Soldier's Promise

by Cindi Myers

  “And I guess you didn’t get the license plate information on his car? Or security-camera footage that would show that?”

  “We don’t have security cameras. And why would we get his plate number?” Wilma said. “What is going on here?”

  “That man is wanted for the murder of a federal Fish and Wildlife officer,” Carmen said. “If he comes back there, please contact the police and one of us right away. Don’t try to hold him yourself, just call us. He’s very dangerous.”

  “All right, dear. But I don’t think he’s going to come back. The chairman can be pretty fierce when he wants to be, even without a war bonnet.”

  She hung up the phone. “Karol Petrovsky was at Ute tribal headquarters,” she told Jake before he could ask. “He wanted to look for cactus on tribal lands.”

  “So maybe he is trying to cut out Werner and handle all the business himself,” Jake said.

  She tucked the phone back into the pocket of her jeans. “I don’t like the idea of that killer being so close to my mother.”

  “Is there any reason to think he’ll come back?” Jake asked.

  “No. And he didn’t leave any contact information. He was using the name Karl Petrov, but I’m sure it was the same man.”

  “I’ll let people know to be on the lookout for that alias. Do you want to go out there and talk to your mother?”

  She nodded. “I should interview her and our tribal council chairman to find out what else they can tell us.” But more than that, she needed to see for herself that her mother was all right.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “You stay and work on things from this end. I’ll go by myself.” The time with family would do her good, help clear her head of Jake for a while and allow her to think about how she really felt about him—and where she wanted those feelings to take her.

  * * *

  CARMEN WORE HER uniform when she went back to the reservation to interview her mother and the chairman. She needed that symbol of authority to remind her that she was in control. A killer was out there, but she and the other officers hunting for him were going to find him and stop him. And the uniform helped her be in better control of herself and others on the reservation as well. In uniform, she wasn’t Wilma and Jim Redhorse’s daughter, she was an officer of the law.

  She had arranged to meet her mother and the chairman in the tribal council offices, but Rodney Tonaho greeted her when she entered council chambers. “I wanted to get your take on what we’re dealing with with this guy,” he said. “In case he comes back.”

  “I doubt he’ll come back but, if he does, don’t confront him,” she said. She looked over her shoulder in time to see her mother and the chairman, Greg Fossey, emerge from the chairman’s office. “I want to know exactly what he said to you,” she said, hurrying to her mother. “Did he threaten you in any way?”

  Wilma waved away her daughter’s concern. “He was very polite and respectful,” she said. “Persistent, but I admire that in a person.”

  “He didn’t want to take no for an answer.” Chairman Fossey took Carmen’s hand. “It is good to see you again,” he said.

  “Has the Fish and Wildlife man moved on?” Wilma asked.

  “He’s still working on the case in Montrose,” Carmen said, though she suspected that was not the question her mother had really been asking.

  “Why don’t we sit down and talk?” Wilma pulled out a chair at the meeting table. “Carmen, you can sit next to Rodney there.”

  Ignoring her, Carmen took the chair next to her mother. For the next half hour, she went over everything they could tell her about Karl Petrov/Karol Petrovsky. Her mother and the chairman were good at supplying details, but none of it added up to anything that could really help her figure out where Petrovsky was now or what his next move might be.

  “We’ll keep an eye out for him,” Rodney said, standing. “I’ll put a deputy on patrol in the area he was interested in, in case he tries to sneak back in.”

  “Thanks.” Carmen stood and shook his hand. “That could be very helpful.” She shouldn’t let her distaste for her mother’s matchmaking get in the way of accepting help from a fellow law enforcement officer. “I’ll let you know what we find out.”

  Rodney left, and the chairman excused himself for another meeting, leaving Wilma alone with her daughter. “That was smart, telling Rodney you’d let him know what happens,” she said. “It will give you an excuse to see him again.”

  Carmen sat back down and faced her mother. “Mom, I’d like you to listen to me,” she said.

