“Alcohol isn’t allowed here?” Joshua asked.
“No. Not that you’d ever be able to tell.” Kai sighed. “But if I could’ve connected with him instead of driving him away, he might still be alive. I wasn’t very kind to that boy.”
“Is there anything to the skin-walker connection?” Joshua pressed. Sariah watched as Kai’s face hardened at the mention of the ancient sorcery.
“Just that it’s probably being used to cover up the real motive,” she answered. “I’m Diné, but those stories never sat well with me. I hear them all the time, but never had any first-hand experience with anything like that.”
“So you think this is gang related?”
“I think that’s the most likely scenario.”
Joshua nodded. “Any idea who might be responsible?”
“Ahiga. He’s the reason I’ve had so many runaways. That…” Kai looked around as if to make sure there were no young ears present. “… bastard has dug his claws into more of my kids…”
Joshua then asked something that penetrated Sariah’s fog. “Wait,” he stopped the foster mother. “You’re saying that you’re missing kids?”
The woman frowned. “Not really. I’ve kept CYFD informed each time we lost someone.”
There was something there that was tugging at the back of Sariah’s brain. She fought to make it surface. It was like wading through muck. The conversation Joshua was having with Kai both fought with and seemed to augment her mental search.
“Could you take a look at the list we were given?” he asked. “Make sure it matches with your own records?” Joshua handed the papers over to the woman to peruse.
“Sure. Who gave this to you?”
“Phillip Piven.”
Kai’s face turned sour, but she made no comment as she shuffled through the pages. “It looks like everything’s in order here.”
“So this is the number after the missing kids left?” he asked.
“Right.”
The questions Joshua was asking all seemed to relate to her strange sense of things being off. But she couldn’t seem to force herself to engage. Besides, Joshua was handling it. He was handling it just fine.
“How many kids are listed there?” the former agent asked.
“Fifteen.”
“And that matches the number of children you have here currently?”
Kai frowned at him. “Yes. What are you implying?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Joshua fell silent, musing, and then brought the conversation to an abrupt end. He stepped in, shaking Kai’s hand.
“I think that’s all we need from you for the moment. We’ll stay in touch with you as things progress.”
She seemed surprised at that. “Oh. Okay. Let me give you our number here. We just have the one line… no cell phones, no Internet. We do have a fax, though.”
“No problem,” Joshua said as he took the scrap of paper from Kai with a number scrawled on it. He then looked at Sariah with a look that seemed to be communicating something. What it was she had no idea.
He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you give her one of your cards, Agent Cooper?”
Oh. There it was. She grabbed one out of her pocket to hand to Kai. “Here’s my cell.”
Once more there was a pause before Joshua shook his head and spoke again. “Call if you have any questions or think of anything else that slipped your mind. Thank you for all your help.”
As they left, Joshua came forward and pulled her aside. After waving Had and Reggie off toward the horses, he hissed in her ear. “Get it together, Coop. We’re going to have to go up against Phillip Piven, and you need to get your ass in gear.”
“What are you talking about?” Piven? The feeling that had been tugging at her gave another sharp pull. Was that what had been bothering her?
“He lied to us. The list of kids he gave us doesn’t match the one in the case file.” He pulled out both sets of papers. “Look.”
She skimmed over the pages, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. And then it swam to the surface. The list from CYFD had fifteen names, the other twenty-three. Was it just a glitch?
“Someone’s cashing in on kids that aren’t in the system anymore,” Joshua said.
“Piven?” she asked as he nodded. The evidence was there, but Sariah couldn’t seem to move on it. “What if we’re wrong?”
The former agent glanced at her askance and shrugged. “Then we’re wrong.”
Sariah shook her head. “The last time I was wrong, someone died.”
“Look,” he snapped at her. “You’re going to be wrong all the time. Everyone is. We can’t figure out who’s right until we see where all the wrong ones lead us. That’s detective work.”
“But--”
Joshua cut her off. “If you can’t deal with that, you can’t handle the badge.”
“Maybe I can’t,” she murmured, her voice soft.
There was a long moment of silence. When Sariah finally glanced up, Joshua was staring right into her eyes.
“I don’t give a shit one way or the other,” he said. “But you are not leaving me to do this one on my own. You owe me that much.” He turned to walk over to the rest of the teams and the horses. “We’re going to nail Piven to the wall tomorrow morning.”
“I’m not sure.” Sariah said, moving to join him.
“You may not be, but I think I am.” Joshua swung himself up onto his horse.
Sariah followed suit, far less gracefully. The ride back seemed to take twice as long as the trip out. The horses’ hooves beat out a rhythm that seemed to say, You’re wrong, you’re wrong, you’re wrong. She could find no evidence to the contrary.
That night, in her hotel room, Sariah found herself face to face with all the alcohol from the mini bar. When she’d pulled out every single one of the tiny bottles, it had seemed like the perfect idea. Just a few of these little suckers and all of the pressure that was weighing down on her shoulders would be lifted, at least for tonight.
She wasn’t wearing the monitor any longer. Not covering for Joshua’s drinking any more. No alarm would sound. There was no reason not to do it.
