Whispering Spirits

by Rita Karnopp

  “Call me when you have the document,” he tossed Running Crane a cellphone. “You’ll be watched. Don’t even try to send people to get Morning Star. My men have orders to shoot her first and ask questions later…if you get my drift.”

  Running Crane drew in a breath and slowly released it. “You’re a bastard, Borden. It’s going to give me immense please to take your ass down one day.”

  “I look forward to you trying. All you’ll have is a respected senator’s word against an Indian’s accusations? You really think all that much has changed in politics? Go back to your reservation while you still can, Running Crane.”

  “Come on, the quicker we leave the sooner we’ll get Nah’ah.” Summer tugged on his arm.

  Running Crane nodded and pocketed the cellphone. They left the hotel room knowing more than when they’d arrived. Having Borden in the mix explained a few things. It also made it a trickier situation. The man did have connections. He had no words for Winter Timber Wolf and only felt sorry for Summer.

  Once outside Running Crane chuckled. “Get in,” he shouted.

  “Isn’t this Borden’s car. He’s going to be pissed.”

  “Like I care.” He tipped the visor and nearly choked when a set of keys dropped into his hand. “You’ve got to love a good old Montana boy’s habits.”

  “This is one incredibly sexy Packer yellow screaming give me a ticket car.”

  Running Crane laughed out loud. He wondered when the last time he did that. “It’s a 2015 Corvette Z06. This puppy has a V-eight, six hundred fifty horse power with six hundred fifty pounds of torque.”

  “I guess I should be impressed, huh?”

  He chuckled under his breath. “Let’s just say it pushes the envelope of performance on the street and the track. Don’t think anyone could catch us in this thing.” He swung by the Glacier’s Edge Café and picked-up breakfast burritos and coffee and quickly headed out of Babb.

  Six and a half hours later they pulled into the back parking lot. “Are you sure no one would think to watch Candice’s house?”

  “Nothing’s for certain, but Candice and I have been friends for about a year. She never socialized with us because she didn’t like Jordan and hated Joshua’s constant hitting on her. We had several classes together and most days we had lunch together. We shared a lot and I know she would do anything for me.”

  “Let’s hope that includes letting us crash at her place. If no one really knows about her, then that gives us an edge. You go on inside and I’m going to park this neon light about four blocks away.”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve had in a long time. Unless…maybe Candice will let us park it in her garage. Let me run in and check.” Summer hurried into the back entryway and knocked on the door.

  Running Crane gave the neighborhood a quick scan, then noticed the garage door going up. It didn’t take him long to pull into the small space and turn off the engine. He sat for a moment, relieved to finally be back in Missoula with Summer.

  Now the most daunting of challenges faced them. Where to start looking for Borden’s document. They’d have to be aware there could be Worthington’s men to evade since Running Crane wasn’t certain they were working in tandem with Borden. No one could be trusted.

  After several minutes of quiet thought, Running Crane realized no one came to turn on the garage lights or to even open the house door. Easing himself out of the car, he closed the door with barely a click. Adjusting to the darkness, he moved closer and closer to the house door, using its half-moon window as his only light.

  Sliding his palm over the doorknob, he turned it right and smiled when it opened. What seemed like minutes, he edged into the kitchen area. Arguing caused him to stop and drop below the kitchen island.

  “Come on, Summer. I know you and Jordan had your problems but you can’t tell me he never shared any of this with you. I just don’t believe it.”

  “I don’t care if you believe it or not. I’m telling you right now, I knew nothing was going on. We’d agreed we’d split after I graduated. Sorry Jordan didn’t let you in on our little plan.”

  “You’re pissing me off, Summer. I’ve looked until I’m blue in the face. I moved his stuff to the basement here and I’ve been through it all a hundred times. Nothing, not a fucking clue. That document has to be there somewhere.”

  Running Crane eased a glance around the island and realized the voice came from Joshua Perkins. So he was still alive and looking for that paper as expected. If he hadn’t found it in Jordan’s apartment, then where could it be?

  “I don’t have a clue. Who are you working for, Joshua? Were you in on kidnapping my grandmother?”

  “What the fuck you talking about? Kidnapping your grandmother? You’ve got to be kidding! Worthington said nothing about that. He…hired Stuart and he came to Jordan and me with his brother. We thought it was a slam dunk and an easy fifty thousand each. Then Derek and Stuart turned on us. They killed Ali in the shower and they tried killing me, too. Next thing you know Jordan’s dead and I have cops down my throat and Worthington’s men are watching my every step. I’ve managed to give them the slip but it’s only a matter of time before they find me. That’s why I need to find that document. If I bring it to Worthington myself I cash in on two hundred thousand dollars.”

  “Why don’t I really believe you? Besides, that’s not the figure I heard.”

  “What you talking about?”

  Running Crane smiled. Summer was smart stirring up doubt.

  “Stuart said the document was worth five hundred thousand. He was going to screw you and Jordan over. That won’t happen now…he’s dead. You’re the last man standing, so to speak. Tell me something, how did Jordan get that document in the first place?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “So you don’t really know if he actually had it at all, do you?”