  Wilma widened her eyes. “I always listen to you.”

  “Then pay special attention now, and remember. I am not interested in Rodney. Not romantically.”

  Wilma pressed her lips together, then opened them to speak, but Carmen cut her off. “I have a job I love, and I’m not interested in working for the tribal police. I love to come back to the reservation to visit—but not to live.”

  “You say that now, but you could change your mind,” Wilma said.

  “I don’t think I will but, if I do, it won’t be because you keep pressuring me. That isn’t going to work.”

  “I’m not pressuring you. I would never do that.”

  Wilma’s expression showed sufficient outrage that Carmen believed her. Her mother didn’t see anything heavy-handed in her attempt to persuade her daughter to move back home and take a job on and marry a man from the reservation. Carmen took her hand and squeezed it. “Mom, I’m not going to leave you. Just because I don’t live down the street doesn’t mean I’m not just a phone call away. But I need to choose my own place to live and my own job, and I need to choose my own man.”

  Wilma squeezed her hand, hard enough that it hurt, but Carmen didn’t pull away. “Who is the man?” she asked.

  Carmen blinked. “What makes you think there’s a man?” she asked.

  “You’re my daughter. I know you. There’s something different about you lately. Less...tense. Happier. Connie saw it, too. She called me right after you left here yesterday.”

  Aunt Connie, who thought she could “see” things about people. Carmen swallowed. “I’ve been seeing Jake. I like him. A lot.”

  Wilma nodded. “He has a very strong personality. Maybe that’s what you need. It probably doesn’t hurt that he’s good-looking.”

  “Mom!” Carmen didn’t know whether to be horrified or amused.

  “I’m your mother—I’m not dead.”

  “You’re not going to lecture me about marrying someone in the tribe?” Carmen asked.

  “Are you going to marry this man—Jake?”

  Carmen couldn’t keep the heated flush from her face. “I... I don’t know.” She was a little afraid of how much the idea appealed to her.

  “Of course it would be ideal if you married another Ute. But, over the years, it’s not as if there hasn’t been plenty of marrying outside the tribe. Connie’s husband is white, and Veronica’s is Mexican, and they’re both good men.” She took her hand from Carmen’s and cupped her daughter’s cheeks. “I want you to be happy. And yes—I want to keep you close. I’d hate it if this Jake took you back to Texas or wherever he’s from, but it probably wouldn’t kill me.”

  “I don’t know what’s going to happen, Mom,” Carmen said. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I want to be happy, too.”

  “Good. We both want the same thing.” Wilma gave Carmen’s cheek a little pat, then sat back. “Rodney is going to be disappointed,” she said.

  “Rodney could have his pick of half the women on the reservation,” Carmen said. “Maybe if he knows I’m not available, he’ll open his eyes and notice some of them.”

  “Maybe he will. In the meantime, what about Jake?”

  “We’re taking things slow.” She stood. “I’ll let you know
. But first, I have to catch a killer.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Do you think this dress is all right? Maybe I should change.” Phoenix tried to fluff up her limp hair with shaking hands.

  Sophie grabbed her mother’s wrist and clasped her hand. “You look beautiful, Mom. It’ll be okay.”

  “I don’t like doctors,” Phoenix said for probably the tenth time since Jake had sent word yesterday that he and Carmen were coming to take her to the clinic the next morning. “I never understand what they’re saying, and they rush over my questions.”

  “Maybe this doctor won’t be like that,” Sophie said. “And Jake and Carmen will be there with you. They’ll make sure your questions get answered.” At least, this was what Sophie hoped would happen. She hadn’t been to a doctor since a school physical years ago that her grandparents had taken her to. That visit hadn’t been so bad. The woman doctor had been friendly, even, and afterwards her grandparents had taken her for ice cream. “Maybe after the visit you can go for ice cream or something,” she added.

  A knock on the door interrupted before Phoenix could respond to this suggestion. “They’re here.” She fluttered her hands. “I’m not ready.”

