Whispering Spirits

by Rita Karnopp

  Running Crane drew in a breath and the smell of pizza baking made his stomach growl. “I would think your father wouldn’t just sit back and wonder who kidnapped his mother. He’d be doing anything to find her.”

  “How would he have known?” Joshua asked. “The three of you were supposed to be at that summer camp for three or more months. The only one who’d know something was wrong is the supply pilot. From what I understand he isn’t due to the site for another week or so.”

  “Who did Nah’ah hire to deliver those supplies?” Running Crane asked.

  “Your brother, Terry, if I’m not mistaken.”

  Running Crane closed his eyes a moment, then quickly opened them. “Think about that for a second. If Nah’ah hired me to bring the three of us to the summer camp and then hired Terry to replenish our supplies—”

  “That means Terry isn’t part of this nightmare and he didn’t know about those cores when he was transporting logs,” Summer said.

  “Exactly.”

  “What you two talking about, exactly?”

  “Nothing much, except…Candice tells you Summer is taking care of her grandmother for the summer. You tell Worthington who then learns about the chopper trip and has Nah’ah kidnapped. Borden finds out through your mother but I’m not sure how that works because I don’t really think Borden and Worthington are partners. We’re missing a big piece of this puzzle and that’s why nothing seems to fit together. Could this get any more complicated? We’re no further ahead than we were seconds ago.” Running Crane worked the tie on his braid.

  Summer stretched, stood and looked out the window at the quiet street. “This whole thing is one big betrayal after another. I want to know where my father is and I want Nah’ah back. Put plain and simple, I want this nightmare to be over.”

  “Okay,” Running Crane said. “Joshua, Heaven help you if you betray us. I’ll make sure the BIA crawls up your ass so far they’ll see your tonsils. You locate Jordan’s car and see what you can find. Take the damn thing apart if you have to.”

  “What you two going to be doing?”

  “We’re going to contact my brother, Terry, and see if it leads anywhere. I’ll call a couple members of the Tribal Council in Browning, see if they’ve heard from John Timber Wolf. Someone has to know something.”

  Running Crane didn’t miss the nervous twitch on Joshua’s jaw. “You look like you’ve swallowed your words, Josh. Spit it out because if I find out you’ve held back, you’ll pay.”

  “It’s…it’s just that…Candice didn’t come home last night.”

  “I thought you said a bit ago she was at work? Do you know how to tell the truth?” Summer walked back toward the men.

  “She’s your friend, isn’t she? I’d think you’d care if she was missing.”

  “Was. I think that ended the minute she betrayed our friendship. You think it’s connected to your lack of results?”

  “Worthington hasn’t contacted me…I…was supposed to have called him yesterday, but I didn’t have anything new to tell him…and shit! It seemed like easy money for a few pieces of paper.”

  Running Crane stood and walked across the room toward the garage door. “Drop Summer and me off at a car rental and get your ass out there and find Jordan’s car. If we’re lucky you’ll find those papers and we’ll all get back what we want.”

  “You’re not using that sweet ride you just drove into the garage? Hell, I’ll drive it.”

  “Don’t think of touching it unless you want Borden’s men on your tail.”

  “You stole Borden’s car. Damn, your ass is in trouble.”

  “Borrowed it…we borrowed it,” Summer smirked. “Maybe you should stay here in case they contact you about Candice?”

  “I don’t think they will…or they would have by now. The message is clear.”

  Running Crane heard the tremble in his voice. It seemed a shocker the man actually cared about someone other than himself.

  “They want to make you sweat.” Summer said.

  “I waited all night and haven’t heard a thing. When you guys showed up, I thought it was either Borden or Worthington’s guys coming to rough me up. You have no idea how surprised I was to see you.”

  “Why didn’t you ask about Candice when Borden called you to keep an eye on us?” Running Crane took a few steps back in Joshua’s direction. “Candice really hasn’t been kidnapped, has she? You wanted us to think you’ve been compromised…that makes you one of us. You needed to find out if we really knew where those papers were…and to get a good handle on what we do and don’t know.”

