Chickadee turned from the computer and looked at him. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t forget the boat rope!” Atim’s voice was laced with frustration. “It was stretched out. It really looks like that boat was pulled in.”
The cousins stood in silence for a moment.
“We could ask Fish if he took Pixton to the snake pits. If he did, then that would explain what the dog picked up.”
“Okay,” Atim gave up some ground, “but I think we need to figure out who pulled the boat in.” Otter nodded in agreement.
“Well…I promise we’ll figure that out before we go tell Uncle he’s searching in the wrong place. ’Kay?” Samuel bargained.
Atim and Otter smiled. “Sounds good.”
Sam smiled back.
Chickadee rolled her eyes and shook her head at the boys. “Well…now that we’ve decided that, let’s go find Fish again and ask him if he ever took Dr. Pixton to the snake pits.”
She laughed again when her cousins all nodded their heads in unison.
Chapter 12
A Different Perspective
The Muskrats figured they’d try the gas station before they went anywhere else. As they came out of the bush trail, they could see a bunch of the company men standing in the parking lot with the RCMP and the band constables.
“Where the heck are all your people?” Mr. Makowski was agitated again.
“We put out a call for volunteers. I’m not from around here.” The senior RCMP officer shrugged.
“When is that Makowski guy not angry?” Atim wondered.
“Everyone wants to be boss, but he sure makes it seem like more of a hassle than it’s worth.” Chickadee shook her head.
The RCMP officer spoke to their uncle. “Did you put out the call to your people?”
Uncle Levi sighed and nodded.
Makowski turned his ire on the local police officer.
“You’re supposed to be the authority in this town. Where are all your people?”
Uncle Levi looked around the empty parking lot. “I don’t know where they are.” He shrugged. “But it is a volunteer position.”
“Well, it’s not like any of them are working! Where are they?” The manager swept his arm over the whole town.
Their uncle sighed again. “How many of your men are volunteers? Or are they getting paid?” Uncle Levi quietly looked him in the eye.
The manager glared at the police officer but didn’t say anything. The employees quietly smiled. Apparently, they were being paid to be there.
With a smirk, Uncle Levi suggested, “We can do a lot with what’s here. There may be more tomorrow.”
Mr. Makowski took the edge off his anger. “There’s an old man out there. He isn’t going to last long.”
Uncle Levi agreed. “I know it. That’s why I’m here. Now, we’re going to head out to the snake pits and walk through the bush to see if we can find him. There are few hours of daylight left, so I suggest we get moving.”
“This bloody community doesn’t care about an old man?” Mr. Makowski shook his head.
Uncle Levi was on his way to the truck, but he answered with his deep voice, “He’s your old man. Why didn’t you know him well enough to take care of him?”
Uncle Levi didn’t wait for a response but took the last two steps to his truck and got inside. He rolled down the window and looked at Makowski sternly. “I’ll meet you and your men at the snake pits in about two hours.”
“We’ll be there.” Mr. Makowski nodded and headed back to his vehicle.
With the manager on his way, Uncle Levi motioned to the kids.
“What’s up, Uncle?” Chickadee skipped up to his window. The other Mighty Muskrats followed.
“We’re heading down to the snake pits to search. Do any of you want to come?” The Muskrats looked at each other and then back at their uncle.
“I think we’re following other leads…” Samuel squinted at his uncle.
“Other leads, hey?” Uncle Levi nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I have to follow the only lead I have. The RCMP seem to be leading the charge on this. But…if you guys come up with anything you let me know.”
“We will, Uncle,” Sam assured his Elder.
“Okay.” Uncle Levi was serious but gave the kids a smile. “And if you can figure out why nobody showed up to search, let me know that, too. I bet your grandfather and the Elders may have something to do with it.”
“No problem!” Atim said.
Their uncle grinned again, put his truck in gear, and drove off.
“What do we do now?” Atim wondered aloud.
The Mighty Muskrats decided to check out the Station as they hadn’t found Fish yet.
The restaurant was slowly filling up as it got closer to the dinner hour. The waitress at the front asked them if they wanted a table. Sam had a little crush on her. He mumbled shyly, “We’re just looking for Fish.”
“Well, he ain’t in my section.” She slid the till shut and walked away. But as she left she flung out an arm in the direction of the dining room. “Go take a look if you want.”
In a cluster, the Mighty Muskrats shuffled in. It didn’t take long to confirm that Fish wasn’t there.
As they turned to leave, a stranger spoke behind them in a gruff voice. “Hey, is it your cousin tied to the company dock?”
The cousins tightened up. They were expecting another blast from a mine employee. Atim puffed out his chest and Chickadee’s face turned into a scowl. Otter waited to see what was going to happen.
They turned to look as one.
The young First Nation man’s coveralls were full of dust and his face was dirty. His long hair was matted on top from sweating under the hard hat that now sat on the table.
With a touch of suspicion in his voice, Samuel said, “Yes, it is.”
“She’s a smart chick,” he shook his head, “but not too smart.”
When he saw the effect his last words had on the Muskrats he quickly held up his hands. “No, no. I like her! She reminds me of my sister. My sister back in Smokey Bend.”
