D E A D

W R O N G

(A Kelsey Hawk Mystery—Book 10)

K a t e   B o l d

Kate Bold

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); the DYLAN FIRST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting);  the LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the KELSEY HAWK SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising nine books (and counting); the NORA PRICE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the NINA VEIL FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising ten books (and counting); OF the BARREN PINES PSYCHOLIGICAL SUSPENSE series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the ADDISON SHINE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising ten books (and counting); and of the MAGGIE FLIGHT SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting).

THE KILLING GAME (an Alexa Chase Suspense Thriller—Book #1), LET ME GO (an Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book #1), and NOT ME (a Camille Grace FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1) are available as free downloads on Amazon!

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2025 by Kate Bold. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright Aydin Hassan, used under license from Shutterstock.com.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

The sun had just begun to rise beyond the trees in the distance. Pink and gold streaked the sky, splattering the clouds in the majestic morning light. The trees stood still like the sentinels of the lake.

Marcus Running Bear cast his eye across the lake as he strolled. Not even the breeze had woken yet, and the lake was a pristine mirror, taking the trees and sky and inverting them in the surface of the water.

The air was crisp and cool; the day would soon warm when the sun peeked above the treetops. The breeze had not woken, but the birds had, and their soft chirps danced in the morning light.

The elder moved closer to the lake, approaching the edge of the grass bank. He crouched down and stared at himself in the water.

Opposites. The same but opposite.

He felt the same stillness in his soul as on the water. Yet, as he looked down at himself, he saw the lines creasing his face. At some other time, when children played on the shore, or a young man took a boat out to fish, the lake would resemble his face, but not so early in the morning.

Lines of wisdom etched on my weathered face.

The elder smiled to himself as he rose again. He often conversed with the other elders in the community, and they joked that getting old was hard, but they could always claim that the more wrinkles time brought them, the more wisdom they could claim. In some ways, that was true. Wrinkles accumulate over time through laughing, frowning, and other emotions. The more emotions that scarred a face, the more experience the person had. Experience was a good indicator of wisdom.

We need all the wisdom possible right now.

The community was troubled. There were always disputes and arguments when a community lived as one, but the past year had been especially strained. Marcus Running Bear had gone out that morning, as he did most mornings, to be in nature and pray for guidance in steering his community down the best path. He would work with the other Tribal elders to ensure the best for their people.

Marcus walked down the shore of the lake. He ran a hand over his head and then down his long grey braid. The braid was tied at the end with a hair tie adorned with braids that his granddaughter had helped to make. He wore a pair of plain brown pants and a checkered shirt with his buckskin shawl atop. He took warmth from the shawl as the cool air nipped at him.

Marcus held a drum in one hand and a small pouch in the other. There was no set spot for him to pray, but he would know when he found the spot he would use that morning. He held the troubles of his Tribe at the forefront of his mind while cradling the smaller issues in the back of his subconscious. There was always sickness and injury, a youth moving onto new pastures, new relationships, and the loss of loved ones. If he had the time, he would pray all day for his people.

Something murmured in Marcus’ heart, and he stopped to listen to the call of nature. He gave a businesslike smile—the place had been chosen.

Marcus Running Bear dropped to his knees and looked out at the serene water. He took some tobacco from his pouch and sprinkled it on the grass before him. He unattached the small stick from the rear of the drum and beat it, a slow beat that was muted in the quiet morning air. He closed his eyes and thought of the troubles plaguing the land.

He didn't imagine the solutions. The morning prayer was not about finding the solution to the problems but gaining the strength to deal with them. Marcus Running Bear quickened the beat of his drum and began to chant. The chant came from deep in his throat, his belly forming the sounds as they rose from him like the rising sun. The words he sang honored his ancestors, a song based on his family through the generations. He had passed it down to his children and grandchildren. The words were not written anywhere; they were carried through time by living beings.

The chant stopped with the drum. Marcus knelt with his eyes closed, feeling nature around him. He took in a deep breath and laid the drum on the grass. He reached his arms up toward the sky, inviting in the energy of the Creator. The light behind his eyelids shifted slightly, and he didn't have to open his eyes to know the sun had crested above the trees. He knelt for a long time, unmoving, his arms reaching up toward the blue skies above.

Marcus finally opened his eyes and basked in the golden light. The sun shimmered in the water, small ripples finally created by the breeze. Except off to his left, the ripples were different. He didn't know how; he just knew they were unusual. Marcus stared at the water but couldn’t see anything. He rose back to his feet and started down the bank some more.

Marcus suddenly broke into a sprint. He saw it now—a body in the water. He needed to get there and help them. He needed to—

Marcus stopped sprinting and came to a dead halt on the bank by the body in the water. There was no need to dive in to help the poor person. The body was face-down in the water, but there was no doubt he was dead. Marcus dropped to his knees a second time, but there was no warmth like that which the prayer had brought. A chill invaded his body, transferring from the ground to his knees and up through his body to lodge in his heart. He brought his hand to his chest to bring some warmth.

A dead body in any situation was bad enough, but they had enough pain already. That was not what brought the shard of ice to his quickly beating heart. It was the symbols that had been gruesomely carved into the dead person’s back. They looked like Tribal markings, but they were off slightly.

Marcus Running Bear stared down at the body, uttering a quick prayer to help the poor soul pass into the next life. The dead body in the lake was a worrying omen. It would bring unwanted attention to their community at a time when they did not need outsiders meddling in their business. That is what caused the problems in the first place. Marcus took a deep breath and got back to his feet. He hurried back to his community.

CHAPTER ONE

"I don't know why you want to get rid of me," Erica stated, placing her hands on her hips.

Kelsey Hawk paced around her apartment's kitchen, making coffee for them. She stopped at her sister’s statement and mirrored her body language, placing her hands on her hips, too.

"I’m not trying to get rid of you," Kelsey replied. "I don't ever want to get rid of you; you know that."

"Then why do you want me to go and stay with Sheriff Anderson again?" Erica asked. "Am I in danger?"

The first time Erica had gone to stay with Sheriff Anderson was when Kelsey had been out of town investigating a case, and Erica had panicked about someone in their apartment. Sheriff Anderson had gone over to find no one in the apartment, and it had been best for Erica to go home with him where she would feel safe. Kelsey didn’t know if Erica had imagined it or not. What she did know was that someone was watching them, and they would make trouble for Erica if Kelsey didn't do as they asked.

"You are not in danger," Kelsey said. "You remember when you went to stay over there when I had to go out of town?"

"Yeah," Erica admitted. "I know I get irrational sometimes when I get scared, but I’m not crazy."

"I know," Kelsey soothed. "I know you are not crazy. I know what you went through, and I know you will always carry that with you. I will always be here to protect you, but I need you to work with me a little. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"You left town last time, but you are not leaving town now," Erica pointed out.

Kelsey grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and placed them on the counter. "I don't plan to yet, but there’s a chance I will have to drop everything at a moment’s notice. I’m looking into old cold cases, and if I find something, or talk to someone who knows something, or something else comes up, then I have to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat. I don't want to be scrambling to get you to Sheriff Anderson’s house."

"It sounds like you want some peace and quiet around here for a change."

Kelsey sighed and shook her head. "I’m not trying to get rid of you," Kelsey moaned. "You have to stop saying that. I spent twenty years looking for you, Erica. I’m not letting go of you. I only want you to be in a good headspace, and we both know this is for the best. I want to protect you."

Erica bit her bottom lip and finally took her hands from her hips.

Kelsey was trying to protect her sister; she just couldn't be entirely truthful with her. It had been over twenty years since the home invasion when they had just been children. Their parents had been brutally murdered; Kelsey had managed to hide and escape being killed. Her sister had not been so lucky. Or so Kelsey had thought for two decades. They had switched in another body and taken her sister to a life of brainwashing, drugging, and servitude to a man she had been forced to marry. Kelsey had finally found her sister and brought her home to Winchburgh, North Dakota.

That had not always been home; she had been an FBI agent in the big city until she was reassigned, but it felt like home now.

"Have some coffee with me," Kelsey suggested as she poured coffee into two cups.

"I’m sorry," Erica said. "I should trust you, and I should just do what you say."

"No, that’s not what I want," Kelsey admitted. "I don't want to order you around, but I am trying to help you. If I run into multiple dead ends in all the cases, I can leave them be, and you can come home. We can go back to wherever our version of normal is."

Erica had been treated in multiple facilities after being rescued, but she had seen mysterious figures outside her window that no one else had seen. When Kelsey was around, the psychosis wasn’t as prevalent, if it was, in fact, psychosis. Kelsey could not be sure if her sistered was seeing people or not. She only knew that Erica was very believable when she spoke about it. Sheriff Anderson had a similar effect on Erica. When Kelsey left town, she worried constantly about her sister.

"I’ll take the coffee, but I’m not agreeing to anything yet," Erica said.

Kelsey smiled and poured coffee into both mugs. She took them over to Erica and handed her one. "I’ll take that for now. Listen, if you don't want to go over there, you don't have to. I won't force you to do something you don't want to; you’ve already had a lifetime of that. Tell me what you need from me, and I’ll be here for you."

Erica sighed. "I don't need anything other than you, but I don't want to burden you either."

"You’re not a burden, Erica," Kelsey said angrily. "You never will be. Hey, come here." Kelsey put her cup down on the coffee table before taking Erica’s and doing the same. She wrapped her arms around her little sister.

"Thank you for looking after me," Erica whispered. "I know you have your own life to lead, but you are there for me, and I do appreciate it."

"You are my life," Kelsey replied. "We’re together now, and that’s all that matters."

"I’ll go to the Sheriff’s house. If that’s what you need right now, then I’ll do it."

"It is what’s needed," Kelsey told her little sister.

It was what was needed, but not because Kelsey needed to leave to investigate some cold cases. Kelsey could not be completely sure whether her little sister was seeing mysterious figures that were real or not, but she was sure someone was out there. The same people who had kidnapped her sister had reached out to Kelsey. They had threatened to take her sister again if she did not do them a favor.

Kelsey had tried to look into them, but they were too vast and well hidden. She hadn’t told anyone about them contacting her. Those closest to her would only go and do something they thought was right, but if the people who had taken her sister caught wind of that, they would retaliate. Kelsey had to do everything in her power to protect her sister, and that meant agreeing to their favor and figuring out what to do next once she found out what that favor was.

The favor was to store some merchandise for them, but that merchandise was a person. Kelsey could not let her sister know the people who had taken her were still around and that she was working with them. The best thing to do was to keep it quiet.

For now.

