His gaze went to where Morago and Night Woman stood, her dog sprawled half asleep in the red dirt beside her. Now he knew where that sense of familiarity had come from. Her age and shape were different, but he’d bet anything the woman talking to Morago was the same one who had come to the trading post this morning.
“What is it?” Reuben asked.
Thomas opened his hand to show the feather, but his gaze remained fixed on Night Woman. “She was in the trading post this morning,” he said. “She bought a Coke and asked for directions to the casino.”
“Night Woman? Are you sure?”
Thomas nodded. “She looked different—younger. She didn’t have the dog and she was driving a long black Caddy. But we had the counter between us, so how could she have gotten this into my pocket?”
He made a fist, closing the feather tightly against his palm.
“They say she’s been here since the world began,” Reuben said, a frown creasing his brow. “You get that many years under your belt, you can probably do a lot of things the rest of us can’t.”
Thomas was only half listening. He took a step toward where the shaman and Night Woman were standing, but Reuben grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“You don’t want to do that,” he said.
“I need to find out if she did this to me. What she wants.”
“Yeah, but don’t do it with that chip on your shoulder. You need to be smart about this.”
“So what would you do?”
Reuben shrugged. “Hear her out. Talk as little a possible. Try not to look like you want to drive your fist into something.”
All good advice.
Thomas took a steadying breath. He eased the tightness of his fingers so the feather was only loosely enclosed. “Okay,” he said. “I can do that.”
Reuben laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Good man.”
“But I’m getting rid of this,” Thomas said, holding up the feather.
Reuben stopped him before he could throw it away.
“Hold on. If that thing’s full of medicine, you don’t want to leave it where anybody can stumble across it.”
“Right,” Thomas said.
He started to hand it over, but Reuben backed up a step, shaking his head.
“That’s not warrior business,” he said. “It’s shaman business. We’ll let Morago deal with it as soon as he’s finished—”
He broke off as Jack Young Deer, one of his dog boys, came running up to them.
“Jerry wants to see you at the station,” Jack said.
Reuben nodded. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“Sure,” Jack said. “But he told me to tell you if you don’t come in right now, it’s out of his hands and you can expect a visit from the sheriff’s office.”
“He say what it’s about?”
Jack shook his head. “But he’s already brought in your buddy Steve.”
“Crap. This is Sammy’s doing. He wants that head back so that his big brave hunter can get it mounted.”
Reuben turned to Thomas. “I need to deal with this or we’ll have all kinds of authorities tromping around in here.”
“I’m fine,” Thomas told him. “Go.”
Reuben nodded. “Since you’re using my truck can you give Morago a ride back to the center?”
“No problem.”
“And remember. When you’re talking to Night Woman, don’t look angry, and say as little as possible.”
“Got it. Go see Jerry.”
Reuben sighed. “Right. Let’s go, nephew,” he added to Jack.
Thomas watched them leave. When he turned around again, it was to find both Morago and Night Woman looking at him. His own gaze went down to the feather in his hand. He closed his fingers around it again and walked over to where they waited.
28
Sadie
The sound of a car coming down Aggie’s lane woke Sadie. She was slouched under the window in the bedroom, still wrapped up in the blanket. The dog was gone, the door to her room closed. She was still trying to figure out what had awoken her when she heard a car door open. Clutching the blanket around herself, she got up, went into the kitchen and stood at the door where she could look out.
A blond white woman she didn’t recognize stood outside a fancy car that was parked in the lane. She was letting the dogs smell her. Sadie was about to turn away when the passenger door opened. She recognized this second woman right away, though she’d only ever seen her picture on the masthead of her Rats on the Run blog.
Sadie watched as Aggie went to greet her visitors.
What the hell was Leah Hardin doing here?
She hurried back to the bedroom to get dressed. By the time she returned to the kitchen and looked out again, everybody was gone. Since all the dogs were sleeping on the little casita’s porch or in the dirt near the bottom of the steps, Sadie figured Aggie must have taken the women into her studio. Fingering the fresh scab on her arm, she tried to figure out what to do.
Somehow Leah had tracked her down—or maybe, tracked Aggie down. Right now they were talking about Steve and her, and Aggie was blabbing everything, which meant there’d be no money coming her way.
And Aggie was going to be seriously pissed.
Sadie wanted to smash everything in sight. To put her foot through the paintings, one by one. Totally trash the place.
It wasn’t fair. This had been her one chance to get free and now it was gone.
She wanted to scream. Tapping the knife in her pocket, she thought about dragging its blade across her arm and letting the anger and hurt out before she swelled like a balloon.
She could hardly breathe.
She dug out the knife and pushed the blade in and out, in and out of the handle.
The only thing stopping her from cutting was because that was what they wanted. They wanted to take everything away from her and let her bleed out on the floor.
Well, screw them.
She started for the front door, then returned to the kitchen and yanked open the cupboards until she found a canteen. Filling it with water, she went back to the door and eased it open.
