~ ~ ~ ~
Jacque grudgingly agreed to let Farrentino take the lead down a trail. After all, his leg wound still ached in spite of the pain meds. With the FBI in the lead, he wouldn’t have to be so mindful of every step he took as closely or determine which way to go. The guy was such a Boy Scout when it came to this stuff. Probably why he and Wind Dancer had hit it off several years ago after the whole Chicago attack occurred.
A helicopter reported they’d seen a man running down a little-traveled trail. From the pilot’s description and amazement at how fast he was moving, it had to be Wind Dancer. Agent Farrentino took the same offshoot trail after getting directions and told the helicopter to keep searching.
“Think we can catch up with your partner?” Farrentino quizzed. “Sounds like he’s a couple of miles ahead of us.”
“He was pretty determined on going his own way. I think that 1800 Pawnee stuff kicked in. If there is a trace of her or anyone moving about, he’ll find it. We should be on the lookout for signs of where he’s headed. The guy is part bloodhound. I’m pretty sure he heard her earlier, which prompted him to take off without us.”
“And you had no idea he was going to do that.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Of course I knew. Two other things I knew: one, Perez would have said no, and two, you would have said go for it. Telling her anything about the remarkable talents Wind Dancer possesses could land him in jail. It nearly did when Liam went missing.”
Perez, had indeed, fumed when she discovered Wind Dancer had left without them. She reiterated how dangerous it could be for one person to head out alone. Next came the speech about being shorthanded, and didn’t they understand this was the exact kind of scenario that got the others taken? The eclipse would make things dark soon, causing yet another problem. Both men had twisted their mouths in disgust and nodded in hopes of appearing chastised. Then she’d made a mistake.
“Agent Farrentino, I thought you would have known enough about this case to warn both these men not to do anything stupid. Guess I was wrong.”
“Well, fortunately, I don’t work for you. And if you worked for me, I’d have your badge for dragging your feet. I’m sure you read the email sent to you from FBI headquarters stating I was to be given whatever resources and assistance I required. At that moment, these two men began working for me, not you. Whatever they want to try, I support them 100 percent. And just to catch you up to speed, I know a lot more about this case than you. Now, if you have a problem with that, I do have the authority to call in a replacement.”
They trudged on, discovering this part of the trail was rougher. Jacque managed well enough since it was slow going. After mulling over the earlier conversation, he couldn’t resist a chuckle. Farrentino paused to take a deep breath and give him the once-over.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. The way Perez was batting those pretty brown eyes of hers at you, I thought you might get lucky. No chance of that now.” He took the opportunity to sit on the edge of a small boulder.
“And the way you were frowning at me, I figured out you probably had already ticked her off, keeping yourself out of the running. You need to take a few romance lessons from your partner. He certainly helped me,” he offered matter-of-factly.
“You? Mr. Playboy of the FBI?” This drew a laugh. “I can’t wait to hear this.” He held up a hand. “No. Wait. I don’t think I can stand to hear it. And besides, I don’t need any help in the romance department, thank you very much.”
The last comment got him a snicker and a nod to get moving.
Light turned to an odd yellow glow as they moved down the trail. Birds grew deathly quiet, and breezes ceased. The air felt dryer up here. Every pungent fragrance of the forest seemed to weigh heavier each time Jacque inhaled, until his eyes watered from possible allergies. A twig snapped. Both men stopped, their bodies stiffened to high alert.
“Hear that?” Jacque whispered.
Farrentino nodded and motioned for them to take cover under a ledge that overhung part of the trail. A trickle of water gurgled down the side of slick rocks. An armadillo hurried across the trail away from them. Both men sighed at the same time and smiled at their overactive imaginations. Then three more armadillos crossed the road at what must have been top speed for those small legs, followed by five or six deer and more jack rabbits than Jacque had ever seen. The strangest part was that a number of coyotes with tails tucked between their legs ran onto the trail, and not because they were hunting. They were escaping.
“One thing Wind Dancer told me was that coyotes don’t run in packs. They hunt alone for the most part.” Jacque felt he was holding his breath. “I think they’re trying to get ahead of something.”
A puma followed with her cubs and stopped for only a second when she noticed them. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder and then disappeared into the rocks above them.
“There is something out there, and I’m not sure it’s human,” Farrentino admitted.
Both men pulled their weapons and readied themselves.
Chapter 32
Before Cleo could get a steady footing, this new Chaveyo swung the ax, landing it in the bark at the base of the tree she’d leaned against. He reached around her and withdrew the weapon with a rattlesnake still attached, held it up for her to see then slung it off with the force of snapping a whip.
This new threat dragged Cleo by holding onto the front of her shirt. A couple of buttons lost their grip and flew into the air. No amount of pleading or digging in her heels stopped his forward motion. For a few seconds, when he approached, she’d thought he was going to chop off her head. She tried to say the same thing to him as the other Chaveyo, about being a healer, but this one didn’t appear to understand. Maybe he didn’t care.
“Move,” he demanded.
“Let me go,” she screamed as she struggled to free herself.