The person she was to accommodate would arrive soon, and she needed her sister out of the way for a while. This was the best solution she could come up with. It was plausible, and it put her sister with one of the people she trusted most in the world: Sheriff Anderson. He had become a father figure to her and looked after Erica as if he were her father.

She only had to decide what to do about John. She and Deputy John Gallant had become close, and though they had not publicly acknowledged their relationship, they were officially dating. John spent a lot of time at her apartment, but that couldn’t happen once she housed whoever they wanted stashed.

Kelsey was figuring everything out as she went, and that often worked for her.

"When should I move over there?" Erica asked.

"Tomorrow," Kelsey said. "But there’s no rush."

She downplayed it. There was a rush; it had to be tomorrow and no later.

"Okay," Erica said. "You didn’t ever give up on me, and you shouldn’t give up on anyone else either. If anyone can solve those old cold cases, it’s you. I bet you figure them out one by one."

"Maybe," Kelsey said.

***

The next day, long after Erica left, with Kelsey making sure she went to the Sheriff’s house as early as possible, there was a knock at the door.

Kelsey looked through the peephole to see a short, balding man with glasses. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and a nervous look slung across his face. Kelsey knew he was the man she needed to accommodate, and that was about all she knew. She’d expected an entourage or at least someone accompanying him.

She took a beat and then opened the door.

The man walked past her and into the apartment. Kelsey gritted her teeth. She looked down the hallway and closed the door.

"Were you seen on the way here?" Kelsey asked.

"No," the man said. He had a nervous look but spoke confidently.

"I can't have—"

"Don't worry," the man said. "I don't want to be found as much as you don't want me to be found here. It’s in both of our best interests that I am a ghost. I plan on staying inside these walls until they come back for me."

Kelsey made her way over to the window and looked out. A black car drove down the street.

"And when will that be?" Kelsey asked.

"I don't know," the man said.

"Why do I need to hide you?" Kelsey tried.

"You don't need to know."

"Who are you to them?" Kelsey asked.

"I’m no one," the man stated.

Kelsey sighed. "Do you at least have a name?"

"Philip Guppy."

"Philip Guppy," Kelsey repeated. "Is that a real name or a fake one?"

"Does it matter?" the man asked.

"I’m an FBI agent," Kelsey told him. "I carry a gun with me at all times. If you do—"

Philip held up his hands. "Treat me as if I’m not here. Don't worry; I don't plan on doing anything except waiting. You won't hear anything from me, and I don't need to hear anything from you. Does that work for you?"

"No, it doesn't work for me," Kelsey said through gritted teeth.

"Then take it up with the people who put me here," Philip told her.

A knock came at the door, and Kelsey and Philip’s heads both snapped to the side to look at the door.

"That room," Kelsey hissed, pointing to the study. "Go inside and close the door. Do not come out unless I tell you it is clear."

Philip nodded and quickly left the room.

I was instructed to keep him here; does that mean people are after him?

Kelsey placed a hand on the gun on her belt as she approached the door. She hesitantly moved toward the peephole and looked through to see John, her partner both in work and her personal life. She unlocked the door and pulled it open a crack.

"We didn't arrange anything for tonight, did we?" Kelsey asked, trying to remain calm.

"No, we need to go," John said. There’s been a murder down on the reserve. They were hesitant to call anyone in but want some help with this one."

"Give me a second," Kelsey said, closing the door on John and immediately feeling bad about it.

Kelsey went to the study door and knocked gently. She opened it and peered in at Philip.

"I need to go. I can't believe I’m leaving you alone in my apartment. I have a stranger living in my house, and my sister has to live elsewhere because of you."

"As I said, take it up with the people who put me here," Philip said.

"If you need to sleep, I've made that room up for you, " Kelsey said, pointing to Erica’s room.

"I’ll barely leave it," Philip said.

Kelsey stared at the man she was playing ward for. She didn't know him; she didn't know what he might be capable of or what he did for the organization. He was important enough to warrant being stashed at an FBI officer’s house. Kelsey didn't like that part, and she especially didn’t like leaving him alone in her house. She had taken the time over the past twenty-four hours to move out all valuables, weapons, and electronics belonging to her.

She had seen how worried he looked when the knock came at the door, and that put her at ease a little. He wanted to remain safe in her home.

"I made a deal with the people you work for, and I’m trusting that you will behave."

"You have my word," Philip said with a sardonic smile. "I don't want to be here either, shacked up with an FBI agent. The sooner I leave, the better."

"Yeah," Kelsey agreed. She took one final look at him and left the study. She grabbed her jacket and shoes and met John outside her door.

"Everything okay?" John asked.

"Yeah, of course, why?" Kelsey fired back.

"You left me out here instead of inviting me in."

"Do I have to invite you in every time you turn up at my door? You said we had to leave immediately," Kelsey huffed.

John frowned.

Kelsey spoke again before he could voice his frustrations. "Sorry, I’ve been… studying some cold cases for the last while and getting nowhere with them. It’s frustrating not knowing all the answers." Kelsey stopped, grabbed John’s arm, and leaned in for a kiss. "Please forgive me."

John smiled.

"So, a murder on the reserve?" Kelsey asked.

"They like to deal with things internally, but they’ve asked for more help and resources. We’ll need to tread carefully with this one. Murder is murder, but things work differently on the reserve."

"Let’s go and see what we’re dealing with," Kelsey said.

CHAPTER TWO

John drove them onto reserve land in his black truck. Kelsey looked out of the window at the setting sun, which had long streaks of purple before turning pitch black. The lake reflected the sky above. It looked peaceful, possibly only from a distance—it was hard to see any ripples of movement on the water.

It was not peaceful anymore. Even if the water was still, a dead body had been fished from it the previous morning. Kelsey understood the Tribe’s hesitancy in dealing with outsiders. From what she knew of Indigenous peoples, in general, trust was still being built, but she disliked starting an investigation so long after the body had been found.

"What do we have so far?" Kelsey asked. All she could think about was the man in her home. She was an FBI agent and likely committed a crime to protect her sister.

"All I know is a body was fished out of the lake. We don't know who the victim is, how they died, or anything else."

"I hope we get some freedom to investigate this," Kelsey said. "If the Tribe closes ranks, we might never get anything. If the killer is among them, we might not find them. If this is someone from the outside, the Tribe might want vengeance. We’re not even there yet, and it feels like we are walking a tightrope."

"You’ve been here long enough to acclimatize to our winters and the people but not to get to know any of the Stone River Tribe. They’re good people, and when they welcome you in, they really welcome you. You need to earn their trust for that to happen, but once you have their trust, you’re like family."

"And you have that trust?" Kelsey asked.

"No," John stated plainly. "I haven’t ever dealt with the Tribe. To them, I’m just another outsider."

"They asked for help, though," Kelsey said.

"They did, and they will accept any help they can get, but that doesn’t mean they trust or like us. If we do what we have done in numerous cases before, they will respect us. I know that, but it will take time."

"Okay, so we get in there and do what we do best," Kelsey said.

"I know there’s some dispute with an oil company, but I don't have a clue what that dispute is," John said. "Maybe we find out, or maybe we don’t, I don't know. Trust is at an all-time low between the Tribe and any outside company. We represent an outside company. We’ll constantly walk uphill until we show we are here to help."

"We’ve never had it easy," Kelsey said. "I work best under pressure."

"Don't I know it," John said with a smile. "This looks like us."

A small group gathered outside the Tribal office. John parked in one of the designated spots, and he and Kelsey got out of the vehicle. Kelsey was nervous. She had never felt that way when visiting a crime scene, but she was worried about saying the wrong thing or causing offense, which would make their task even more difficult.

One of the men approached. He looked in his thirties and walked with authority. The man wore a brown suit, but a turquoise pendant replaced a tie. He wore a wide-brimmed hat with a symbol on the front and beadwork around the brim. Kelsey assumed the symbol on the hat denoted his Tribe.

The man wore obvious pain on his face.

He held out his hand as he neared. "My name is Detective Thomas Whitehorse. Thank you for coming. I will be the liaison between Tribal police and state law enforcement. Anything and everything will be run through me, do I make myself clear."

"Very clear," John said, shaking his hand. "I’m Deputy John Gallant, and this is Special Agent Kelsey Hawk."

Detective Whitehorse shook Kelsey’s hand. "We didn't request any FBI presence, but we will take it. This is a sensitive matter, and I expect you to remember that as you conduct yourselves on our land. I was the one who requested the additional support. Our elders don't like it, but it’s needed. I will always be frank with you, and I expect the same from you. So, where would you like to begin?"

"Have you identified the victim?" Kelsey asked.

"James Patterson," Detective Whitehorse relayed. "He is an executive from Northern Plains Oil. This is the reason I called in outside help. I will find out who did this, but we wish to show transparency even when others don’t. When I find the killer, I don't want the company to dispute my findings, so you will be here in that capacity."

"And to help with the case," Kelsey said.

"Of course," the detective replied.

"There has been some dispute with Northern Plains Oil?" Kelsey asked.

"I’m not here to be interviewed," Detective Whitehorse told her. "I’m sure you will hear about the dispute, but the body is waiting. Do you want to go there first or to where it was found?"

"The body is still here?" Kelsey asked. "Why has it not been sent to the county medical examiner?"

"Because I have not had it sent," Detective Whitehorse replied. "We have our own medical examiner, and he will be here in the morning."

"We can't waste time," Kelsey told him. "I understand you and those around you are capable, but you asked for additional resources, and the county medical examiner is one of them. You spoke of transparency, and what greater show of transparency is there? You can kill two birds with one stone."

Detective Whitehorse looked to his right as he thought about it. "It’s not my decision to make. The elders must be consulted."

"Please," Kelsey begged. "I know your medical examiner will make the same findings, but if anything is missed because too much time was taken before the body was examined, then the mistake will be ours and no one else’s."

Detective Whitehorse was silent as he contemplated the matter. "I’ll ask them to have the body sent. I can't guarantee it, but I’ll make your comments known." He walked away from Kelsey and John to talk with the elders outside the Tribal office.

"He’s agreeable," Kelsey said. "I don't think he intends to work against us, but the chain of communication might slow things down for us. Did you see his expression when he first approached us?"

"He’s hurting," John said. "He’s not only a detective investigating a death; this was personal to him."

"Does that mean he knew the victim?" Kelsey asked.

"No, it means everything about this case will be personal to him. The victim is an executive, not someone from the community, but the death hurts the community, so it hurts Detective Whitehorse, too. You are always invested in your work, Kelsey, but not like this. It wouldn’t be exactly the same as if someone was constantly targeting your sisters, but the emotions would be similar. The entire Tribe is like family to him."

