“Oh, I don’t mind you knowing, Charlie. It’s not going to make much difference now, one way or the other. I let Tanya think she was forcing me to take her to town. She gave me a pretty good whack in the process, though.” Bob touched the cut on his forehead. It wasn’t hard to disarm her once we were up the road a bit.”
“I’m doing the job you should be doing, Charlie—standing up for your peoples rights.” He bent and picked up the fallen revolver while keeping a close eye on the tribal investigator. “When Myra Griggs first called AFPAC and wanted help, we didn’t think it necessary to send the number of people she requested, but when we studied the situation, we could see the Hopi might well lose a lot of ground, hard-won ground for us, Charlie, we were prominent supporters of theirs, and of the Native American Reparations Act.”
The forensic dental expert and ex-army Ranger moved into the dim light of the open shed, and Charlie could see he had a fresh gash over one eye. Apparently, Tanya Griggs had put up a credible fight, considering Bob had been a Ranger and all. Charlie hoped he himself might do as well, should it come to it. Thomas was taking his own sweet time, there was the fleeting thought Thomas might have gone up to the house to check it out…
“We sent two of our very best people—me, and Ted Altman.” Bob smiled. “Neva Travis was green but she had the academic qualifications. We thought she might provide us some cover at the dig. She’s not the most stable member of the group, but she’s been a dedicated member of AFPAC for a long time.” Bob moved back a step, “Steven Griggs was a weak link from the start, and may prove a real problem even yet. I doubt he’ll hold up under FBI questioning. Myra Griggs and Ira Buck are the only stalwarts we can count on in that regard—if they can catch them. So you see, Charlie, my position is tenuous at best. I don’t have a whole lot to lose at this point.”
Charlie thought this might be the time to play his trump card. “I’m afraid it may be worse than you know, Bob. Myra Griggs is dead, along with Ira Buck and Ted Altman. Neva Travis is in the hands of the FBI. I wouldn’t count on her holding up under questioning any better than Steven Griggs. I expect it will be more of a race to see who’s first to accept immunity and turn state’s evidence.” Charlie thought he saw Bob Mills slump at this news and went on, “There’s still time for you to save yourself, Bob. Only you know the higher-ups in the ‘movement.’ The FBI has had their eye on AFPAC for a long time. I’m almost certain you could cut a deal.”
“No, I couldn’t do that. My father and brother both are members—both lawyers. There are a lot of whites with us Charlie. Academics mostly, lefties, many of them. I couldn’t do that to them.” He looked away for a moment. “No, unless I get away clean, I’m done.” Bob smiled a sad little smile, “But that doesn’t surprise you, does it, Charlie?”
“What about Tanya, Bob? I thought she meant something to you?”
“She did, Charlie. She was the only leverage I had over Myra Griggs. That’s why I stuck close to her. I knew when Ted Altman screwed up with the rattler that Myra would kill him first chance she got. She and Tanya may not have thought alike on a lot of things, but blood is blood among the Hopi.” Bob shifted his gun to the other hand and shoved Charlie’s .38 into his hip pocket. “No, Ted was actually the one who had feelings for Tanya, and when she rejected him and his offer to join us, he lost it. I was in the service with him. Not only was he a first-class medic but one of the best explosives men in the business. We had to fake his academic resume, of course, but he was the real deal otherwise. He just let his feelings get away with him is all.”
Charlie closed his eyes and hoped Tanya Griggs couldn’t hear this conversation. For one thing, it would be a rough way to find out about her mother.
Bob abruptly stuck his gun in Charlie’s face and shouted toward the door, “Thomas! You’d better get in here if you want to see your friend get through this alive.” He waited. “I’m serious, Thomas. I’ll give you to the count of three… One…”
A calm voice from behind said, “Bob, you better put that gun down right now.” Harley was leaning in the back window of the shed and had his 12 gauge pump leveled at Bob’s back. “I’ll do it, Bob. Just drop the gun.”
