by TM Simmons
"Perhaps she's trying to replace her own children."
"Perhaps." Gagewin sighed and sat back down. "But a huge stack of perhaps and maybes are all we have right now. We can spend days or weeks going down each path, trying to figure out this entity. By then, how many more will be gone? She won't stop. You know that as well as I do."
"Yes," Keoman agreed.
"The problems is," Gagewin continued, "Nenegean is an entity in this existence. Her reasoning is different from ours. If she's able to reason at all."
"She's reasoning," Keoman cautioned. "Even Nodinens has come to believe that."
"But toward what?" Gagewin demanded. "What's her purpose in doing this?"
Keoman frowned as a theory flashed in his mind. "We thought the same about the windigo at first. That he was just taking random people, so he could eat his fill before he went back into another forty-year hibernation. It wasn't until Nodinens figured out that the men and women it was taking were in the line of descent from the windigo's enemy that we had a better handle on it."
"It still took Kymbria to defeat it. Destroy it. From what she said, it allowed her to destroy it!"
Keoman propped his ankle on his knee and settled back in his chair. Something told him this was a path worth pursuing, even though it might take a while. "We're going on the assumption that Nenegean also had something to do with the first child I found. The one who died. But we have no proof of that. What if that was a completely unrelated situation?"
Contemplation creased Gagewin's face. "Channing didn't get a chance to examine the little boy, but Walt and Sandy asked her to look at Lark. I'm sure Channing was extremely gentle yet thorough with the child, and she told us there was absolutely no sign of molestation."
"Doesn't the FBI keep a database? We need to call Agent Stoneman and see if he can access it. See if there are any other children similar to the ones we've already identified. Others in our area who might have been hurt like those three Nodinens found."
"How will this help us get rid of Nenegean?"
"I don't know," Keoman mused. "But if there's a tie-in somewhere, we need to find it. If not, we'll know better what we're dealing with."
Gagewin clenched his fists. "We know for a fact that Nenegean didn't hurt those two children she had. If they were two completely different incidents — if we're wrong about Nenegean being the one that hurt the other children — it means a living person harmed them."
Gagewin reached for his desk phone just as Hjak knocked at the office door. "Got a minute?" he asked.
"Come on in," Gagewin said. "Any news?"
"Unfortunately, not on my end. I was driving by and saw both your vehicles here. Thought I'd check on how your search for the entity was going." Hjak settled in the other desk chair with a groan.
"Sorry," he apologized. "Like Jed, I haven't been getting much sleep. Probably like the rest of you, too."
Keoman nodded. "We've been trying to —"
Hjak's cell phone interrupted, and when he checked the display, he said, "I need to take this. It's Jed. Maybe he's got something to report."
Not bothering to leave the office, Hjak answered the phone. A few seconds later, he stood abruptly. "Tell him to cordon off the area. I'll be there as soon as I can." He listened for a minute, then angrily went on, "I don't give a damn if it is the access road to their casino! It's a crime scene! It's out of our jurisdiction, so have him call the county sheriff out to where it happened. It's one of our locals missing, so I'm coming."
He jammed his finger on the disconnect button and stared at Gagewin and Keoman. "It was one of my deputy's days off, and he was headed to the casino up near the border. He saw a red car that looked familiar with some windows knocked out. When he called the station and had them run the plates, he found out it belonged to Annalise Peterson."
Keoman and Gagewin stood.
"And Annalise?" Keoman asked.
"She wasn't anywhere around," Hjak told them. "There was no sign of a trail leading away from the vehicle and it hadn't been snowing up there for a day or so to cover any tracks. Besides, the engine was still warm, so she hadn't been gone long."
"Nenegean," Gagewin whispered.
Hjak looked at him in astonishment. "How could that thing have anything to do with a missing woman?"
"Can you explain how a person could take someone away and not leave tracks?" Gagewin answered. "Nenegean only leaves signs of her passing if it's deliberate on her part. If she wants us to know she was there."
