by Jenna Night
The elevator dinged. Joey motioned for her to step in ahead of him. “Yeah, me too. We’re getting close to month’s end and I’ve got to finish a project before that.”
End of October. Fall was sliding by. Cooler temperatures. Falling leaves. The golden aspens. All the russet shades and burnt oranges on the mountainsides. The colors she loved and had barely noticed this year. Life was slipping past her at the speed of light. She glanced at Joey, his pressed shirt, neat tie and overcoat. His daily “uniform.” They were a lot alike. Caught up in their work, too focused to see the world around them. Maybe when all of this was over...
Dulcie looked away. Probably wouldn’t happen. She had a hard time getting close to people, especially men. But one thing was certain—she was very thankful for his presence this morning. She started to tell him so when the elevator door slid open. Joey gestured for her to move ahead of him again and the moment was lost.
She paused at the front door of the apartment building, her gaze scouring the parking lot. It seemed empty, but still she hesitated. Joey reached in front of her to push the handlebar of the door.
Shaking her head, she said, “Sorry. I guess I’m not all here today.”
“No problem. It’s just that I’m in a bit of a hurry.”
That was her cue to get moving.
The cold, brisk air made her catch her breath.
Joey moved across the lot but stood outside his car door, watching her, waiting. She hurried to her own vehicle, released the can she’d been clenching into her purse and punched the fob to unlock her door. Dulcie slid in and locked it again. Joey already had his car backed out and she watched him pull away. Then she sat in her car in the near-empty parking lot and wondered what to do next.
She couldn’t go to work and face Vonetta or go to the municipal police station where Officer Shaw worked. Only one place remained where she could find help. She backed out and headed to the county sheriff’s office.
* * *
Austin Turner dropped his Stetson on his desk, ran a hand through his short hair and sighed. This was one of those days when he was especially glad that as a detective, he didn’t have to wear the typical county sheriff uniform. Not that he wasn’t proud of the uniform. He loved the job, the work he did and most of his fellow deputies with few exceptions.
No. The job wasn’t the problem. He was. For a long time now, he hadn’t been able to wear the uniform with pride. Ever since the death of his Navajo wife, Abey, and their unborn child in a car accident, he hadn’t felt worthy of the badge or the uniform he’d so proudly donned twelve years ago.
Again, he ran his hand through hair too short to move out of place...a nervous gesture and a sure sign that the bad feeling he’d had since waking this morning was here to stay. He’d had lots of those days in the three years since he’d lost his family. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should have done more. Could have prevented their deaths.
He thought he was on the mend but the brutal beating and death of a young Navajo girl had fired up all his old resentments and everything else he’d tried so hard to suppress. Many a night he’d lain awake, seeing that poor girl’s body at the bottom of a mountain ravine. Those long nights ended only after he arrested the girl’s stepfather.
Truth be told, the social worker involved in the case, Dulcie Parker, had contributed to his unrest. Something about the woman stuck with him. It had to be because she was so worked up...not for any other reason. There was no room in his life for another woman. Abey and his baby still filled every corner.
No, Dulcie Parker bothered him because she pushed relentlessly for answers and action. He’d only interviewed her a few times, but he never lost the feeling that she’d be following the investigation from afar, watching, waiting for results.
He recognized the bright flame of restitution in her eyes. That flame was the only thing he had in common with the redhead and was probably the one thing he didn’t need in his life. After he’d struggled for so long to suppress those feelings, Dulcie fed the embers into life again...not to mention the fact that she set his nerves on edge. She was touchy and flighty, jumping away every time he got close. He didn’t doubt for a moment there was a story behind those actions. She had a history, a past he didn’t know and didn’t want to know. The last thing he needed was a woman as close to the edge as her.
And maybe his imagination was running a marathon. He shook his head. A prolonged vacation might be the only solution to his overactive mind. He was due for some time off and his lieutenant had been pressing him to take it. The case was over. The Kutchner trial didn’t start for another month, a long time from now. Until then, he needed to put all those unwanted feelings and thoughts away. Maybe he should consider some time off.
Determined to discuss the idea with his boss, he hung his hat on the rack behind him and checked the work cell phone he kept on Silent. Sleep was hard enough to attain without reporters driving him crazy all hours of the night. Since he’d arrested Kutchner, they’d been harassing him relentlessly and he needed to talk to them even less than he needed to be around Dulcie Parker.
He had a message on his phone. He hit the play button, and Dulcie’s voice, the very woman he was hoping to avoid, echoed over the line. She sounded...scared. That shouldn’t have surprised him. She seemed pretty uptight and easily shaken. But still her voice sounded...more than just frightened. Terrified was the right word. He released a heavy sigh. This was the last thing he wanted today, especially since she asked him to call her as soon as he could.
Fearing she had a complicating issue with the Kutchner case, he reached for his desk phone and saw the message light flashing. Dulcie was on the office machine, as well. Something was seriously wrong. Before he could even dial her number, the front desk buzzed him.
“Hey, Turner, I’ve got a woman here who needs to see you. She’s pretty upset.”