  “Is that true, Joshua? You bastard! Candice is at work, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah, guess she is. But you gotta understand, I’m being pressured…and I need to find those papers…or…they’re pinning Derek and Stuart’s deaths on me. They say they got proof and what proof they don’t have they’ll provide. I’m looking at life. I…I can’t go to prison.”

  “Well, some of the truth is finally coming out. Why not just be honest with us?” Running Crane shook his head in frustration.

  “Cause…I did kill Derek. I hit him over the head twice with that fry pan after Summer scrambled over to Jordan. The double-crossing bastard killed my brother and I let him have it. She had her back to me and never even noticed. But, I’m telling you right now, I didn’t have anything to do with Stuart’s death.”

  Running Crane wondered if this was Joshua’s attempt at finding out if Stuart was in fact dead. “What if I tell you Summer and I both know Stuart isn’t in the picture anymore?”

  “You saying you killed him?” Joshua asked.

  “I’m saying he’s out of commission, and we know you didn’t kill him.”

  “You’ll testify to that?”

  “We will if you don’t cross us again. We catch you in one more lie and you’ll go down for killing Stuart.” Running Crane gave Summer a quick glance, then glared back at Joshua.

  “Then I guess you might want to know they have John Timber Wolf, too.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Summer hurried back to Running Crane’s side. “What do you mean they have my father, too?” She glared at a man she never liked much, and disliked even more now.

  “Uh…well just after you left with your grandmother, Worthington had his guys get your father and—”

  “Where’d they take him, Joshua? Why?”

  “Don’t shoot the messenger. I heard they took him and Kevin Wild Horse to some logging camp where they’re clearing the land for mining. Guess it’s someplace on Blackfeet land. They needed them to…make it look legit, I guess.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us this before? You said my father wasn’t at the house…you knew…I have no words. Get out of my sight.”

  “I didn’t have to tell you at all. You said if I…was honest, you’d make sure you’d have my back. I told you what I know.”

  Summer drew in a breath and slowly released it. “You’re right. That was information we needed to know. Is there anything else you think might be worth sharing?”

  Joshua looked down at his shoes and then back up. “Your grandmother’s been moved to the same place.”

  “By the same place, you mean the logging camp north of Browning? Who’s doing the people shuffle, Worthington or Borden?”

  “You see, now that’s where I’m getting confused. I was sure Worthington was behind the kidnappings, yet Borden seems to be calling the shots. They’re working together but I think they’ve got a power-play going on.”

  “The first one to get their hands on all that paperwork will be in charge. They need each other to pull this thing off, but neither like taking orders from the other. I get it.” Summer glared at Joshua.

  “So who do you plan on giving those papers to when you find them?” Running Crane asked.

  “I’m leaning toward Borden since he’s from Montana and has a lot of connections.”

  “Whose name is on the land deal?” Summer asked.

  “I don�
��t know. I haven’t seen those papers. I’m thinking it’s Worthington.”

  “That would make sense, since Borden said nothing can be traced back to him.” Running Crane drank some water. “That’s why Borden had your mother get the scoop on Worthington. He can control the man without looking guilty.”

  “If my mother got the goods on Worthington, why wouldn’t she know where those papers are? Wouldn’t she have given them directly to Borden? Did someone steal them from Borden after he had them?” Summer’s mind reeled at the possibilities. Joshua was right; most everything they knew was more of a guess than factual.

  “You need to go find Jordan’s car. In the meantime Summer and I are going to sit down and do some fact-finding. Things just aren’t adding up. We’re missing something and if we don’t sit down and think this thing through, we’re going to miss it completely.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t be telling Worthington or Borden I’m working with you. They’ll shoot me on sight.”