Hjak contemplated what Gagewin had said. "I've seen some really extraordinary things the past few months. So I'm not going to say you're wrong. But we're trained to try to make connections that lead us to the perpetrator. Your monster's been taking children, not women."
"Then the connection is what we need to figure out," Gagewin said, looking at Keoman instead of Hjak. "The path between the children and the woman."
"I'll have to leave that to you right now," Hjak said. "I need to get up there where they found Annalise's car. Unless you want to go with me?"
"You'll be tied up there for a while," Keoman said. "I'll follow you."
"I'm going also," Gagewin said.
~~~~
For the first half hour they followed Hjak's patrol car, Keoman and Gagewin were mostly silent. Hjak had his lights on, although not his siren, and he was traveling as fast as he dared. Thankfully, the roads were mostly clear, although moose and deer were always a hazard. Now and then, they also encountered small areas of drifted snow or an icy patch. Keoman concentrated on his driving, until they came to an intersection and turned onto a road he knew was dangerously twisted. Hjak slowed, allowing Keoman to do the same.
"I've never known Annalise or Yancy to gamble much," Gagewin said into the silence. "I don't think I've ever even seen them at our casino's buffet or the other restaurant in our building."
Keoman understood why Gagewin had started this thread. He was still trying to figure out how Annalise could be connected to whatever Nenegean's objective was. If they could uncover why Nenegean had returned to existence, they might be closer to finding a way to destroy her.
"Yancy was something of a homebody," Keoman said. "He was always working on that house. Seems like when I would see Annalise out, maybe at the Neris Lake movie theater, she'd be alone. I think she went to Duluth now and then. Yancy didn't always go with her."
"Annalise married out of her ethnic culture, a white man, but that's been pretty common the past few generations. I don't think her family was upset over Yancy. Of course, she only has her mother left and one brother. Her brother's in the service, I think serving in Afghanistan right now."
The patrol car's brake lights flashed, and Keoman slowed his truck even more. Hjak came to a complete stop as a huge moose with spring-velvet antlers slowly wandered across the road. Both vehicles waited another fifteen seconds, in case the moose wasn't alone. With no sign of any companions, they proceeded down the road.
"Annalise is younger than me," Keoman said. "So I don't know her that well. And she also seems rather young to not want to go out and have fun. Does she have any hobbies? Interests?"
"She wasn't what I'd consider one of the wild ones," Gagewin informed him. "But she wasn't a quiet wallflower, either. She was at a party once that got out of control. From what I was told, she was drinking right along with the other teenagers. It was summertime, and one of the young men drowned in the lake they were at. There were drugs, too. But I didn't hear whether or not they suspected her of being high."
Gagewin paused. "I think she was a fairly good student. I seem to recall she was in the band. Not what instrument she played, though. We could ask her mother."
"Someone will have to tell her mother that she's missing."
Gagewin sighed. "Louisa is not the most stable person. Her husband was killed in a hunting accident after they'd only been married four or five years. She worked and raised the kids, but wasn't happy about it. She was in the bars on weekends, although I never heard of
her taking anyone back to her own house, where the kids would find them the next morning. I think Louisa's part of the reason Annalise and her brother, John, got out of there as soon as they could."
Keoman nodded toward the front of the truck. "There's the car, up there in that intersection."
Hjak pulled over to the side of the road, but left his flashers on. Keoman parked behind him, debating whether or not to join the sheriff right away. Sometimes law enforcement didn't take kindly to interference from private citizens. However, Gagewin made the decision for both of them when he got out of the truck and strode behind Hjak up to the yellow crime scene tape that cordoned off a large area.
Keoman followed after Gagewin more slowly. He caught up to him in time to see Hjak duck under the yellow tape, but hold out a forestalling hand.