No reason except for Joshua himself, who was wearing the ankle strap. That he had placed on his own leg. So that he could help to catch a killer.
She began placing the bottles back in the fridge, trying to ignore the moisture that seemed to be streaming down her cheeks for some strange reason.
* * *
The next morning, Joshua enjoyed the way Phillip’s skin went all waxy and pale when the accusation was made. If ever there was a moment he could describe as a true “gotcha”, this was the one. The guy had been caught with his hands in the proverbial cookie jar.
“Is this what that Indian bitch told you?” he asked, his voice trembling. Bella growled deep in her throat, causing the man to scoot back a foot or two.
“No, it’s what the government told us.” Joshua handed the sweating man the sheets of paper that proved his motive. “There are twenty-three children listed here. Only fifteen of which are at the home.”
“Well, that’s on Kai, not us,” Mr. Piven sputtered.
“I’m not sure you get it, Piven,” Joshua said. “She’s not hiding anything from us. You have been.”
“But she’s the one that would cash the checks. Just how do you think this whole scam thing was supposed to work?” The man seemed to have collected himself to some extent and was fighting back now. What he didn’t know was with whom he was facing off.
“It would be easy enough for you to collect the checks here and forge a signature to get them cashed,” Joshua said. “I’m pretty sure she’s not getting anything from direct deposit, considering the fact that she doesn’t seem to have a computer.”
“It’s true,” the man confessed. “The checks come here, but they all go out to her.”
“That might be true,” Coop said, her tone uneasy. She seemed to be letting her fear of failure undermine her once more.
Shit.
Joshua stepped back in, his tone much more forceful. “One call to the bank and we’ll have copies of the voided checks. Our handwriting specialists will be able to see if the signatures are all the same by tomorrow morning.”
Mr. Piven’s face set, and he looked down at his desk, avoiding eye contact. “Well then, I think there’s nothing more for us to talk about right now.”
“Just make sure you don’t go anywhere before then,” Joshua warned the wan-faced man as they turned to leave. As they walked out of the building, he watched as Agent Cooper pulled out her cell phone and dialed. Seconds later she was engaged in a conversation, whether with the bank or the foster mother, Joshua couldn’t tell. To be honest, he didn’t much care. At least she was doing something.
He used the time to take Bella out for a pee break. Reggie and Had tagged along, chasing after Bella and then running away from her, making her bark. Damn if that dog was the only thing on the planet that could coax a smile out of him.
They returned to find Coop still on the phone, but it appeared she was wrapping things up. Walking out to the SUV, Joshua heard a sound that made his blood run cold. It was the crack of a rifle, followed by the ping of a ricochet. The dust just in front of Reggie puffed up, marking the spot where the shot had landed.
Even before conscious thought registered, he had grabbed Reggie and hauled her over to a bench, placing her on the opposite side from where the bullet had come from. Had and Coop followed hard on their heels.
Had shouted in his ear. “Did you see where that was coming from?”
That was another part about what was strange. The trajectory placed the shooter on top of the building they had just exited.
Joshua was about to pull out his cell phone to call the local police force for some backup, when another shot rang out, this time from behind them. Whirling around, Joshua watched as Officer Clah from the reservation rushed across the street, his gun raised toward the roof of the building.
“Clah? What the--?” Joshua began.
“I saw the muzzle of a rifle sticking out up there,” the tribal police officer cut him off. “We’ve got to get into the building and see if we can flush out whoever’s up there.”
“I think we know who it was,” Reggie responded. “But let’s get in and grab him.”
As they moved back toward the building, Reggie and Clah with their drawn guns pointing up at the roof, Joshua asked the officer a question that was bothering him. Something that wasn’t quite tracking.
“How is it that you ended up here?”
The officer glanced at him, and then back up to the roof. “I was following you. I’m not an idiot. Watched you ride in on those horses. Nice move, by the way.”
“Hey,” Joshua said, pointing at Reggie. “It was her idea.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Clah winked at her. “Smart girl.” Joshua forced himself not to grind his teeth at the obvious flirting.
“Why didn’t you stop us?” Reggie asked.
The officer shrugged. “Wanted to see what you’d do. Went and talked to Kai after. She said you showed her respect.”
“Yeah, I think we’re pretty clear on the fact that it’s not Kai we’re looking for,” Had inserted.
“It looks like Mr. Piven here was running a scam on the missing foster kids that he never reported missing,” Reggie clarified with Officer Clah. “We just finished talking to him.”
They entered the building, the Native American receptionist rising up out of her seat at the sight of drawn weapons. Clah called out to her.
“Mary, is the asshole still here?”
She shook her head. “He ran off as soon as these guys left his office.”
Joshua looked back and forth between the two. “Wait a minute. You two know each other?”
They both gave him a long stare that seemed to say, Really? You couldn’t figure that out, white man? Served him right, come to think of it.
“You two have been communicating,” Joshua said to Clah, snapping her fingers.
“Look, we all love Kai around here,” Mary said, her lower jaw jutting forward in a challenge. “There was no way we were going to let her get railroaded.”
Officer Clah put a hand on her shoulder. “Mary, they’re okay. They’re going after Piven.”