  “Just keep in mind who’s going to try and keep your ass out of prison, Joshua.” Running Crane sat back on the couch and shook his head. “I’m not making any promises, but if you don’t help us, you can count on spending time in prison.”

  Summer went back and sat on the other end of the couch across from Running Crane. “What time does Candice get home from work?”

  “A bit after five, why?”

  “We’ll be gone before she gets home. Don’t tell here we’re here.” Running Crane dug through a stack of papers on the coffee table until he uncovered a notepad and pen, then settled back into the oversized cushions.

  “Why?”

  “What she doesn’t know…she won’t be able to share with anyone. You might keep that in mind if Worthington or Borden were to get ahold of her.”

  “I get your point.” Joshua slammed the front door behind him.

  “You think he’ll call Candice the minute he’s out of eyesight?” Summer asked.

  “If he’s smart, he’ll keep her out of this as much as he can. Could she be the missing link?”

  “Candice? I don’t think so…we met in my forensics class and realized we lived barely blocks from each other. We shared…so much.” Summer paused and stared through the leaves of the tree and found it soothing. She brought up the steady beating of drums in her mind…and drew strength from them. “I wouldn’t have guessed she was after information about Nah’ah and my father. All my new friends here in Missoula were…using me. I don’t know how I didn’t see it.”

  “I know it seems that way. You know you can trust me.”

  Summer smiled and nodded. “Let’s get our heads around this thing. It started with Nah’ah finding out Worthington was buying that land instead of leasing it. Do you think Kevin Wild Horse told her what was going on?”

  “I’m not convinced he was taking money for himself, but wanted Worthington or Borden to believe he was willing to accept kickbacks. I think he did that so he could find out what they were up to. I think Kevin told Nah’ah and together they conspired to find proof.” Running Crane turned and leaned his back against the side cushion.

  “You think Kevin encouraged Bradley to get involved with Domonique in order to get the proof he wasn’t privy to? I believed him when he said he was undercover.”

  “I’m wondering if Jordan uncovered something he didn’t expect. He hid the documents because he didn’t want to be a part of what was going on. Joshua decided they could blackmail for more money. This put them in a dangerous position.”

  Summer gave his comment some consideration. “We need to figure out…what if…” She jumped to her feet. “Running Crane…what if the empty computer bag was Jordan’s way of saying we should find his computer?”

  “I get your drift. Why carry around an empty computer case? All of Jordan’s things are in the basement. Come on.” He led the way into the kitchen and looked around for a door.

  Summer glanced over at the garage door, then noticed a stairway to the right. “It looks like it’s this way,” she said. By the time she flipped the switch, Running Crane had stepped in front to take the lead.

  “Would you look at this pile of stuff? This could take all day.”

  “We have about three hours before Candice gets home. It should be easier now that we know what we’re looking for. You start on the backside and I’ll start here. Joshua’s right, they’ve torn through everything. Let’s give this some thought. My father verified the computer bag was empty when he was at my apartment. That tells me he either hid it somewhere…before or after he got to my place.”

  “Are you saying you don’t think he would have hidden his computer at his place?”

  “He was a smart guy. What makes more sense than hiding something of value right in plain sight? I don’t think he hid it at all. Thing is, with his death and my finishing school…our normal living areas changed dramatically. It would have been difficult to notice if anything was missing.”

  “That’s true. You didn’t notice Jordan’s computer at your place?” Running Crane pulled a box out from under a pile of clothes and opened it.

  “My father helped me toss my stuff into his car without much tidiness. He sent me immediately to the chopper before I even had a chance to unpack much less pack for my summer with Nah’ah.”

  “So even if your belongings were searched, they wouldn’t be looking for Jordan’s computer. If we don’t find it here, we need to go to your dad’s house and check through your stuff.”

  “I agree.” Summer didn’t feel comfortable going through all Jordan’s belongings. They kept at it for two solid hours before realizing Jordan’s computer wasn’t in the pile.