“Don’t tell me. It’s Dulcie Parker.” He shook his head. “I guess you better send her in.” He knew she was trouble from the minute he met her. There was just something about her...
He rose from his desk. The officer led Dulcie into the large common room filled with deputies’ cubicles. Even across the room Austin noted her pale features—so white the red freckles across her nose and cheeks jumped out.
Taken individually, her features didn’t seem to fit together. Almost black eyebrows stood out against her pale skin. They were too dark for the rest of her face, even darker than her large brown eyes. Her lips had all but disappeared in paleness. Her curly copper-shaded hair might be pretty if she didn’t pull it back so tight and flat against her head. But she plastered it against her scalp and frizzy little strands rejected those tight confines. They fuzzed around her face in fiery protest.
She looked more than upset...and that meant Austin’s morning would probably go from bad to worse. He stopped a few feet away and nodded. “Ms. Parker, what can I do for you?”
Glancing around, she stepped closer—but not too close, he noticed. He’d seen that action the first time they met, that she didn’t let him—let anyone—get too close. In a low voice she asked, “Can we talk...someplace more private?”
Austin hesitated. Whatever she wanted, he didn’t need to provide. She was toxic to him...brought feelings to life inside that were better off dead. But her colorless features and large, frightened eyes got to him. He gritted his teeth and pointed to a small room off the main area.
As soon as he closed the door, she pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to him. He opened it and read the message inside.
Mind your own business or you’ll become a Missing One.
Austin had heard the phrase only once, at a meeting Abey had helped organize. As a member of the Navajo Nation, she had been heavily involved in multiple social organizations. In fact, he’d first met her when he was doing overtime duty at a fundraiser for Native American teens.
The slender, dark-haired beauty caught his eye the minute she walked in to give an impassioned speech to the young women of her nation. At that meeting, an older Navajo woman referred to the missing and exploited Native American women by using the term the Missing Ones.
Over the top of the paper, Austin studied Dulcie Parker. There was a serious issue with missing and exploited Native American women. It was true, and if he’d learned anything about the woman across from him, she was the kind who would meddle in someone else’s business. She wouldn’t be able not to meddle. If he knew anything about her, it was that. Just talking to her would mean trouble for him too, trouble he was pretty anxious to avoid.
He took a slow breath. “Whose business have you been minding?”
Obviously, she didn’t catch the hint of accusation in his tone. “I have no idea. All I did was ask for some statistics on missing women in the local area.”
Her voice trembled. At least she had sense enough to be frightened. Maybe she’d be smart enough to walk away.
“When Doris Begay said her daughter was one of the Missing Ones...”
Austin’s senses perked up. “Is this about the Kutchner case?”
“No...yes.” She closed her eyes and took a slow breath. “I don’t know. All I know is almost from the moment Judy disappeared Doris Begay assumed her daughter was gone forever...or dead. I’m not sure which. When I asked her why, she mumbled something about all the missing reservation girls.”
Austin’s jaw tightened. “So, of course, you had to check it out?”
He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his tone. This time she heard the cynicism peeking through. Dark eyes, that moments ago seemed frightened and unsure, focused on him with startling clarity.
“Yes, I did. I won’t turn my back on a woman or child...ever.”
There it was again. The blazing passion that backed him down...backed most people down. It was a little scary. What was even more frightening... He understood that ferocious passion. He had one just like it, locked inside, eating away at his soul.
That fact hit him in the face like a slap. Dulcie Parker put him on edge because she was exactly like him...just more honest and open about it. He’d run away from his problem, even tried to hide from it. But she spoke it, walked it and lived it. If he were honest, her courage made him uncomfortable.
Ms. Parker didn’t appear to notice his startled reaction. It didn’t even slow her down. Now that her passion had been ignited, she was on fire. “Do you realize how many local girls are missing?”
He tried to push the thoughts away, to douse the fire with a shift of his shoulders. “We’re surrounded by Native American reservations. They have the highest statistics so of course our local numbers are going to be elevated.”
“Thirty-eight, Deputy Turner. Thirty-eight local women and girls have gone missing in the last three years. That’s almost double the amount in the previous ten years. Even accounting for the rise in sex trafficking that’s an alarming increase. Are you trying to tell me that’s to be expected?”
The number was alarming. Why hadn’t he seen that figure on any reports passing through this office? Who generated that info? Definitely something he needed to find out.
Before he could say so, she went on. “Those numbers may be acceptable to you, but they certainly are not to me.”
That rankled. Was she trying to get a response out of him? Trying to ignite the same kind of angry blaze inside him? He’d been fighting for three years to keep that emotion out of his work. And now, here she was, this barely-tied-down ball of rage, trying to make him react.
She wouldn’t like it if he did.
He forced himself to keep tight control. “Of course those numbers matter. There’s someone’s wife behind each one of them.” His emotions flashed with anger. Where did she get off sounding so high and mighty? “I’ve never seen those stats. Where did you get your information?”
“The Durango police department. Deputy Shaw.”
