Books by Linda Conrad

by Conrad, Linda

  “Hi, Mommy,” Jack broke in. “Grandfather said I could have a cookie. Okay?”

  Three sets of warm chocolate eyes watched her closely, waiting for an answer. Three sets of eyes all from the same mold, and all set above the same square jaw and same Roman nose.

  Except for having shared similar thick ebony hair and copper-colored skin, her baby’s features were subtly different from his father’s, especially around the eyes. But Jack looked so like his uncle and grandfather it took her aback for a second. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  “You may have a cookie, sweetheart. But then we have to get you out of those clothes and into bed.”

  “But I’m not wet anymore and I don’t want to go to bed yet.”

  “Wet?” Louise turned and let her sharp eyes make a head to toe inspection of Lexie, then she swung back around to address her oldest son. “Why did this daughter and her son become wet? And for that matter, where is her car? What don’t I know?”

  Michael stood to face his mother’s inquisition, and Lexie got a good look in the light at the man who had saved her life. She’d known he was taller than his brother, and she vaguely remembered from her wedding day that he’d been broad-shouldered and burly.

  His eyes were the one thing she’d remembered the most, though. Those steely eyes, watching her with a thoughtful intelligence, had stuck with her over the years.

  Now those eyes were crinkled with fatigue. And his rugged features, contorted in a portrayal of wary innocence for his mother, were still causing a strange reaction in Lexie’s gut.

  When she’d been a young twenty-two-year-old, she’d fallen for Dan’s beautiful, grinning face. But looking at her late husband had never started the same crazy kind of internal sensations that looking at his brother was causing. Michael’s quiet appearance was making her knees weak and her whole body tingle. But maybe it was only the lingering effects of her and Jack’s brush with death. Lexie fervently hoped so. This sudden sensual pull coming from her brother-in-law could not be a good thing.

  Michael explained away the flash flood to his mother in lightweight terms. No big deal. They’d go out in the morning and work on saving the car and their luggage. All would soon be back in balance, he told an agitated Louise.

  The whirlwind who had asked to be called mother suddenly turned into a drill sergeant, issuing orders to all of them. Lexie and Jack soon were plied with hot chocolate and cookies, hustled into hot baths and dressed in borrowed pajamas from storage to wear to bed. Michael and his father were put to work on the phone, making arrangements for the morning.

  Lexie was amused and confused by her mother-in-law’s fierce control. But she also felt completely safe here because of it. After she put Jack down and then snuggled into her own bed with crisp clean sheets, she surprised herself by falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Awakening the next morning to a shaft of growing daylight shining through the window, she found her first thought was of her rumbling stomach. She slid out of bed, pulled on a borrowed robe and went off in search of Jack—and breakfast.

  “Are you sure Jack won’t be any trouble for your husband?” Lexie asked her mother-in-law as they came back into the house from the barn hours after breakfast.

  “Trouble? No child with such an open, inquisitive mind could be considered trouble.” Louise smiled and went to wash her hands at the kitchen sink. “Would you like a cup of tea? I have a few minutes before I have to dress and leave for my luncheon.”

  Lexie had reluctantly left Jack out in the barnyard with his grandfather, who was feeding the animals. She’d been concerned about being separated from her baby in such a strange and different world. But Jack had been fascinated with the sheep and the family’s one horse—and with his grandfather, who never stopped talking to him about what being Navajo meant.

  She’d finally come to the decision that she trusted her newly found in-laws with Jack’s welfare. Eventually she would have to leave him so she could go to work. After all, that was the main reason she’d brought them all this way.

  “Yes, tea would be nice, thanks.” Lexie washed her hands and then sat down at the table. “Is your lunch today with friends? Or is it business?”

  Oops, the question seemed too personal for someone she had just met. But Lexie already felt comfortable around the woman who still insisted she call her mother.

  Louise just smiled. “My youngest son may have told you that my husband and I are both attorneys, though my husband recently retired in order to have time for politics. He’s currently the elected councilman to the Navajo Nation Tribal Council from our local Red Lake chapter.”