Kelsey took a beat, suddenly worried that John knew what was going on back in Winchburgh.

Detective Whitehorse returned from speaking with the elders. "I passed on what you said to me. They will consider the proposal and get back to me soon. Would you like to see where the body was found?"

"Please," Kelsey said.

"Come on," Detective Whitehorse ordered. He waved his hand for them to follow and took off toward the lake.

The sun was below the tree line, offering just enough light to see by. John took a flashlight from his belt, always prepared for eventualities like lack of light and other things. His time as a soldier had instilled that in him. He pointed the light in front and slightly to the side, illuminating Kelsey’s path more than his.

"Right over here," Detective Whitehorse said. He stopped near the bank.

Long shadows were cast across the lake by the trees in the distance as if they were reaching across to grab them. The water’s surface became darker and inky as the light disappeared with the sun.

"Spirit Mirror Lake," Detective Whitehorse told them. "You might have another name for it, but that is what we call it. One of our elders, Marcus Running Bear, found the body here this morning when on a prayer walk."

"Can we talk with him?" Kelsey asked hopefully.

"Perhaps tomorrow," the detective said.

‘It would be better to talk with him now," Kelsey said.

"It is getting late," the detective said sternly; the matter was closed. "There is no current in the lake, so we can't say where the body entered the lake or how long it was in the water, but by the lack of bloating, it was not very long. He had his throat cut and his back sliced up. That is about all I can tell you at the moment."

"What about—" John started.

He was cut off by Detective Whitehorse’s phone ringing.

"Yes, hello?" Detective Whitehorse answered. "Yes, okay… Yes, thank you… Goodbye." Detective Whitehorse hung up the phone and turned to Kelsey and John. "They have agreed for the body to be sent to the county medical examiner. It is on the way now. We will meet back here in the morning, and you can conduct your investigation. Do you need help finding your way back?"

"No, we’ll be fine," John said.

Detective Whitehorse nodded but still waited for John and Kelsey to start walking before he also walked, escorting them back to their truck, even though they didn't need the escort.

Kelsey held out her hand to shake it with the detective. "Thank you for allowing us in. This is your investigation, and we will support you in any way we can. We will get justice for the dead man."

Detective Whitehorse finished shaking her hand. "Perhaps justice was already done."

There was no malice in the words; the detective was merely stating a fact. Still, the words sent shivers up Kelsey’s spine.

John started the vehicle, and they drove from the reserve.

"I know things are done differently on the reserve, and I am happy they are complying with our wishes so far, but could Detective Whitehorse be right?" Kelsey asked. "Is this justice? Did someone from within the Tribe do this? And with them not being eager to send the body to the county medical examiner and delaying us talking to the witness who found the body, is the Tribe complicit?"

John grimaced. "If they are, then this case becomes a lot more complicated. I can deal with one killer, but an entire tribe covering up a murder is a nightmare we don't want to deal with."

"Especially if we never find our killer," Kelsey agreed.

CHAPTER THREE

When they got back to town, it was late. Kelsey said goodbye to John in his truck, relieved that she didn't have to navigate the ongoing situation in her apartment and fabricate an excuse for him not coming in. For the next while, her home was off-limits, and she was frustrated that she didn't know how long that would be.

Kelsey took out her key at the door to her apartment and checked with her other hand that the gun was still on her hip. She slowly eased the key into the door and unlocked it. She pushed the door open and peered into her dark apartment. It had never been so foreign to her.

Each shadow was filled with menace, inviting her into some elevated trap set to cage her. All the lights in the apartment were switched off, including the one in Erica’s room, where Philip Guppy was holed up. There was no light coming from under his door.

I hope he’s still in there.

As Kelsey slowly and silently walked into her apartment, she was unsure of the better situation. Was it better that he was in the room or that he had left or gone missing?

She closed the door behind her and stood in the darkness for a while, staring at the bottom of Erica’s door and listening to the sounds in the apartment. Kelsey heard a faint ringing in her ears, and her brain compensated for the lack of noise. She stood just inside her apartment for two minutes. If he was in the room, he didn't make a sound.

Kelsey was hungry but didn't want to disturb the silence. She walked as quietly as she could to her bedroom and entered. She closed the door and locked it behind her. The lock was a new addition to feeling safe in her own home, and she would remove it as soon as Philip was gone so John and Erica would never know it had been there.

Kelsey removed her gun from the holster and placed it on her bedside table. She then removed her shoes and jacket and placed them under and on the chair, respectively. She got into bed, fully clothed. She brought her knees up to her chest and pulled the blankets over herself. She stared at her door, listening and waiting.

It took some time, but the tiredness overcame her. Kelsey didn't know when she fell asleep, but she suddenly jerked awake as if roused by an explosion. She was in the fetal position at the top of her bed, arms wrapped around her knees, on her side, facing the bottom of the bed.

The panic took over, and she quickly sat up, her bones and muscles weary and stiff. She reached for the gun on her bedside table and heard the flush. Her hand hovered over her gun. Soft footsteps padded through the apartment, and then a door was closed.

How dare you use my bathroom.

It was a necessity, but it still felt like a grand invasion of privacy. She had to constantly remind herself she was doing this for Erica.

Will she be safe after or is she safe now because I’m doing as they ask?

Still, she found some weird comfort in knowing he was still in her apartment. As long as she held up her end of the deal, they would not go after her sister, and she had more time to figure out how she could attack them.

Kelsey waited. She stared at her door, listening for noises from behind. There were no more. After that, she straightened out in the bed, still wearing her clothes in case she had to suddenly get up, and fell into an uneasy sleep. The next time she woke, it wasn’t with a fright, but the uneasy feeling still filled her. She looked at her phone to see the time, seven am, and a message from John. The medical examiner was done.

Kelsey got out of bed and quietly left her room. Her apartment felt empty, but she knew Philip lay behind the door to her sister’s bedroom.

Did I make the right decision by doing this? I hope this is worth it.

Kesey left her apartment to go to the medical examiner’s.

***

"The cause of death was exsanguination," the medical examiner said. "His throat was cut very cleanly with a sharp blade, severing the carotid artery and jugular veins. The victim would have bled out in seconds."

"Does that indicate someone who knew what they were doing?" John asked.

"It could mean that," the medical examiner replied. Dr. Sarah Mitchell was new to the role and much younger than the last county medical examiner, but she spoke with confidence and authority that made people listen. "It’s hard to tell for sure. It could be someone who wanted to cut the victim’s throat, and the knife was sharp enough to cut through the vein and arteries. Still, if you told me this was someone who knew what they were doing with a knife, I would believe that. I can't say if it was a professional job or not. I know that doesn't help."

"Anything you can tell us helps," Kelsey admitted. "So, blood loss was the cause of death, and it would have been quick. We were also told that his back was cut up."

"Cut up?" the medical examiner questioned. "Perhaps you should come through and take a look."

Kelsey looked at John as she followed the medical examiner from her office to the autopsy room.

The body lay on a large metal table covered with a large piece of grey fabric. The hand visible under the fabric revealed that it was lying face down on the metal.

"There were no other wounds on the body except for the cuts on the victim’s back, but they weren’t only cuts. I… here, take a look for yourself." Sarah went to the table and drew back the fabric, uncovering the dead man’s head and torso.

Kelsey looked at John again as they both approached the body. Kelsey and John were both rendered speechless. It was not that the victim’s back had been cut but carved with symbols. Kelsey wanted to reach out and touch the symbols carved deep into the man’s back.

"Can I take some photos?" she asked.

"Please, go ahead," the medical examiner replied.

Kelsey took out her phone and captured the symbols. They held meaning in some way, and the longer she stared at them, the more she thought she could read them. It was like a magic eye puzzle: You just had to look at it the right way for the picture to become visible. If she looked at the carved symbols from the right direction, the meaning might become clear.

"They were carved into his body while he was still alive," Dr. Mitchell told them. "There was no sign of any drugs or sedatives in the body. It would have hurt like heck. The death, in the end, would have been a small mercy."

"The same knife for the carvings in the back and the cut across the throat?" John asked.

"I would say yes," Sarah replied.

"What is this?" Kelsey muttered.

"A vendetta of some sort?" John asked, answering her quiet question.

"It would take a lot of anger to want to do this while the victim was still alive," Kelsey said. "The one thing I am sure of is that this wasn’t a random murder. Whoever killed James Patterson chose to kill him and carved these symbols on his back for a reason. I can't see the meaning yet, but there is meaning here."

John stared down at the body, nodding, trying to also find the meaning behind the symbols.

"He would have screamed out," Kelsey said. "Even if the man was gagged, the pain would have been heard. After the initial symbol, some human empathy would have kicked in, and the killer would feel the pain, but they chose to continue. The symbols cover his back. The killer didn't only want James Patterson dead, but they wanted him to suffer before he died. They wanted to carve a message into the man’s back to convey something."

"Indigenous writing?" John asked.

"Could be," Kelsey said. "If it was, Detective Whitehorse would have mentioned that when he told us about the victim’s back being cut up, don't you think? He said the back was cut, but he didn't mention symbols being carved into it. Why do you think that was?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," John said.

Kelsey turned to the medical examiner. "Can you tell us the time of death?"

"It’s hard to pinpoint with the body being in the water. We know that the victim was in the lake for no more than twenty-four hours, and the time of death was likely right before it was dumped in the lake."

"Alright," Kelsey said. "So, the body was found twenty-four hours ago, and he was killed around twenty-four hours before that. It would make sense if the body was dumped at night, though the lake is so vast that it would be easy to find a quiet spot to dispose of the body."

"The lake is on the edge of the reserve," John said. "Someone could drive onto reserve land without being spotted, but they wouldn’t have to. The murder could have happened on the reserve or on the other side of the lake. We can't rule out anyone just yet."

"Let’s get back over there and speak to Detective Whitehorse," Kelsey said. "I want to know why he didn't mention the Tribal markings. Maybe it slipped his mind, or he didn't recognize them."

John voiced what they were both thinking. "Or, he recognized them, knew exactly what they meant, and covered for the killer."

CHAPTER FOUR

When they arrived at the Tribal office, Detective Whitehorse was sitting in his large, brown truck outside the building. He waited for them to park beside him before getting out. The detective wore roughly the same outfit as the previous day but with a different shirt.

Things looked different in the light. Behind the small Tribal office was a large barn-shaped building, but the wood had been painted brown instead of the red associated with the farm buildings. A long window road led from the Tribal office, which was the first point of contact when entering the Tribal land, to the town itself.

