Rose nodded but didn’t comment.
“He finally returned home fifteen years later. By then, no one recognized him—including me. He’d changed, physically and mentally, so it all worked out.” Gunn fell silent for several long moments. “As you can see, his murder couldn’t have had anything to do with who he was or became.”
Rose knew now that Charlie had died because of his search for the endangered native plants—work that she’d brought to him.
“What do you plan to do with this information, Rose?”
“The police don’t believe it was murder. So it’s up to me to find the answers and restore harmony. And, somehow, that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
On the way back to the reservation an hour later, Gishii was uncharacteristically quiet. Rose stared out the window, lost in thought.
“Old friend, I can’t stand the suspense. I know you’ve learned something that’s upsetting you. What is it?” Gishii asked.
Rose told her what Bruce Gunn had said, knowing Gilbert had wanted the truth to come out. “So I inadvertently ended up causing his death by asking him to help me find the missing Plant People,” Rose said finally in a shaky voice. Pausing, she pulled herself together. “What scares me the most is that I may end up losing two friends, not just one, if I don’t manage to find one of the Plant People the hataalii needs for the ceremony. And I can’t ask anyone else to help me look for the plant she needs—not until the killer is caught.”
“You won’t need to ask for help. We’ll give it to you whether you want it or not.”
Rose smiled. “Then warn the others for me. They need to know the risks.”
Soon they pulled up in front of Clara Henderson’s home. As Gishii parked, Clara hurried out, at the best speed the ancient woman could muster, to meet Rose.
“You have to go over to Lena’s house right now. Her daughter just called and she needs your help. Lena is getting ready to leave.”
“Leave? You mean return to the hospital?”
“No, no, to their family’s hogan up in the mountains.”
The words sank in slowly. She knew precisely what was going through her friend’s mind. Lena was getting ready to die, and was worried that although her modernist daughter would never give the chindi a second thought, her granddaughter, a traditionalist, would never willingly step into a place where a death had occurred. Rather than have her home become a source of contention between them, Lena was going up to the hogan to die.
TWENTY-TWO
As Rose drove up to Lena’s home, she saw Lena’s daughter, Ruthann, holding on to her mother’s arm in the open doorway. “You’re not going anywhere, Mother. I’m not taking you there, and you can’t drive yourself. You’re in no condition for anything like that.”
“I have to go,” Lena said, pulling to get loose.
Rose hurried over to the front porch, smiled at Ruthann, then touched Lena’s arm. “Let’s go back to your room, old friend. You and I can speak in private there.”
Lena met her friend’s gaze, then nodded. As Rose led her back across the living room, Ruthann dropped down heavily onto the couch, exhausted.
Lena half staggered down the hall, with Rose trying to steady her, then sat down heavily on her bed. “I can’t stay here any longer. I had a dream last night where I was told that ‘white at night’ is gone from the reservation forever. That was a sign for me. I know now that I’m going to die soon, but I don’t want it to happen in the hospital, where I’m a stranger, or here at home. I have good memories of the hogan. It’s where I grew up, and that’s where I choose to die. But I need to go now while I’m still strong enough to make the journey.”
“You’re not going to die. I won’t let you. It’s not your time. I know that in my heart. I’ll call my son so he can come and do a Sing that will keep the dream from coming true.” Rose noted how the exertion had bathed her friend’s forehead in perspiration, and Lena seemed ready to pass out. “You have to relax. Lay back on your pillow and think of all the things you’ve yet to do.”
“Your son can’t stop what has already happened, old friend,” Lena said without emphasis, lying back as Rose had asked.
It was the flat, colorless tone of her voice that frightened Rose the most. She’d met others who had declared they were going to die, and those people usually did, even though they’d often seemed in perfect health.
“I’ll find the plant that’s needed. I know I will,” Rose said.
“You can’t, not this time.” Lena smiled wearily. “I remember when my mother took to her bed—a woman who, like me, had never been sick a day in her life. The Anglo doctors couldn’t tell us what was wrong. A hataalii was supposed to come and do a Sing for her, but his horse went lame, and he had no other way to get there in time. Mother asked my father to take her outside the hogan because she wanted to sleep under the stars, like she did when she was at the sheep camp during the summer. She was dead before morning.”
“That was your mother—not you. You still have time.”
“Yes, there’s time, but not much. That’s why I have to go up to the hogan now.” Lena struggled to sit back up again, but sagged back onto her pillow with a groan.
Rose fought the panic that swelled inside her. One of them had to stay calm. “Why don’t you and I make a deal? You’re safe and comfortable here, so let’s take advantage of that for now. If you let me know when the time draws near, I’ll see to it myself that you die near the hogan, and under the stars, like your mother. Will you trust me to carry out that promise?” Rose reached over and placed her hand on Lena’s and gave it a squeeze.
“All right.”
