by Mark Reps
Zeb sipped his tea. He felt completely numb.
Doreen knew uncertainty and loss all too well. Zeb’s words hung over her like the clouds clinging to the face of Mount Graham.
THE END
Free Book from Mark Reps
I hope you enjoyed these novels in the Zeb Hanks Mystery Series. If you liked books 1-3, you’ll love NATIVE ROOTS, a prequel to the Zeb Hanks Series. This two-part novella explores Zeb’s roots as a young man and his early law enforcement career as a border patrol agent and Tucson policeman. Click here to get NATIVE ROOTS for FREE.
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Also by Mark Reps
ZEB HANKS MYSTERY SERIES
NATIVE BLOOD
HOLES IN THE SKY
ADIÓS ÁNGEL
NATIVE JUSTICE
NATIVE BONES
NATIVE WARRIOR
NATIVE EARTH
NATIVE DESTINY
NATIVE TROUBLE
NATIVE ROOTS (PREQUEL NOVELLA)
THE ZEB HANKS MYSTERY SERIES 1-3
AUDIOBOOK
NATIVE BLOOD
HOLES IN THE SKY
ADIÓS ÁNGEL
OTHER BOOKS
BUTTERFLY (WITH PUI CHOMNAK)
HEARTLAND HEROES
About the Author
Mark Reps has been a writer and storyteller his whole life. Born in small-town southeastern Minnesota, he trained as a mathematician and chiropractor but never lost his love of telling or writing a good story. As an avid desert wilderness hiker, Mark spends a great deal of time roaming the desert and other terrains of southeastern Arizona. A chance meeting with an old time colorful sheriff led him to develop the Zeb Hanks character and the world that surrounds him.
To learn more, check out his website www.markreps.com, his AllAuthor profile, or any of the profiles below. To join his mailing list for new release information and more click here.
NATIVE JUSTICE - Chapter 1
The air on Mount Graham was crisp and clear. Sun rays refracted off Riggs Lake. A quiet breeze cooled the mid-afternoon warmth. The day was even more perfect than Doreen had dreamed. Finally it was here—her wedding day with Zeb.
Doreen carried a bouquet of mountain wildflowers in her hands. A lapis necklace adorned her neck. Zeb had stopped the truck on the way up the mountain to grab an orange flower for her hair. He had noticed it because a swirl of butterflies had congregated around a small patch of the beautiful native wildflowers.
The wedding site at Riggs Lake was under a thatch decorated with a multitude of sunflowers for happiness and ears of corn for renewal. Apache Medicine Man, Song Bird, had brought his Apache violin, a cowhide, spears, hand woven baskets and two colorful water jugs. The vessels were strategically placed to create an east facing altar.
Song Bird stood before the small gathering and began the ceremony. He offered up a traditional Apache prayer to the Ga’an spirits of the mountains.
“May the living and eternal spirits of Doreen Nightingale and Zebulon Hanks be forever joined in harmony and peace.” An eagle feather and talon hung from a thin white string behind the Medicine Man. “The eagle is the sacred bird of the Apache. It represents our blessed ancestors,” continued Song Bird.
Deputy Kate Steele stood between Josh Diamond and Eskadi Black Robes. She was being drawn toward one of these men and pulling away from the other. Eskadi’s hard political stance was beginning to wear on her. The longer he served as tribal chairman for the San Carlos Apache Reservation the more radical he seemed to become. The time was coming for her to choose one or the other. On this day, in these surroundings, clarity was much easier to grasp.
Former Sheriff Jake Dablo thought of how alcohol and the loss of his granddaughter had ruined his marriage. His own wedding day seemed lifetimes ago. He knew that being a sheriff’s wife was no piece of cake. Jake also believed in his heart that Doreen was tough enough to endure whatever might come her way. He knew she was an exceptional woman.
Even though the event was meant to be small, the Courier had sent a photographer. After all, the county sheriff and a local business owner getting married by an Apache Medicine Man on top of controversial Mount Graham made for a good lead story. Arlene Knish, the reporter and photographer, knew that Sheriff Hanks’ marriage to an outsider, especially one who was not a member of his faith, would create another story involving the upcoming county sheriff’s election.
Yet it was clear that nothing was going to spoil the day for Doreen and Zeb who literally, at 8,000 feet, were on cloud nine. The magic of the moment could not help but permeate all those who had the honor of being present for the ceremony.
“We face east because it is the direction that represents the sun, the moon, the stars, the darkness and the day,” explained Song Bird. “The first thing traditionally faced upon rising is the sun. It is like waking up with God.” He looked intently at Doreen and Zeb. “Please turn your palms upward.”
Zeb and Doreen smiled as they turned their palms to the sky.
“Now turn one complete circle in a clockwise direction,” Song Bird further instructed. “The rotation of our bodies is like that of the earth and honors the Ga’an.”
Near the side of the lake Song Bird noticed a coyote, an animal that mates for life. He knew this was a good omen. Song Bird began to chant a wedding prayer in Athabascan. He blessed them with sacred cattail pollen.
“Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other. Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your oneness. May your days be good and long upon the earth.”
In one of the tall pines a crow cawed four times. To Song Bird this was another good omen. He knew the crow brought messages from beyond time and space. It represented the highest order of things known and unknown.
“Doreen and Zeb would like to thank all of you for your friendship and guidance,” Song Bird continued. “Let us all bless them in their life together.”
At that moment, four Apache Ga’an crown dancers with bells attached to their waists appeared, as if by magic, from behind some tall pines.
“These four dancers represent the mountain spirits. Four is a sacred number. Four represents the seasons, the directions, the stages of life and the eagle, butterfly, bear and roadrunner,” explained Song Bird.
The moment he stopped speaking the dancers began to move to the beat of distant drums. As they finished, the wedding guests began the trek down Mount Graham to the Town Talk Diner for Zeb and Doreen’s reception. Song Bird sat and pondered the beauty of two people uniting in love. As he got up to leave, an owl hooted. The sound stopped him in his tracks. A bad omen ended the otherwise perfect day.
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