The houses were not arranged in rows but looked spread out randomly. The houses themselves looked much the same, the buildings the same size and shape, but they were each painted different colors: blue, red, brown, white, black, and gray. Some yards were fenced off, and others were left completely open.

Kelsey felt confrontational but knew the best way to go about things was not to pick a fight. She got out of the vehicle and approached Detective Whitehorse as magnanimously as possible.

"We just came from the county medical examiner’s office," Kelsey said. "Why didn't you mention the symbols carved in James Patterson’s back?"

"What are you accusing me of, Special Agent Hawk?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"I’m not accusing you of anything," Kelsey replied. "When we met with you last night, you told us that the victim's back was cut up. When we went to see the body this morning, there were obviously symbols carved into the dead man’s back."

"What did they say?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"What?" Kelsey replied.

"What did the symbols say?" he repeated.

"I don't know what they said," Kelsey snapped.

"I’m Indigenous, so I should understand any and all carvings? Is that it?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it," Kelsey told him.

"I saw the cuts on the man’s back, and I didn't recognize them as symbols. If you were to see curved lines written on a piece of paper, would you assume it was writing because the shapes looked similar to your alphabet? The carvings were unreadable to me, so all they could be to me were cuts. I deal in facts, Special Agent Hawk, not speculation."

"Alright," John said. "We’re all on the same team, aren’t we?"

"This is my investigation, and I ask that you respect that and respect our culture. The carvings are not symbols we use. If you want to know whether one of us did it, come out and ask that, but I can tell you now that the symbols are illegible."

"How about we focus on what we know?" John asked. "Detective Whitehorse, I would like to know more about the victim, and I have some follow-up questions that I’m sure you can help me with. Is Marcus Running Bear available? Perhaps Special Agent Hawk can talk with him?"

Kelsey took a breath. She didn't mean to come across as confrontational, but she had. She couldn't rule out anyone from the Tribe just to tiptoe around the issue. If someone from the Stone River Tribe had killed James Patterson, that needed to come out and be dealt with.

"My apologies," she offered the detective. "I understand it is hard to remove yourself from the murder and take a step back. I wish we had as much community as you do. I live in a small town, and there is some, but I can't imagine what this is doing to your people. I am respectful of your culture, and I follow the facts, too, no matter where they lead."

Detective Whitehorse still looked aggravated, but he nodded and accepted the apology. "Marcus Running Bear has returned to the lake to offer prayers for the deceased. Do you need to be shown the way?"

"No, I’ll be fine," Kelsey said.

Detective Whitehorse nodded again and then guided John to the Tribal building. Kelsey took the walk they had taken the previous evening, made easier by the morning light. She saw the lake long before she found Marcus, the reflection serene on the surface. The area felt a world away from anywhere else she had ever been.

Kelsey grew up in a small town but moved to the city after her parents were murdered. She loved the city and thrived as an FBI agent there. When she was reassigned to a small town in North Dakota, she didn’t like it one bit. It had taken some time for her to transition back to a small-town girl, but now that she had, she couldn’t imagine living and working in the city anymore.

Now, she was on indigenous land and it was something new entirely. There was a beauty she had seen before when out in nature, and the lake was nothing special as far as lakes went. It was large, and trees grew around it, but it was still a lake. Yet, there was a difference in the air, a quality that Kelsey could not put her finger on. There was the same beauty she had witnessed before, but there was more. She didn't know if that came from within or without with herself.

Marcus Running Bear was in his sixties. He had a long, grey braid and did not wear a hat. He wore brown pants and a tan shirt with embroidery and beading. The symbol of the Stone River Tribe (a river flowing through coniferous trees), the same one on Detective Whitehorse’s hat, was stitched into the shirt over Marcus’ heart, and there was beading at the cuffs and collar in the color of his Tribe: black, green, and yellow.

"Good morning," Kelsey offered as she approached.

Marcus raised a hand in greeting. "Good morning." His voice was thick and warm like syrup.

"Marcus Running Bear?" Kelsey asked as she approached.

"I am," he replied. "You must be the outside help young Thomas requested."

Kelsey smiled. Detective Whitehorse was a figure of authority and their point of contact, so it was interesting to hear him referred to as young and by his first name.

"Special Agent Kelsey Hawk," Kelsey said when she got to Marcus. "You are one of the elders."

He had a warm smile and immediately made Kelsey feel comfortable. "Yes, I am."

"You are the one who found the body yesterday morning," Kelsey continued.

"Yes," Marcus said. "I was out early on a prayer walk when I saw the body floating in the lake."

"And you have returned for a prayer walk this morning?" Kelsey asked. "Is that something you do every morning?"

"I didn't kill the man," the elder said frankly.

"I didn't suggest you did."

"No, but it is what you wanted to ask."

Kelsey smiled. "Perhaps you are right. So, do you take a prayer walk every morning?"

"No, not every morning," Marcus admitted. "Only when I need to think about our issues, although that has made it every morning more recently."

"What issues are you paring about this morning?" Kelsey asked.

"I’m praying for the spirit of the man found in the lake," Marcus told her.

Kelsey’s eyebrows twitched as she tried not to show her surprise. "The man was James Patterson. He was an oil executive for Northern Plains Oil."

"You ask questions without asking questions, Special Agent Hawk," Marcus replied. "There is certainly some animosity between our Tribe and Northern Plains Oil, but death supersedes all of that. I can feel his spirit here still, and it is restless. It is better for everyone if his spirit does not linger here."

"Then I shouldn’t interrupt you," Kelsey said.

"No, you should interrupt me," Marcus Running Bear told her. "I will help ease his spirit to the next world in my own time, but you need information if you are to find who did this and help our community. Do you want to know where I found the body?"

"Detective Whitehorse brought us out here last night," Kelsey told him. "I don’t need to see the place where the body was found, but I would like to know if you saw or noticed anything when you spotted the body."

Kelsey looked over toward the spot where the body had been found. It had not been cordoned off, and there was no ongoing search of the area. A thought might be to dredge the lake, but Kelsey was unaware of any spiritual significance of the lake. She might have butted heads a little with Detective Whitehorse, but she had to trust he knew what he was doing.

Besides, the lake was vast, and it was impossible to tell where the body had entered it. Searching the entire lake and the surrounding area was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"There was nothing unusual," Marcus said. "Except for the body floating on the lake. I went straight back to the town as quickly as I could to get help. I might have tried to fish the body out of the lake if I thought he was still alive, but it was obvious he wasn’t."

"Did you see the carvings on his back?" Kelsey asked.

"Yes, briefly, when I spotted him in the water," Marcus said. "I was not there when they fished him out."

"Did you recognize any of the carvings?" Kelsey asked.

"They were not in any language I recognize," he replied.

"Did they look like a language to you?" Kelsey asked.

"I don't know. I only saw the body for a few seconds, and I didn't pay attention to the symbols. Was something written on his back?"

"I don't know," Kelsey admitted. "What can you tell me about Northern Plains Oil?"

"Northern Plains Oil?"

"There is a long-running dispute between the company and your Tribe, isn’t there?"

"Again, a question within a question," Marcus replied.

He began to walk along the shore, and Kelsey walked with him.

"It’s the most obvious place to start," Kelsey pointed out. "There is a dispute with an oil company, and one of their executives is found dead. I like to keep an open mind, but I follow where the evidence leads me."

"And it is most likely to you that one of us did this," Marcus said. He shook his head. "I can't tell you that there is not a guilty party among us, but it is not our way. Northern Plains Oil treated us poorly, but no one deserves to die over it."

"What is the dispute?" Kelsey asked.

"Oil rights," Marcus said sadly. "We already take so much from this land, but people always want to take more."

"They wanted to drill for oil?" Kelsey asked.

"They already are." Marcus pointed across the lake. There were trees visible on the opposite side of the lake, but to the right of the trees, the lake curved away until the other side could not be seen. "They own a parcel of land on the other side of the lake, non-reserve land. They are drilling under the lake, encroaching on our land, but they claim the lake does not belong to us. They want to buy the land on this side of the lake because there are rich oil deposits below—that’s what they told us from their survey."

"So, they came onto your land to survey the area?" Kelsey asked.

"Not everyone is against the drilling," Marcus said. "When money is thrown around, judgment can be clouded. A contingent invited the oil company onto our reserve to survey the area. Now, they are pushing to sell our native land so Northern Plains Oil can drill over on this side."

"So, it’s a point of contention within the Tribe?" Kelsey asked.

"It is," Marcus confirmed.

"And you are against it?" Kelsey asked.

"I am," Marcus agreed. "All of us elders are. We have lived here all of our lives, but the younger generation does not have the same ties to our land. They see the opportunities money can bring, but not everything is about money. Do you know that they are polluting the lake with their drilling?"

"I didn't know that," Kelsey said.

"They have covered it up and continue to drill even as they kill what is around them." Marcus’ nostrils flared as he spoke about it. The man was a calming presence when Kelsey had first encountered him, but he had a rage inside. "Money means you can pollute the world. It means people turn a blind eye to what is going on right under their noses. The love of money is the root of all evil."

"And Northern Plains Oil is evil?" Kelsey asked.

"Yes." Marcus stopped and turned to face the lake, gazing out over it. "Perhaps I should stop talking. The angrier I get, the more you will think one of us took matters into our own hands. It is us elders who are the angry ones, but we don't have murder in our hearts. Most of our Tribe is just trying to get by. This is another storm we must weather in a long line of storms."

"If there is tension between the oil company and your Tribe, Marcus," Kelsey said, "who would be most angry about it."

Marcus Running Bear turned to Kelsey and smiled. "You want me to tell you who I think is most likely to have killed the oil executive. I don't believe any of us did it, Special Agent Hawk. Still, if I did believe one of us had, I would not tell you by pointing the finger at someone. That is your job."

"It is," Kelsey agreed.

She didn't believe Marcus Running Bear was involved in any way, but an oil company polluting your home and covering it up was a pretty good motive for murder.

CHAPTER FIVE

"Did Detective Whitehorse mention the oil company?" Kelsey asked as they drove back toward Winchburgh after spending a good chunk of the morning and early afternoon on the reserve. They had walked around some of the lake, trying to understand what they were dealing with.

"Yes, he did," John said. "There’s an ongoing dispute about drilling rights. They want to drill under and around the lake, but there has been pushback from the community. To me, that seems like a great motive for murder."

Kelsey was relieved that Detective Whitehorse had spoken about the oil company. After the way he had spoken about the symbols carved into the dead man’s back, she worried he had something to hide.