"You'll have to wait here for a minute," Hjak said. "Until I see what's going on and if I can bring you two in with me. This isn't my jurisdiction. I have a pretty good relationship with Sheriff Vic, but this is a probable crime scene."
"Probable? What else could it be?" Keoman asked. "She's missing and her car is damaged."
"We have to look at all angles," Hjak said in an annoyed voice. "She could have left with someone else and kids come by and knocked out the windows."
"That looks like a cell phone shattered on the asphalt there," Keoman pointed out.
"You still need to wait here," Hjak ordered.
He took a step just as one of the smaller men around the red car glanced up and noticed them. That one hadn't approached very close before Keoman noticed the face under the official hat wasn't male. Or else it was a very feminine man.
"Sheriff Vic." Hjak held out his hand when the two of them met halfway.
"Pete." The voice was definitely female. After she shook hands with Hjak, she removed her cap and swiped her arm across her brow. Radiant strawberry hair shone in the sun, clasped with a barrette. Brown eyes already weary from what she had to deal with set in a delicate face, smooth velvet skin rather than a redhead's normal freckles.
"I know it's not my crime scene —" Hjak began.
"I was going to call you myself before I found out your deputy had already done that," she said. "Are those relatives of the woman?"
"No," Hjak said hesitantly. "It's … they're …. Look, Vic, we've got a situation going on in my area. It would take me a while to explain it, and I know you need to focus on this right now."
Sheriff Vic frowned at Keoman and Gagewin as she said, "I've been hearing things. I understand you've got another one of those supernatural entities prowling down there. Harming children."
Keoman raised his voice so he could be sure she heard him. "And this might have something to do with it."
She studied him for a few seconds, then said, "If you two will watch where you step, you can come on in. Stay away from any of the evidence markers we've got set out. Those are those little orange triangular things here and there."
"You don't appear to have very many of them," Hjak said as Keoman and Gagewin ducked under the yellow tape.
"Nope," she agreed. "We've got the shattered cell phone you see there. That's about it. I was getting ready to have my deputy dust it for prints. Then I thought we'd see if we could get it back together enough to find out who she was last talking to."
"We'd be very interested in that," Gagewin told her.
But ten minutes later, Keoman knew they weren't going to get anything from the phone. Whoever, or whatever, had destroyed it had made sure it would never work again. Even when they found the battery lying beneath the car and replaced it, the phone was beyond repair.
Sheriff Vic sighed. "We'll have to order the phone records. After we figure out who she had her service with." To Hjak, she said, "Can you get into where she lived and see what you can find? Bills she's paid?"
"We'll do that," Hjak said. "You should also know that Annalise's husband recently died. We're looking into that on our end."
"Think she might have killed him?" Sheriff Vic asked.
"We don't know. If you agree, my detective, Jed, will contact you to coordinate on this."
The sheriff looked at Keoman. "And what will you and your companion be doing?"
"We'll search the area we know this entity roams in, if you'll turn that part of it over to us."
When Sherriff Vic appeared uncertain, Hjak added, "I know they aren't deputized, but they work with me whenever I need them. And believe me, if this thing they're looking for had anything to do with Annalise's disappearance, you won't have anyone better helping out."
Finally, the woman nodded her agreement. "I'll give you some phone numbers. If you can't reach me on my cell, you can call my dispatcher and get patched through."
Chapter 26
Keeping out of sight so the woman would think she had left. Nenegean tried to reason. The longer she existed, the better her mind seemed to work. However, as when she had been alive, at times it was hard to choose what to do.
Maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe instead of taking this woman from the car, she should have followed her and tried to find the man she was talking to. Though the woman appeared to be a tribal member, she did not speak the Old Words, which meant Nenegean could not communicate with her.
And maybe leaving this one where she had kept the children warm was not the right thing. But it was too late now. No other place suited to keep the woman from freezing to death. The searchers would probably not believe Nenegean unwise enough to use the same place. If so, she would cope with that when necessary.