  After putting a teakettle on the stove, Louise reached into a cabinet for cups and saucers. “My own legal work has always been more service oriented. For many years I chose to work for the Tribal Legal Aid office. Now I devote most of my time to various charities. Today’s luncheon is a fund-raiser for the Window Rock Navajo EARTH group.”

  “Earth?”

  “Education and Research Towards Health,” Louise told her as she poured the tea and sat down. “They do good work for the People. And there is so much to be done.”

  Lexie smiled as she sipped her tea. It was herbal tea of some sort. Mild and fragrant. Good.

  She began to feel slightly inadequate in the company of such a highly intelligent, professional woman. Though Lexie had finished three years of college, when she’d gotten married, she had been working for a casino as a high roller’s cocktail waitress. Which had actually suited Dan just fine because he’d always wanted to be a high roller.

  During their courtship, he’d told her he came from a family who all had advanced degrees. But since the family hadn’t been terribly happy with Dan at the time, she’d never met any of them but Michael. And she certainly had never imagined them to be so refined and intelligent.

  Her smile slipped a little.

  “Perhaps after you settle in, you’d like to go with me to one of the charitable functions. A new volunteer is always welcome.”

  The explanation for not going would be difficult to say. Better get it over with. “Uh. I’m afraid it’s urgent that I find something to do to earn a living first.”

  Thank goodness it was just the two of them here talking instead of having to embarrass herself in front of the entire family.

  Louise raised her eyebrows. “You and my grandson need money? My youngest son did not provide for his family after his death?”

  Lexie shook her head but felt herself blanch. Damn that Daniel Ayze. She hoped his spirit was still around nearby to share in the shame.

  If Dan had been alive, she’d be willing to kill him all over again for putting her in this position. With her bare hands.

  Without having an easy way to make herself disappear, Lexie shrugged and tried a weak smile. Oh hell. She’d do whatever it took for Jack’s sake.

  “Do you know much about Dine tradition, my daughter? Did my youngest son ever instruct you in the Way?” Louise asked softly without making mention of money.

  Lexie shook her head. “Not really. Dan never talked much about his family or his heritage.” She thought her mother-in-law’s change in the conversation rather abrupt, but anything would be better than continued discussion of her embarrassing lack of funds.

  “You have brought my grandson to his traditional home. Does this mean you wish for him to learn about his heritage?”

  “Well…” It wasn’t why she’d come here, but the idea sounded good now she’d thought of it. “Of course I do. He should be aware of his roots and family.”

  Louise nodded thoughtfully. “It would be smart then for you to learn to follow the Navajo Way

  , as well. You could reinforce your child’s lessons. Are you willing?”

  “I…”

  “What are you trying to convince her of, Mother?” Michael Ayze interrupted his mother’s thought as he stepped into the kitchen from the front room.

  “Ah, my son. You are here just in time. This convers
ation concerns you, as well.”

  Lexie’s curiosity was piqued—along with her nerve endings. Michael’s presence tended to make her jittery, so she wasn’t surprised by the heat he’d generated when he walked into the room. But she really hoped he could help translate his mother’s true intentions, because Lexie was becoming increasingly lost by Louise’s half-finished ideas and formal speech.

  Michael raised his eyebrows, also questioning his mother’s meaning. “All right, Mother. Spill it. What’s that devious little mind of yours up to now?”

  Louise’s smile turned to a wry frown. “You know I don’t have a devious bone in my body. Such a thing would be out of balance and the antithesis of everything we believe.”

  Michael’s narrowed gaze said he wasn’t convinced.

  But Louise didn’t pay any attention to her eldest son’s expression as she turned back around to Lexie. “There are many legends and traditions for you to learn, daughter. My grandson will have no trouble picking up the lessons as a child. The young are receptive to new ideas. Adults find the learning much more difficult.