  “No, but he was the one who found it at work and…it was his idea to blackmail Worthington.”

  “Is Worthington the only one you were blackmailing?”

  Leaning against the island, Running Crane strained to listen.

  “Uh…what you asking, Summer?”

  “You know…don’t you, Joshua? Come on, if I’m going to help you at all…come clean with me.”

  “Jordan started acting squirrely right after he told me about those papers.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he started carrying around his computer case without his computer. I asked him about it…I even tried finding out what was in it. Ali and Jordan were in the back bedroom and I snuck in to check the case. That was the time your dad showed up at your apartment. I did my best to get rid of him…and get out of the apartment before Jordan realized I was there.”

  “And the flowers and wine?”

  “Nice touch, don’t you think?”

  “Shut up, Joshua. What did you find in the case?”

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Which means he’d hidden it somewhere safe before he got to the apartment.”

  “Maybe that’s what he wanted you to think. What if he hadn’t managed to get the documents out of his office? What if he never brought them home?”

  “Damn! I never thought of that. I’m sure they tore that sucker apart and would have found them if they were hidden in his office. They’re still looking, so they haven’t found them.”

  Summer leaned forward. “Have you checked Jordan’s car?”

  “Son of a bitch! I never thought about it and…I haven’t seen it anywhere around here since he died. I don’t have a fuckin’ clue it is.”

  “You should try to find it. How about his gym locker?”

  “Yeah, I checked it. I had to bring them a flippin’ death certificate before they’d let me clean it out. Assholes! After all that, the papers weren’t there.”

  “Tell me this, how close were Ali and Jordan?”

  “You really want to know…cause it ain’t going to—”

  “Joshua, you know damn well I’m s
ad that Jordan’s dead. But you also better get it into your head we were splitting up. What was his relationship with Ali?”

  “Hot and heavy. She was quite the piece of—”

  “Josh, enough with the—”

  “Okay…okay … just saying. They were like rabbits, couldn’t get enough. He told me to make it look like she was my girl if you happened to come around when Ali was at his place. That didn’t take much since she liked fucking me, too. That girl loved her sex.”

  “You’re a real sleaze, Joshua. Did you happen to go over to her place and see if Jordan had hidden the papers there?”

  “I watched Worthington’s guys leave her apartment empty handed. I waited a bit and went inside. They tore the place to shreds. I did some searching on my own, but found nothing.”

  “So not the gym, not his or Ali’s apartment, and not at his office. We’re running out of real-estate. I wonder when Borden realized Jordan betrayed him and Worthington.”

  “No, Jordan stole those papers from Borden’s office…so he could blackmail Worthington. Borden was manipulating Worthington with those papers. They aren’t working together.”

  “Worthington must know Borden doesn’t have the documents…but there must be something he still has that keeps Worthington in place. You happen to know what that thing is?”

  Running Crane found Summer’s questions genius. He couldn’t have done a better job himself.

  “Your mother was Worthington’s bed partner until…until she switched to Lawrence Borden’s bed. Thing is he just might have asked her to get crap on Worthington…because word is she gave Borden names, dates, and invoices from his many shady deals, and even contract hits. This information was hidden away…and is also missing.”

  “What are you saying? Worthington had proof Borden is not trying to protect Native American land, but stealing it for the gold…and Borden had proof Worthington is nothing more than a wealthy money-grubbing swindler? Now both of them are missing the documents to prove it?”

  “That about explains it. It all pointed at Jordan…but I can’t figure out how he could have gotten—”

  “My mother.”

  “What?”

  Running Crane followed Summer’s reasoning. He had to admit; she’d make a great detective.

  “She’s the common thread between the two men. She’s playing it both ways to discredit my grandmother. It’s all about revenge. It was my mother who introduced me to Jordan. I’m guessing that way she could get the scoop on things happening at the res, Nah’ah, father and me. When Worthington tells her about Borden’s plan to steal gold-laden Native lands, she pays Jordan to steal the core reports with Borden’s signature on them.”

  “No, I was told they had Worthington’s signature.”

  “The way Borden’s sweating it, I’d guess he ordered the core samples, then had the reports typed up with Worthington’s signature. My mother realized Jordan had access to those files so she paid him steal them. Then they showed up missing and that’s why they’re so certain Jordan was the last person to have them. The person with the documents has all the control.”

  “How’d you figure Borden’s mixed up in this?”

  Running Crane moved closer, making his way to the back of the couch.

  “You might say we walked in on Borden and my mother…together. I’ll be honest, we were expecting Worthington and some woman…certainly didn’t expect her to be my mother.”

  “Damn, I would never have guessed that one either.”

  “That’s what he’s counting on. Sit down,” she said, dropping into a chair with her back to the window and his back to the kitchen. “She made a connection with Borden once she realized he also was involved with the land test results.”

  “If she had the documents, she’s have them both by the balls.”

  “Exactly…except someone took them from her…who do you think that was?”

  Running Crane held his breath as silence filled the room.

  “How the hell should I know?” Joshua nearly shouted.

  “We figure that out and we’ll find those documents. Once we get them we can get Nah’ah released, you can get your reward, and this whole ordeal will be over.”