Rose sighed with relief. Only one thing would cure Lena now—she needed the right Sing. “I have a present for you from our oldest Plant Watcher.” Rose reached into her purse and brought out the sprigs of ‘gray sunflower,’ then hung them upside down near the window according to tradition. “She wanted me to remind you of the story about Horned Toad.”
Lena smiled. “I know it well. Thank her for me,” she said in a thin voice.
“I’m going over to see my son right now. He’ll take care of things for you.” Rose swallowed, making sure her voice remained steady when she continued. “You’re my closest friend, Lena, and I can’t lose you. Trust me to find the plant you need. I won’t fail you,” she said confidently.
Rose left the house feeling far less confident than she’d allowed anyone to see. The truth was she didn’t know where else to search. But to tell Lena the truth would have robbed her of all hope and there was no way she could have done that. Lena needed her now, just like Rose had needed her countless of times in the past. They were there for each other—always. That was the bedrock of their friendship. She’d find “white at night” no matter what it took.
She arrived at her son’s hogan a half hour later. She’d surprised herself by making the thirty-minute drive in less than twenty-five. Clifford came out of his hogan to greet her and Rose quickly climbed out of her pickup.
“Have you found the plant you need yet?” she asked.
“No. All the hataaliis have joined the search, but we’ve had no luck so far. One of the others needs ‘baby newborn’ for a Blessing Way, and none of us have found that plant either.”
“It’s a little early for it to be covered in blooms, and without the flowers, it’s easy to overlook. It’s never more than ten inches high.”
“Our new traditionalist medicine man had one plant in his garden, and it wasn’t in good shape, but it did have one small flower. He sold the pollen to the other hataalii.”
“And now there’s no more?” Seeing Clifford nod, she quickly added, “Won’t you need some too?”
“I still have some I collected last year. If the hataalii had come to me first, I would have given him what he needed, of course.”
Rose nodded. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought, son, and I think we need to get a large group of people involved in our search. My friend is running out of time
. Tell everyone who might be able to help that there’ll be a meeting this evening after sundown in my home. We’ll get maps, and coordinate areas, and send out parties of two or more working together to search in a wide pattern first thing tomorrow morning. Whoever is responsible for taking the plants and killing my friend will not attack a group of people, and he can’t possibly follow more than one group.”
“I’ll get the word out.”
After Rose got home, she called Willie. He, in turn, promised to phone Maria. “In the meantime,” Rose said, “I know that you have your own database on plants. Will you see if any ‘white at night’ or ‘baby newborn’ is known to grow anywhere near our borders? We may have to take Plant People from outside the Sacred Mountains if there’s absolutely no other choice.”
“I see from the master list you gave me that they’re what we call evening primrose and Parry bellflower. I’ll be happy to check it out for you, but I don’t think I’ve ever kept track of either variety,” he said.
“But remember, the closer to our borders, the better.”
“I’ll see if any of my colleagues have kept track of them and bring whatever information I can find to you tonight.”
Rose hung up and got hold of Gishii next, who then promised to call all the Plant Watchers and their friends.
“Will a few of the hataaliis come to the meeting at your house?” Gishii asked. “Their presence would boost the spirits of those of us who are losing hope.”
“All I can tell you for sure is that my son will be there.”
Rose called Sadie next. “I’d love to take part,” Sadie said immediately. “I have some wonderfully detailed maps we can use too.”
“Bring them, then.”
“You might ask your daughter if her police officer friends will help. They are trained to observe and search.”
“Good idea.”
Rose checked all her notes and her plant survey reports for any comments she might have written in about the two plants, but she found nothing that could help her. Knowing that her plan was well under way, Rose went to the kitchen to fix snacks for the people who’d drop in tonight. She fixed chile fingers—little bits of chile and cheese and onions wrapped in bread dough, then fried in butter. She had enough for an army by the time she finished, but she knew people loved these snacks and they’d go quickly.
Around five, Ella came in, Dawn with her. “We’ve been shopping!” Dawn said, showing her some new blue jeans and a blouse that had wonderful cartoon animals painted all over it.
“She picked those herself,” Ella said. “She didn’t like anything I picked for her.”
“You see? Life is fair. You drove me crazy just like that when you were a child,” Rose said.
As Dawn left to go play with Two, Ella went to the refrigerator and brought out a can of cola. “I gave our babysitter the afternoon off to be with her family. I know the Clanis are devastated by all that’s happened.”
“They’re very frightened,” Rose said. “I am too,” she added softly.
Ella gave her mother a hug. “Lena will be fine. She’s as strong as you are.”
“Yes, but even the strong can have their spirit broken. Her son doesn’t live on our land and that breaks her heart every day. She’s always loved to spend time gathering and collecting plants, and now the Plant People are moving away. Sometimes it’s just the ch’ééná that kills us—that sadness for what can no longer be. Our heart breaks first, then the body follows.”
“Can’t my brother help?”
“Not without the Plant People the gods gave us. If the Sing is not exactly right, it will most certainly fail.”
