The Case of Windy Lake

by Michael Hutchinson

  Samuel smiled. “This is the information age! I got places to go, people to see.”

  Chickadee guffawed. “You leaving the rez?”

  All three burst out laughing.

  “’Kay, so how are we going to work on the case in the meantime?” Samuel was pinching his chin.

  “Let’s worry about Denice right now.” Chickadee’s concern was evident in her voice. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by those miners. They probably hate her.”

  Atim nodded. “I bet.”

  “Let’s hurry!” Chickadee started jogging down the road. Her cousins picked up their pace.

  Eventually they rounded the last corner that blocked their view of the company gate. They slowed to a walk.

  “Do you think they’ll let us in?” Atim flicked his hair while looking at the guards at the gate. There were fewer now that the entrance was no longer blocked by protestors.

  “I wonder where Denice’s friends are?” Chickadee’s brow furrowed.

  “Maybe they’re like Gramps and figure this is her ordeal.” Sam shrugged.

  Chickadee looked thoughtful. “Maybe that nice guy from Smokey Bend who spoke to Denice earlier will be here.”

  They stopped in front of the gate, a little nervous about approaching the company men.

  A large blond security guard with a big beard noticed them. He walked out of the compound and over to the kids. “Are you here for Denice?” He looked the three over.

  The Mighty Muskrats were surprised that one of the miners knew their cousin by name.

  “Yeah.” Sam squinted up at the man.

  “She’s not looking good. Your family needs to get her out of here.” The man sounded worried, not angry.

  “We brought her something from our grandpa.” Atim held up the package.

  “Well…some of her friends were here earlier, but Makowski sent them packing.” The man was struggling with the idea of letting them in. “They were protestors though…you’re family.”

  “You could take it to her,” Atim ventured.

  Chickadee gave him a look that shut him up.

  “Nooo…. Makowski might kill me for that.” The man chuckled and shook his head. “She’s a tough chick. A few of the guys were talking to her. At first, we thought she was crazy, but you know, she’s just trying to protect her land.”

  The children were even more surprised by the miner.

  “My auntie says because of the law First Nations live under, the environmental standards are less strict.” Sam tried to sound adult.

  “I don’t know about that.” The big guy shook his beard and looked over at the company building. It seemed he was trying to look through it at Denice. “I’m going to let you guys in. But you have to make it quick. Makowski is off the compound, but I don’t know when he’s coming back.”

  “Thanks. We just need to deliver this package and give her a message from our grandpa.” Sam nodded at the man.

  “Well, if anyone asks, tell them you climbed the fence.” The blond miner laughed. “Get going! Make it quick!” He opened the compound gate.

  The three kids took off across the yard. It didn’t take long to get around the other side of the long warehouse and office.

  Chickadee gasped when she saw her cousin. “Oh, Denice!” she cried as tears began to flow. The boys were speechless.

  Denice leaned heavily against the pillar she was wrapped around. Creosote stuck to her arms, chin, and cheeks. Blobs of the tar clung to her long, black hair. Her eyes were dull.

  “Water?” Denice looked up. Her neck seemed to struggle with the weight of her head.

  Sam realized it was the first time he hadn’t seen Denice smile when they met. He noticed her skin near the pipe that hid her hands had turned raw.

  Atim had forgotten about the package, but he finally ripped it open and looked inside. A small, much-used bottle was about a quarter filled with cloudy water. Sediment of some kind was clinging to the bottom.

  “Grandpa gave you this…to drink.” He held up the bottle for everyone to see.

  “Pour it in.” Denice managed a smile. Atim gave the bottle to Chickadee. She was kneeling beside their older cousin, rubbing her shoulders, arms, and back. Chickadee carefully gave Denice a sip. She didn’t want to spill any as there wasn’t much. Denice tried to slurp it all up. But Chickadee pulled the bottle away.

  “Why so little?” Denice moaned.

  Nobody answered for a few moments. Then Atim blurted, “Grandpa gave us this package!”

  “Where is he?”

