  “That’s where he took you?”

  She did a slow nod in a moment of reflection. Being a captive could really do a number on your head. He wondered how’d she’d fare with the trauma.

  “He thought Cleo had seen him after he’d hidden his wife’s car down the road. Cleo remembered his cowboy boots, more evidence against him. Abby showed up. He overheard her say she’d run out of gas, so he called Tinker away from a job to meet him there. Cleo was running for dear life, from who knows what. He thought she’d seen him leaving the cab of the truck.”

  “But it was Abby’s dad chasing her.”

  “Right. When the ranger showed up, he hiked to his wife’s car and hid it in that garage he took me. He knew where Tinker kept his truck, so he took it to crash into you guys. He thought she was a loose end.”

  “Hadn’t expected a policeman and us to be tagging along, I’m guessing.”

  “Not likely. He’s been charged with the murders of his wife, Tinker, and my officer.” She shook her head. “What a waste. I tried to keep him safe until he could retire.”

  Jacque reached over and took her hand and squeezed. She held on tight. “When I went to get him, the car was completely engulfed with flames.”

  “I remember. And, although, later I thought Floyd had taken Cleo—”

  “It was actually the Chaveyo.”

  “Yes. He didn’t stick around and didn’t know what happened to her, only someone else was there. He thought it was Alo, since he’d been following him.”

  “And why was that?”

  “Like Tinker, Floyd was an abuser when it came to anyone different. Name-calling. You know. Bully stuff. He worked in Kewa Korner and liked to visit the coffee shop where Abby worked. Her statement said he flirted a lot, and she found him creepy. Apparently, she and Alo had become secret friends and would often walk along that city trail. She mentioned it to him. Abby is such a good kid who is nice to everyone. Wasn’t anything romantic.”

  “When she went missing, Alo went to find her.”

  “He didn’t know for sure if Chaveyo had taken her until he found her climbing out of the kiva.”

  “That’s why she kept mentioning his name after we found her.”

  “Exactly. Except we didn’t understand Alo had also become a follower and friend to Chaveyo.”

  A sign had been posted, warning there was road construction ahead, although both of them knew it was just a way to slow people down and not be surprised at all the equipment and state police presence.

  “He wondered if Chaveyo was involved which is why he went to the kiva to make sure she wasn’t there, but of course she was. He helped her escape, just like Dr. Sommers, I mean Cleo. Unfortunately, Abby fell and hit her head. He carried her as far as he could manage then went for help, covering her with pine boughs in hopes Chaveyo wouldn’t find her.”

  “Why didn’t he come forward?”

  “You’ve seen him. Would you have believed him? The little boy, Tonya—they would have identified Alo, not some mythical Chaveyo.”

  “All he could do was wait and hope things worked out.” Jacque shook his head. “Poor guy.”

  “After the car crash, Chaveyo was close by and took Cleo. I’m sure you already know what she went through and how things turned out there.”

  Jacque pulled into the parking lot. “Do we know if Floyd was the one who killed the girl, Karla? The one you showed us the first day we were here?” He helped her out of the car and guided her to where Abby’s father waited with a golf cart. He would take them to the kiva site.

  “Floyd had a solid alibi that whole week. He wasn’t responsible.”

  “So maybe Chaveyo?”

  “Agent Farrentino thinks so. Has all the signs. Cause of death couldn’t be determined. Found in a spot that had been searched the day before. Missing shoes but feet were clean. Rescue dogs whined and refused to work near the location when they finally found her near a creek. She wasn’t a risk-taker when it came to hiking. Very responsible.”

  “Meaning, she had other people with her.”

  “Until the last hour or so when they parted. She promised to join up with them later.”

  “And what about that Chupacabra beast? What will become of it?” Jacque rubbed his leg then touched his side, remembering the power in those muscles that easily overcame him.

  “My zoologist friend brought some colleagues with him and, next thing I knew, it was gone. My friend wasn’t happy because someone from the FBI must have showed up and took it away. Probably in a giant test tube some place.”

  Jacque hummed the Twilight Zone theme song.

  They sat in silence as Abby’s father drove them to the hidden kiva where several grad students were helping an archeologist secure the site. Farrentino was listening intently then walked over to call down into the entrance hole.

  Catching sight of Jacque and Chief Perez, he motioned for them to join him. After he introduced the archeologist, he went to give the grad students further directions.

  “Where’s Cleo and Wind Dancer?” Jacque asked. He’d dropped them off a couple of hours ago before going to pick up Perez.

  Farrentino pointed down the hole. “They insisted on being there when the hole was sealed.”

  “No sign of the Chaveyo?” Perez asked.

  “Not so much as a footprint. I’ll never understand how he could just disappear with all of us standing around. I had plenty of security.”

  “You’ve got a lot to learn about Native People.” Perez grinned. “You just don’t understand.”

  “I’m going down there and see how things are progressing. You be okay
up here with this hotshot FBI Agent?” Jacque asked.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Get them to hurry it up.” Farrentino stepped aside to let him enter the kiva.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Cleo watched Jacque hop off the bottom rung of the ladder then stop, blinking. She spent the last few days recovering from her ordeal and then yesterday went with Wind Dancer and Jacque to take down their camp.

  There had been a great number of jokes and insults concerning Jacque going out in the wilderness to camp. He tried his best to convince them it was for the best, considering they both had suffered injuries.

  “What is that wet stuff in the hole?” Jacque asked.

  “Cement. Just on the top two feet or so. There are rocks below that.” Cleo’s voice hinted at regret.

  “How deep is it?” Jacque squatted down to get a better look.

  Wind Dancer kneeled down next to him. “The archeologist said they didn’t find the bottom with the probe. It did narrow.”

  “How in the world did that huge guy get through there?” Jacque stood.

  “Magic. This will not hold the Chaveyo.” Wind Dancer stood and led Cleo to the ladder. “We go now. It is time.”

  Once outside, a steel screen was welded into place so curious hikers wouldn’t try and enter. It would be protected then studied at a later date. For now, it was secured with cameras and light sensors.

  When the group of workers, students, and archeologist hiked out, Chief Perez and Jacque got in the golf cart. The ranger said for Wind Dancer and Cleo to use the other one when they were ready.

  As they drove off, Wind Dancer climbed behind the wheel. “I try driving now. Okay?”

  Cleo smiled and agreed. “I think I left my phone on the rim of the kiva. I’ll be right back.”

  She ran to the kiva and paused one last time to gaze into the exit hole, now covered with a steel screen. The sound of the ladder moving drew her closer.

  A long finger, covered in wet cement, eased up through the screen and waited.

  Wind Dancer was busy examining their new ride.

  She reached down and touched the finger with her own and whispered, “Naki, Chaveyo. Naki.”