The end of October, Moon of Falling Leaves chilled the air. The month of November, Moon When Meat is dried, or Beaver Moon would bring an array of hope.
DeShay sat in the living room, wondering how the investigation was going. She had been the one to find Abby’s remains. Kind of ironic she had found the young woman at Eagle Nest Butte when she was there to try to locate bones of her ancestors.
She was lost in her own emotions until her cat, Tail Feather meowed. It pounced up on DeShay’s lap and began to purr. We are all connected, she thought as she petted Tail Feather. All things serve a purpose. Her cat’s purpose today was to calm her. The medicine wheel served a purpose, too. Maybe the medicine wheel Abby had clutched to had a special purpose, too—perhaps a clue in disguise.
Hanging on her wall was a gift, given to her by a ceremonial chief many winters ago. A feather with the medicine wheel painted on it revealing the four sacred directions. Chief Gentle Horse was such a gifted man. He explained the four sacred colors stood for the four sacred directions. Black for the west, red for the north, yellow for the east, and white for the south.
DeShay patted Tail Feather on his head as she reminisced about that wonderful day on the Rosebud Reservation. The powwow ran all weekend long. She had been there doing a dig when she was invited to attend.
During the ceremony, she recalled standing outside the sacred circle watching the grand entry when something beyond her control invited her into the circle. She took her place, stood quiet to honor her ancestors. Once the drums ceased, her name echoed in the circle. .
She walked out into the center of the circle, where Chief Gentle Horse stood. As she approached, he reached and took her hand. His words soothed her now, just as they did then.
“Le mita cola, my friend, mita kuye ayasin, we are relatives, you have served our people well. You have proven where your heart belongs. Today, I gift you this niyaha, feather, with the medicine wheel painted on it, showing the four sacred directions. You have made our people proud by protecting our artifacts for our children. Pilamaya, thank you.
Then he handed her the feather proudly. As the words ended, a hawk glided over the circle. The painted feather meant so much to her. A gift of this type showed much honor.
Tail Feather jumped off her lap as the doorbell chimed. She picked him up and walked to the door.
To her surprise, Hawke stood on her doorstep. “Hello, Hawke. Please, come in.”
He entered, and she led him to her kitchen, where they sat and drank coffee.
“How have you been DeShay?”
She smiled as she sipped coffee, “Okay I guess. Tell me, how’s the investigation going?”
His face showed hurt and disgust. “Well, we know Abby’s death was a murder. We’re planning another drive to Cactus Flat tomorrow. We must speak to Ian again. The entire situation is strange. He has everybody in town scared or something. We’ve been there twice already, but this time we are planning to stay a while. Once we’re done with that I must speak to Double A Industries.”
“Well, I guess it’s coming along the best it can considering the circumstances. I know you must have anger building in you. The word here on the rez is Abby died from being hit on the head and then strangled.”
Hawke nodded before taking a sip of coffee. “It’s true. I hate how people have become. It’s so difficult anymore for the young ones, and then you have people who could do something like this. I just have no words.”
DeShay nodded as she picked Tail Feather up.
“Hey, there buddy. You sure have grown.” Hawke patted Tail Feather’s head. “DeShay, when you found Abby’s body, did you notice anything else close by, or did you see anybody?”
DeShay sat back in her chair. “Wait, I do recall as I turn onto the dirt road a blue truck passed by. It turned left as I turned right onto the road leading to the butte, but I didn’t think much about it, not even after I found Abby’s remains.”
“This could be helpful. Now think, can you recall anything else?”
DeShay scratched her head and leaned on the table. “I believe the truck had no tailgate.”
Hawke removed a small notebook and pen from his shirt pocket and nodded. “Okay. Was the truck new or old, and what type? Ford, Chevy? Do you recall?”
“It was a 2006 or 2007 Chevy. I’m sorry I didn’t think of this before. I guess, since it was on the main road, I failed to make a connection”
He jotted down the information and winked at her. “It’s okay, DeShay. The image of Abby’s body lying in the dirt was all you could focus on. I believe it’s a place to start, and maybe there’s a link. I will run it at the office. If you think of anything else, let me know. There’s a powwow coming up soon. Hope to see you there.” He stood. “I’d best get going, thanks for your time. Next time I stop by I will have to bring Three Paws along.”
DeShay rose, “Oh, please do. I would love to see him again. I could not believe it when he came to you that night, just before dusk, especially being injured.”
Hawke smiled. “Yeah it was a strange situation. He wants to go with me every time I leave now.”
As Hawke walked toward the door, he glanced at the feather, hanging on the wall. “A sacred feather with the four sacred directions is an honor to have in your home.”
“Yeah, Chief Gentle Horse gifted it to me at the Rosebud powwow. Oh, by the way, I heard you and Melina are a couple again. Talk on the rez is you will get married this time.”
He smiled. “You heard right. We decided to make it work. Love is hard to find. I am so lucky to have Melina. She is my life.”
DeShay nodded. “Hawke, you both are lucky. Hold on tight to one another and never let go.”