"It does," Kelsey agreed. "Marcus Running Bear told me that there are many unhappy people in the Tribe. From what I gathered, it’s the older generation that are fighting back, while the youth are attracted to the money being offered."

"So, we might have any number of potential suspects," John said.

"Yeah, it would seem that way." Kelsey looked out the window as they drove. "The symbols still bother me. Being angry and drilling on your land and a lake being polluted is a valid motive, but the symbols on the deceased’s back add an extra layer to this. The killer wants to communicate something to us."

"And that is?" John asked.

"I don't know yet," Kelsey replied. "The symbols are obviously symbols, and it bothers me that Detective Whitehorse didn't recognize that. Still, Marcus didn't recognize the symbols either, so maybe I’m worrying over nothing."

"You don't usually worry over nothing," John told her. "We don't want to create any tension with Detective Whitehorse and the Tribe, but we don’t discount anything to make the investigation easier. The investigation won't be easy, and we must be prepared for that.

"Did he have any thoughts on who it might be?" Kelsey asked.

"If he did, he kept those thoughts to himself," John replied as he took the turn to take them back into Winchburgh. "I met with some of the elders, and we spoke about the oil company. I think it's obvious to them that it could be someone from the Tribe. That’s the first place we should look, and if Detective Whitehorse doesn't, then he’s obstructing us."

"Marcus Running Bear spoke about Northern Plains Oil polluting the lake. I want to know more about that. The drilling rights will be an issue of contention, and I understand how that splits the Tribe, but if they are polluting the lake, that affects everyone. That adds another layer to the motive. Could you take that angle? I want to look into the symbols some more."

"Sure, do you want to head back to the Sheriff’s Office and work on it together or maybe grab a bite to eat?" John asked.

"I just want to get home," Kelsey said. "I’ll grab a quick bite to eat while I look into the symbols more and get some work done, and then get an early night tonight so I’m fresh to go in the morning. I’ve not been sleeping well lately."

"Anything wrong?" John asked.

"No, it’s nothing. With everything we’ve gone through with Erica, I sometimes dwell too much on it."

"Anything I can do?"

"You are very sweet, but I just need to get some sleep."

"Is that why Erica is over at Sheriff’s Anderson’s place?" John asked.

Kelsey knew that would come up, but she was still not prepared for it. "I figure with this case, I might be away from home a lot over the next couple of weeks, so I thought it was for the best. You know how she can get when she’s alone."

"Yeah, I do," John admitted. "If you need any company over the next little while, I’m only a phone call away."

Kelsey reached over and squeezed John’s arm. "I know, and I appreciate it."

I only hope I can keep you away from my apartment until the merchandise leaves.

John drove Kelsey home. Before she got out of his truck, she leaned over and kissed him. She smiled as John smiled.

"I’m sorry, I’m a bit of a mess right now. I would invite you up, but…"

"Don't worry about it," John said. I know the life of a law official. We'll get through this case, and then we'll have time again. If you want company, let me know, and if you want space, you only have to say."

"Why couldn’t I have met you years ago?" Kelsey asked.

"Because I would have still been married, and that would have made things awkward."

Kelsey chuckled. "Yeah, you’re probably right. There’s a time for everything. Alright, I’ll see you in the morning. I’ll head into the office when I’m up, and then maybe we can plan to head back to the reserve and start talking with people. With Detective Whitehorse as a chaperone, of course."

"That sounds like a plan," John said.

Kelsey leaned in again and pecked him on the lips before she exited the vehicle. She raised her hand in a small wave as John pulled out. Then, she went into her building and made her way up to her apartment, her heart beating quicker with each step. She got to her door and stood by it, listening for him inside. She heard nothing.

She slid the key in silently, for no reason other than she didn't want him to hear her coming and perhaps attack, and unlocked the door. When she opened the door, she was faced with a disturbing sight. Philip Guppy stood in her kitchen holding a box of crackers, his hand rummaging around in it.

"The door," Philip hissed, moving out of view.

Kelsey quickly closed the door and marched toward the kitchen. "What do you think you are doing!" she demanded quietly, not wanting the neighbors to hear.

"What does it look like I’m doing? I’m eating some crackers."

Kelsey snatched the box out of his hand and placed it on the countertop. "You don't get to come into my house and go through my stuff."

"What am I supposed to do?" Philip asked. "Order in? I’m trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible here. For both of our sakes."

"I understand that, but that still doesn’t give you the right to eat my food."

"And that brings us back to the problem of what I should eat," Philip said. "How about you contact the people who put me here and ask them what you should do."

"How about you contact them and tell them to bring you some food," Kelsey suggested.

Philip scoffed. "I don't have any way of getting in contact with them. I don't even have a phone. Do you even understand what is happening here?"

"Do you know what? I don’t," Kelsey said. "How about you enlighten me?"

Philip shook his head in disbelief. "What do they have on you? How easy was it for you to agree to do this for them?"

"What do they have on you?" Kelsey replied. "Why do they need a safe house for you?"

"Well," Philip started. "Where should I start? How about with me not giving you any of the very little information I am privy to? I do know you are a cop."

Philip wandered back over to the counter to retrieve the crackers, and Kelsey backed off a little, ready to draw her gun if needed. She stopped herself from looking around the room. From how he had said it, he didn't know she was a cop until after he had arrived. He had no contact with the outside world, which meant he had found answers in her apartment.

"So, did you agree to this because they have you bent over a barrel, or did you expect you could get information from me?" Philip asked. "I can be important, sure, but I’m expendable. Let’s compare notes, and I guarantee that you know more about them than I do."

"Who’s them?" Kelsey asked. "How about we start there?"

"They are a multinational corporation with—" Philip chuckled. "I don't know what you expect me to tell you. I know how to do my job and keep my mouth shut. Doing that has kept me alive this long."

"I can protect you," Kelsey said.

Philip burst out laughing. "You truly believe that, don't you? The minute I agree to that, I’m already dead."

"Why do they want to keep you safe if they would kill you so easily?" Kelsey asked.

"There we go," Philip said. "Now, there’s a question meant to catch me off guard and have me blurt out some pertinent information. I feel like we are really getting to know each other. Just tell me one thing."

Kelsey sized Philip up. He might think he knew nothing, but he knew things she didn’t, even if they felt insignificant. She would be patient and eek it out of him. She would take anything she could get her hands on.

"What?" Kelsey asked.

"Do you have any cheese?" Philip asked. "Dry crackers are getting old fast."

"I’ll give you some cheese if you give me something in return for it," Kelsey said.

"No deal," Philip said immediately. "I like your creativity, but I don't know anything, and even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. What are you, FBI?"

Kelsey didn't reply to the question.

Philip tilted his head to the side and back. "They must have something really bad on you to have an FBI agent working for them."

"I’m not working for them," Kelsey told him.

Philip snorted. "Yeah, sure you’re not."

Kelsey glared at Philip, shaking her head slightly.

"Thanks for these," Philip said, holding up the box of crackers. He left the kitchen and took them back to Erica's room, closing the door behind him.

Kelsey smiled. It had taken some back and forth, but she had already discovered that Philip worked for them. She might not know exactly who they were, other than them being powerful enough to kill and human traffic, but she had one small piece of the puzzle.

She was about to open the fridge when she stopped for a moment.

Have I really accepted it so easily that he’s in my home for the discernible future?

It still felt surreal to Kelsey to have a criminal in her home. If he worked for them, he was a criminal. She was a good judge of character, but from his interactions so far, she would not have pegged him for a criminal if she had met him on the street. She did know one thing. Currently, she was not a danger. She didn't know what he did for the people who had kidnapped her sister, but he wasn’t a killer or enforcer. He did some form of criminal activity, but it wasn’t the sort of activity that put her in immediate danger.

Kelsey finally opened the fridge and took out a beer and a piece of cheese, a small rebellion in her own home. She took them to the kitchen table with her bag, sitting down facing Erica’s bedroom door so she could see if Philip reemerged. She pulled out her laptop and fired it up. While she was waiting, she ate the cheese, opened the beer, and took a swig.

She connected her phone to her laptop and sent over the images she had taken at the medical examiner’s office.

Every murder case had complications, but this one was different. They had a detective liaison and needed to tread lightly during the investigation. Add to that the stowaway in her home, and her life was more complicated than ever. John respected her and her decisions, but she couldn't keep him away from her apartment indefinitely.

She took another large swig of beer before she got to work. Kelsey brought the images of James Patterson’s back up onto her screen. She flipped through them, not wanting to study such gruesome images, but needed to get a better understanding of the killer. She zoomed in on the symbols, trying to understand their meaning. The cuts were deep but clear and precise—the skin around the incisions was slightly bloated from the time in the water, closing the cuts a little.

Kelsey zoomed out to see the overall picture. She sat back in her chair and took another mouthful of beer, but she could not make heads or tails of what she saw. She tried an image search of the pictures, but that yielded no results. The only thing she could do was search for indigenous languages native to the area and hope to find a match.

Kelsey forgot about the man only twenty feet from her in her sister’s room as she scrolled through page after page of symbols, all of them looking similar to the carvings on the body in some way. Much like words and letters in English share many similarities with other languages, the multitude of indigenous languages all had some overlap. And they were only the ones she could find. During her research, she found that many languages had died out or had so few speakers that they were basically dead languages.

Kelsey stopped, her finger hovering over the mouse button. She was viewing the symbols from the Siouan language, specifically the Dakotan Tribes. There were no exact matches, but there was an overall feel to the symbols. Kelsey sat back in her chair again. She flipped between the information on the Siouan symbol and the symbols carved into James Patterson’s back. She moved back and forth dozens of times, trying to find something. The carved symbols looked like Siouan symbols, but not quite. Of all the symbols she looked at, they were the closest match.

Detective Whitehorse and Marcus Running Bear must know these symbols. Am I assuming too much, or am I right? If they do know the Siouan symbols, then why would they not mention them? Why would they not mention the close proximity between the two?

Kelsey was done for the night. It was a question that needed to be asked, but she would have to choose her moment. She needed information from the people of the Stone River Tribe and Philip Guppy. She would need to choose her moment with both.

CHAPTER SIX

Alan Wilson breathed heavily as he ran through the trees. His heart pounded in his chest, and he practically gasped for air. To his left, the large lake was visible. It glimmered like someone was shining a flashlight at him. The trees blocked the light, but the spaces between them let it through, creating a strobe-like effect of the sun bouncing off the water.

