The dark, menacing clouds manifested as though they battled one another in the heavens. Lightning slashed through them as if to rip them apart. Thunder boomed in the distance. The Great Mystery indicated his disapproval. Under the dazzling celestial light show, Hawke stepped out of his SUV and headed into the police station.
As he entered the small building with paint peeling off the sides, his thoughts moved on to the job ahead. Agent Wolfe was the toughest thing he would have to face today.
He walked through the glass doors and approached the lone dispatcher on duty, Kylee, a member of the Sicangu Lakota or “burnt thigh” tribe from the Rosebud Reservation. Her head was bent over her work.
He cleared his throat to get her attention.
“Oh, hello. Sorry pretty busy this morning.” She spared him a smile.
Hawke smiled in return. “Has Melina, or should I say Agent Wolfe, arrived?”
“Yes, she is in the back office with DeShay Greywater.”
“Okay, great. Do I have any messages?”
She shook her head as she answered the phone. “Hello, Pine Ridge Police Department. How can I help you?”
Hawke headed to the back of the building.
Detective Hawke!” Kylee shouted after him.
He pivoted on his feet. “Yes?”
“It’s the newspaper wanting more information about the body found at Eagle Nest Butte.” face exhibited confusion. “Do you want to take this one?”
“Okay. Send it to my desk.” His boots squeaked as he walked down the hall to his office. He reached into his pocket for the key, let himself in, and flipped on the light.
The phone rang, and, with a sigh, he picked it up. “Homicide Department. How may I help?”
The shrill voice on the other end brought his mind back to the present.
“Hold on, sir. I am the investigating detective. We have not received any information from the lab to confirm anything. I will get back to you as soon as I know more.”
He hung up, angered by the newspaper reporter from The Painted Horse News. His kikipapi, fears, appeared true. He stared out the window, glancing at the sacred mountains known as Paha Sapa, the Black Hills, in the distance. Somewhere out there, a coldhearted murderer walked. His job to find this evil person rattled his brain. He ran a hand across the back of his neck; he hadn’t slept well last night. Between finding Abby’s body and seeing Melina again, he’d tossed and turned all night.
When he turned from the window, his gaze focused on his tasina, blanket hanging on his office wall. Every day he marveled at its amazing detail. Earth browns with the symbol of the medicine wheel in the middle, feathers hanging from each tapered side.
The phone rang again. He reached across his desk and picked up the receiver. “Homicide Department, Detective Hawke. How can I help you?”
The panicked voice on the other end sent chills through his bones. “This is Abby Winters’ mother. We heard you found a body in the area of Eagle Nest Butte. Well, with her still missing I feared, uh….”
“Ma’am, calm down. We have not confirmed anything yet.”
“Sorry, but I’m so worried. She has been missing for over a week now, so when I heard the news I feared it could be her.”
Hawke not bring himself to say the haunting words to this mother. Not over the phone.
“Ms. Winters, the evidence has been sent to our crime lab in Sioux City. The body is at the hospital morgue, awaiting an autopsy. Once I have something concrete, I will contact you.”
The heavy breathing on the phone turned to sobs. “I am having a hard time not knowing what has happened to my daughter. She had such a big heart. She wanted to do good in this world, but now I fear she is gone. There is emptiness in my heart.”
Hawke understood. “Ms. Winters, I do need to ask a couple of questions. First, I need both parents’ names.”
Her voice grew quiet. “My name is Amy, and my late husband, Daniel Winters. killed by a drunk driver when Abby was fifteen. Abby could not get over his loss. She was daddy’s little girl, you know? Now, she has gone missing. I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
Sobs echoed through the phone. Could she handle such a loss? Did she have anyone to lean on? She would need the support of her family and tribe when he delivered the terrible news.
“Okay, Detective. I will wait for you to call me.”
She must have laid the phone down, instead of hanging it up. As he listened to her sobs, his heart wept. He hung up. He could not stand to hear the cries of this loving ina, mother.
Footsteps came down the hallway. He tensed when Agent Wolfe stopped at his door.
“Good morning, Detective.” Her smile warmed his heart.
Why did she insist on calling him Detective? She knew his name. She knew his heart, too. If that was how she wanted things, so be it. “How is the investigation coming along?” he asked. “How is DeShay coping with all of this?”
“Well, she says she wants to help find the person responsible for doing such a horrible thing to a young girl. She has a way of connecting to the deceased, and I feel she could help us out.”
“Yeah. I agree she has a special closeness to the spirit world, one she does not realize herself.”
“She’s waiting for us.”
They made their way to the back of the building, They had to solve this mystery and help bring closure to a family who would always mourn.
Hawke prayed for them. With the help of the Nagi Tanka, Great Spirit, and wicasa wakan, holy man, the distraught mother might one day be able to carry on in the spirit of her daughter.