  Chickadee gave her older cousin another small sip and again, took the bottle away.

  “He said he’d pray for you,” Chickadee told her as she returned to rubbing Denice’s back.

  “But it’s your quest, he said.” Sam watched to see how his cousin would take that.

  “My quest? I’m sitting on the company pier, getting slivers in my butt, and Grandpa thinks I’m on a quest?” Denice sounded annoyed. “Crazy old man. Sends me a sip or two of one of his potions. Pfft! ”

  The Muskrats were a little taken aback by their cousin’s disrespectful words.

  “Did he give me anything else?”

  Atim reached back into the bag and pulled out a small packet of four salted crackers.

  “Crackers?” Denice laughed. “My throat is so dry, I can’t eat crackers.”

  “It’s what Gramps gave us,” Sam told her. “He said you picked your wilderness…for your vision quest. And now you have to see it through.”

  “Well…I’m sore. The thirst and the hunger aren’t so bad. My shoulders are so sore. My legs. My back is on fire. Keep rubbing it.” Denice winced as she changed the shoulder she was leaning against. Chickadee upped the pressure and frequency of her strokes along the older girl’s back. It seemed weird to see Denice so weak.

  Sam noticed a furious blotch of red rash where Denice’s skin had pressed against the stained wood. It was then that he noticed his grandmother’s blanket wasn’t in sight.

  Denice let out a sigh. “You guys are good kids.” She lifted her head to smile at each of them. “That’s why I’m doing this—so it’s still here for you when you get to my age. They’ve made so many changes. And they never stop.” She sat in silence.

  Sam looked out over the pier. Men were working here and there, wherever a barge had docked along the thick wooden fingers that stretched into the lake. Behind him the warehouse overshadowed the scene like a great wall that blocked off this portion of the shore from the rest of the world.

  The area smelled of diesel and wood rot. The action of moving the ore off the barges and loading it onto the trucks had caused many a minor spill. Now this ore-gravel was pressed into every nook and cranny of the wood and concrete pier. Denice was fastened to a dock pillar. A small group of boxes still sat in a half circle around the protest.

  Samuel stood above Chickadee. She continued to massage Denice’s back. Atim looked down at the girls, his face drawn and worried.

  “Where’s Grandma’s blanket?” Sam whispered. He was almost surprised that anyone heard.

  Denice beckoned with her head. “Give me another sip.” When she had finished what was left in the bottle, she went on. “I gave it to Steven. To put in his locker. I didn’t want it to get dirty.”

  “Was that the guy from Smokey Bend?” Chickadee asked.

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Denice laughed in spite of her aches. “Cute, hey? For a guy from Smokey Bend, anyway.”

  “He spoke to us at the Station. He said he talked to you.” Chickadee smiled at her cousin.

  “We talked,” Denice replied. “He said he had good kids, too.” She lost herself in thought for a moment. “That blanket is all we have of Grandma. She always told us our job in life was to provide a good life for our kids.”

  “That’s what tha
t guy from Smokey Bend said.” Sam pictured his grandmother’s face. Her only ambition was to be a help to the next generation and make sure they had everything they needed—heart, body, and soul. She had earned a name among their people that best translated to English as “everyone’s mom.”

  “She always said to take care of your family.” Denice shrugged as she looked up at Sam. “Steven is trying to take care of his family, but he needs this job to do it. I don’t know…I wish he didn’t have to do this…work for the company.”

  Sam shook his head. “The company provides him with a paycheck. Not too many jobs around here that pay as good.” He had asked his cousins who worked for the company how much they made at the entry level. Few made it beyond that. It wouldn’t get you rich, but you could provide your kids with a pretty good Christmas if you watched your pennies.

  “I’m so tired.” Denice sighed and leaned heavily on the pier. “I think I’m almost ready to give in. You know, look around, I didn’t stop anything. Didn’t even slow them down.”

  She lifted up her hands, imprisoned in the pipe. “My shoulders and hands ache more than my stomach. I think I’m ready…”

  “WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING HERE?!” Mr. Makowski’s voice bellowed from behind them. The Mighty Muskrats jumped.