The morning was not yet warm, and the shroud of trees on every side added an extra chill to the air. Dew hung on the plants and weeds, hugging the ground just like the sweat clung to his brow. He wiped some off with the back of his hand. Alan stopped and tried to get his breath back. He downed one of the small water bottles stuck through the elastic loop on the back of his tight pants. He had one more in reserve.

He stared through the trees to the other side of the lake.

Is there anyone there staring back at me?

A crack behind Alan caught his attention, and he whirled around, expecting to be confronted. No one was there, so he started into the emptiness between the trees, looking for movement. The trees were not thick, but they were still enough to hide a man.

"Hello?" he called.

Only silence was returned.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Alan tried.

He longed to see a deer walk out from behind a tree or a bush or a squirrel dart out and up a tree, but there was nothing. It was more disconcerting to be met with nothing after he was sure he had heard a noise from behind. Alan remained as still as possible, listening for the slightest sound and listening for the faintest movement. He wanted validation that he had not imagined something. He didn't want to continue his run with the thought someone was hiding in the trees, waiting to jump out and grab him.

He held his breath for a second, his heartbeat in his ears. The wind held its breath with him.

Alan finally shook his head, convincing himself that the noise had all been in his head. He was about to run again when the face ahead scared the life out of him. He stumbled backward, tripping over a tree branch and falling to the ground. His back hit the packed earth with a thud before his head hit. It was not enough to discombobulate him, but it did stun him for a second.

Alan’s arms scrambled out to the side, reaching for a weapon to defend himself even as his brain caught up and told him what he was facing. He grabbed a fallen branch and jumped to his feet, stumbling back again. Alan gasped and dropped the stick to the ground. He finally got his wish as the deer walked behind the trees up ahead, not paying him any attention.

Alan burst into laughter at the sight before him. He watched the deer walk away and laughed and laughed. His hands were shaking, but he managed to grab the second water bottle from his belt, and he downed that one, too, to reset his body. He took some deep breaths. His heart had already been beating quickly, and it beat even faster with the scare.

Alan Wilson took his time, and when he felt steady again, he resumed his run. This time, he didn't run as fast or push himself as much, opting for a slow jog up the bank of the lake before he turned and returned the way he had come. He left the cover of the trees and jogged out into the rising sun, following the gentle curve of the lake.

He was about to turn around when his heart skipped a beat. He stopped dead on the soft grass and looked ahead at the black lake; the sun had not yet reached the shallows where the grass sloped down to meet the water. He gasped at the sight for a moment before his legs spurred him into action.

Alan sprinted to the shallow water and ran straight in. He kicked his legs high to reach the body lying face down in the water. He grabbed her clothing and spun her over, losing his grip and falling back into the water at the sight. Her features were twisted into a grotesque and bloated death mask.

Alan splashed in the water for a moment before getting back to his feet, soaked. He tried not to look at her face as he grabbed her clothing again and dragged her back to shore. It was easy going through the shallows, but when he reached the shore, he had to grab her under the arms and lift her heavy, water-soaked body up onto the grass. He grunted as he dragged her one final foot out of the water, then collapsed onto the grass beside her.

Get up!

She was dead; he knew she was dead. Still, he pressed two fingers to her neck and tried to find a pulse. He watched her chest, but it did not rise and fall. He contemplated giving her mouth-to-mouth, but it was obvious she had been dead for a long time.

"I’m sorry," he muttered. "I’m sorry, but I have to leave you here."

Alan took off sprinting back toward the trees.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Kelsey and John rushed out to where the body had been found. They parked on the side of the road where the two vehicles were situated and had to walk through the trees to get to it. When they exited the trees, they found their people. Two were on their feet and very much alive, and the third was lying on the ground, looking very, very dead.

The dead body was female. One of the men was walking in short circles, his hand on his head. The other man was a uniformed officer, and he said something brief to the other and pointed. The plain-clothed man walked off a little way and sat down on the ground, avoiding looking at the body.

"I really hope you two are Special Agent Hawk and Deputy Gallant," the officer said.

"We are," Kelsey said, showing her ID.

"I’m Officer Regan," the officer said. "I was the closest patrol car to the scene, and I didn't really know what is going on."

"You’re doing fine," John said. "Just take us through what has happened so far."

"I was out in my patrol car about forty minutes ago, and I got a call that someone had found a body, and I was told that the guy would meet me on the side of the road and guide me to where the body was."

"The guy up there," Kelsey said, Pointing. "He’s the one who found the body?"

"Alan Wilson," the officer said. "He was out jogging when he found the body. We have a forensic team on the way, and backup is coming to secure the area. I don’t… what should I do?"

"First, take a breath," Kelsey said. "I want you to go back to the road and direct people down here as they arrive. Did you check the body?"

"Very dead," the officer said, paling a little. "I don't know how long, but it’s been a while."

"Alright," Kelsey said. "Go up to the road now, and we’ll take a look and talk to Alan."

"Yes, thank you," the officer said. He glanced back at the body before hurrying through the trees and away from it.

"Divide and conquer?" John suggested? "I can take the body."

"Alright," Kelsey said. She walked over to the young man sitting on the grass. "Alan Wilson?"

"Yes," he blurted, jumping to his feet.

Kelsey showed her ID. "I’m Special Agent Hawk. I’d like to ask you a few questions."

"Yes, of course," Alan replied. He fidgeted nervously.

"You found the body?" Kelsey asked.

"I was out for my run this morning, and I thought I heard someone in the trees, and then when I came out of the trees, I was about to head back when I saw her in the water. I ran in after her, thinking there was something I could do, but she was dead. I did manage to drag her back to the shore, and then I ran off to get help. I called the police as soon as I got home."

"You didn't have your phone with you?" Kelsey asked.

"No, I never do," Alan admitted. "I take as little as possible on my runs."

Kelsey glanced at him. He was wearing black slacks, a brown jacket, and a white T-shirt.

"You don't look like you’ve just been out for a run," she pointed out.

"I changed when I got home," Alan said. "I called the police and then changed out of my wet clothes. I was soaked through with going into the water. I hopped in my car and drove that back to where they were parked up on the road so I could show the officer down to the crime scene."

"Crime scene?" Kelsey asked. "What makes you think this is the crime scene?"

"I mean, this is where the body is, isn’t it?"

"You said she was in the water, and you dragged her up onto the shore. She could have died anywhere. We don't even know yet if she was killed or if this was natural causes. So, what makes you think this is a crime scene?"

"I… I don't know," Alan admitted. "I heard about the other body on the other side of the lake, and I just thought…"

Kelsey studied Alan, trying to work him out. He was nervous, but she had the impression that he was always nervous.

Men and women filtered through the trees. The forensic team had arrived. Kelsey didn’t know for sure, but she suspected it was another murder. She hoped it wasn’t, but it was too much of a coincidence for a body to wash up on shore two days after the last one. John stepped back from the body to allow the forensic team to do their thing.

"You heard someone in the trees," Kelsey said.

"No, I heard a noise in the trees, and I thought someone was there, but it was only a deer. I got the fright of my life," Alan said. "It was quite funny after the fact."

"I’m sure it was hilarious," Kelsey said. "Don't go anywhere for now, Mr. Wilson. We’ll need to get a formal statement from you."

"Yes, whatever you need," Alan said stoically.

Kelsey left Alan to himself and went to convene with John.

"What do you make of him?" John asked. "Could he be the killer?"

"So, it is murder?" Kelsey asked.

"She had her throat cut," John said. "Just like James Patterson."

"Alan Wilson is nervous, but it doesn't make sense for him to be the killer," Kelsey said. "I haven’t taken a proper look at the body, but she looked like she’s been in the water for some time. Why kill her, then return to the scene of the crime after calling the police?"

"Arrogance?" John suggested. "To show off?"

"Any symbols on her back?" Kelsey asked.

"I don't know," John admitted. "She’s fully dressed. She’s, um, wearing the colors for the Stone River Tribe. I’m pretty sure she’s from the reserve."

"She could have been killed over there and floated over here," Kelsey suggested. "In the spirit of transparency, we need to call Detective Whitehorse."

"This is our jurisdiction now," John said.

"It is, but he called us in when a body washed up on the shore in the reserve, and he deserves to be a part of this, especially if the victim is a member of his Tribe."

"Yeah, you’re right," John said.

Kelsey pulled out her phone and dialed the detective's number.

***

Detective Whitehorse strode through the trees and walked straight for the body. He took one look at the dead woman lying on the grass and grimaced, rubbing his hand over his face. He made inaudible demands of the forensics team, and they looked over toward Kelsey. Kelsey didn't know what he had asked for, but she nodded, understanding that it was either something important to him or connected to the case.

She and John watched as the forensic team gently rolled the dead woman over onto her side to face them. Kelsey looked at the young woman’s face. The forensic team pulled up her blouse at the back, and Detective Whitehorse nodded. He placed his hands on his hips and sighed before he walked back over to Kelsey and John.

"Do you know her?" Kelsey asked sympathetically.

Detective Whitehorse pursed his lips and nodded. "Rachel Blackcloud. She was a Tribal council member and one of the Tribal members who was for selling drilling rights to Northern Plains Oil. She was in support of the oil company’s proposal."

"I’m sorry," Kelsey said. "I know this is hard for you."

"Thank you," Detective Whitehorse said. "And thank you for not asking the immediate follow-up question about any enemies she had in the Tribe because of the oil issues."

Kelsey sighed and held the detective’s gaze. "I’m not here to cause any trouble, but you know we will have to ask that question at some point."

"I know," Detective Whitehorse acknowledged.

"You asked to look at her back," Kelsey noted. "Did she…?"

"Yes," Detective Whitehorse replied. "Similar markings as James Patterson."

Kelsey held off on asking why he didn't recognize them as being similar to Siouan symbols, but it was another place they would have to go at some point.

"Who found the body?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

Kelsey pointed toward the tree line. "Alan Wilson. He was out for a run this morning when he spotted the body in the water and dragged it back to shore."

Detective Whitehorse stared at Alan, squinting a little. He shook his head, gritted his teeth, and started toward him.

"Hey, wait," John said, grabbing the detective's shoulder to stop an altercation. "Do you know him?"

"He works for Northern Plains Oil," Detective Whitehorse spat. "He found the body? He just happened to be running through the trees when the body washed up on shore. I want to speak with him."

"Soon," John said. "You’re in no frame of mind to talk with him right now, and we don't want to create any additional tension. We have been more than respectful on your reserve, but you need to do the same on this side of the lake."

Detective Whitehorse glared at John, then his features softened. "I apologize. I’m still processing her death. Rachel Blackcloud was a friend of mine. Two dead bodies two days apart." He looked back over at Alan Wilson. "When I find the person who did this, they will face consequences."