Perhaps she should go ahead and kill this woman. Associating with mânâdad made her also wicked and evil. She had sensed the evil one strongly in the thing that carried this woman from place to place.
Nenegean would make that decision soon.
For now, the little ones needed to be kept safe. If there was any way Nenegean could prevent it, the mânâdad one would not be allowed to hurt another child. Until she discovered who it was, following her instincts, protecting a child she sensed danger around, was all she could do.
~~~~
"That's the last one for today," Nurse PawPaw told Channing as an elderly woman's husband pushed his wife's wheelchair out of an exam room. "Except for Keoman, if he shows up."
"Were you able to talk to him or did you have to leave a voice mail?" Channing asked.
"Voice mail with Keoman?" Nurse PawPaw laughed. "With him, you're lucky if he even remembers how to answer his phone. He's quite the cell klutz."
Channing chuckled along with her. "Some people are like that. I totally hate having to get a new phone myself and figure out all the supposedly helpful advances."
"Anyway," PawPaw said after her laughter faded. "I did talk to him. He was with Sheriff Hjak. Did you hear about Annalise?"
"No," Channing replied. "Is she all right?"
"No one knows. They found her car over an hour north of here. The windows were broken out and Annalise was missing." She lowered her voice, even though Daisy had already left and they were in the clinic alone. "They think Nenegean took her."
"What?" Channing gasped. "I thought that entity was only after the children."
"We thought so too, until this happened."
Someone knocked on a wall. Keoman waited in the hallway outside the adjacent exam room. Darn that man. He moved as quietly as a shadow at times.
"Did you sign in?" Nurse PawPaw asked him in a professional tone.
"I did," he assured her.
When her nurse went into the exam room they had just left and started to tidy up the remains of the shot they had given the elderly woman, as well as some other litter, Channing frowned.
"This room is ready now," Nurse Pawpaw said, and Channing realized she had been standing there puzzling on why the nurse had treated Keoman rather rudely.
However, she said, "I'm going to be using my office for this visit. Why don't you go on home for the day? I don't foresee needing you any longer."
"That would be great," PawPaw said.
"It's been so light patient-wise lately, I've gotten things caught up as far as office stuff goes. Daisy said we only have two patients scheduled for tomorrow, at ten o'clock and ten-thirty."
"I'll see you then," Channing said.
To her credit, Nurse PawPaw said goodbye to both of them as she hurried out.
"One of these days," she said quietly to Keoman, "I want you to tell me why Dr. Silver and some of his staff don't seem to care much for you."
He shrugged. "One of these days, maybe I can tell you."
She studied him for a moment, then shook her head and walked down the hall to her private office. Inside, she motioned him to the chair in front of the desk and sat down herself.
"I hope I didn't pull you away from the search for Annalise," she said first.
"Not really. It'll take a while for Gagewin to call the men to tribal headquarters and study the search area. She was taken well outside land we're familiar with, so I'm not sure how successful we can be."
She wanted to hear more about the details but only asked, "Are they sure Nenegean took her?"
"We're sure enough to organize a search. If we're wrong, we'll still have done what we felt was right."
"Then let's discuss what I asked you to come in for. Your migraines."
But when she glanced up, Keoman's mind was evidently occupied with something besides her request. She had the medical records from his doctor in Duluth printed and spread out before her. She hadn't seen even one thing different in Dr. Anderson's treatment than she herself would have done. She needed his attention on that serious topic.
"It doesn't make sense," Keoman said.
"We're supposed to be discussing your migraines," she reminded him.
Ignoring her attempt to redirect their conversation, he said, "We can't find any reason this entity would change its ways and take an adult now, rather than another child."
"Keoman —"
He stood abruptly. "Look, I'm sorry, but now just isn't the time to talk about this."
"I think you're wrong," Channing said. "You need a divergent focus for your mind. Something not connected to the search for Nenegean. Perhaps then your subconscious will come up with something no one's thought of before."