Hawke’s phone rang. He snatched it from his belt and answered. The dispatcher advised him Amy Winters was at the hospital, insistent on seeing her daughter. He brakes and made a wide U-turn on the deserted road. The grieving mother deserved some company, someone to help shoulder her sadness.
The hospital revealed itself as a sad place to visit. Sickness and death prevailed. Hawke hated this part the most. He’d given support to many families who came to identify the deceased, an emotional and painful time. Amy’s time would be painful, given she had no husband to lean on and the circumstances surrounding her child’s death.
He and Melina hurried through the swinging doors leading to the morgue. Amy Winters emerged from the darkened halls.
“I hope I can help in some way. Do you have any suspects at all?” The frantic expression on her face revealed fear and sorrow. No doubt, the prospect of looking at her daughter’s body weighed heavily on her.
Hawke placed his arm across her shoulders and drew her to him. “Ms. Winters, let’s get this painful thing over with first, and then we can talk.”
Twin tears raced down her cheeks. Her fingers twisted a tissue.
Hawke held the door to the morgue open. Amy stood as if her feet had grown roots like the tree, anchoring her to the tile floor. “I…I don’t know if I can do this.”
Melina wrapped her arm around the trembling woman. “Would it help if we walked in together? Remember the body you see is just a shell. Your child is of the spirit world, now. Nothing can hurt her. We are only viewing the body that allowed her to live in this world.”
Amy laid her head on Melina’s shoulder. A ragged sob escaped. “I loved her so much. She’s all I had.”
“Come,” Melina whispered, “We’ll do this together for Abby, and then we’ll talk and share ideas, also for Abby.”
Inside, they three of them stood against the wall, waiting for the medical examiner.
The silver door opened, and the medical examiner walked in. Fingers protruding from under a sheet draped over a steel table revealed a body lay underneath.
“Okay, Doc. Let us see her.” Hawke said .
When the sheet was removed and the face revealed, Amy sobbed uncontrollably. “Yes, that is my little girl. Oh my God.”
She turned and ran out the door with Melina on her heels.
“Okay, Doc, so what is the cause of death?” Hawke asked.
“Well, it was a horrible and violent death, blunt force trauma with asphyxiation.”
She had been killed in a horrific way “Was she pregnant, as her boyfriend claimed?.”
“Yes, by the size of the fetus, about three months along.”
“Thank you, Doc.” Thoughts of two lives snuffed out spiraled through his mind. Hawke left and walked down the dark hallway, anticipating the conversation with Ms. Winters.
***
Melina stood outside under the starry sky, waiting for Amy to stop vomiting. She felt sorry for her. “Amy, are you okay?”
She wiped her mouth on the tissue she clutched. “Thank you, Agent Wolfe, for caring about my daughter.”
“I can imagine your pain. I must ask you again, are you sure you have no idea who could have done this?”
“Honest, I don’t”
The tone of her voice revealed uncertainty, though. Was withholding vital information? Before Melina could question her, Hawke approached.
Disgust was written all over his face. “The doc says she died of blunt force trauma with asphyxiation, a horrible way to die.”
Amy bent over, holding her abdomen and covering her mouth. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.
The FBI agent wrapped her arm around Amy’s shoulder. “Please, come inside. Hawke will get you some water or a cup of coffee, and we’ll talk.”
A few minutes later, Hawke handed both Ms. Winters and Melina a cup of coffee. He sat across from the distraught woman and leaned toward her, his elbows on his knees. “Ms. Winters, how well do you know Ian?”
“Well, he sort of controlled what Abby could do, but she loved him.” She took a sip of coffee. “At first, I tried to warn her if he controlled her to the point of who she could see, then she had better think twice before she committed her life to him. He made me feel uncomfortable.”
He glanced over at Melina. “Have you ever heard anything bad about him?”
“Well I have heard rumors. Bad rumors. But Abby promised me they weren’t true.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“I heard he dealt drugs. I’m not talking a small drug ring, but a huge one, going all the way to Mexico.” She focused tear-swollen eyes on them. “You should speak to Pete Crowe. He lives on the rez. Ian hired him not long after Abby started to work at the restaurant. Pete’s a good kid, but rumor has it he’s on drugs now.”
Hawke pivoted toward Melina. “We will definitely go and speak to Pete. He can tell us a lot. Thank you for meeting us here. I know it’s difficult for you to look at your daughter, but we have to let a family member identify the body.”
Ms. Winters nodded before taking another sip of coffee. “I dread going back to that empty house tonight. How will I get the image of her out of my mind?”
Melina walked over to her and took her hand, making a promise both she and Hawke hoped to keep. “We vow to you we will find the people who did this. They will rot in jail.”
Ms. Winters hugged her and then thanked them both for their kindness—and their promise.
Hawke was on the right track. He would be cunning, like the fox, and then he would find the clues to lead him to the killer.. He sat in his vehicle waiting on Melina to finish speaking to Ms. Winters. The window rolled down and the midnight breeze gently blew into the SUV. The sky twinkled with stars.
“Wakan tanan kici un, May the Great Spirit bless you.” The words whispered off his lips as he stared at the sky. The wind would carry his promise to the deceased girl.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the assurance of delivery. Once again the wind blew, as a star floated to earth, giving a sign of deliverance.
He released some pain and anger. Closure would come soon. Abby walked in the spirit world with her ancestors, but she also hung onto life on Earth. She would not let go until the person responsible for her violent death paid the ultimate price.
She would roam until justice was served. He would walk this path with her. Once closure came for her, he would know, for the wind knows all of our names.