He halted and released her so fast, she fell into him then quickly shoved herself away.
“I won’t hurt you. The Chaveyo will return soon and then you will disappear forever. I tried to save the woman with the little boy, but it was too late.”
“You didn’t take her?”
He didn’t answer, only held her with an angry stare through the horrific mask. His gaze darted all around, surveying the surrounding area.
“Did you take Abby?”
“Yes. To protect her, but Chaveyo took her from me. I then went to help you.”
“I ran.”
He nodded and reached for her again.
This time, she jumped out of his reach. “And the boy in the truck. Did you kill him?”
“I didn’t have to.”
“Chaveyo?”
He shook his head.
“Then who?”
“We must hurry now.” This time, his reach caught her by her broken wrist, and there was nothing to do but submit or scream with pain.
Even with this new creature knocking aside brush that got in their way, a few branches managed to snag her hair or brush against her face. Perspiration beaded up at her hairline and trickled down her face, mixing with the blood from the scratches. There was hope now that Wind Dancer could smell where she was in time to mount a rescue. In her heart, she knew he hunted for her.
This creature’s long strides forced her to take more steps than normal for her much-shorter legs. Exhaustion threatened to collapse her body. If she fell, would he continue by dragging her after him. Why was he doing this? Was there a reason he had pulled her out of the kiva?
The forest grew thicker, but the brush grew sparse, making it easier to follow. The ominous darkness of the eclipse began to block out the sun. A yellowish haze turned the blue sky into a freakish omen of danger. She remembered Mansi’s warning. Stay inside and keep babies away from the windows, and wear something sharp.
She once sat in on one of her father’s seminars concerning other pueblos in New Mexico and how the people had been astronomers. There were always el
ders who believed in taboos with eclipses. Some thought it was a time of transformation and should not fear them. Could this be why Chaveyo had chosen now to reveal himself? Others in the tribe may have committed a wrong and felt fear. Cleo remembered one of the elders present said to pray with cornmeal, respect the silence, and accept the transformation coming.
Could this be what was happening? Transformation? Taking revenge on a person who had done wrong? Even though this new creature had not been moving all that fast, to her it was a sprint. He stopped and let Cleo lean against a tree. She wished desperately for the air to stir so she could cool off before he decided to start again.
She wondered if whatever this ogre wanted, it might be transformation, to be something it could never be: normal. In that moment, she remembered seeing a person at the edge of the property at the inn where she stayed in Kewa Corner. Later, Mansi had told her about his adopted son who had Marfan syndrome. Could this be him?
“You went back for Abby, didn’t you?” She leaned forward and put her hands on her thighs to try and suck up more oxygen. He remained silent and continued to study the trail that opened up ahead. “Why did you take her in the first place? Did you want to keep her for yourself because she protected you from Tinker. Stood up for you?”
He slowly turned his head, the edge of the mask catching on his collar. The movement made it uneven on his face enough so the openings no longer lined up with his eyes, giving it a hollow appearance. “I did not want her to disappear into the underworld with the Chaveyo.”
“You’re Alo.” The declaration made him jerk his head around then his whole body.
“I am Chaveyo,” he growled.
“No. You are good. Chaveyo takes people, hurts them.”
“He does not mean to hurt anyone. I have tried to help him. Stop him. But he comes from the sapapu in the kiva to right wrongs.”
“The little boy hurt no one. He is innocent.”
“And he lived.”
“And the woman, Tonya, from the rescue team. What wrong did she do?”
“Who knows the heart of anyone?” When Cleo didn’t answer, he continued. “Chaveyo knows. When people do not guard the little ones, they are punished. When people wander into spirit-filled mountains without permission, they are taken.”
“Many of those hikers, hunters, children are enjoying nature. They mean no harm to anyone. The land is for everyone. Why did the Chaveyo take me? I’m a doctor. I heal people who are sick and injured.”
“You were with the girl. You saw him. He does not like to be seen. He touched you through the window when Mansi stopped on the road. He chose you because you are a healer.”
“What does he want?”
“Peace. To be left alone. Yet, more and more people come to this land, taking pictures and taking plants that are protected.”
Cleo realized more than ever that this was not an ogre. “Alo, why do you protect him?”
“We are alike. Ugly. Big. He does not judge me.”
“You don’t have to live like this, Alo.”
“How would you know how I have to live? I am not Alo. Here, I am Chaveyo and should be feared.”
“Then why are you taking me away from the kiva? Won’t your friend—”
“My brother!” he snapped angrily as he stepped toward her.
Cleo tried to edge away and held up her hands. “Okay. Brother. Won’t he be angry with you?”
“I have done it before. He lets me save a few. The little ones. The old ones.” He checked the darkening sky. “But it doesn’t always work out. They die, or he decides to keep them. Then they are gone for good. It is pointless to keep searching. Many have disappeared.”
“Is that why you brought Abby back? She was your friend?”
“I do not know her.”
“She stood up for you with Tinker.”
“I do not know her,” he insisted.