  Chapter 16

  The Day Gets Warmer

  “We’re just…” Sam knew what he wanted to say but was too startled.

  “They’re just bringing me supplies so I can stay here for another four days!” Denice’s defiant voice had lost its dry rasp.

  “YOU KIDS GET OUT OF HERE!” The company manager was steadily walking toward them.

  “I think we should go,” Sam said to Denice. “We’re leaving right now, Sir!” he called to Makowski.

  Chickadee stood up. Sam could see was she angry that Mr. Makowski didn’t care about their older cousin. Atim was also fired up. Sam stepped in front of both of them. “We haven’t left her anything. We’re just about to go. We just had to check on her…. Our grandpa said.”

  “You kids…again? Where is your uncle? He better be looking for my man, Pixton.”

  “LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Denice screamed.

  “We don’t know where Uncle Levi is,” Atim shot back at the big man.

  “This one is going to starve here.” Makowski pointed at their cousin. “She’s almost done.” He laughed.

  “You don’t care!” Chickadee shouted at him.

  Mr. Makowski pointed in the direction of the gate. “GET OUT OF HERE!”

  Samuel kept eye contact with the man as he slowly turned. “Good-bye, Denice,” he said as he left.

  “Yeah, see you soon,” Atim said with anger in his voice.

  Chickadee bent down and gave her cousin a hug. She gave Denice’s shoulders a quick squeeze as she stood and gave the manager a fiery look.

  The Mighty Muskrats walked stiff-legged around the warehouse.

  “That old man may be dead because nobody in this town cares.” Makowski walked right behind them.

  “We’ve been figuring out where he is since we heard about him,” Sam shot over his shoulder.

  “We care,” Atim added. “We just don’t think he is where they’re looking!”

  “Kids!” The company man snorted. “We’ve been all around those snake pits. We’re going to push farther back into the bush today, if that’s what you’re talking about.”

  “You aren’t even looking in the right place,” Samuel said out loud.

  The manager’s frown deepened, but he didn’t say anything.

  The group arrived at the fence. Makowski motioned for his men to get out of the way as he swung the chain-link gate open. When the kids were through, he gave the gate a shove and turned to go back to the office.

  The nice guard who’d let them in looked slightly chagrined as the gate clicked closed.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” he whispered with a smile.

  Chickadee looked back at the warehouse that blocked his view of Denice. “Please, take care of her,” she said to both the universe and the guard. Turning away, she and Atim started walking down the road.

  “Thanks.” Sam nodded at the man and then he followed his brother and cousin.

  ó

  In the rising heat of the spring day, Atim took off his jacket as he broke the silence. “Where are we going now?”

  “Yeah,” Chickadee said with a sigh. “I wish Otter was here.”

  Sam started pinching his chin. “I don’t know where we’re going.”

  Chickadee sighed again. Atim kicked at a rock. They kept walking down the dusty road.

  “It’s after lunch, and I didn’t have much for breakfast.” Atim rubbed his belly as he walked.

  Sam and Chickadee ignored the hint.

  “’Kay, maybe we need to look at this a whole different way.” Sam felt under pressure to find a destination. “Who pulled out that rope? Maybe…it wasn’t Dr. Pixton.”

  “Mr. Mackie rented out the boat.” Chickadee nodded, interested in Sam’s line of thought.

  “I don’t know…I’m wondering why we can’t find Fish.” Atim swung his head to move his hair so he could see his brother clearly.

  “That old man has been gone for…three days, two nights now. We haven’t found Fish for the last two.” Sam pinched his chin.

  “His wife said he was around,” Chickadee said.

  “She’d lie for him,” Atim reasoned.

  Nobody disagreed.

  “Should we go bang on his door again?” Atim asked.

  Sam was deep in thought. Mr. Mackie was an old Métis fisherman with an extra boat. He didn’t seem like someone who would do away with an archeologist. Fish had always seemed harmless, but he did have cousins and a brother who had been in trouble with the law…on more than one occasion. “If we go to his door again, maybe we should get Mark.”