An hour later, people began to arrive, some bringing their friends as well. Those in the greatest numbers were the Plant Watchers and their families. Word had spread. By the time the meeting started, over one hundred people were crowded shoulder to shoulder in Rose’s small living room.
Maria gave out copies of topographical maps that she’d sectioned off into quadrants. Although no one knew exactly where the two plants could be found, except in generalities, Willie had used what information he had to assign search areas. He explained the geographical sectors and divided them, assigning sections that made sense logically to the groups of people, who had divided themselves into more than twenty teams.
Everyone, it seemed, was eager to help in this emergency. Several people from the Christian church her husband had founded and even a group of young people from the high school’s science club came to help. Rose was happy to see all them—from traditionalist to modernist—working together. The search would begin tomorrow, a Saturday.
By the end of the evening, Rose had reason to hope—both for her friend Lena, and for the reservation. If they could come together like this in a time of crisis, there was no doubt in her mind that they would remain strong as a tribe.
Once the people began to leave, Maria came up to Rose and took her aside. “I just wanted to tell you that the tribe has guaranteed me a small amount of money for my research. The state will match it and I’ll now be able to continue my work. It’s not much, but I’ll get by.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“I know I wouldn’t have gotten this without your help,” she added.
“I’m not your enemy. I never was.”
Maria nodded slowly. “I tried to make things difficult for you. I really thought that it was you or me, and I honestly felt my way was better for the tribe.” She paused, hesitant to continue. “I did some things I regret …” she said slowly, and never looking directly at her.
It took Rose a moment to understand. “That explains why Two growled when you got out of your car this afternoon. Did you come into my house while I was in the shower and try to scare me?”
Maria averted her gaze. “That was me, but I wouldn’t have harmed you. I just thought that if I could get you to give up the work you were doing, the tribe would have the money to pay me. I know it sounds selfish, but it wasn’t, not really. I honestly felt that I could offer the tribe more.” She took a deep breath. “I’m taking a chance telling you this now, but when I confided this to Willie, he felt I should, and I agreed with him. There are things happening now that demand all your attention. You don’t need to be distracted or worried about who broke into your house. But I hope you will forgive me. The tribe needs both of us—what we have to offer is different, but necessary.”
“What you’ve told me will remain between you and me,” Rose said quietly and without recriminations. “But tell me this. Did you come back a second time and take my photos?”
“Photos?” Maria shook her head. “No, and I never took anything, I swear it. Your dog scared me half to death. He looks like such a placid animal, but he’s very protective.”
Rose smiled. “Yes, he is.”
“I may still disagree with you about some of the native plants, but I’ll make up what I did to you somehow. Then there’ll be balance and harmony between us,” Maria said quietly. “At least more than before,” she added.
Rose smiled. “Just help us find the plant my friend needs. That’ll be enough.”
Rose said good-bye to everyone, including her son and the other hataaliis. All had come except John Joe, who’d said that he had “other commitments.” Herman, who’d been one of the first to arrive, stayed behind and helped her clean up. Ella made herself scarce, giving them a chance to talk privately by taking Dawn outside to tend the pony.
“I was surprised to see you here tonight,” Rose said as she began to dry off the serving platters Herman had helped her wash. “I know you’ve been up in the mountains.”
“I came down to a trading post for some flashlight batteries, heard about the meeting, and came back right away. You needed me—whether or not you realize it.”
Rose nodded. “It’s a difficult time for me.” She told him about Lena wanting to go to her family’s hogan in the mountains. “I said I’d do it, but when the time comes, I’m not sure I’ll have the courage.”
“You’ll do what you have to do, woman, just as you’ve always done. You have more courage than anyone I’ve ever met—including your daughter.”
“We have different kinds of strengths.” Rose took a deep breath. “But I will keep my promise, somehow.”
At sunrise, Rose said her prayers to the dawn, and then left home to begin her search. Everyone would be doing the same today, all day, as long as it took. Ella would join them later today, if she could take time off from the undermanned police force.
They’d set up a communications plan so that if anyone found either of the plants they were looking for, they’d contact Wilson Joe directly, who was standing by at the college switchboard. Also, each search team was responsible for calling Wilson at two designated times to check the status of the search.
It was around two in afternoon by the time she took a break. Willie, who was searching with her, reported in to Wilson and learned that there was still no positive news from anyone. Rose sat down on one of the boulders and drank the rest of the water she’d brought. As she looked across the field, she saw Willie talking to Bernadette Tso, a member of their group. Moments later, he walked across the canyon toward her. His downcast expression told her that nothing had changed.
“We’ve scoured every inch, but there’s nothing here,” he said. “Our helpers are heading back now. The heat is starting to get to many of us.”
“It’s got to be in the upper nineties. I’m going to head back too,” Rose said in a whisper-thin voice. “We can resume later in another area, as planned, when the weather cools off.”
Plant Them Deep Page 27