by Mark Lukens
Begay let out another long breath, trying to remain calm.
“I know you say you don’t believe,” Billy said. “I know you try not to believe. But deep down inside, you know something is wrong with these murders. You know something is different about the boy and the woman on the run.”
Begay thought of his conversations with Agent Palmer a few days ago and how similar they were to the one he was having with Billy right now. But in that conversation it had been him trying to convince Palmer that something supernatural might be going on, and it had been Palmer who wouldn’t even consider it.
“I met with that woman and the boy,” Billy said.
Begay nodded, indicating that he already knew that. “The boy’s name is David. David Bear.”
“They were not being forced to do anything by that man they were with. They are not being held captive by him.”
“You met the man with them? You saw him?”
“He waited outside in a pickup truck while we met the woman and David at the diner. Once they were inside the diner, they could’ve asked us to help them. They could’ve called the police. They could’ve run. But they didn’t choose to do any of those things.”
Thanks for your expert opinion, Begay thought but he bit back the words.
“They risked everything to find Joe Blackhorn,” Billy said.
Once again Begay thought of the same thing he’d said to Agent Palmer not too long ago. Why would they risk everything to come back down here and find this shaman?
“Alice knew that I knew how to find Joe Blackhorn,” Billy continued. “We agreed to give the woman a different map so she could be caught by the police. But what Alice didn’t know was that I drew two maps, and the other one led to Joe Blackhorn’s home. I wanted to hear the woman’s story first. After I listened to her story, I knew she was telling the truth, and I knew the Ancient Enemy had come again. I knew the boy could fight the Ancient Enemy and I knew Joe Blackhorn could help him. Later, we ambushed the three of them on the road and I gave the woman the real map. I put her on the path to find Joe Blackhorn.”
“I need to find them,” Begay said. “I need you to show me where they are.”
Billy ladled more water onto the hot rocks, taking his time. Then he shrugged. “I have a map that I have drawn for you. But the four of them may not be there now.”
“Why not? Do you know where they are going?”
“There’s a sacred place,” Billy answered. “A place where the barrier between our world and the Darkwind’s world is the weakest. Joe Blackhorn will take the boy there to fight it, to send it back for good.”
Begay was beginning to get impatient. He was starting to sweat underneath his clothes and his crossed legs were cramping up a little. “Billy, I won’t come back here and arrest you if you give me that map. If you help me.”
“This is going to be a dangerous journey for you,” Billy said. “Who are you taking with you?”
Begay didn’t answer; he just huffed loudly, hopefully showing Billy that he was tiring of this game of his.
“Many could be killed,” Billy said, unperturbed by Begay’s show of disapproval.
Begay thought it over. He had to be careful here because he knew Billy Nez was not afraid of being arrested and locked up. He couldn’t threaten him to get what he wanted. He had to make sure that Billy was telling him the truth and not sending him on another wild goose chase.
“Don’t take too many men with you,” Billy said. “They will just end up dying and their blood will be on your hands. I would ask you not to go, to let the boy fight the Darkwind on his own, but I know eventually someone else will tell you where Joe Blackhorn lives.”
“I won’t take any of my men with me,” Begay promised, but he knew one person that he would be taking with him whether he wanted to or not, and that person was standing right outside the flap of this hogan.
Billy pulled out a small leather bag from behind him and opened the drawstrings. He pulled out a folded-up piece of thick white paper and another object. He stood up, the sweat running down his nearly naked body.
Begay stood up, happy to stretch out his aching legs. He wiped at his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. He was actually looking forward to going back out into that cold weather again.
Billy walked around the pit of hot rocks and stood in front of Begay. He handed him the paper. “This is the map.”
Begay didn’t bother unfolding the paper and looking at it, that would only offend Billy Nez. He tucked the folded-up paper down into the pocket of his jeans.
“I have something else for you,” Billy said. “I want you to accept it and keep it with you all the time when you pursue these three.”
Begay just nodded.
Billy held the other object in his hand out to Begay. It was a necklace of worn leather string with a large silver and turquoise charm on it.
“This is a special charm,” Billy said. “This is a magical charm that will protect you on your journey.”
Begay accepted the gift. He noticed that the charm could be twisted open. “What’s inside the charm?” he asked.
“Something to keep you safe,” was all that Billy would say.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Captain Begay sat down in the driver’s seat of his Ford Bronco as Special Agent Palmer got into the passenger seat. The woman was standing again at the trailer door with her baby in her arms, staring at them silently. The dog poked his head out of his gray petrified home and watched them as silently as the woman did, and with seemingly the same expression.
“So?” Palmer asked as soon as they were back inside Begay’s truck. Palmer hadn’t said a word to Begay as they hiked back through the woods from the hut, and then across the junk-littered front yard to the truck. Billy Nez hadn’t come out of that mud hut structure with Begay so Palmer had to assume that Billy wasn’t being arrested today, which led him to assume that Begay had retrieved the information they had come all the way out here for.