“Harley is that you?”
“It’s me, Bob, and I’m going ta shoot you if you don’ drop that gun.” Harley was nearly invisible in the black hole of the window. His voice turned hollow and cold. “This is a 12 gauge… with double-ought buckshot. No one walks away from one of these, Bob.” Harley leaned in a little closer and his voice raised just an octave. “Don’ turn around with that gun in your hand.” Harley’s intentions were deadly clear.
Bob acted as though he didn’t quite understand and slowly turned toward the sound of Harley’s voice. That’s when Charlie coldcocked him with such force both men went down—just barely under the blast of Harley’s shotgun. Bob’s pistol went flying and Charlie scooped it up, then retrieved his own .38 from the hip pocket of the unconscious dentist.
Thomas half-staggered through the sagging door, nose gushing blood. He covered the prone Bob Mills with the 30-30. “You all right, college boy?”
“Your timing needs work.”
“My ‘timing’ was okay until Bob slammed you into that door I was coming through.” He reached and tweaked his battered nose back into line. “Nose is broken—again.” He winced, but continued to manipulate the nose into some semblance of its former self. “Not to mention, that load of buckshot nearly took my head off.”
Harley Ponyboy, unperturbed, looked on with interest. “One of you boys should let Tanya loose” was his only comment.
The sound of sirens wailing in the distance caused Charlie to cock his head. “The sheriff will be happy to see he doesn’t have another body to haul off. And so am I.”
12
The Mystery
When all was said and done, three people were dead and three in jail. Steven Griggs was the lucky one, being first to accept immunity. Neva Travis, due to her ongoing cooperation, also was accorded prosecutor’s “special consideration.” She would go to prison, but the length of her sentence could vary considerably. The FBI felt they were on the verge of a major incursion into the affairs of AFPAC and were determined to put together a strong case whatever it might take. Already several additional arrests had taken place in Oklahoma. Bob Mills, was charged equally with the others. Things did not look good for Bob Mills.
Aida invited Tanya Griggs to continue her recuperation at the ranch. The girl’s left arm was still somewhat weak and might always be, according to the doctors. Her father had been whisked away to a government “witness protection” program, and with her mother gone as well, she had nowhere else to go until her classes at ASU resumed. While still in a considerable state of grief and denial, she was yet determined to rejoin the project and see things through.
George Custer, for his part, had learned his lesson and was now determined not to hurry this new investigation. He and Harley continued work at the new dig and already had sent numerous samples and bone fragments to be examined at the university lab. Harley was in awe of the learned professor and made an attentive and capable assistant. Dr. Custer, having sprung from common stock himself, had a way with such people.
Charlie and Thomas went home for a short time before returning for the final interpretation of findings in the kiva. Both men had found everything at home being managed in a calm and efficient manner and were somewhat at a loss to see things going so well without them.
Charlie’s infant son appeared well rested and was beginning to take a real interest in the world. Aunt Annie and Clyde were still there, of course, and seemed to have things well in hand. Sue assured him that his spending another few days at the dig would be fine with her. She was getting a pretty good handle on motherhood. She said privately it might even be time for her helpers to go home. Charlie asked her to let them stay on, just until he returned. She could see it would ease his mind and agreed to wait till he got back so he could handle the dismissal of Aunt Annie and
Clyde.
Professor Custer’s team was eager to see how strong the correlation was between his soon-to-be-published paper and the actual findings at the dig. It was Charlie’s considered opinion the paper might stir up even greater controversy among Dr. Custer’s colleagues, possibly even compromise his position at the university.
Charlie went so far as to urge his former mentor to exercise caution. “George, have you considered the effect on your job should your detractors petition the university? Tenure is tenure but it only goes so far.” The University must have limits regarding what they were willing to support in the Professor’s unorthodox theories.
“Not really, Charlie. I won’t let the threat of personal consequences interfere with my pursuit of truth in science.”
