Callen made notes. “He actually came onto the Rez and took you away?” That was a big violation of Steppapaw’s ethnic rights, since the reservation had its own law enforcement agency. It looked like Tony missed that part of the orientation too.
Again, Tyrell apologized. “It’s why the charges were dropped, right?”
The chief nodded. “He broke the law himself, and we opted to let it go. The wrongs canceled each other out.”
Elizabeth pushed on. “And that’s the last time you saw him?”
He nodded. “Yes. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go, and since this is irrelevant to my life now. I have some things to tend to, and I don’t have time for this outsider bullshit, even if it’s served up by our brothers.”
The man nodded at the chief and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
“You’ll have to excuse him,” stated Runningwolf. “We don’t exactly have excellent relations with people in the surrounding communities,” he said.
Tyrell spoke up, “I would like that to change, Chief. I’m new at this, and I believe that I could learn a lot from you, and we could carry on a good relationship. Your land is part of our town, so we’re neighbors.”
The man smiled easily. “I appreciate your offer, Sheriff.”
Elizabeth hated to bust up the love fest, but she didn't want them putting the cart in front of the horse. She still had to question the man in front of her, and for all they knew, he was a homicidal maniac.
“You also had an altercation with one of the men who have gone missing, Chief Runningwolf.”
The man focused on her. “Who?”
She promptly pulled up the photo of Herman Peterson. The man in front of them instantly recognized him. It was clearly on his face.
“I am sorry that this man is missing, but surely you don’t think I could have something to do with this,” he began.
“Again, we’re covering our bases,” stated Whitefox.
“Care to tell us what happened?” Elizabeth asked.
“Certainly, Director. I was at the burial grounds, honoring my ancestors in a yearly memorial when I saw him. He was walking through the markers and taking pictures. At first, I ignored him, but as he started moving things, I had to intercede. I asked him to stop when he told me that he was just trying to get a better picture, and that certain colors worked better in this light, I called for assistance.”
“Then what?” Elizabeth asked.
“He was removed from the land and threatened with trespassing. We deserve respect, especially when it comes to those that have come before us.”
She didn't disagree in the least, and understood where he was coming from.
“That was the last and only time I saw him.”
Elizabeth leaned back in her chair. “Well, he’s missing.”
“Again, that’s a shame, but I didn't harm him. I simply asked him to be removed. That is all. I was clearly within my rights”
“You mentioned earlier that Jason Walters was no longer part of your tribe, why?”
The man looked uncomfortable. “I don’t like to discuss private business,” he said.
Elizabeth didn't really care what he liked, as long as he sung like a canary. “He’s part of our suspect list in the murder of Jefferson Harris.”
He sighed. “He assaulted someone.”
Oh, that had their attention.
Ethan urged him to continue, “Who?”
“His parents both passed away, and he was living with a woman here on the Rez. They got drunk, had a brawl, and he was arrested. After, he was angry that we took the outsider woman’s side, and he walked away from his roots, so to speak.”
Fascinating.
The man had a temper and assaulted someone. This lined up with what Barbara Harris said. He definitely had moved to the head of the list.
“That’s all,” the chief said.
Callen leaned forward. “You said in your call, that you were glad we were coming because you needed to see us. What about?”
The man stood and went to the table across the room. On it was a large board and an object wrapped in black bag. “One of our people was out fishing and this was found alongside the river bed yesterday.”
When he pulled the plastic from the object, they all stared at it in horror.
“It’s a femur,” stated Blackhawk. He could identify it, because he had six more back at the morgue, and unlike those, it was missing its mate.
“We assumed that it was, and since no one is missing from our community, we thought that you would like to have it.”
Have it? Did the man just blow it off like he found a bunch of seashells at the beach? She was speechless.
Elizabeth needed to see if there was more where that came from. In fact, she was officially ready to dredge the entire damn river at this point. If the chief thought that handing her a bone, like a lollipop, was going to get her to go away, he had another thing coming.
“Can you show us where you found that?” she asked, pointing at the bone. “If there are more, we may be able recover them.”
“I can and will show you, Director. I firmly believe that you need to put these pieces together and let the spirits be free to head home.”
Yeah, in the back of her mind, she prayed there wasn’t going to be a hell of a lot of pieces. In fact, she was hoping this was the only remains that they were going to find.
Then, she thought back to what was still missing from the bodies that they had recovered. There had to be tons of bones yet to be located.
If the killer was using the river on the Rez, this was going to be a long and messy job of recovery.
“Ethan, can you mobilize everyone we have? We’re going to have to do this the hard way and pitch in to get it done.”
Something about his pregnant wife playing in corpses struck an ugly cord with him, and brought back nasty memories. From the look on Callen’s face, he two was going there in his mind.
“Sure thing, baby.”
“Okay Chief,” she said, standing. “You lead the way.”
The man nodded and headed out of the room with the woman following.
Callen leaned over to whisper in her ear as they headed into the unknown, “This is going to be a bad one.”
She nodded. “I think we got off easy. Think of the person that once owned that leg.”