Consequences was a loaded word. Kelsey liked to think that consequences meant being brought to justice within the prison system, but she didn't want the detective and the killer to be caught alone. He was obviously grieving the loss, and there was anger bubbling below the surface.

"We all want justice," Kelsey said. "He might work for Northern Plains Oil, but I don't believe he was involved in Rachel’s murder."

"You don't know what those people are capable of," Detective Whitehorse said. "They have lied to us repeatedly. If they lie to us as a company, what makes the individual any different."

"You’re part of a Tribe, but not everyone in your Tribe agrees on how to move forward with the oil situation," Kelsey reminded the detective. "The individual is not the whole, and the whole is not the individual. I want to speak to him with you, Detective Whitehorse. Between the two of us, we will figure him out."

Detective Whitehorse sighed and rubbed his head again, holding back the emotion that rippled inside. It was obvious the detective was angry, but his eyes had become glassy, too. If he were not in the middle of a murder investigation with outsiders by his side, he might break down in tears. Kelsey sympathized with his plight. She knew what it was like to lose loved ones.

"This hits hard," Detective Whitehorse said. "It will hit the community hard, too. We might have disagreed on the oil deal, but everyone will mourn her passing. Rachel Blackcloud was an important member of our community."

"For now, we need to get her to the medical examiner’s office for the autopsy," Kelsey said. "We need to know if—"

"No," Detective Whitehorse interrupted. "She will not be taken there."

"I don't understand," Kelsey said.

"There is nothing to understand," the detective told her. "Our people will tend to the body. She must not be touched and cut open. She will be prepared according to our funeral rites. It is our sacred duty to aid her into her passage into the afterlife."

"She will be returned to you, but we must perform a proper autopsy," John interjected.

"Her body will be examined," the detective replied. "This death is a Tribal matter, and that is the end of it."

"You do understand this is a murder investigation?" John asked.

Detective Whitehorse stepped closer to John. "I understand perfectly, but you don't understand our ways, and I won't stay here and explain them to you only for you to still argue with me, for that is what will happen. Our Chief will speak to your people, and it will be arranged. Our law supersedes your law. She might have been found on your land, but she is one of us."

"We are trying to work with you," John said. "Don't you see how this looks? If you take the body before a proper autopsy can be done, then what are we to think?"

"You can think what you want," Detective Whitehorse replied. "It is not our concern anymore. It is out of our hands."

"No, you can't just state things and have your own way," John said. "She might have been from your Tribe, but we care just as much as you do about finding who did this."

"I don't doubt it, but that is not the way. There is nothing more to be said."

"I have a lot more to be said," John stated.

"John," Kelsey warned.

John turned and glared at her. He was not happy with the proceedings and was especially unhappy that Kelsey was backing the detective. She was not backing anyone; she understood that it was out of their hands. Perhaps someone else could do something about it, but they didn't have that power. The more they fought Detective Whitehorse, the more he would shut down and the harder the investigation would be.

"We would like a full report," Kelsey told Detective Whitehorse. "And I would like pictures of the body if that is permissible. I would like to take a look at the symbols on her back. Can you at least do that for us?"

Detective Whitehorse looked from John to Kelsey. "Yes, I can do that for you. Thank you for your understanding."

Kelsey nodded. She wasn’t sure there was understanding, but she knew better than when to argue. A lifetime of arguing with her superiors taught her that. And there were times like this when something above it all superseded all known laws. Kelsey might be taking a chance, but she trusted Detective Whitehorse to do his job. They walked a fine line on the case with the Tribe involved, which would slow them down, but they had no other option.

That was not strictly true. There were other options, but she didn't want to go down that road just yet.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kelsey left her apartment building to get into John’s truck. She hoped there would be less silence this time. They had driven back from the second dead body the previous day, barely uttering a word to each other. There was a lot that Kelsey wanted to say, but she knew it was better to bide her time and give him some space.

She looked at him through the window before she got into the truck. He did not look back at her, and his jaw was very tight.

"We need to speak with Dr. Emma White," Kelsey said. "She is based in Fargo, but with the investigation in the early stages and a lot to be done, she arranged to meet us halfway in the diner in Brentwood, just off the highway."

"Alright," John said. He pulled off from the curb and headed toward the highway.

Kelsey waited silently, expecting John to speak, but he remained silent as they drove. When they reached the highway, she could barely sit still in her seat—it felt like ants were crawling all over her.

"Detective Whitehorse sent over the photos from the second body," Kelsey said. "A lot of similar markings." She waited a beat and added, "He is cooperating with us."

"Is he?" John snapped.

"Alright, you don't have to take it out on me," Kelsey said. "I know things got a little heated back at the lake, but—"

"It wasn’t only the detective," John interrupted. "I thought we were a team. You’re supposed to back me unequivocally."

"That’s what this is about?" Kelsey asked. "I should just back you because we are partners, even when I believe it is the wrong decision. Do you want positive feedback on everything instead of constructive feedback because that’s not how you grow as a person?"

"You don't need to lecture me," John stated. "I’m not asking for you to back me whether I’m right or wrong; I’m asking you to back me when the other person is being purposely obstructive. And something has changed in the past few days. It's like you're never really here with me. I’m trying to be understanding of everything you are going through, but this feels like something new. It’s like you’re going through something that you won't tell me about, so I can't help you with it, and I know it’s not my job to help you with every problem, but I still want to support you."

John was spot on with the summation, but Kelsey couldn’t tell him that.

She reached out and placed her hand on his leg, leaving it there as he drove. They both sat in silence for twenty minutes as they drove toward the small town where they were to meet the cultural anthropologist.

"I went through something like this with Samantha," John said, breaking the silence. "She stopped talking to me and became distant, and it was the beginning of the end for us. I really don't want that to happen with you."

"It won't," Kelsey replied immediately. "I really like being with you, John, and I have no intention of being anywhere else. There is something going on, just some stuff with Erica, but I’m sorting it out, and it’ll all be fine. Maybe I have been a little distant lately, but I need you now more than ever. That’s the truth. I have pretty strong feelings for you, and I know you know that."

"Yeah, I do," John said semi-begrudgingly. "I have strong feelings for you, too."

"Wow, my feelings are pretty strong, but yours are strong," Kelsey noted. "You have way more feelings for me. I’ll take the compliment."

John laughed. "So, we’re alright?"

"We’re more than alright," Kelsey told him. "I don't want to talk about the stuff with Erica, but if I ever do, you will be the person I come to. You’re my rock, John."

John smiled, and Kelsey kept her hand on his leg.

They drove a little further before Kelsey said, "I am right about Detective Whitehorse. This is the best way to handle it."

"Yeah, you are probably right," John admitted.

"I’ll be the first to admit that it looks like he has something to hide, but we don't know his ways. If we fight with him, he’ll only close up more. The more open we are, the more open he will be, and if there is something to discover there, we’ll get to the bottom of it."

"He did seem pretty cut up about Rachels’s death," John noted. "Maybe not so much about the oil executive, but that’s to be expected."

"We need to do things differently with this case," Kelsey said. "It feels like there will be some evidence we don't have access to, like anything that might come from a full autopsy. That means we need to look at everything else available, and our only ticket into the Tribe is Detective Whitehorse."

"He really rubs me the wrong way," John said.

"That’s probably because you are so alike," Kelsey told him.

John raised an eyebrow.

"You are both protective of the ones you love… or have strong feelings for," Kelsey said with a smile. "You both have a strong sense of justice and are not afraid to wade into the situation. You are both lawmen, although, as I say that, it feels like I’m talking about the Old West. He’s not as attractive as you are, but I am a little biased."

John laughed through his nose and wore a large grin.

"Alright, alright," John said. "Apology accepted."

"Apology?" Kelsey cried. She smiled, squeezing John’s leg.

"I did a little digging into the pollution of the lake," John said. "I couldn’t find anything other than reports of clean water."

"What do you make of that?" Kelsey asked.

"It seems a little fishy," John admitted. "Either we have an oil company that goes to great lengths to keep any pollution from the lake they are drilling near and possibly under, or the reports are fabricated. I don't know if we have an easy way to find out. The oil company won't want us looking too closely at them if they are polluting the lake."

"I can speak to someone back at Quantico and see if we can put some pressure on them. If they did fabricate results, we might not know unless we get someone down there to test the water ourselves."

John sighed. "It almost comes down to the Tribe’s word against Northern Plains Oil’s. We haven’t formally heard from Northern Plains Oil, but I still get that impression. The pollution might be something we can't prove or disprove."

Kelsey thought about it as they drove. They had two bodies and no clear suspects. When the oil executive was murdered, suspicion fell on the Tribe members. With one of the Tribe’s own dead, suspicious still fell there with Rachel being for the oil company deal. Still, one dead body from each side of the lake made it feel like an eye for an eye.

"We need to know all we can about the Stone River Tribe and Northern Plains Oil, and it will be equally hard to get information about either. The only people I have spoken to from the Tribe are Detective Whitehorse and Marcus Running Bear," Kelsey said.

"I spoke to a few of the elders, but only to get to know them," John said.

"We need to properly check in with Detective Whitehorse and find out if he is interviewing people from the Tribe for information. If this were anywhere else, we would be going door to door or speaking with the prominent people in the community. As it is now, we are frozen out."

"Maybe you should be the one to check in with him," John suggested. "I’m not sure it’s best left to me."

"We can do it together," Kelsey said.

John and Kelsey drove a little longer before John pulled off into the small town. The diner was incorporated into a gas station rig on the highway, and he pulled his truck into a space right by the front windows. They entered the diner and looked around for the cultural anthropologist.

Kelsey caught the eye of a middle-aged woman, who looked back at them with the same expression: Are you the person I’m here to meet?

Kelsey smiled at the woman and walked over to the booth, with John following close behind.

"Dr. Cowell?" Kelsey asked.

The doctor nodded. "You must be Special Agent Hawk. It’s so nice to meet with another woman in a high-powered position. I deal with men most of the day, so this is a welcome change." She looked up at John when he arrived at the table. "No offense."

"None taken," he said. "Kelsey’s the best person I’ve ever worked with."

Kelsey smiled as she sat down beside the doctor. John slid into the opposite side of the booth. Kelsey took her laptop from her bag and started it up.

"Would you like some coffee?" Dr. Cowell asked, indicating the mugs on the table before them.

"Thank you," John said. "It wasn’t an overly long drive, but I could do with some coffee."

Dr. Cowell gestured to the server, and she came over with a pot of coffee to fill two of the mugs for Kelsey and John. John added cream and sugar to his.