  “Yeah. Good idea.” Chickadee nodded vigorously.

  Atim shrugged and flicked his hair out of his eyes as though he didn’t care, but he didn’t object to the suggestion of a bodyguard.

  “If we go get Mark, we’ll pass by Grandpa’s and see if his guests have arrived,” Sam offered. The other two nodded and smiled.

  With a plan of attack, three Mighty Muskrats hurried into the dark forest that lined the trail to their grandfather’s. As they ran, they thought of Otter and wondered if he had found anything.

  ó

  When the trio emerged from the bush, they came out onto another dusty, white gravel road. Looking down the hill at the houses built along the sloping road, they could see their grandfather’s property closest to the shore of Windy Lake. There were unfamiliar vehicles in Grandpa’s driveway.

  With big grins, the brothers and their cousin began to run a little faster.

  “Grandpa’s guests!” Chickadee squealed, as she tried to keep up with Sam. Atim didn’t bother to wait and sped off down the hill in a cloud of fast-moving dust. By the time his brother and cousin caught up to him, he was catching his breath in the front yard.

  They burst into their Grandpa’s home as one, tripping over themselves as they pushed through the door. The sudden squeak of the old wood and the commotion of the children caused the Elders inside to smile. They sat at the table—two old men and two women—having tea with Grandpa.

  “Here they are,” their grandfather said, watching their entry with pride.

  Otter stood near him.

  “Otter!” the three exclaimed as they saw him.

  “What did you find out?” Samuel pulled his jacket off eagerly.

  “Are you okay?” Chickadee asked.

  “Thanks for leaving me behind!” Atim scolded with a grin.

  “We have guests!” Grandpa said with mock seriousness. “Introduce yourselves!”

  “Sorry, Grandpa.” Chickadee rolled her eyes as she gav
e Otter a welcome hug.

  The Mighty Muskrats lined up near their grandfather.

  “This one, the girl…is Chickadee.” Grandpa pointed at her with his lips.

  “Hello! I hope your trip was good!” Chickadee said to the Elders with a smile.

  “She makes good bannock. And good tea too,” Grandpa told them. “This one,” he pointed at Sam, “is Samuel. He’s a thinker, but sometimes…he thinks too much. Eh, Samuel?” Grandpa chuckled at Sam.

  “Thankfully, I have you to correct me, Grandfather.” Sam laughed. He turned to the guests. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”

  “This big one is Atim. He can lift one of those middle-sized boat motors already. Runs like a deer.” Grandpa smiled at the tallest Muskrat. Atim nodded and grinned at the Elders.

  “And you’ve already met my boy, Otter.” Grandpa’s pride in Otter was evident. “They call them the Mighty Muskrats.” He laughed. “Funny, hey?” Grandpa said it like there was a hidden joke that only the Elders would know. After a good chuckle, Grandpa touched Otter on the shoulder. “Tell the other Muskrats your news!”

  With a huge smile, Otter announced, “I found out who took the rope out of the boat!”

  Chapter 17

  Thinking Like a Bird

  Otter began studying the land as soon as he pulled up the canoe. Somewhere here, there was a clue, if only he could find it. The trampled grass and brush around the snake pits parking lot testified to the search by the RCMP and the company men. Otter hoped any visible clues hadn’t been trampled by the workers’ big, steel-toed boots. Otter figured it wouldn’t be long before they were here again. He knew that his grandfather was genuinely concerned that they would find and damage the Refuge. Otter hadn’t seen it, but if Grandpa thought it was important, then it was important.

  The morning chill was gone, and the heat of the day was increasing. Winter had held on as long as it could, but it seemed spring was rushing in after the storm a few days ago.

  Otter thought of the hawk and the birds and looked skyward. In the distance, hovering over the trees with its steady gaze focused on the ground, a red hawk balanced on the wind. If that hawk lived on snakes, Otter thought, he must have been hungry due to the long winter. He hurried over the graveled trail to the snake pits.