by Aimée Thurlo
Marlee’s anxiety was evident as she hurried to Lanie’s room. “Why would they break into the boardinghouse?” She stepped inside Lanie’s room and glanced back at her. “Can you answer that?”
Lanie shook her head, then gestured toward the pillowcase filled with loot that Gabriel had set on top of the bed. “Let’s see what they tried to take. Maybe we can figure out from that what it is they wanted.”
Gabriel held the sack open for them. “Be careful not to touch anything in here. This isn’t the work of someone passing through. Strangers stick out in Four Winds. Since we have no professional thieves in Four Winds, my guess is that they left fingerprints on everything. None of the kids in town have criminal records that I know of, so these fingerprints will probably not be on file. But they’re still evidence that might come in handy at some point if we need to confirm the involvement of a particular suspect”
Lanie studied the contents of the pillowcase. They’d taken the small notebook she used for recording expenses, her travel journal, which simply listed the places she’d passed through, some towels and two small sandpaintings Marlee had used as room decorations. “Not exactly a treasure trove, is it?” she mused.
“Why would anyone break in just for that stuff?” Marlee asked. “Those sandpaintings are in every booth at the county-fair craft show, and the towels are nothing special.”
“Maybe they came in expecting to find more but had to settle for that instead,” Gabriel said, then looked at Lanie. “Who was around when the peddler gave you that pottery bowl?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t met very many of the townsfolk yet. I remember seeing several people around, but I wasn’t looking at anyone closely.”
Gabriel weighed everything in his mind. There was definitely something going on in his town. When he’d returned four months ago, he’d assumed his biggest worry as sheriff would be boredom, but things were changing. He could feel it. The sense of danger was unmistakable, like the electrically charged air that would make a person’s hair stand on end right before a lightning strike.
“Wait a minute,” Marlee said, interrupting his thoughts. “Did I understand this right?” She looked directly at Lanie. “You accepted a gift from the peddler?”
“Yes.” Lanie pulled the bowl from her tote bag. “It’s just a small piece.” Seeing the wariness on Marlee’s face, she added, “Does it bother you?”
“Worries me is more like it,” Marlee answered. “Tell me this, the van you said you kept seeing, could it have been the peddler’s?”
Lanie shrugged. “I think so, but I can’t swear to it.”
“It seems to me that he might have selected you long before he gave you the pot.” Marlee’s eyes narrowed in thought. “People around here say that nothing ever happens by chance in Four Winds. They believe our town calls people to it so they can fulfill their destinies. I think that bowl is part of yours.”
Gabriel exhaled loudly. “I’ve never believed that people are forced to do anything by unseen powers. We all have choices.”
“I agree with you up to a point. I do believe that Four Winds brings people here, but how they shape their destiny is up to them,” Marlee said quietly.
“So what are you saying?” Lanie asked. “That the fire and my car breaking down were all part of my fate? That Four Winds called me?”
“Yes. That much, I’d say, is obvious. What remains to be seen is why it’s important for you to have that pot, and what happens now that you have it.”
Gabriel studied Lanie’s expression. He could see that she wasn’t sure how much to believe, and how much was Marlee’s very convincing imagination. He couldn’t blame her.
“Well, it’s time to get to work repairing that window. Otherwise, we’re all in for a cold night.” Marlee glanced at Gabriel. “Could you help me out with this? I’ve got some tools in the kitchen closet.”
“Sure,” Gabriel agreed. “You two can go inside if you want”
“I’ll bring in the groceries I left in Gabriel’s vehicle,”
Lanie said, “and I’ll meet you inside, Marlee. We can put the food away while Gabriel is busy here.”
“I’ll work as quickly as I can with my investigation, then fix the damage,” Gabriel answered.
As Lanie headed back to the patrol vehicle, Gabriel joined her. “Let’s both ride in,” Gabriel suggested. “I need the evidence box I keep in the Jeep, so I might as well bring the vehicle around and park in my usual spot.”