  Sophie opened the door. Jake’s smile made her feel a lot less nervous about this morning—she hoped it did the same for their mom. Jake was so strong and solid and steady. She believed him when he said he was going to take care of them. After all, he had fought the enemy overseas when he was a soldier, and he worked now to fight bad guys as a law enforcement officer. He wasn’t about to let anything bad happen to his mom and sister.

  “Are you ready to go, Mom?” he asked.

  “You look very nice,” Carmen said, and Phoenix gave her a grateful smile.

  “I’m not ready,” Phoenix said again. She smoothed her skirt. “But I’m going to go anyway.”

  Jake turned to Sophie. “We shouldn’t be too long,” he said. “You’ll be all right here on your own?”

  Sophie stared at him. “I’m going with you,” she said.

  “No!” Phoenix’s voice rose. “I don’t want you there, Sophie. You stay here where I’ll know you’re safe.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be safe with you and Jake and Carmen?” Sophie frowned at her mother. “I want to go with you.”

  “I think it would be smart if you stayed here,” Jake said. “Especially if it makes Mom feel better to know you’re here.”

  “But I want to go!” She knew she sounded like a whiny little kid, but how could they possibly think it was right to leave her out of this? “I want to hear what the doctor has to say to Mom.”

  Carmen put a hand on her shoulder. “I promise I’ll tell you everything he said.” She met Sophie’s gaze and held it. “I promise.”

  She started to protest again, but a look from Jake silenced her. “I promise to bring you a treat when I come back,” Phoenix said.

  “I’m not a baby,” Sophie said. “You don’t have to bribe me.”

  Hurt filled Phoenix’s watery blue eyes. “You’ll always be my baby,” she said.

  Sophie turned away. She couldn’t believe after all the time she had spent worrying about her mother and taking care of her when she didn’t feel well, they were going to leave her behind. She would have to rely on them to tell her what they thought she ought to know about her mom’s medical condition—which wouldn’t necessarily be everything the doctor said. So she wasn’t going to pretend she was happy about any of it.

  She stayed inside the trailer until she was sure they were gone, then she left and headed to Starfall’s tent. “Do you want to go hunt cactus this morning?” she asked when Starfall answered her knock on the tent pole.

  “I thought you were going to the doctor with your mother and brother,” Starfall said.

  “Yeah, I decided not to go.” The lie was easier than telling the truth. The last thing she wanted was for Starfall to feel sorry for her or anything. “I’d rather stay here and make some money.”

  “I like the way you think.” Starfall said. “Give me a minute, and I’ll be out.”

  Five minutes later, she emerged from the tent with Hunter in a sling. “If he gets fussy, maybe you can carry him for a while,” she said. “He likes you.” She handed Sophie her backpack. “You can carry this.”

  The day was bright but breezy. The wind was cool and carried the scents of sage and creosote—the perfume of the high desert, Sophie thought. She would miss that smell if she and Mom went to live someplace else with Jake. But there would probably be good smells there, too. Pine trees or flowers and things like that. Or maybe cars and smog if they went to live in a city. Still, she hoped they could live in the country or a small town. Mom didn’t like cities—and cities might make it easier to fall into her old life, with drugs and the wrong kind of friends. But she might be happy in the country, with flowers and a garden to tend.

  Starfall led the way across the prairie, away from the ravine where they had picked berries to a plateau, where the wind had carved sandstone into towers and arches, and big boulders looked like fantastic sculptures that sparkled with glittery pyrite and quartz. “Is this where Jake was camped?” Sophie asked.

  “Somewhere in here.” Starfall adjusted Hunter in his sling. “I guess he’s in town now. Or shacked up with Carmen.”

  Sophie wasn’t about to speculate on that, so she slipped off the heavy backpack and started searching the ground for cactus. She found lots of wildflowers and weeds, and spotted a couple of horned toads, which looked like miniature triceratops crouched in the dried grass, staring up at her with shining eyes. Why was it so hard to find those little cactus? Then again, if they were easy to locate, they probably wouldn’t be worth twenty dollars each to the German.