~ Chapter Sixteen ~
Two Hours Later
Standing around the water, Ethan Blackhawk was taking no chances. He called in the entire team to do the search, and Tyrell had alerted the divers. They would be there shortly.
They were going in, expecting the worst case and hoping for the best.
As he glanced over at his wife, she was scanning the area and giving the tech team some instructions on how to handle the dangerous situation.
“See that big black area over there,” she said, pointing to a swirling mess beside the land. When they all nodded, she continued. “That water is the blackest for a reason. It’s a sink hole. It’s going to be wicked deep and pull you under. Stay away from it.”
There was grumblings from the techs, to let them just do their job.
Elizabeth gave them all a look. “I’m only giving you the wealth of my knowledge. I grew up in this river, and you don’t want to die here.”
The team went about working and digging through the brush for more parts of the victim. The entire time, Elizabeth kept her eyes on them, warily. As a kid, she had spent many a hot day, swimming in these waters, and knew how dangerous they were. It unnerved her that they didn't seem to be taking her serious. If anything, they appeared to be fascinated with the color of the water.
There were old Native tales on why it was that dark. Some said it was because of the souls it had claimed, and others spoke of the evil that lurked in its depths. In truth, the only reason that it was that black color was because of the fallen trees and all the debris that was rotting in its depths. The locals may have wanted to believe that it was the hand of d
eath in there, but it wasn’t.
Then again, Charlie LaRue had pulled many a drowning victim out of their waters when she was a child. Considering the circumstances, there may be something to that theory.
Growing up, her daddy didn't want her swimming there, but it never stopped her.
Why?
Because kids thought they were invincible.
Now, she saw how stupid it had been, and that same ignorance was present on the faces of a tech team who believed this was just some hick warning.
Her gut, like the river, was stirred up.
As she watched from the perimeter of the river, one eye was on the team and the other on the man who had brought them there. He was sitting on a rock and looked distressed. Walking over to him, she interrupted his thinking.
“Chief, are you okay?”
The man shook his head. “So many people have negative ideas about our tribe as it is. This is going to make us look bad. You and I both know we’re going to be blamed for dumping remains here.”
“We’ll know the truth and that’s what matters. I’ll find who did and the facts will come out,” she answered. “I will get the victims justice and prove that your tribe is innocent, if that’s the truth.”
He stared into her eyes. “You have a very old soul.”
She laughed. “Today, I have a very old body too.”
Chief Runningwolf touched her on the forehead. “No, you joke about it, but your soul has seen much and is wise beyond its years.”
Maybe death did that to you, or maybe it was people who you surrounded yourself with, that had that effect. One way or the other, the man was probably right.
“I need a drink,” he said.
“I have water in our car.”
That made him laugh. “I meant more of an alcoholic one. I think I may leave you to this mess and head to the local establishment.”
Elizabeth was about to send him on his way, when suddenly, there was a shout and then screaming.
Elizabeth turned her head, only to watch Veronica, their head tech, splashing headlong into the water.
Exactly where she told her NOT to go.
“She can’t swim!” shouted a tech.
Everyone began running towards the water, but Elizabeth was right there. Without hesitating, she dropped her gun and toed off her boots. Before Ethan or Callen could get to her side, she dove in and went towards the black murky area where Veronica had just disappeared.
Slicing through the water easily, she went after her. All the memories of her youth returned as she was blinded by the murky darkness. With her hands, she felt around until she found flesh and pulled. It wasn’t easy to fight the current and the debris, but she managed to drag her up. There was so much stuff down there to get caught on. Pushing off the bottom, her arm brushed something large as she fought to get her tech to the surface.
Debris stirred around them wickedly.
Once breaking the water, she saw Callen and Ethan not far from her wading towards them. As soon as they got to her, Callen grabbed Veronica and helped pull her towards the shore.
Blackhawk was finally able to breathe again. “Holy shit! Are you seriously trying to make me have a heart attack?”
“You should be pointing that anger at your head tech, Ethan,” she said, wading towards the shore. Callen already had a shivering Veronica sitting on the bank, and Chris Leonard was at her side, checking her pulse.
“You went right into that sink hole!” Ethan wasn’t letting it go.
Elizabeth was well aware, but what choice did she have. “Ethan, I was the only on that grew up around this water. It’s like a maze under the surface. She got sucked down and disorientated. I was perfectly fine.”
Callen wandered over and the look on his face said it all. Elizabeth braced for the next person to start on her, and she honestly hoped that it would be quick.
“Angel, here, take my jacket,” he said, pulling it off and wrapping it around her shoulders. “Thank God you’re okay.”
She had to admit that when he didn't start bitching, she was a little surprised. In her mind, Elizabeth expected both men to give her grief.
“Thank you, Callen.” And she didn't mean just for the dry clothes.
Blackhawk could feel this anger building and opted to walk away from them. If he didn't, there would be an explosion. Already, he could feel it brewing.
As he left, Callen put his arms around her to warm her up. “I was scared shitless when you went in.”