  She stretched her back and looked over at Running Crane. “Well, guess we’re heading for Browning, huh? You think we have time to shower. I’ll borrow a change of clothes from Candice and you can find something among this pile to change into.”

  “That’s the best idea you’ve had all day.” He led the way upstairs. “We’ll grab some food and eat on the way. We should get there around nine.”

  * * *

  Summer pulled on a white jacket she took from the closet. She didn’t feel guilty for choosing Candice’s favorite eight dollar jeans or the sixty dollar, pale yellow, silk blouse. She glanced over at Running Crane’s clean jeans and tee-shirt and nodded in approval. “You’re right, this was the best idea I’ve had all day. We can park Borden’s baby a couple blocks from Enterprise Rent-a-Car and walk there. Unfortunately if anyone spots it, they’ll know we rented a car.”

  “We’ll leave Borden’s car out front of his headquarters. I’ll have one of my friends meet us there with a car.”

  “I like that idea. It’s kinda in-your-face.” She walked over to the window and peeked between the blinds out at the street. “Hey, we need to leave right now. Candice is parking on the street.” Following Running Crane, she raced to the garage.

  They waited to hear the front door close before hitting the garage door opener, start the car and race away before she could see who was in her house.

  “I’ll bet she’s one upset, scared woman. Then again, being around Joshua it might not be all that strange.” Running Crane laughed. He pulled out his cellphone, punched in a few numbers. “Meet me outside Borden’s headquarters with an unmarked car. Can’t miss us…think Packer yellow.”

  * * *

  Summer opened her eyes and was surprised to find they’d just pulled to a stop in front of her house. No lights shone…and the fact her father wasn’t there struck her hard.

  “I’m sorry I fell asleep and didn’t help keep you awake.” She didn’t want to say what really was on her mind.

  “I wasn’t tired. Besides, it gave me time to think. I’m more than anxious to look through your stuff and see if you have Jordan’s computer. We’ll get a lot of answers once we find those papers.”

  “I agree.” Summer opened the car door and immediately heard drums beating in the night. “I think we’re being warned.”

  �
��Warned?”

  “Don’t you hear the drums? Every time I hear them…it’s like I’m being told to be careful or hide. It’s like the time we dropped to the ground when Stuart and Bradley were walking by. I heard them again and I looked out and thought I saw you at the tree line at StoneHouse. I don’t understand it…but I’m starting to believe Nah’ah when she said my ancestors want to help me. I’m starting to listen to them.”

  “You have no idea how good that makes me feel. I know you’ve been pulling away from the People for a long time. It saddened me because I could never go down that path…and I wanted you in my life.”

  “How come you never came to me? Why didn’t you give me some sign that you were interested?” She stopped at the front steps, turned and looked at Running Crane. He moved in close and she held still. He lowered his head and she stretched her neck to meet him half-way. The tenderness he kissed her with sent longing way beyond mere kissing. She wanted him…all of him. He pulled away and already she missed him.

  “To answer your question, I did try to let you know I was interested. You weren’t having anything to do with me. You weren’t exactly the easiest person to try and be close to.”

  Summer couldn’t help laughing. “I guess you have a point there. I really did have my mind set when it came to you. I think I was protecting myself from admitting I found you handsome and charismatic.”

  “Did you just use charismatic in describing me?” He laughed and led the way up the stairs. “Is this heap all yours?”

  Summer looked over the clothes and personal items piled high, filling one side of the enclosed porch. “Wonder if they had fun going through all my stuff. I feel violated somehow.”

  “Would you rather go through them yourself?”

  Summer glanced over at Running Crane and realized she’d somehow offended him. “I really didn’t mean you…just those thugs that ripped through just about everything I own. Why don’t you flip on that light by the doorbell and we’ll get at it.” Summer crawled to the back side and the most disgusting whiff filled her senses. Fear engulfed her. “Inn,” she cried out.