A few moments later, they were driving back to the house. “I just don’t buy Marlee’s story about that peddler,” Lanie said. “He’s a stranger who comes and goes as he pleases, and that’s why he’s such an easy target for the townspeople. He’s a mystery to them, so they blame him for everything that happens that they can’t explain.”
Gabriel said nothing. There were too many questions running through his mind. He stole a look at Lanie as he pulled up to the house and parked. He was starting to realize that when he’d gone to her rescue in that fire, he’d found far more than he’d expected. He’d carried this woman of passion and courage out of that inferno and into his life. Now he wasn’t at all sure what to do with her. In so many ways, she seemed vulnerable, and that aroused his protective instincts. But he would have been a fool not to notice that Lanie was at the center of all the trouble he’d seen lately in Four Winds. She either attracted it like a magnet, or caused it. He just wasn’t sure which.
He grabbed his investigation box from the rear of the vehicle and walked toward the boardinghouse. It was time to concentrate on his job, not on her. “I’m going to search your room for prints and other evidence. After I’m through, I’ll let you know and you can come in and clean up. Then we’ll have a go at that window.”
Gabriel went into Lanie’s room and closed the door behind him. First he searched the room methodically. There weren’t many clues, but he did manage to lift a few prints. As he considered the significance of the items the thieves had tried to take, he felt sure that they’d come to learn about Lanie. The sandpaintings and the towels had probably been taken out of frustration since there wasn’t much here of a personal nature. But why the curiosity about her? That remained to be answered.
Finished, he walked out into the hall and called out, “I’m through here. You two can come in.”
Lanie and Marlee came down the hall. Lanie was carrying a plastic bucket containing a few basic tools. “First thing we have to do is measure that window so we can come up with something to cover it for tonight,” Marlee said, reaching into the bucket for a tape measure.
“I think there’s a piece of plywood out by the woodpile,” Gabriel said. “I’ll get it.”
While Gabriel was looking for the plywood, Marlee swept the floor and Lanie picked up.
Gabriel returned with a thin piece of wood about the right size as Lanie took the small bowl from her tote bag and placed it on the dresser.
“Let me hold that tape measure, Marlee,” she said, moving toward the window.
While the women were occupied, Gabriel walked over to where Lanie had placed the bowl and studied it without picking it up.
He saw Lanie watching him from the corner of her eye as she continued to help Marlee. He was aware of the way her gaze drifted over him appreciatively. He tried not to smile. He caught her glance and held it for a moment longer than was necessary, and saw her blush and look away.
“I’ve been thinking about that peddler,” she said quickly. “If he followed me into town, he must have known about the fire. I wonder if the reason he gave me the bowl was because he figured anyone lucky enough to survive that could deal with any bad luck it would bring.”
Marlee shrugged. “Maybe he just accepted that the fire hadn’t gotten out of hand by accident, that it was Four Winds’s way of drawing you here.”
“I don’t know if I buy that, Marlee,” she said, glancing at Gabriel.
Overcoming his reluctance, Gabriel picked up the pot. He turned it slowly aroun
d in his hands, but as his palm brushed against a rough spot on the top edge, a burning sensation began in his palm and grew swiftly until he could hardly bear to move his arm. He bit down on his lip to keep from groaning and somehow, instead of dropping the bowl, he managed to set it down.
“You okay?” Lanie asked.
“Yeah. Look, I’m going to nail up that plywood, then give my brother a call. I’d like him to take a look at your bowl, if you don’t mind. He knows more about things like this than I do.”
“Not at all. I’d like to find out more about it.”
A few minutes later, Gabriel walked to his room, hugging his injured hand. It had reddened and blistered as though he’d touched a hot coal. He wasn’t sure what had happened. Lanie had handled the bowl all day long, apparently without any ill effects. A legend he’d heard a long time ago played at the corners of his mind, but he was having difficulty remembering some of the details.