Charlie thought this a dangerous stance considering George’s known proclivity for bizarre conclusions.
The professor stood firm in the conviction that his years of research would bear him out. He remained resolute in his determination to go forward with the publication of his work “come hell or high water,” as he put it. He just wanted this one last bit of evidence.
~~~~~~
Charlie and Thomas were in the lead vehicle, followed by Aida, Tanya, and the kids. Aida and Thomas had agreed the children might be allowed along but were not to go into the kiva itself. The children would be going back home with Thomas soon, and Aida was determined to be with them as much as possible. Also, Charlie thought he had seen a definite thaw in the relations between Aida and the Professor, though what might come of that he did not know.
Thomas rolled down the truck’s passenger-side window. It was early and still cool with just a chance of rain promised for the afternoon. “Well, it’s a hell of a thing how this all turned out. Who’d a thought the ‘movement’ could infiltrate a university research team with three people, and have another three working on the outside?”
“AFPAC was determined, that’s for sure. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out when the trial starts. But I’m thinking it’s about all over for AFPAC
“I still can’t believe Bob Mills was the big dog… you’d of thought it would be an Indian.”
Charlie smiled, “Well, Ted Altman was a Cherokee. Myra Griggs a Hopi, and Ira Buck a Ute. Seems like the Indians were pretty well represented.”
“Do you think many Dinè are members of AFPAC?”
“I expect there are some—young people mostly. I know there were at UNM. I think it’s important for the Navajo Nation to be represented in the legitimate ‘Indian movements’ but these extreme splinter groups that are popping up around the country don’t do anyone any good.”
“The question is; how do people know what they’re getting into until it’s too late?”
Charlie just shook his head and eased the truck down into the wash leading to the ruins.
Thomas looked to the horizon in the direction of the former Buck ranch. He was still uneasy about the Bucks, especially when his children were at Aida’s. Secretly, he hoped she and the professor would mend their fences and get back together, for everyone’s sake. “I hope this is the last we hear from those Buck’s. There doesn’t seem to be any end of them.”
“Well, you would think it’s the end, but then, we’ve thought that before.” Privately, Charlie thought, I doubt what is left of the Buck clan will pose a problem for Aida, or anyone else.
When they pulled into camp, the professor and Harley were taking their midmorning break. Smiling, the pair went to meet the vehicles and laughed when the children immediately headed to the little stream and proceeded to splash each other with the cold water. Caleb grabbed a stick and began turning over stones to see what he could find. Many turned out to be broken pottery shards scattered across the streambed—some from vessels dropped by children (who were much like him) sent to fetch water eons ago. Ida Marie kept a close eye on her brother He was quick as a chipmunk and just as prone to getting into things he shouldn’t.
The professor greeted Aida with a grin and she smiled in return. He was happy to see Tanya, too. No one spoke of the earlier shootout, and the girl didn’t ask but was unusually subdued and thoughtful. Aida brought forth a large picnic basket, and Thomas unloaded a cooler of cold drinks. The sun was still blocked by the canyon wall, making it shady and cool in the camp. Aida felt they should have lunch before going up to the ruins. Some might not have the belly for food afterwards, she thought to herself.
Aida, with Tanya and the children’s help, had outdone herself. There was fried chicken, potato salad, and baked beans, set off by two chocolate cakes made from scratch. Harley’s cooking had already worn thin, and George Custer was ready for a change. The children were called in and lunch was served.
Charlie stood looking up to the ruins. What would these ancient people have thought to see such goings on in front of their old home?
Harley passed him a plate and he filled it and went to sit by Thomas on the tailgate of the truck. He gestured up to the kiva and said, “If only those little people could have been locked in time, hidden away here for eternity,” and immediately felt foolish for saying it.
Thomas slowly finished chewing his mouthful and grew unusually pensive as he said, “Well in a way, I guess you could say that is exactly what has happened.”
