Hawke sat in the sweat lodge. He wanted to cleanse his soul so he could get closer to the Great Spirit. His soul needed guidance. His wasicun, ceremonial bag, hung around his neck.
He tilted his head toward the skan, sky, as the elder sitting with him began his prayer, asking that words spoken between them be done in a good way. The scent of burning sage calmed the soul.
Hawke needed guidance with his feelings about the body found near Eagle Nest Butte and about Agent Melina Wolfe. With the wise words of a medicine man, the truth might be revealed to his heart.
***
Agent Wolfe sat outside the police department holding the lab results in her hands. It had taken three weeks but now she had the truth, and it would determine if she would leave or stay on. Her heart said to stay, but she would have to learn Hawke’s feelings. Her grandfather had agreed to teach her his wise ways.
Where was Hawke? Of course, running late. She stared at the envelope delivered to her in the early morning hours. Where would this lead her? Was her work here done? Her heart ached. She loved Hawke. She had been stubborn and foolish. Her grandfather helped her to see many things covered up by her own stubborn heart. How could she find the right words to show Hawke how sorry she felt?
Rain clouds developed on the horizon. The fog hanging over the Black Hills caused more emptiness in her heart. Her people had suffered so much. In the distance, the skan, sky glistened on the horizon . The sound of clapping thunder came shortly thereafter. As her eyes followed wanbli, the eagle, soaring high above the field across the road, a tap came on the window.
“Deshay.”
“Melina, I have to talk to you.”
She rolled down her window. “I’m glad you’re here We have to wait on Hawke, but I have the results from the lab.”
“I am sure he will be here soon. Sometimes, when he’s having a hard time dealing with a case, he takes time to enter the inipi in search of help for his spirit.”
Agent Wolfe smiled and nodded. He would arrive soon, and she could not wait to see him.
***
DeShay and Wolfe sat quietly as Detective Hawke sipped his coffee and studied the report. His stomach cramped, and his head throbbed. He hated this part of the job. He loved keeping an eye on his people and yearned to help them find peace and serenity on the rez, but this hurt. He shook his head as he read and reread.
Confirmed blood match 99.9% -Abby Winters, Positive drugs in her blood.
Now, he must make contact with the mother. The most dreaded part of his job, telling a mother her daughter’s body had been found .
Hawke set his cup on the table and rubbed the heels of his palms in his eyes. Sleep. He needed sleep. No doubt, it would come in fits and starts until this case was solved. He glanced at the two women. “Does anybody have any ideas? I mean, somebody killed this young woman, for some reason. We have to find out why and put them in jail for the rest of their lives He would go to the end of the world to bring justice to this family.
“Her mother may give us an idea of who could have done this.” Agent Wolfe sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her waist.
DeShay sat quiet. Her eyes darted back and forth as if her thoughts ran wild, remembering, searching, calculating. “Who could have done this to such a good person? Abby was known on the reservation as a girl who strived to do the best she could. She wanted to be a writer. There’s no way she would be doing drugs.” She shook her head. “I’m betting she had something on somebody, and to keep her quiet, they killed her.”
“DeShay, do you have any ideas?” Hawke asked.
She nodded and swallowed several times. “Well, Amy had disagreements with a lot of people. Most recently, her mother went up against a company known as Double A Industries. They wanted some land near the Black Hills area to build a big housing development. After Abby disappeared, her mother lost all interest in the project. The company hasn’t started any work on the site, but they had big plans. The map I saw revealed also included a golf course with a hunting lodge for the rich. Amy Winters fought hard against it because she knew it would not benefit our people.”
Agent Wolfe leaned forward in her chair. “Do you know if Abby had a job?”
“Yeah, she worked for Ian Guidara at his a restaurant in Cactus Flat. I believe the name of it is Guidara’s Steak House. Rumors flooded the reservation she dated the owner.”
Detective Hawke’s eyes locked with Agent Wolfe’s. DeShay might be onto something. Maybe, a boyfriend or somebody at the restaurant had killed her. On the other hand, it could be somebody her mother feuded with who killed her by accident. Perhaps that was why they hadn’t started the development. Of course all avenues would have to be checked, especially Ian Guidara and all employees of the steak house.
First, they must speak to Amy Winters right away. She might hold the answers to the murder and not even realize it. Her own life could be in danger, as well.
In the worst case scenario, Abby’s killer would never be found or could go free if they lacked enough evidence to convict. This was always the way it worked, especially on the reservation. It was hard to link somebody to a murder when nobody would talk. Was it out of fear or just plain stupidity? Who would want to kill Abby and why?
Hawke prayed the people would speak up and help catch a killer. The rest was in the Creator’s hands. He would do everything in his power to bring justice to this family, but he could not do it alone. His people would have to talk to solve this mystery. Hawke closed his eyes and offered a prayer. Please place a hand over my people and guide us in the right direction. For the one who walks the Red Road will always make the right choices. Thank you, Creator.