Certain Lucas would, he picked up the phone and dialed. He’d have some answers soon, but somehow he had a feeling knowing what was going on wouldn’t make things any better.
WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES, he heard his brother’s truck drive up. It was hard to miss the backfires that were as much part of it as the nearly bald tires or the ancient engine.
He went outside just as Lucas got out of the truck. “Hey, Shadow.” Lucas had earned the nickname as a kid, always following Gabriel, his older brother, wherever he went.
“Fuzz?” Gabriel had always wanted to be a cop, hence the nickname. “What’s going on? I’ve been hearing all sorts of things from the folks I’ve been treating, and now I get this call from you on my mobile number asking me to head over here on the double.”
“I wouldn’t have called if it wasn’t important.”
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that,” Lucas countered with a grin.
As they walked inside, Marlee and Lanie came to the front door. Gabriel saw the look Marlee gave his brother. She’d always had a soft spot for him.
He introduced Lanie, then watched her reaction to the newcomer. Lucas’s tall, lean build had always drawn a fair share of attention from women. The possibility that Lanie might find his little brother appealing disturbed Gabriel, though he wasn’t at all sure why he should care. To his immense relief, Lanie scarcely gave Lucas more than a glance.
“Shall I bring the bowl?” she asked Gabriel.
“Please,” he said.
Marlee looked at Lucas. “I can see you two want a chance to talk alone,” she said, disappointment obvious in her tone. “But don’t rush off afterward, okay, Lucas? I’ve baked you some chocolate-chip cookies.”
Lucas gave her a smile. “That’s my favorite kind of invitation.”
Marlee laughed. “One of them, at least,” she teased, then left the room.
The moment they were alone, Gabriel hurried to fill Lucas in on everything that had happened since Lanie had accepted the bowl.
“Trouble follows that peddler. I’ve heard too much from too many people over the years to assume it’s all just nonsense.” Lucas glanced at his brother’s hand. “That burn looks nasty. I’d better put something on it”
Gabriel winced as he flexed his hand. “That’s another thing,” he added. “The woman’s been handling that bowl all day, and nothing’s happened to her. I didn’t tell her about this, and to be honest, I’m not sure she’d believe this burn had anything to do with the bowl. Hell, I’m not sure I believe it, and I know there’s no other explanation. There was nothing on that plywood I handled, that’s for sure.”
Lucas looked up from bandaging the burn, then noted the medicine bundle Gabriel had at his waist. “Good thing you’re keeping the jish with you,” he said, meeting his brother’s gaze. “Remember the story our uncle told us?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, but I wanted to ask you about some of the details. To be honest, I never paid much attention to the story. It didn’t even scare me much, since I thought it was nonsense. I know that a lot of our family’s history, from our father’s side, was lost after Grandfather and his brothers were killed during World War I. I always figured that our uncle’s story was a way to generate family history, nothing more. Now I’m not so sure.”
Lanie came back in before Lucas could respond. She set the bowl down on the table before them. “It’s got this little rough spot here,” she said brushing the loose clay from it, “so if you handle it, be careful.”
Lucas and Gabriel exchanged a quick glance. “I saw that look, guys. What’s going on? Is it stolen?”
Lucas glanced at Gabriel, deferring the question with raised eyebrows.
Gabriel considered it for a moment. He wouldn’t tell her the whole story, since he wasn’t sure how much he could trust her yet, but not telling her anything at all could be even worse. She’d search for answers on her own then, and there was no telling what trouble that would cause.
“A long time ago, our uncle told us a story,” Gabriel said, motioning for her to have a seat. “It’s a tale about one of our clan and the past that touches our present.” His voice grew soft as he remembered and shared the tale in the tradition of his people. “Our great-great-grandfather, a great hataalii, a medicine man, was called upon to battle a powerful skinwalker. Our ancestor fought bravely, but his victory was limited. He escaped with his life, but he never truly defeated his enemy because he never found the root of his power, the bowl the skinwalker had made from the ashes of the woman the skinwalker had loved and killed.” He watched Lanie’s eyes light up in fascination. To her, it was simply a ghost story. Unfortunately, if he was right, there was a lot more to it than that.