She listened for the dogs as she quietly closed the door behind her. Keeping the house between her and any line of sight from the studio where the dogs were, she walked west. Downhill. Into the desert.
Cacti reared on all sides and she had to weave back and forth between saguaro and clumps of ocotillo and cholla. Did every freaking thing out here have to have a thorn?
She didn’t realize she was crying until she got so congested it was hard to breathe except through her mouth. She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her hoodie and squatted on her haunches for a moment, sucking in big gulps of air.
She was so sick of this.
New plan.
Somehow, she had to get back to the city. She didn’t care how she got there or how long it would take. It didn’t matter if she had to walk the whole way. She’d wait until nightfall, then sneak into the house when Reggie was sleeping, bash him over the head, and take off with whatever she could lay her hands on that she might be able to sell. She’d take his credit cards and his car, too. Hell, maybe she’d throw him in the trunk and dump him in the desert while she was at it. See how he liked it.
She wasn’t sure what she’d do with her mother. But knowing Tina, she’d be drunk, passed out, and sleep through everything, so Sadie wouldn’t have to make a decision. As for the foster kids, at this point she couldn’t decide if she’d be bringing Aylissa along with her or not. Maybe she’d let Aylissa make that call. But she couldn’t bring the younger ones.
Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked west. There wasn’t much to see except for hills and desert scrub. She wasn’t exactly a whiz at geography, but she did know Santo VV was on a plain, and the rez was in the mountains, so after leaving Aggie’s house, she worked her way down, following arroyos, dirt roads and little winding paths, always heading west.
It took her a good twent
y minutes before she finally topped a rise and could see a blacktop below. She lifted her gaze and there was the smudge of the city in the distance.
Yes!
But before she could start down the hill a hand grabbed her shoulder.
She shrieked and tried to break free, but her unknown assailant’s grip was too strong to escape. Then she was turned around and stood face-to-face with Steve’s furry girlfriend Calico.
“What the fuck is your problem?” Sadie yelled. Again she tried to yank herself free but the woman’s grip was too strong. “Seriously. Let me go.”
“What’s the connection between Sammy Swift Grass and your father?”
Sadie gave her a blank look.
“Just answer the question,” Calico said.
“I don’t even know who this Sammy guy is and what do you care?”
“Not the right answer.”
She gave Sadie’s shoulder a sharp tug, then took a step and the whole world seemed to go rubbery under Sadie’s feet. Calico let her go and Sadie was so dizzy she staggered a few steps before falling to her knees in the dirt. She felt like she was going to hurl, but nothing would come up.
Calico stood watching her impassively until Sadie’s world stopped spinning. Then the foxalope woman crouched down until their eyes were level.
“Let’s try it one more time,” she said. “Why are they framing Steve?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Framing him for what?”
“Kidnapping you.”
“The only person going around kidnapping people is you.”
Calico grimaced, showing a mouthful of teeth that were way too pointy and sharp. Sadie shivered but she didn’t back down.
“I swear, until right now, I’ve never been kidnapped,” she told Calico.
“That’s not what your father says. He told the police he saw two Kikimi drag you into a van. Then Sammy steps up and says it was only one Kikimi—that Reuben Little Tree dragged you into the van and Steve was the driver.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know any Reuben guy neither.”
Calico studied her for a long moment, eyes narrowed. “If I leave you here,” she said, “you’ll never find your way back.”
“Nice try,” Sadie said, pointing to the rise where she’d been standing just before Calico grabbed her. “But I know the road’s right over there.”
“Is it?”
What kind of a weird-ass question was that?
“Why don’t you go have a look?” Calico said.
Sadie waited a moment to see if Calico was serious, then stood up. She casually stuck her hands in her pockets, feeling better when her fingers closed around the handle of her knife.
Grab me again, freak, she thought as she walked back to the top of the hill, and I’ll cut your stupid hand off.
But then she started to feel sick to her stomach again.
The road wasn’t there. The smudge of the city wasn’t on the horizon. There was just desert as far as she could see.
“You’re not in your own world anymore,” Calico said.
Sadie hadn’t heard her come up behind her, and she jumped at the sound of Calico’s voice.
“How…how’s this even possible?” she managed.
Calico made a loose gesture toward the desert below. “So you can stay here for the rest of your life,” she went on, “which, let’s face it, wouldn’t be that long for a city girl like you, or you can start being helpful.”
Sadie shook her head. “I can’t help you. I don’t know these people you’re talking about. I don’t know how Reggie hooked up with them. I don’t know anything.”
“Maybe not. But you can come with me to the police station so they can see you haven’t been kidnapped.
“Steve won’t let me just take him away where they can’t find him,” Calico added. “He says this is a human problem, so we have to deal with it like humans do.”
Sadie’s fear of Calico and this strange world was swallowed by her bigger fear of the freak-storm that would come down on her if she went up against Reggie like this. It was one thing to sneak into his bedroom and smash his head in while he was sleeping, but face-to-face? When he was awake?