“Okay.” Sam waited. Smokey Bend was a First Nation about a two-hour drive away. The Muskrats had been told that Smokey and their community were part of the same nation. A number of communities had traced their families back to a large group that once followed the same holy man, but that had been before they were herded onto the reserve. Smokey Bend was also where the long-
distance Windy Lake Winter Festival Dog Sled Race turned around and headed back to Windy Lake.
“I sat with her during my coffee breaks today. Gave her some water, but she wanted food. We talked about a lot of stuff.”
Suddenly realizing the Muskrats were standing in the middle of a busy room, he kicked out the chair across from him.
“Sit down,” he said. “I’m saving the table for my buddies, but they won’t be here for a while.”
Sam looked at his brother and cousins. They shrugged, so he cautiously sat down. Chickadee took the other seat beside him. Atim and Otter just stood behind them.
“So, she was okay when you left?” Chickadee looked worried.
“She’s pretty tough.” The young man chuckled.
“I seen her hit an old boyfriend with a frying pan.” Chickadee giggled.
“I could believe that,” he said. “She got me to fold up her grandma’s blanket and put it back in the plastic bag. Said she didn’t want to get it dirty. She’d rather be cold. But yeah, I figure she’ll be done tomorrow.”
“What did you talk about?” Sam was curious as to why his cousin was interested in this company man.
“I told her I need my job. I got kids. I’m a single dad. My kids have school, so they’re with my mom when I’m here, and then I get to hang out with them for the week I’m off. That kinda sucks sometimes, but…I need
my job.”
“She says the company is poisoning the water,” Otter said from behind Sam.
“Believe me,” he said. “She mentioned it to me, too.”
He grew serious before he went on. “I told her, there’s definitely stuff I see that I don’t agree with. No doubt. But there are rules. And, I know, most of the managers make their guys follow them.”
“Yeah, but money makes the world go ’round,” Sam said.
“That’s why a guy needs a job. World ain’t perfect. I have to make something out of what I got…for who I got. That’s how I’m supposed to be a good man, right?” The young man seemed to be honestly asking Samuel for his opinion.
Sam nodded. “That’s what my grandpa says.”
“I don’t have the answers.” The single dad shook his head. “All I have is these.” Two dirty hands stretched out across the table.
Just then, a group of loud young men burst through the restaurant door. They were dressed in dirty overalls and hard hats.
“My buddies are here. But I’ll make sure to give your cousin some water when I’m back at work tomorrow.” He smiled at the Muskrats.
As Samuel rose to leave he asked, “What’s your name?”
“My parents are Jacob and Rene Cardinal from Smokey Bend. I’m Steven.” He held out his hand as his compatriots surrounded the table. Sam shook it and said good-bye.
Chapter 13
Rough Side of the Rez
“Seems like a nice guy,” Atim said as the Mighty Muskrats left the Station.
“Yeah, I could see Denice liking him.” Chickadee smiled.
“Wooooo-hoooo!” her boy cousins shouted as one. It ended in giggles.
“Sounds like little Chickadee has a crush!” Atim teased. Chickadee punched him in the gut. He gasped as the air quickly left his lungs.
“Let’s go.” Chickadee stomped off across the parking lot. Her cousins caught up to her once Atim could breathe.
“We still haven’t found Fish….” Sam let the idea hang.
“Maybe we should stop and talk to Grandpa too.” Chickadee still had a touch of annoyance in her voice.
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Sam pinched his chin as he thought.
“Back to the House-taurant?” Atim suggested cautiously.
“I bet Grandpa is already back home by now. Mavis really wanted to help get people out to search. I wonder what happened,” Sam said out loud.
“Do you think the Elders had something to do with it?” As Chickadee stopped walking, the boys turned to look at her.
“That’s why we want to talk to Grandpa, isn’t it?” Sam said.
They all nodded.
“Fish’s house is not far,” Otter offered.
“But do we want to go there?” Chickadee asked with a touch of worry in her voice. It was well-known that a lot of the fights and crime in town were committed by only a few people and a number of those people were Fish’s brothers and cousins. The corner of town where Fish and his cousins lived had become a tough neighborhood. The Muskrats tried to avoid it.
“It’s nothing!” Atim’s bravado spoke. He flipped the hair out of his eyes.
“Well…we better go quick. It’ll be dark soon,” Sam assured Chickadee. Otter took her brown hand in his own.
“Let’s go.” Chickadee started walking. Her freckled expression was determined with a dash of worry thrown in.
The Mighty Muskrats marched in silence to Fish’s house.
As the houses on the reserve spread out over the folds and hills of an ancient lake bed, there were low points and high points. The homes had been built to government plans, erected by the lowest bidders. Some were crumbling with age; others could use a good coat of paint. Since there wasn’t enough housing for the growing number of families on the rez, people stayed in buildings that would have been condemned in other places.
The road rose a little before it headed down into a small valley. Fish’s house was one of the few clustered above the swampy soil that collected rain from the higher ground around it. The wet little depression always smelled of rotting weeds and wood. The bulrushes had escaped from the confines of the roadside ditches and consorted with willows and swamp grass in little tufts here and there.