Shaw. Austin knew him. Most folks in the local law enforcement did. The man made sure of it. He was ambitious. Austin had worked with Shaw and frankly, he wouldn’t put it past the man to try to call attention to his work any way possible. But Ms. Parker didn’t know that.
“I didn’t tell anyone about my research except Officer Shaw and my boss. They are the only ones who could have passed that info on to someone else to create that note.”
Austin didn’t know Vonetta Lauder as well as he knew Shaw, but he’d met her, watched her on the local TV programs and read about her in every newspaper in the county. Like Shaw, she seemed to enjoy the limelight. Neither of them inspired confidence in Austin. That fact alone made him willing to hear Ms. Parker out.
“Let me get this straight. Shaw gave you some kind of report?”
Some of her anger seemed to fade. “No. In fact, he wasn’t tremendously helpful. He gave me a couple of internet resources that didn’t tell me anything. But I’m pretty good with research. Once I got started, I found the info I needed and put the numbers together myself.”
He stiffened. “You put the numbers together?”
She tensed again. “I told you. I’m good with research. Actually, excellent.”
“I’m not questioning your research capabilities, Ms. Parker. Just pointing out that there’s the possibility of error in your info. We all make mistakes.”
She stared at him, stunned, and he watched all the spark and fire fade out of her. “You don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that. It’s my job to find the facts, not make dangerous guesses. Here’s something else to consider. You were just involved in a high-profile murder case. Those investigations bring out the crazies and your name was all over the news. Maybe some unbalanced person or a former client decided now was the time to get back at you with this scare tactic.”
She looked away. When she spoke, her voice was very low and tremulous. “It worked. I’m scared.”
Austin released a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t say I would not look into this. I will. I’m just trying to point out how many explanations there could be. We can’t just go around jumping to conclusions, pointing fingers and naming names before we have the answers.”
She gave a slight, hesitant nod. “I guess that’s true.” She pushed the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder and studied him, her dark eyes fathomless with strong emotions behind her tightly controlled gaze. He didn’t know what they were for sure...but they were there, held in check. The intensity put him off-step.
He lifted the letter. “Can I keep this?”
She caught her breath and hesitated. For the first time, she stumbled over her words. “It’s...it’s the only proof I have.”
Mistrust. That was the intense emotion behind her gaze. Austin’s jaw tightened and his resolve hardened. “I get it. You want my help but you can’t find it in yourself to trust me.”
Fed up, he shoved the envelope toward her. She gripped it with shaky fingers.
Austin spun and walked toward the door. “I’ll look at all this and let you know if I find anything.”
She fumbled with her purse, shoved the envelope inside as she moved toward him. She paused just short of the door. “Will you...can you call me even if you find nothing? I’d like to...know.”
He nodded. “I’ll be in touch.” He opened the door. She ducked her head and passed him, but not before he caught the defeated look on her features.
Austin followed her into the large common room and watched as she walked away. His instincts were right. She was a woman looking for a crusade and she’d triggered feelings from his convoluted past. Good police work didn’t happen when the emotions were engaged. He knew that better than anyone. He needed to step back if he wanted to assess this properly...no matter how many defeated looks Ms. Parker sent his way.
He felt someone’s presence behind him and turned. Lieute
nant Dale McGuire, his supervisor, nudged his chin in Ms. Parker’s direction. “What’s she doing here?”
Austin didn’t trust his own prickly attitude so he shook his head. “Nothing important.”
“Good. Can I see you in my office for a minute?”
Frowning, Austin followed his lieutenant. Dale had helped him get the job here at the station. He’d been a good supervisor and a great leader. Austin liked and respected him for all those qualities.
McGuire gestured to the door. “Close that.”
So...this was serious. Austin was instantly on guard. “What’s going on?”
McGuire stood behind his desk. “It’s pretty bizarre, that Parker woman showing up today. Not more than twenty minutes ago I got a call to watch out for her.”
“Watch out. What does that mean?”
One of McGuire’s eyebrows rose. Austin recognized it as his boss’s “I’m not happy” signal. But what was he unhappy about? The call or Austin’s questions?
He got his answer immediately. “I didn’t ask questions. I just listened. You should follow my example.” Dale’s eyebrow still rode high on one side. “I was told that she’s a troublemaker. She was fired from her last job after some scandal. Now she’s looking to cash in on her claim to fame with the Kutchner case. That’s the type of publicity we don’t need. So back off.”
Austin studied his superior. Even though he’d just had similar thoughts, it rankled to be ordered to stand down. “Since when do other people tell you how to run your staff?”
McGuire’s eyebrow rose even higher. “I think what I said was to the point. I didn’t ask questions and neither should you. She’s trouble. Stay clear.”
He picked up the file on his desk as if the conversation was over. When Austin didn’t move, he looked up again.
Austin hesitated. He didn’t like this. It smacked of collusion. He couldn’t believe McGuire was okay with it. “Who gave you the call?”
His boss took a deep breath, obviously irritated. “Does it matter? We were advised. That’s all you need to know.” When Austin still didn’t move, McGuire’s frown deepened. “Is there something about this meeting you’re not telling me?”