  “How do you figure that? The three of us know the truth and if your mother, Worthington, and Borden want your grandma to look guilty for selling that land from under her people, there’s no way in hell they’re going to let her or any of us live to tell a different story.”

  “Not necessarily. I agree they’re trying to make it look like Nah’ah helped them buy Blackfeet land and process billions worth in gold. If the paperwork is all tidy and in place, there’s nothing anyone can do. It’s a done deal. But think about it…suddenly all those core sample test results and Worthington’s documents show up missing. How’s that possible?”

  Summer had pointed out the most important bit of information in the whole conversation. Running Crane wished Joshua had something to contribute.

  “Damn, I see what you mean. I just don’t know.”

  Summer pressed her fingertips into her forehead. “Who are we forgetting? I think it has to be someone my mother is associated with, because whom ever has them had to have been close enough to get their hands on the evidence without being noticed. You’ve been closer to this whole deal gone-bad since the inception. Who do you think we’re overlooking?”

  Silence filled the room and Running Crane struggled to be patient in his hiding place.

  “Wish I knew. Why don’t you come on out, Running Crane,” Joshua shouted. “I know you have to be round here somewhere.”

  Running Crane stood and moved closer. “And the only way you’d know that is by talking to Borden. Which means you’re really working for him and not Worthington.”

  “No, it means Stuart told me—”

  “Stuart didn’t tell you shit,” Running Crane snapped. “He hasn’t seen you since you murdered his brother and pinned it on Summer.”

  “He tell you that, or are you just guessing like you’ve doing about everything else? I don’t think either of you knows jack shit. It sounds to me like you’re doing nothing but speculating. That ain’t gonna get you those documents.”

  “Sit down, Running Crane, you’re making me nervous hovering over there,” Summer said. “So you talked to Borden?” She glared at Joshua.

  “He…just asked me to keep an eye on you two and let him know if…you find those papers.”

  Running Crane sat next to Summer, facing Joshua. “Since you weren’t upfront with that information we can assume you’re on his payroll, too.”

  “Too?”

  “You think we’re stupid? We know you and Worthington are in bed together. You find all those papers and you can sell them to the highest bidder.”

  “Something like that,” Joshua said.

  “We’ll ignore you have no scruples or class. We need to work together to find those papers so we can get Nah’ah back safe and sound. You can have any amount of money they’re willing to pay…but you even once put my grandmother’s life in danger with your double-crossing ways, you’ll pay. You better be listening and taking me serious. We need to figure out where we go from here?”

  “How’d you know we’d be coming here, Joshua?” Running Crane asked. It seemed the guy managed to always be in the midst of things, yet stay in the background. Did Joshua actually have those papers and was waiting it out…making sure Worthington and Borden would be desperate and he’d get top-dollar for them? Ruling out the possibility wasn’t something Running Crane was willing to do just yet.

  “Good question,” Summer said. “Where’s Candice and…why are you at her house? She could never stand you.”

  “Candice is at work and…we’ve been dating for over a year—”

  “You bastard! So all the time I was pouring out my deepest confessions to Candice…she was telling you everything? How could I not have seen that one coming? So…she was the one telling you and Worthington what was going on at the res through…
me? Everything Nah’ah and my father had shared with me…I told Candice…and she told you?”

  “Yes, but you didn’t know anything about the land deal or Worthington until Jordan was killed,” Running Crane pointed out.

  “True. That must have been a disappointment to you both. Thing is…I didn’t know much of anything.”

  “Except you were going to take care of your grandmother for the summer. Follow you and we know where your grandmother was going to be.”

  “You’re wrong, I didn’t know we were going to stay in a tipi for the summer…oh, but my mother did. You kidnapped Nah’ah for Borden, not Worthington.” Summer stood, hands pressed on her hips. “You couldn’t tell the truth if you wanted to.”

  “We were gentle with her and Stuart had an ax to grind with you, so after we got her into my truck, he went after the two of you. That’s the last time I talked to him.”

  “Yeah, his ax was my killing his brother…something you did—jerk! Finally a bit of truth, who woulda thunk? So where does this leave us? We’re back to asking who we’re forgetting that could have gotten his fingers on those papers without being noticed?”

  “Maybe it’s not a him. How about that mother of yours, Summer?” Joshua suggested.

  Running Crane leaned forward. “If she had those papers, Borden wouldn’t be looking for them. They’re tight and I don’t think she’d be blackmailing him.”

  “Why don’t you go look for Jordan’s car and Summer and I will…where did you put Jordan’s belongings?”

  “It’s all in the basement here, but you won’t find anything there because Candice and I’ve searched every inch of it. We even went and checked the stuff you took back to Browning.”

  “You what? How’d you do that? My father let you do that?” Summer sat back down.

  “He…wasn’t there. All your stuff was piled up on the front porch and someone had gone through it. We…double-checked it, too. We found nothing.”

  “’We?’ As in you and Candice?” Summer asked.

  “Yeah. She was going to say you two were friends and she needed a dress you borrowed and hoped it was among your stuff. But he was nowhere around.”