“What makes you think it’s the same bowl?” she asked.
“There’s the coyote figure on the side,” Lucas said, pointing to save his brother the need to explain the burn on his hand. “Also, there’s the figure with a bandanna on his head.”
She looked carefully at the pottery designs. “I guess they could be what you say, but neither is really well defined.”
“True,” Lucas admitted. “But the possibility is there.”
“So are you saying it belongs to your clan?” Lanie glanced at Gabriel.
“No, not at all. It’s yours.”
“Well, that’s good, because I really do like it, and I took it to heart when the peddler said it was mine for life,” she said with a tiny smile.
“He said that, and you didn’t try to give it back to him?” Lucas stared at her in surprise. “You have a lot to learn about our ways, woman.”
Gabriel caught the precaution in Lucas’s phrase. Names had power, and were not to be used freely. His brother Lucas normally didn’t pay attention to things like that. The fact that he was doing so now made Gabriel jittery.
“I don’t understand,” Lanie said. “Why should I have given the bowl back?”
“Our legends are filled with warnings like that. We don’t take things of that nature lightly,” Lucas said.
Gabriel stepped closer to Lanie and gave his brother a stern look. “What my brother means is that an object like that bowl could be linked to our history as a people and could be of great value,” Gabriel said, turning to give Lanie a reassuring smile.
Lucas glanced from the woman to his brother, then smiled slowly.
Gabriel looked down at the bowl, then back to Lanie. “You better take that with you and find somewhere safe to keep it. In the meantime, my brother and I have some family business to discuss.” He led Lucas down the hall to his room.
Once they were both inside, Gabriel shut the door quickly and faced Lucas. “What do you know about the peddler? Do you have any idea where he goes after he makes an appearance in our town?”
“The last time he came to Four Winds, I was still in the Marines. Dad was the sheriff back then. I remember hearing that Dad had wanted to question him about something, but wasn’t able to locate him. You know as well as I do that Dad can track anyone, but that time he failed. He didn’t take it gracefully, either. He w
as really ticked off that the peddler gave him the slip.”
“I have to find Dad and Joshua. Between them, they should be able to tell me everything I need to know about the peddler and that damned bowl.”
“You do remember the last of the story, don’t you? Or is that why you called me?”
“Refresh my memory,” Gabriel said.
“It was foretold that the bowl would be found again someday, and that another member of our clan would be called to defeat its power or die.” He took a deep breath. “The problem is that the bowl is linked to its owner, and their fates are intertwined. There’s more, but I just can’t remember the rest. Finding Dad could be a big help to you, but it’s going to take a while. Josh talked Dad into trying to track down Rudolph Harvey, the hataalii who’s said to live down by Mount Taylor. He’s the only one around who knows the songs that Josh wants to learn.” Lucas stared at an indeterminate spot across the room. “I can probably find our uncle easier, but I’ll search for all three. At least one of them is bound to turn up.”
“Thanks.”
Lucas walked to the door and stopped before opening it. “Remember one thing. You can’t take the pot from the woman. It has to remain with her, since she’s accepted it. To do otherwise is to risk her life.”
“If the legend is true, and if it’s the same pot.”
Lucas glanced down at his brother’s injured hand. “Do you doubt it?”
“I don’t know. But for starters, I intend to have that clay analyzed.”
“You’re willing to risk the woman’s life to do it?”
Gabriel took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “No. The bowl will remain with her. I’ll just take a sample from that roughened spot.”
Lucas smiled and nodded. “I figured you’d protect your woman.”
“My woman?” He shook his head. “You’re mistaken.”
Lucas raised one eyebrow. “I don’t think so. You may not have made your move on her yet, but she’s the one you want.”
“You’re full of it, Shadow.”
“Maybe, but you know it’s true.”
