by M. K. Coker
Russell, Laura Connor. Childhood friend, basketball teammate, and college roommate of Karen Okerlund Mehaffey. She is the wife of Deputy Walter Russell and mother of three boys. Works as an elementary-school teacher in Reunion.
Russell, Walter “Walrus.” Day-shift deputy in the Eda County Sheriff’s Office. Originally from Aleford in Eda County and married to Laura Connor. Father of three boys. Pheasant hunter and gun enthusiast.
Schaeffer, Marsha. Social worker based out of Sioux Falls. Visits Eda County only once a week.
Solberg, Annika “Nikki” Forsgren. Adopted daughter of Elmer Forsgren, a distant cousin of Karen and Marek. Biological daughter of the Eder Brethren. Made up her surname on leaving for California after high school. Artist and school teacher in Reunion. Lives off Okerlund Road in a former one-room schoolhouse. Tutors Becca Okerlund in art. In a tentative relationship with Marek Okerlund.
Sommervold, Agent. Female half of “The Seasons,” top guns from the FBI resident agency in Sioux Falls. A native of South Dakota.
Tisher, Norm “Tish.” He is the Eda County coroner, with no medical training other than that gleaned as a local mortician. A native of North Dakota.
Two Fingers, Deputy. Swing-shift deputy with the Eda County Sheriff’s Office. Mixed maternal heritage of Dakota (Santee), Nakota (Yankton), Mandan, and Arikara. Father unknown (Caucasian). Mother enrolled at Flandreau Reservation in South Dakota but Two Fingers does not meet the blood quantum requirement. Dartmouth graduate and former Air Force pilot.
Van Eck, Adam. Reserve deputy on the night shift for the Eda County Sheriff’s Office. Former Broadway actor who continues his passion in Sioux Falls.
White, Dr. Oscar Micheaux. Forensic pathologist and native of Sioux Falls. Named for African-American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who homesteaded in South Dakota.
Wintersgill, Agent. Male half of “The Seasons,” top guns from the FBI resident agency in Sioux Falls. A New England native.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M.K. Coker grew up on a river bluff in southeastern South Dakota. Part of the Dakota diaspora, the author has lived in half a dozen states, but returns to the prairie at every opportunity. Website: www.mkcoker.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As always, my deepest thanks (and sympathies!) go to my long-suffering editor Stefanie Spangler Buswell, proofreader Susie Driver, and beta readers Marjory Coker, Kelli Lapour Cotter, Sheila Molony, and Cherié Wieble. And to Lynn McNamee of Red Adept Editing, who always seems to take missed deadlines in stride!