The sound of frustration came through his tone of voice as he began to twirl the ax.
“Okay. Okay. Do you know what happened to Tinker?”
The giant twisted his body around several times and cocked his head. A few pieces of bark fell from the covering on his head. “You must walk down the trail. It is up ahead.” He pointed with the ax. “The faster you go, the closer to safety you will be. My brother comes. He will be angry you are gone. If he catches you before the moon crosses the sun and turns the day to night, then you will be gone forever. Run.” Cleo straightened and wondered if it was a trick to hunt her down. Then he shouted, “Run!”
Two steps backward, before she pivoted and ran until she found the trail. Although the trail was crisscrossed with crooked roots and small rocks, she managed not to trip and fall. It didn’t take long to regain enough speed to feel confident she would escape. When her lungs felt like they would burst, she stopped to check behind her then up at the darkening sky.
She took a deep breath and spun around to slam into a hard body that loomed in front of her. The scream that escaped from deep inside was smothered by a hand pressed across her mouth.
Chapter 33
Birds took flight, and the screech of a hawk added to the chaos around the two men. They took steps farther under the overhang and aimed their weapons at the unknown threat. The slow crack of tree limbs breaking then hitting the ground forced Jacque to adjust the grip on his weapon. He cocked his head to pop the stiffness in his neck. His jaw tightened and released as he waited, a habit he’d acquired as a young officer when having to wait for the orders to go into a desperate situation.
A dark blur moved through the trees before stopping twenty feet away. It appeared to pivot in their direction.
Neither man spoke, but both raised their weapons slightly higher. The take-no-prisoners mentality took over if things went sideways. The uneven sound of heavy breathing, or maybe it was the sudden breeze that rattled the dry tree branches, compelled each of them to dig in their heels. Without warning, it lunged forward, swinging a long object in its hands and growling.
Both pulled the trigger of their weapons several times before the dark shape changed course and vanished into the trees.
“What the hell was that?” Agent Farrentino gasped as he checked his weapon.
“Maybe a Chaveyo.” Jacque replaced the magazine after he’d emptied it into their attacker. “I’m not exactly sure what I saw. But it could move. It had a dark head.”
“Tall and hunkered over. Was that a sword he carried?”
Jacque and Farrentino kept talking to establish a list of facts they might have to recall later.
“Did you notice those teeth?” Jacque asked more to reassure himself he hadn’t imagined it. “Or was I just scared to death? I’m not sure about that.”
“I don’t know,” Farrentino admitted. “A dark figure emerged from the trees with a growl. It was swinging a stick, a weapon. I’m not sure. Did our imagination get the best of us?”
“No wonder people can’t tell us anything. I’m not traumatized, and I can’t tell you what I saw.”
Jacque held his weapon down at his side, hesitant to slip it in the holster. He stared up at the yellowing sky. “I’m afraid more than ever for Cleo. She doesn’t have a chance against that thing.”
Farrentino took a deep breath. “Jacque, you need to come to grips—”
“No,” he snapped. “I don’t want to hear it. She’s not dead. Let’s go. He’s taken her somewhere. We’ve got to get to her before it’s too late.” He moved onto the trail. “Wind Dancer is alone. Even his unique skill set won’t be enough against whatever is out there.”
“I’m calling Perez to let her know where we are and what just happened in case for some reason we don’t return.” He pulled his walkie-talkie from his backpack.
“I gave Wind Dancer one of those. Try to call him. He knows how to use it.”
Farrentino gave him an incredulous look but tried anyway. “Nothing. Sorry.” Next, he tried Perez and reached her immediately. He explained their experience and caught up on t
he latest news that amounted to still trying to locate Tinker’s dad and that Mansi had slipped away from the police station.
Perez thanked him for checking in and informed him of other groups out searching. Nothing new on that front. She reminded them to stay together, given what had attacked them.
“I’m waiting here for backup then I’ll try to join one of the teams. In the meantime, I’m checking on a lead that might help us with the Tinker murder. I’ll fill you in when you come in.”
Jacque grabbed the walkie-talkie. “You’re there alone?”
“Don’t worry. Highway patrol is sending a guy out to help me. Should be here any time now.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Your concern is touching.” The sarcasm came through loud and clear. “Gotta go. A car is pulling in. Need to move them along.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When the car rolled to a stop, Perez strolled toward it. The car door opened, and a familiar face appeared. She sighed and put her hands on her hips. “We’re a little busy here. Get back in your car and keep moving. I know you’ve got questions, but I can’t deal with that now.” He just stood there with a scowl on his face until she inched closer. “Did you hear me?”
~ ~ ~ ~
“Who is it? Perez?” She clicked off, and Jacque handed the radio to Farrentino. “She thinks she’s all that, doesn’t she?”
“Probably why she’s the chief of this end-of-the-world place. Got the feeling she has to do a lot of proving herself here among these macho-guy types.” Farrentino continued to survey the surroundings.
“One of us should go check on her,” Jacque decided.
Dark Side of Noon (Wind Dancer Book 2) Page 19