Begay started his truck. It had gotten cold in the truck in the short time they’d been gone, but it was still better than the freezing wind outside. Begay turned the heater up all the way as he shifted into reverse and backed down the rutted trail that served as the driveway. Begay stretched a meaty arm out over the back of the seats as he turned around to look out the rear window, backing his truck up in between two rusted relics of automobiles to turn around.
Palmer felt agitated, shivering a little with both the cold (which didn’t seem to affect Begay at all) and the excitement that they could finally be close to finding the trail that led to Stella, David, and whoever they were traveling with. He was also agitated because Begay seemed to be purposely taking his time answering his question.
Palmer noticed the necklace that Begay was sporting as soon as he left the hut. He’d thought about asking about it or making some kind of wisecrack about bribes, but he kept his mouth shut, not sure if he would be somehow unknowingly offending the captain.
Begay shifted into drive and pulled back out onto the rutted trail from between the two rusted vehicles.
Palmer remained silent for a moment longer, waiting to see if Begay was going to respond to him yet. Begay seemed to be a different man now after his time inside the hut with Billy. Maybe they had smoked something together in there.
“Where are we going?” Palmer asked when he couldn’t stand Begay’s silence any longer.
Begay pulled out onto the narrow two lane road from the rutted driveway. There wasn’t another vehicle in sight on the road in either direction for as far as Palmer could see.
“Right now I’m going to find a gas station and fill my truck up.”
“He speaks,” Palmer said sarcastically. “And then?”
“And then I’m going to drive to Joe Blackhorn’s property.”
Palmer’s heart skipped a beat. He knew Begay had gotten the information they needed. “That guy …”
“Billy Nez,” Begay said.
“Yeah, Billy Nez.
He told you where to find Blackhorn?”
“He gave me a map.”
“A map? Let me see.”
Begay drove in silence for a long moment, staring out the windshield.
Palmer was getting a little tired of the silent treatment. “Uh, the map?” he asked him.
“I burned it.”
“What?” Palmer asked. “What do you mean, you burned it?”
“I threw it in the fire right before we left,” Begay said.
“I didn’t see you do that,” Palmer said.
Begay glanced at Palmer for a moment, his expression saying: There are many things you haven’t noticed. “I’m not taking anyone with me to Joe Blackhorn’s place,” Begay said and turned to stare out the windshield again, his big hands gripping the steering wheel.
Palmer shook his head a little. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What … you’re worried this is another trick?”
Begay looked at Palmer again, his dark eyes fierce now. “No. Billy is telling the truth. This is no trick.”
“What is it then?”
“This is serious. Where I’m going … what we’re dealing with … it’s dangerous. More dangerous than you can imagine.”
“Jeez,” Palmer said, sighing out the word as he looked out the passenger window at the desert whipping by at eighty miles an hour. He looked back at Begay. “Not this again. What did that guy say to you in that hut?”
“Hogan,” Begay corrected. “It’s not a hut … it’s called a hogan.”
“Whatever,” Palmer said. He didn’t really care if he was offending Begay right now by calling a mud hut by the wrong name. “You let that guy, Billy Nez, spook you.”
Begay gave a slight shake of his head. “I’ve known it all along; I just didn’t want to admit it. But I know it now. What we’re dealing with, it’s bigger than you can imagine.”
Palmer tried hard to control his temper. “I want you to draw a map for me and my men. Right now. Pull over right now and draw that map.”
Begay glared at Palmer again, but not with hatred. This time there was a sadness in his expression like he was looking at some kind of farm animal that couldn’t possibly ever hope to understand him.
Palmer didn’t like being looked at like that.
“I’m going out there alone,” Begay said. “I’m not bringing my men with me. I’m not going to risk their lives over this. You can go with me if you want. If not, then I can drop you off at the gas station and I’ll have someone come get you.”
Palmer chuckled. He couldn’t believe this shit. “I don’t think you should be giving me orders. I have jurisdiction on this case. The FBI has jurisdiction when it comes to murder cases here. I think you already know that.”
Begay looked back at the road as he drove, still gripping the steering wheel tight with both hands. But he didn’t explode with anger at Palmer’s words. When he finally spoke, his words were soft, almost conversational. “Yes, you are correct about the FBI having jurisdiction, but I don’t care. We’re doing things my way or I drop you off. You choose. I don’t imagine that your superior is too happy right now that you’re down here and that you’ve abandoned your crime scenes up in Colorado. I don’t think your superior is too happy that you’re down here chasing a bogeyman with me instead of letting Klein and the other agents down here handle this. And I also don’t think your superior would be too happy to hear that you’ve been stumbling around down here with vodka on your breath the whole time.”
Palmer bristled. Begay was right, Cardenelli wouldn’t be happy about a report like that at all. Cardenelli wasn’t happy with Palmer at the moment, and if he got another report about Palmer’s drinking …
Begay softened even more and looked at Palmer again. “I didn’t want to threaten you, but this is important.”
Threaten? Palmer thought. Begay had probably threatened someone earlier to find Billy, and then who knew what threats Begay had made in that hut—in the hogan—to get that map from Billy. And here he was, threatening him. No, Palmer was pretty sure that threats were a part of Begay’s normal everyday police procedure.