The gravel on the road crunched as the Mighty Muskrats walked determinedly to collect a new bit of information.
Sam whispered, “Okay. We just want to know if Fish ever took the doctor to the snake pits.”
“What if he’s not home?” Atim tried to sound casual.
“Then we just came for a nice walk!” Otter smiled at his cousins.
Fish’s yard was so muddy that the trucks were parked along the side of the gravel road rather than the driveway. A tricycle, a go-cart, and a whole bunch of homemade, wooden toys were scattered across the mud and lawn.
Fish’s house was a rectangle of aged plywood. The paint had long since faded. All that stood out from the gray of weathered wood was the faded pink insulation held in place over broken windows by wind-ripped, plastic sheeting.
The front step was an overturned fisherman’s box. Atim didn’t bother to test it, he reached up and knocked on a corner of the screen door. Immediately, the sound of movement came from within. A lot of people seemed to be moving toward the door.
Atim stepped behind Samuel when the door swung open.
“Hey.” A large, brown lady smiled pleasantly down at them. Fish’s wife was from a much better family, and much to their chagrin, she had fallen in love with him back in high school. With the door open, a number of small children tumbled out, giggling and happy. A toddler clung to Mrs. Fish’s leg.
“Uhm…we’re here to talk to Fish.” Sam was thankful she had answered the door.
“How’s your cousin?” Mrs. Fish looked at Chickadee. She saw the Muskrats as a connection to others in their family.
“Which one?” Sam’s forehead furrowed. His grandma had twelve kids. Some of his uncles and aunties had eight or more.
“Denice is okay, but she probably won’t last past tomorrow.” Chickadee knew that Mrs. Fish and her protesting cousin had gone to high school together.
“She was always crazy.” Mrs. Fish chuckled. “But smart though. Glad she’s doing what she’s doing.”
“Is Fish here?” Sam squinted up at her.
Mrs. Fish gave him the once over.
“This your cousin?” She looked at Chickadee.
“Yep.” Chickadee surveyed Sam. “He moved here last year.” She lip-pointed to Atim. “Him and his brother.”
Mrs. Fish looked at Sam. “He’s not here, city boy. What do you want him for?”
Sam suddenly felt self-conscious. “We’re looking for a lost old man.”
“The doctor, hey?” She picked up the toddler and placed him on her hip. The little boy was pleased to look down on their guests. Chickadee reached up and stuck her finger in his tiny hand and made baby noises at him.
Sam nodded.
“What about him?”
“Did Fish take him to the snake pits?” Sam’s chagrin disappeared with the possibility of nailing down some information.
Mrs. Fish looked off in the distance, thinking. The sun wasn’t far from the horizon. The clouds would soon start to change colors. “I think he did. I think it was the day before the storm. Took him to a bunch of places, the old winter site, the sun dance site and…I’m pretty sure the snake pits.”
The Mighty Muskrats smiled at each other.
“Well, thank you.” Sam smiled at Mrs. Fish.
She smiled back. “Well…at least you’re polite. Kinda cute.”
His cousins and brother laughed. Atim pushed his shoulder.
“We better be on our way.” Chickadee waved at Mrs. Fish.
“Okay, see you around.” Mrs. Fish nodded at them as she shut the door.
With smiles on their faces, the Mighty Muskrats made their way out of the swampy little valley.
“We can tell Uncle that Scout probably picked up the doctor’s scent from when he went there with Fish,” Sam said.
“So maybe they’ll stop searching there and look across the lake!” Otter said enthusiastically.
“Yeah, but what about the rope?” Atim was ready to remind everyone about the promise Sam made in the fort.
“We’ll figure out the rope,” Sam assured him.
“Let’s go talk to Grandpa again, before we go home,” Chickadee suggested as she skipped sideways down the road. Her cousins picked up their pace. The sun was now turning the clouds into pink and purple cotton candy in the distance.
ó
As the House-taurant came into view, Atim began to think of reasons to go inside.
“We should go see what Mavis has for leftovers. She might give us some cold fries…if she has any.”
“I thought we were going to talk to Grandpa. It’ll get dark soon,” Otter complained.
Atim decided to work on his brother.
“Fish’s wife says she figured he went there, but that isn’t for certain.” He shrugged at his brother. “And we don’t really know why no volunteers showed today to look for the old…Dr. Pixton.”
Samuel pinched his chin as they walked. Chickadee noticed and rolled her eyes.
Resigned, Otter shook his head. “We can only stay for a while. Sun’s going down,” he insisted.
Samuel pointed down the road. “The House-taurant it is.”
The door opened with a tinkle as the Mighty Muskrats filed into the home business.
“Hey, kids.” Mavis was just going around the wall that hid the kitchen. Four of the tables in her living room had two or more guests at them. Atim lip-pointed to an empty table just inside the old dining room.
“How much money we got?” Chickadee nodded at the boys. Her cousins produced what little change and few bills they had. “Wow! Five dollars and sixty-five cents! What does that get us?”
The Case of Windy Lake Page 6