Charlie, knowing the future of these people, nodded his head. “It’s hard to imagine what terror stalked this land in those end times. People starving and watching their children starve, too, then finally making the desperate decision to leave and find someplace less affected by the drought.” He looked down at the ground. “Usually, the decision came too late I guess. Bands of their own kind from the smaller outlying settlements were probably the first to run out of food. And they began to prey on the larger settlements—those with the more favorable locations and larger reserves. The migration probably happened gradually, clan by clan, leaving those left behind unable to defend themselves against the marauders. A number of area sites show the deadly effect of the intruders’ attacks and the cannibalistic aftermath—true signs of war, with human remains showing broken skulls and others injuries from arrows, stone axes, and knives, then… the unmistakable signs of the butchering.”
When the picnic was over and everything put away Tanya took the children back down to the water, saying she would go up to the kiva later, alone. “Those are my people up there… no matter what.” Looking away to the rim of the canyon, she whispered, “I will go alone to say my goodbyes.”
The rest of the group trudged up the hill and one by one entered the kiva. The sun was at the right angle to cast a muted light through the chamber’s opening. They could see the built-in stone bench around the interior, seating for now-forgotten ceremonies. Several cross beams had been freshly shored up with poles, but everything else was just as it had been for over a thousand years. Their boots raised little poofs of dust and a gentle haze filtered down from the cedar bark and pole roof.
Harley and the professor had carefully brushed away the accumulation of sand and dust and once again the remains of these last few residents were exposed to the filtered light of day.
Aida took a deep breath and let it out with an audible sigh. All these years, I’ve waited to see this. Now I understand. George was right. I will never think of this place in the same way again.
Dr. George Custer stood in the center of the dimly lit chamber and began his account—what he felt certain had taken place in the end times of the great migration. “There has been much evidence over the years supporting cannibalism in the final days of these people. A number of proven instances are found just miles from here. Among knowledgeable scientific investigators, incidents of cannibalism are no longer disputed.”
The professor grew even more serious as he looked around the circle. “What I’m about to tell you is not as widely believed, though it is just as well supported by scientific evidence.” An almost palpable pall fell over the chamber as the professor went on with his talk. “Theories have varied widely as to the
cause of these aberrations. Most thought they followed sporadic instances of war during desperate times, with the victors eating the vanquished. But you must keep in mind that Aztec beliefs and rituals had been trickling up from Mexico for years, and the Kachina culture may have already gained a foothold across this area. Sacrifice was probably not unknown. The fact that this particular incident took place in a kiva, by itself, indicates something ceremonial in nature.” And here the Professor lowered his voice. “The skeletal remains you see laid out here beside the fire pits are different. First, they are only of the very young and very old. These were the age groups most often left behind in many primitive cultures. Leaders knew there was little chance of them surviving a hard journey with limited food and shelter. Food stocks, by this time, were most probably already depleted, and the people teetered on the edge of starvation.
“The human remains you see in this kiva do not show the usual signs of death suffered in violent attacks. These people might have been strangled, or somehow suffocated. It’s hard to say at this point. They were then systematically dismembered, the bones sometimes defleshed. The typical marks of flint knife on bone are unmistakable—the same pattern found in large game kills when butchered for food. Some pieces had been stewed, judging from the white bleached bones, and others roasted over the fire—indicated by the burned bone ends.” The professor gazed thoughtfully at the bones. “There had been only one way to take these people with them, and in the process gain strength for the journey, possibly even satisfy the new Kachina Gods.”
The professor paused for effect. “Given the time and situation there is a certain logic to their thinking, especially when one considers the incoming Aztec beliefs being embraced by these people.” Now the professor singled out the three Dinè in the group. “I believe Charlie will agree there’s good evidence his Athabaskan forbearers often made these same decisions in the far North and continued to do so into latter times. Indeed, many prehistoric people followed much the same course.”
Ancient Blood Page 18