“What we’re facing is dangerous and powerful,” Begay said.
“Yeah, you’ve already said that.”
“But you don’t seem to understand what I’m telling you. I know deep down inside you know this. I know you or your forensics teams can’t explain what happened to those archaeologists at the dig site, or David’s parents, or all those people up in Colorado. I know you don’t want to admit it, but you sense that there’s something strange and powerful happening here. Something … supernatural.”
Palmer wasn’t going to admit shit. He leaned his seat back a little, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and closed his eyes. Maybe he would nap on the way to the gas station instead of listening to Begay’s bullshit. He’d slept like crap last night because of the nightmare.
“Well?” Begay asked.
Who was the impatient one now?
“I’m in,” Palmer grumbled with his eyes still closed. “How long until we get there?”
“About an hour to the gas station,” Begay said. “And then another four to five hours after that to Joe Blackhorn’s place.”
Palmer didn’t answer. He just kept his eyes closed. He was going to let Begay play the game his way, but when they found Stella and David, and whoever they were with, then it was going to be his show.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Captain Begay pulled into the gas station. Palmer had been asleep for nearly an hour now. He’d been fidgeting in his sleep, mumbling, breathing hard. Having a nightmare, Begay thought. That made him think of what his wife had told him that morning about the nightmare she’d had.
He hated to wake Palmer up; he figured the man needed some sleep. He also loved the peace and quiet without Palmer talking the whole time. White men always talked and talked instead of remaining still and listening, without truly seeing things. Palmer didn’t want to see the truth; he wanted to see his own version of the truth. But Begay was afraid that Agent Palmer was going to see the truth soon—they were both going to see things that they couldn’t imagine.
Begay pulled up to the outermost pumps of the newer gas station and turned the truck off.
Palmer woke up abruptly, sitting bolt-upright in his seat.
“Getting gas,” Begay said.
Palmer nodded as he looked around, coming fully awake now.
“I recommend that you use the bathroom while we’re here if you need to,” Begay told him. “I also recommend stocking up on some snacks and drinks. If we break down out where we’re going, we could be there a while.”
“Lovely,” Palmer grumbled and got out of the truck and started walking to the gas station store.
Begay got out and walked to the back of his Bronco. He opened the back hatch and looked all of the supplies over. He usually kept spare gas cans, jugs of water, and food back here in case he ever broke down, but he’d made sure last night that everything was stocked up. Besides the basic supplies, he also had a handwoven blanket, two plastic tarps still sealed in plastic, a large first aid kit, an additional spare tire along with a jack and four way tire iron, a jump kit for the battery, a cardboard box of canned and boxed food along with two can openers, six gallons of purified water, six emergency flares, a shovel and a pick, and a few pieces of scrap two-by-fours.
He also had a small duffel bag—his personal prep bag. It contained an extra pair of hiking boots, an extra pair of clothes, two pairs of socks, a wide-brimmed hat, work gloves, a rain slicker, a portable water filter, lighters, and two flashlights with an extra pack of batteries.
Begay also had a twelve gauge pump shotgun with a lock on the trigger and a full box of shells.
There were places out here in the remote corners of the Big Rez where he might not see another person for days … weeks even. There was no cell phone service in many of those areas. It would be crazy not to have some kind of provisions in his vehicle.
He grabbed the two ten gallon gas cans. One still had about five gallons of gas in it, but he took both out and filled them up to the top and then returned them to the back of his Bronco, securing them to the side wall with bungee cords.
Next, he filled up the truck’s gas tank, using his fleet card to pay for it at the pump. After he was done, he walked to the gas station store at the other end of the concrete parking lot.
Inside the store, he saw Agent Palmer over by the coffee machine. He was preparing some kind of gigantic cup of coffee.
Begay went into the restroom and used the toilet. He washed his hands in the sink afterwards and stared at himself in the mirror for a moment. He searched his eyes, looking for fear in them. He wanted to walk into this without fear. He wanted the spirit of his warrior ancestors to guide him.
He thought back to this morning, back to his wife. She’d been scared; he could tell she was rattled even before she told him about her nightmare. She had seen visions before, visions that had come true, so Begay had to take her infrequent warnings seriously.
Begay was afraid right now, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him from doing his job. He would go to Joe Blackhorn’s place and confront this thing. He would save David, that poor boy, a boy who had endured so much tragedy already.
He touched the silver and turquoise charm that hung from his necklace.
… to keep you safe, Billy Nez had said. Begay hoped it was true. He sang a quick prayer and then left the bathroom.
Palmer was already back inside the Bronco when Begay got to it.
“Packs of peanuts and protein bars,” Palmer said, pointing down at a paper bag between his feet on the floorboard. “Also a six pack of drinks.”
“You’re sure you’re ready for this?” Begay asked. He hadn’t started the truck yet. He still had the keys in his hand and Palmer still had a last chance to back out. “Once we get out there we’re going to lose all cell reception. We’ll be too far to drop you off.”
Palmer just glared back at him like he’d been insulted.