“Really? Then what the hell are we doing standing around yapping?” She rushed off toward the elevator, the team following behind, Bella barking in ecstasy.
Joshua wondered for a moment how this would look to anyone seeing the situation from the outside. Screw it. He didn’t care.
They had a douchebag to find.
* * *
Had’s experience with the reservation had been incredible so far. Even though there had been some things that didn’t quite match up with what he had imagined, he still thought these Native Americans were pretty cool.
He thought about Sam, the older white woman that lived at the group home. He definitely saw the appeal of a life like that. She might not be Navajo, but she was doing what she could to fit into a society she loved. Had would have to talk to her about her experience at some point. Maybe once they’d tracked Piven down.
Which, thanks to Officer Clah and Reggie, didn’t look like it was going to be too long. They’d managed to get Piven’s cell phone number from Mary, who was more than happy to share the information with them, warrant or no.
The cell phone had yielded some positive results. It had taken them most of the afternoon, but they had tracked the location of the phone to an area on the reservation that had an old abandoned Hogan, a traditional Navajo dwelling made from wood and packed mud.
“Is this guy a complete moron?” Clah had grunted when he found out. “A white guy taking refuge on the rez in one of our hogans? It’s like he has a death wish.”
Had didn’t care. He was just glad they were going back out to the reservation. The team divided up, Had with Joshua and Bella, Coop with Clah and Reggie. Had was driving the SUV.
The sun had started to dip below the horizon as they finally headed out toward the area where it appeared Piven was holed up. There was electricity in the air, whether from the excitement Had was feeling from the chase or actual inclement weather, he couldn’t tell for sure.
As they left the main highway and turned onto a dirt road, Had was glad for the suspension system of the SUV he was driving. He wouldn’t like to be stuck taking this path in something less built for off-roading, although Clah seemed to be doing just fine behind them.
Nearing the spot Clah had indicated to them, Joshua stabbed a finger out to the side of the structure. “There! That’s his car.” Had looked to see a cloud of dust headed right into the gloaming left by the no-longer-visible sun.
Sure enough, it was Piven’s car. Looked like he was beating a hasty retreat.
“You up for a chase?” Had yelled, yanking the wheel to take the SUV off the path and into the rougher terrain surrounding them. Sage brush tore at their vehicle as Had fought to keep control while still going fast enough to catch up to their fleeing suspect.
“Would it matter if I said no?” Joshua said, grimacing with each bump. Had remembered belatedly that his friend was still recovering from having his ribs broken during their last case.
“Sorry!” He yelled, but then turned all of his attention to the fleeing car.
Piven’s vehicle seemed ill suited to this terrain. It was a Nissan Altima, but the way the man was driving it, it might as well have been a dune buggy. Had cut to the right, then left, trying to get out and around him, but each time the social worker cut him off, leaving him no room to maneuver around.
But suddenly the car in front of them braked, and Had was forced to steer hard to the left to avoid a collision. It was then he saw what had stopped Piven.
A ravine, hidden by the shadows cast by the deepening night, yawned before them. Had braked, the SUV skidding to a halt with the front tires inches from careening off the edge and down fifty yards into a gully.
&
nbsp; Without pausing to even thank his lucky stars he was alive, Had jumped out of the car, his weapon drawn. A few yards back, Clah, Coop and Reggie had clambered out of the cruiser and seemed to be trying to figure out how to help.
Had could hear Joshua and Bella trying to follow, but he outdistanced them in short order. A shadowy blur in front of him was all he could make out of the fleeing Mr. Piven. Had wouldn’t have thought the office bound social worker could run that fast.
“Phillip!” Had cried out. “Stop or I’ll shoot!”
The figure came to a stuttering halt and turned around. The shaking voice of Phillip Piven rose up over the parched land.
“It wasn’t me. I did the checks, but I had nothing to do with Jaime. Please, I’m telling you the truth. Honest to God.”
“If that’s true, why did you shoot at us?” It was Joshua, who had caught up. The former agent was clutching at his side, where he’d hurt his ribs.
“What?” Phillips voice rose three octaves. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play stupid,” Joshua said. “We were playing dodge-the-bullet less than five minutes after we accused you of siphoning money from the group home.”
“No, no! I mean, yes. That was me. But not the shooting.” Had couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like the man was sincere. He was certainly copping to the money part of the whole thing. “I didn’t think it was hurting anyone.”
Had went to open his mouth when a shot echoed through the air. The form of Phillip Piven pitched backward without even a cry escaping his lips.
At the same moment, Agent Cooper slumped to the ground. Was she hit as well?
“Shit!” Joshua spat as he spun around in a circle, apparently trying to find the source of the shot or shots. Had rushed over to check on Coop.
When he got there, Reggie was already by the BAU agent’s side, checking her from head to toe. “I don’t see any wounds. I think she just fainted.”
Fainted? Coop? That didn’t sound like her. But Had rushed back off to help Joshua find the shooter. Within five minutes, it was clear that there was no one around.
The killer seemed to have vanished into thin air. And Had was pretty sure, when they examined Piven’s gunshot wound, that there would be a fine white powder surrounding it.
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