  “So I will expect your brother-in-law to become your teacher,” Louise continued. “In the same manner as he does in both his occupations.”

  “Both?” Lexie wasn’t sure what Louise was talking about. She turned a questioning look to Michael.

  “You know I’m a college professor,” he confirmed without taking his sharp gaze from Louise’s face. “But my mother is referring to the fact I’m also a traditional Dine medicine man. Part of the calling is to pass on the traditions and oral lessons.”

  Michael was ready to kill his mother, but he knew she meant well. All of his immediate family was in a constant battle with themselves to find a happy melding of their old traditions and the modern world.

  “I see,” Lexie said. “But I’m sure you’re too busy to worry about teaching a complete stranger your ways. Are there books I can read instead?”

  “Not really. But…”

  “Books aren’t necessary.” Louise interrupted. “You will have plenty of time together to absorb the lessons.”

  Louise turned and took Lexie’s hands in her own. “The basic premise of the Navajo Way

  is to remain in harmony. Finding balance in all things is what makes you Dine.

  “And the first lesson in harmony our original mother, Changing Woman, taught us was that male and female need each other for balance. One sex is not complete alone. To stay in keeping with our traditional Way, when one Dine spouse dies, another family member steps in and marries the survivor. It maintains the clans and brings harmony.”

  “What?” Both Lexie and Michael jumped as each exclaimed the same thing at the same time.

  For an instant they stared, unbelieving, at Louise. Then they threw sideways glances at each other before both took a step back, putting more distance between them.

  Louise ignored Lexie for the moment as she turned to Michael. “Your brother died, leaving a widow and son. You know the traditions better even than I do. Is there any question of you following the Way, hataalii? ”

  Michael knew his mother was using the respectful Navajo word for medicine man to remind him of his duty to go along with tradition. But this was the twenty-first century, and the widow in question wasn’t even Dineh. She would never accept the idea, even if he could.

  “Uh.” He couldn’t get his tongue to work for a second. “If Alexis needs money, I can give her a job or a loan—or both. Until she gets on her feet. But she’s an Anglo. You can’t expect her to give up her own heritage and abide by an ancient Dine tradition just like that.”

  “Not just like that, ” Louise said with a scowl. “Take some time together. Teach her the Way. She’s already said she wishes to help her son by learning.” Louise smiled brightly. “Thirty days ought to be adequate. I’ll use the time to plan a wedding.”

  3

  “Y ou’re sure this wasn’t a Skinwalker attack?” Hunter Long, Michael’s cousin, asked as they finished hooking a hoist to the bumper of Alexis’s car.

  Michael had hurriedly excused himself from his mother’s house a couple of hours ago, saying he needed to see about Alexis’s sedan. Ever since, he’d been trying to think about anything but his mother’s suggestion.

  He straightened and brushed the mud off his hands by rubbing them together. “There were no vibrations last night. Nor any unmistakable attacks by supernatural beings. I believe my sister-in-law simply found herself in the wrong wash at the wrong time. You know the area is famous for flash floods.”

  Hunter nodded. “Will she be on the reservation for long? Long enough for explanations?”

  Michael shrugged in answer, then turned and waved at his sister’s husband, Junior Gashie. Junior was driving the Navajo Nation’s salvage tow truck with a winch and crane that had just been hooked to Alexis’s old sedan. From his spot inside the cab, Junior hit the lever, hoisting the rear of the car into position for towing.

  Both Junior and Hunter, a Navajo Tribal Police investigator, were covert members of the Brotherhood. Every Brotherhood member had a regular job in addition to his part-time medicine man work with Navajo traditionalists. Few other people on the reservation knew the truth about these men also being warriors for the covert organization.

  Michael scrutinized the wreckage as it was lifted into the air. “Not much left to salvage, I’m afraid. I pulled my sister-in-law’s luggage out of the trunk. But most of it is ruined.”