“And then what?” she said.
Calico gave her a puzzled look.
“What happens after I do that?” Sadie said.
“You can do whatever you want.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t work like that in my life. I don’t know what Reggie’s up to, but if I mess it up, I’m dead. He’ll beat the crap out of me.”
“And what makes you think I won’t if you don’t help Steve? He’s only involved in this because he helped you.”
“You think I chose my fucked up life? Think again, lady. Go ahead. Do your worst. Beat me up. Leave me here. I don’t care. But I’m not going anyplace where Reggie can get his hands on me.”
“I can take you to the police station whether you want me to or not.”
“I’m sure you could. But if you do, I’ll just say you were in on it with Steve and the other guy you mentioned.”
Calico glared at her. “Don’t think I’m bluffing.”
“I’m not bluffing either. I just don’t care anymore. That’s what happens when people like you push people too far.”
“What do you mean, ‘people like you’?”
“You, my old man—you’re stronger than people like me. You can beat me up, so you get to tell me what to do.”
“You think I’m…”
Calico’s voice trailed off.
“Just like my old man?” Sadie said. “Yeah, you’re acting just like him. You order me to do whatever you want or the hammer comes down. What I feel, what happens to me—you couldn’t give a shit, could you?”
Calico regarded her for a long moment, then gave a slow nod of her head.
“You’re right,” she said. “I don’t care about a self-centered little shit like you. But I care about Steve. So start walking.”
She gave Sadie a little push to punctuate her demand.
Sadie pulled away. “Hey!”
“Walk.”
“Why? Where are we going?”
“The tribal police station.”
“I already told you, I’m not going to—”
Calico gave her another push. “Walk.”
“What? You’ve got no magic spell that’ll just whisk us there?”
“I do. But I want you to have the time to think about the consequences of making the wrong choice.”
“I’m not changing my mind,” Sadie said.
“We’ll see.”
Sadie tightened her grip on the handle of her knife. First chance she got, she’d cut Calico a new one with it.
“Yeah,” Sadie said. “We’ll see all right.”
Calico met her bravado with a flat stare.
“Walk,” she repeated.
Before Calico could give her another shove, Sadie turned and started down the hill where the road she’d seen no longer existed.
29
Steve
I’m wondering if I did the right thing, having turned down Calico’s offer for help when she came by the tribal police station earlier. She just popped in out of nowhere, sitting in the chair beside me as soon as Jerry stepped out to answer a phone ringing in the other room. She wanted me to go with her right then, but I told her I couldn’t and tried to explain.
I don’t think she really understood.
This whole situation’s got nothing to do with Sadie—not her old man or the bogus kidnapping—and everything to do with Sammy pulling this stupid scam because Calico and I reclaimed Derek’s head. At least that’s the reason I’m here.
Whatever game Sadie’s dad is playing is anybody’s guess. The idea that Reuben and I kidnapped her is pure bullshit and doesn’t make a lick of sense. Everybody knows it, but we still have to go through the motions. It’s deal with it here and now, or it gets right out of control and Reuben and I find ourselves sitting in county, awaiting trial. If I go on the
run—or rather, disappear from the middle of the tribal police station—it’ll just postpone the inevitable and escalate my problems. Plus I can’t very well abandon Reuben.
“But if things take a turn for the worse,” I told her, “I’ll welcome your help.”
She frowned.
“Just let me try it my way first,” I said.
Studying me for a long moment, she finally nodded. “Okay, but call my name if you change your mind. I’ll be listening for you.”
She disappeared just as Jerry hung up the phone in the other room.
When he comes back in he looks around. “I thought I heard somebody else in here,” he says.
I shake my head. “Nope. It’s just me and the spirits.”
He gives me a considering look. “I always heard you weren’t into that kind of thing,” he says.
“You mean Kikimi traditions?”
He nods.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t have my own traditions.”
Jerry gives another slow look around the room. “I hope those traditions don’t include kidnapping teenage girls,” he says.
“You don’t seriously think I’d do that.”
“No,” Jerry says. “But I’ve been wrong before, and whatever else Reginald Higgins might be, he’s on the money about one thing: nothing feels right about any of this.”
Before I can frame a reply, the front door of the station opens and Reuben walks in, and I start to wonder for the first time what we’re going to do if we can’t make Jerry believe us.
* * *
“You know this is a load of crap,” Reuben says.
The two of us are sitting across the desk from Jerry. Outside, in the time we’ve been talking to Jerry, the sun’s been up for a couple of hours, making long shadows and taking the chill out of the air. I try not to think of how I could be getting some sleep, or even out walking in the high country instead of dealing with this bullshit problem. I wouldn’t be here at all if I hadn’t felt compelled to play white knight for Sadie in the first place. But what was I going to do? Leave her there on the side of the road where her old man dumped her?
The Wind in His Heart Page 17