Her teeth began to chatter.
“Maybe you should go sit in the Navigator and try to warm up,” he said, gently stroking her cheek. “I’ll check on Veronica and then see if Ethan’s going to be okay.”
Elizabeth knew he was trying to take the heat. Over the last few months, Ethan’s temper had become something of a dangerous thing, and most of it stemmed around him becoming super overprotective. Since he was abducted, he honestly had a fear that the people he loved could, and would be too. This was just one more parting gift from Patrick Parrish. It touched her that Callen was willing to face him down to keep her out of the line of fire, but she knew Ethan wouldn’t hurt her.
“I’ll check on him.”
Callen took a deep breath, trying to regain his bearings. “Call me if you need me.”
She patted his cheek, and then went up on her bootless toes to kiss him on the lips, despite the no kiss-y face rule. “I love you, Cal.”
He grinned at her and returned the sentiment. “You’re my angel.”
Elizabeth watched him walk over to where he had taken off his boots when he was going to dive in after her. She was lucky to have a man who would give her that little trust and not freak out. Ethan had been like that at one time, now she just needed to stay calm and try to see it from his perspective.
With the erratic emotions that he couldn’t rein in, it had to be driving him insane. The man loved control freaking things to death, and he didn't even have the ability to keep it in check.
Her poor Ethan.
Grabbing her boots and his, she wandered over to find him. Wordlessly, she sat beside him and placed his boots there.
“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to find words to express how he felt about the entire thing. “I didn't mean to bark at you, and especially in front of our team.”
Elizabeth wasn’t going to make him jump through hoops to get forgiveness, especially since there was nothing to really apologize for.
“Ethan, I’m not upset with you.”
He looked over at her and his eyes appeared to be tortured. There were demons there, and he didn't hide anything. “I saw you go in, and all I thought was you were going to die. My child was going to die, and then I was going to…” He swallowed, unable to say anymore.
She ran her hand gently over his wet jeans in reassurance. “I’m not going anywhere. I couldn’t let our tech drown, and I was the closest and most familiar with the water.”
He nodded and pointed at his head. “In here, I get that, but in here,” he pointed at his heart, “I get really scared that I’m going to lose you. It wraps around me and suffocates the logic from my body.”
She understood. He was still trying to find his footing, and Elizabeth wasn’t going to give him hell over it. Yeah, lately he was over possessive, overprotective, and over the edge, but who wouldn’t be after what he survived. He honestly believed that he was going to lose it all, and there were moments where he dug in and held on a little too tight.
“I hate slipping back there,” he admitted. “It makes me weak,” Blackhawk admitted.
Taking his hand in hers, she ran her fingers over his wedding band before placing his hand over her stomach. “I think that you’re fine just the way you are, Ethan. I don’t mind the man you are now. It’s kind of nice to feel that kind of protection. It makes me feel all safe and loved.”
He glanced over at her, lifting a brow. “Did the real Elizabeth get swapped out somehow?”
She snorted. “When you get all possessiv
e it turns me on,” she offered, trying to ease his self-loathing.
“Really?” He needed the truth, and Ethan trusted her to give him just that.
“I’ll admit this once, and once only. When you’re all territorial, it’s nice. Sometimes, I get tired of having to be bad ass, Elizabeth Blackhawk. There are times when I don’t mind knowing that if I want to coast through the day, you’ll be there to make sure that we’re safe.”
Ethan glanced down at his hand on her belly. “I really like the name Charlie. If we have a girl, she better be just like you. I’d take twenty little Elizabeths running around.”
“Did you hit your head?” she asked, snickering. Yeah, the storm had passed, and Ethan was back in control. It gave her peace that she finally had her footing and was learning how to deal with it. Instead of anger, calm understanding was healing them both.
“Don’t tell anyone that I like you bossy. It’ll ruin my rep. In fact, don’t tell Callen. It only works for you.”
Grinning, he was about to say something sexual, when they heard their names being shouted.
“You have to see this!” called a tech, racing towards them.
The panic and excitement said it all.
“We were using long rods to probe, and we found something!”
Both Blackhawks followed him. When they got close to the river, Callen looked horrified. Immediately, he tried to stop her from looking.
That was a bad sign right off the top.
Chief Runningwolf was chanting and praying in his native tongue off in a corner.
Okay, that was even more distressing.
When they reached the embankment, they stared at the water. It was punctuated with bobbing clear bags.
Inside, there appeared to be... faces.
“Are those,” she began, unsure if she was seeing things correctly. As soon as she saw the dead eyes, staring back from one bag, she turned and buried her face in Callen’s shirt. God, she hated that empty stare.
“I have you, angel,” reassured Callen, as he watched a tech use one of the poles to push one towards shore.
As it got closer, Ethan grabbed a pair of gloves a tech held out to him. Carefully reaching into the water, he extricated the bloated bag and stared at it in his hands.
Consumed by Wrath: An FBI/Romance Thriller (An FBI/Romance Thriller ~ Book 8) Page 41