  Hunter nodded. “Water can be deadly.” He turned his head to check the area, then turned back to Michael and lowered his voice. “I’ve decided to return full-time to my job at the tribal police. The Brotherhood has come to a dead end on clues to finding the map.

  “We need to capture one of the Skinwalkers alive so we can interrogate him,” Hunter continued in a whisper. “Perhaps in my job as investigator, I’ll have a better opportunity to manage a capture.”

  “So far, every Skinwalker we’ve gotten close to has died before saying anything,” Michael reminded him. “I don’t think the Navajo Wolf will allow us to capture one of his men alive.”

  Hunter hunched his shoulders with a frustrated grunt. For months the Brotherhood had been thwarted in their efforts to locate the missing map.

  “I need to go back into capture and interrogation,” Hunter finally told him. “It’s what I do best.”

  Michael grinned at his cousin. “I’m working on a new strategy. I believe I can find the whereabouts of the ancient Skinwalker parchments without using the lost map. I think the answer we seek lies in the petrographs near the San Juan River and in a few of the old oral legends.”

  “That would be some project, if you can pull it off.”

  “Yeah, it’ll take at least one assistant and lots of computer time to get the thing done. Have anyone in mind as a helper?”

  “Maybe Reagan,” Hunter answered. “My sister-in-law, Kody’s wife. You know she’s a computer whiz.”

  “Yes, but she also has a toddler at home and another baby on the way. I doubt she has the time this job will take. And everyone else we know has too much work to squeeze in anything extra at the moment.” Michael tilted his head in thought. “Perhaps one of my old students at the college will want the extra work.”

  Hunter shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to do that. Any Navajo on the reservation could be a Skinwalker in disguise. Don’t trust anyone unless you’re sure they’re not evil—beyond any doubt.”

  In a distant office, the evil Skinwalker known as the Navajo Wolf slammed his fist down on his desk.

  Dammit. The map still eluded him.

  With a wheeze and a cough, the Wolf in his human persona sank wearily down into his huge chair. He was barely breathing anymore. The effects of long-term changeovers were increasingly taking his strength and leaving his mind fuzzy.

  For nearly a year now, the Skinwalkers had done everything to find the answers they needed to stay alive—to stay in power. But his own body was becoming weaker by the
day. The pockmarks across his face and neck had turned to huge craters, announcing exactly who was the evil master of the Skinwalkers to anyone who understood the signs. He’d been forced to stay in his house more and more, scarcely venturing out and having to send lieutenants to do what his own body could no longer handle.

  Worst of all was not being able to think.

  The only slightly positive thing the Wolf could see in this whole disaster was that the Brotherhood had also been frustrated in their search for the map. What’s more, the Skinwalkers now were aware of the names of most of the Brotherhood members. They could keep a closer eye on what each of them was doing.

  Still, frustration and growing insanity were surging through the Wolf, bringing a new anger. All his money and knowledge, all his magical power. None of it would keep him or the other Skinwalkers alive. The only possible help for them, the ancient parchments, was buried in a cave somewhere in Dinetah.

  The Wolf knew his time was running out. A few more weeks or months at the most without help and he would die from the ancient Skinwalker disease. He could already feel himself losing his grip on reality and on the power to change back over to human form.

  He had to make sure none of the other Skinwalkers knew just how sick he was. Their greed would make them take advantage of the situation without realizing the sickness would eventually fall on them as well.

  What could he do to save himself?

  The first thing he intended to do was to stay in human form as long as possible. Maybe that would help for a little while.

  What he really needed, though, was to find someone smart enough to figure out the puzzle of where those parchments might be hidden—without using that stupid lost map.

  As he thought about finding someone brilliant, a picture came to mind of the Brotherhood professor—what was his name? Oh yes, Michael Ayze. Now there was someone smart enough to figure out where the original Skinwalker had secreted his knowledge of eternal life. Too bad that professor was on the wrong side.

  The Wolf sat back in his chair and finally had a clear thought. Yes, of course. Why not just let the Brotherhood do his work for him?