  “When are you supposed to meet with that German guy again?” she asked as she and Starfall searched around the rocks.

  “I told him I would have some cactus for him tomorrow,” Starfall said. “He promised to bring the money, so we need to fill up that backpack.”

  “Maybe Jake was wrong about there being any around here,” Sophie said. “I haven’t seen—wait.” She knelt, and a thrill of excitement bubbled up through her. “Wow—there’s three of them right here!”

  “Then, get digging.” Starfall handed her a trowel, and Sophie carefully dug around the little spiny balls.

  “I can’t believe people collect these,” she said as she loosened first one cactus, then a second. “I can think of a lot better things to spend money on.” If she had a lot of money, she would buy lots of books—and a puppy. She had always wanted a puppy, but they had never lived anywhere she could have one. Maybe Jake would let her have a dog when they moved in with him...

  A scream tore at the morning stillness, high and piercing. Sophie dropped the trowel and spun around to stare at Starfall. She stood a few yards away, clutching Hunter to her chest and staring at a big man who had a big gun trained on her.

  The man swung the gun to point at Sophie. It was a handgun, but the barrel was long, and the opening looked to Sophie as big around as a half-dollar. “What do you think you’re doing, scaring us this way?” she yelped. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to say to a guy with a gun, but Sophie couldn’t think of anything else to say.

  “I need you to come with me,” the man said. He spoke good English, but with a heavy accent. Russian, maybe?

  “What are you going to do with us?” Sophie asked.

  “Get up!” the man shouted.

  Sophie stood. Starfall was frozen in place. She must have been squeezing Hunter too tight because he began to wail, the sound setting Sophie’s teeth on edge. She stared at the man. He didn’t look friendly, and she didn’t think he had anything pleasant in mind. Her stomach heaved at the idea, but she tried to ignore the sick feeling.

  “Quiet!” he barked. Starfall flinched, but Hunter kept wailing.

 
“You scared him,” Sophie said, drawing the man’s attention once more. That was what she had to do, she saw now. She needed to distract the man and give Starfall a chance to get away. She could protect Hunter and go for help at the same time. She could drive to town and get Jake. Sophie would be all right until he came for her. “What are you doing out here, scaring people?” she asked the man.

  He kept looking at her. She put her hand behind her back and made a shooing motion she hoped Starfall would notice. Get out of here while you can, she thought, trying to telegraph the words to Starfall. Take Hunter, and run!

  “What are you doing out here?” the man asked.

  The question surprised Sophie. She had been expecting another order. “We’re looking for cactus.” She held out her hand, one of the little cactus balanced on her palm. “Do you want to see?”

  The man didn’t come any closer, but he kept his eyes on Sophie. “You work for Werner, don’t you?” he said.

  “I’m collecting cactus to sell,” Sophie said. “I don’t care who I sell them to. If you want to pay me for them, I’ll sell them to you.” She didn’t look toward Starfall and Hunter. She kept her eyes locked on the man’s, making sure he didn’t look over in that direction, either. “I have more here, if you want to see them.” She reached to pull off the backpack, but the man jutted the gun at her. “Don’t move.”

  Sophie held out both hands. “Okay, okay. Do you want to look or not?”

  “Turn around,” the man ordered.

  Sophie turned, still avoiding looking toward the rocks. She hoped Starfall wasn’t standing there like a statue. At least Hunter had stopped wailing. The man approached, focused, as Sophie had hoped, on the cactus. He opened the backpack and looked inside.

  Then he shoved hard. Sophie landed on her hands and knees in the dirt and rocks. “Ouch!” she wailed, maybe a little louder than necessary. “What did you do that for?” She looked over her shoulder at the man.

  “There are only two cactus in there,” he said. “I need more than that. Many more.”