"As I explained on the phone," Kelsey said, keeping her voice low, "we are in the middle of an ongoing investigation. I can’t reveal any of the details, but I would like you to take a look at the symbols carved into the two victims' backs."

"Of course," Dr. Cowell said, obviously interested.

Kelsey brought up the first set of pictures on her screen, the ones of James Patterson. They showed no recognizable features, only the symbols on his back.

"These are from the first victim," Kelsey said.

She minimized the photos and brought up the second set of pictures. Rachel Blackcloud had similar symbols carved into her back, and just like the first victim, her throat had been slit after the carvings had been done. The only difference between the two victims is that James had been found in the water shirtless while Rachel had been dressed after she was killed, obscuring the cuts when she was found.

Kelsey had looked at both sets of photographs already but had not yet found the connection. Some symbols looked similar, but there were subtle differences that told her they were different symbols.

"Very interesting," Dr. Cowell said, unfazed by the dead bodies. "I’ve never seen anything like this before, but I have seen similar images in my research. Where are you at with your research?"

"I’d like you to go first," Kelsey said. "I have one idea so far, but I’d like to get your opinion before we discuss that. I guess what I really need to know first is what this means. Why carve symbols into someone’s skin before killing them?"

"That’s a good question," Dr. Cowell said. "There are many reasons for carving symbols into flesh. One of the most common reasons is as a mark of identity or belonging. This practice is popular all over the world, and—sorry, I shouldn’t say popular. In my line of work, it is seen as popular. There are some indigenous Tribes native to Africa who perform scarification—deliberate marking of belonging to a group or Tribes or as a form of protection."

"Okay, so they might not be nefarious symbols. The killer might want to protect the dead in some way?" Kelsey asked, thinking of the Siouan language she had researched.

"Yes, that is entirely possible. The markings could be a form of protection, especially with them being carved into the skin. Drawing on the skin would give no permanence. Carving the skin is significant. Of course, the markings could equally be a curse. Perhaps whoever did this did not want the dead to rest in the next life."

"So, we can boil it down to the symbol being good or bad," Kelsey said with a wry smile.

"Don't forget neutral, too," the doctor reminded. "We often attribute markings to religion or a higher power—some way to communicate with a force beyond our understanding, but symbols on the skin can also be a way to show dominance over another or an obsession with them. They could be gang markings. The markings might denote the body belonging to someone. In this case, I don't think that is what we are looking at here. If the killer wished to exert dominance and ‘leave their mark,’ the symbols would be the same on both bodies. It is more likely they are trying to communicate something. Perhaps to a higher power, to the person who found the bodies, to society in general."

"We have a lot of reasons for doing this, and we might never understand the intent behind them or the mindset of the individual," Kelsey said.

She did know it took a special kind of person to carve another’s skin. The autopsy of James Patterson had been completed, and they found no narcotics in his bloodstream. They might not know about Rachel Blackcloud. That meant at least one of the victims was either awake or unconscious when being cut. There would have been pain at some point, and they likely would have screamed out, but the killer finished their task.

Kelsey had thought of an eye for an eye earlier, but she had to assume the same person had killed both victims.

"I’ve been looking into local languages, and I thought the symbols looked like they came from the Siouan language," Kelsey continued. "Is that possible?"

"Yes, it is possible," Dr. Cowell said. "The symbols are similar but not the same. Let me just bring up…" The doctor took out her phone and searched for the symbols online. "Yes, the symbols share a lot of similarities, but they are all off a little. Let’s see if we can…" She leaned into the laptop, and her eyes moved back and forth between the big screen on the table and the small one in her hand. "No, even if we take the symbols we recognize from the ones carved, there is no message written. It’s all gobbledegook. Maybe a couple of the symbols denote animals, the sun and stars, and a few different Tribes are mentioned, but that’s at a stretch. And they are not arranged in a way that makes sense. I agree with you that they look like Siouan symbols, but whoever wrote them either didn't want to convey any message or didn't know the language."

Kelsey sighed. She had hoped for more than she got. Still, it might be better that she didn't get more. If they could make out a pattern or message, it should have also been recognizable to anyone in the Tribe. If something was written in Siouan, the finger would be pointed at Detective Whitehorse for trying to cover up his knowledge.

"Thank you, Dr. Cowell," Kelsey said. "Let me ask you one more thing. If someone was familiar with Indigenous languages or symbols, would they recognize these symbols as being close to the Siouan language?"

"Not necessarily," the doctor said. "It might depend on context. There are so many spoken and written Indigenous languages, and any one person likely only knows one. We could compare it to you seeing some squiggles on a whiteboard and not seeing a pattern because you are comparing it to the patterns your brain recognizes based on your English language. Yet, someone might walk in and see them as familiar if they are Arabic, even if the scribbles mean nothing. It depends on the language spoken and understood."

Kelsey tapped the table as she thought about it.

"Let me show you this," Dr. Cowell said. She took a napkin from the dispenser and a pen from her bag. She drew a capital ‘E’ on the napkin. Then, she drew a line down the righthand side, closing the letter in to create a box with a line through the middle. "What do you see?"

"A box cut in half," Kelsey said.

"Exactly," Dr. Cowell said. "Even though you saw me draw the ‘E,’ your brain interprets the pictogram as something else. This is the same with the Siouan letters. You saw it because you were looking for it. Yet, if you found a stone carved with multiples of the symbol I just drew, you would not immediately conclude that the person wanted to communicate a lot of ‘Es.’ Does that help at all?"

"Yes, it does," Kelsey said.

It helps me to understand why there could be confusion when looking at the symbols and does nothing to confirm either way whether Detective Whitehorse is hiding anything or not.

Kelsey looked over at John. "I think we need to head back to the lake and have a proper chat with Detective Whitehorse. If’ he’s hiding any knowledge of the symbols, then that’s not the only thing he’s hiding."

CHAPTER NINE

Kelsey and John waited at the police station for Detective Whitehorse. Kelsey didn’t want to request a meeting with him to blindside him, so she requested his presence for the interview with Alan Wilson. Kelsey didn't think the Northern Plains Oil employee had anything to do with Rachel Blackcloud’s death, but she was worried the Tribal Detective would go after him on his own. He had been furious at the crime scene.

It might also be a good way for them to learn about Northern Plains Oil. All he knew about Alan Wilson was that he worked for the oil company, and he was extremely nervous. They could use that to their advantage. Alan sat in the small interview room, ready to give his account of how he found the body one more time.

The door to the police station finally opened, and Detective Whitehorse walked in.

John looked at his watch—the detective was ten minutes late. Kelsey bumped him gently with her shoulder. They didn't need to start the meeting with any antagonization.

"Thank you for coming," Kelsey said, stepping forward.

"Where is he?" Detective Whitehorse asked. It didn't look like he had calmed down since the body had been found.

"We hoped to get a little time with you before going in," Kelsey said. "Both to share any information and to talk about who will take the lead in there."

"I’ll take the lead," Detective Whitehorse said.

"I very much want to take the lead," Kelsey said, "but I am willing to relent in the instance if you allow me to also steer the investigation. You are clearly not thinking straight."

"I am thinking fine," the detective said.

"You are not, and if you don't realize that, then you don't get to be in the room with us."

Detective Whitehorse looked at John, rubbed his face, and then looked back at Kelsey. "Fine. I take the lead, and you can ask some questions, too."

"I don't want your judgment clouded in there," Kelsey said. "You are angry at the oil company, and he works for the oil company. You don't let that spill over."

"Apt metaphor," Detective Whitehorse pointed out.

Kelsey smiled. "You know what I mean. If Alan White knows anything, both about the deceased and the oil company, I want to know, and that means getting him talking. If you go in there and attack him, he shuts down."

Detective Whitehorse screwed up his lips and smacked them together. "This is not the first time I’ve dealt with someone who doesn't like us."

Kelsey didn't know if that was true of the man, but the oil company and the Tribe had fought for a long time. It was the best Kelsey would get, and she didn't want to push for more and rile up the detective.

"Alright," Kelsey said. We wanted to thank you for the photos of the second victim and again express our sadness for your loss. We spoke to a cultural anthropologist earlier today, and she believes the symbols are similar to those of the Siouan language."

Kelsey didn't mention that she had reached the conclusion. She didn't want to seem like she was attacking the detective or his Tribe.

"Possibly," the detective said.

"Did you recognize any symbols in your investigation?" John asked, stepping in to back up his partner.

"Not formally, no," Detective Whitehorse said. "What dialect of Siouan did your doctor say the symbols were from? I was not able to read any message in the symbols."

"Dakota," Kelsey replied.

"Our Tribe uses the Lakota dialect. They are similar but different. I know you are only trying to do your job, Special Agent Hawk, but I would have told you if I found a hidden message in the symbols."

"You didn't recognize the symbols at all?" John asked.

"I recognize they are similar to a hundred other possible shapes. Did you?" he threw back. "Many of the symbols look like O’s or I’s. Why have you not mentioned that, Deputy Gallant?"

"How about we put a pin in that for now," Kelsey said. "We only wanted to share what we have found so far. Do you have anything for us? You must be speaking with a lot of people on the reserve. Do you have any leads or any information about Rachel Blackcloud?"

"When I have something important to the case, I will let you know," Detective Whitehorse said. "Do you have any leads on this side of the lake?"

Kelsey quickly answered before John could. "Nothing other than the symbols. We will keep you updated with anything we find. I fear that we won't solve this unless we bring the two sides together. The evidence, I mean. We have the resources to look into a lot, but only you have the ear of the Tribal members."

"Shall we talk to the suspect?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"He’s not a suspect," John reminded.

"We’ll see about that," the detective said.

Kelsey led the two men through the police station and to the small room where Alan Wilson waited for them.

"He hasn’t asked for a lawyer," Kelsey told them. "He’s willing to answer all of our questions, so let’s give him a chance to answer them."

Kelsey turned and knocked on the door. She pushed down on the handle and entered, walking over to the table where Alan Wilson sat. He wore dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt and looked just as nervous as he had back at the lake. When Detective Whitehorse and Deputy Gallant joined Kelsey, he looked intimidated.

Kelsey sat down first, and Detective Whitehorse joined her, leaving John to stand. Kelsey knew that would annoy him, but there was nothing she could do about it now. They had to put up a united front.

"Mr. Wilson, we are joined by Detective Whitehorse from the Stone River Reserve," Kelsey said with a pleasant smile. "Do you mind if we go through the morning you found Rebecca Blackcloud? Then perhaps a few more background questions?"

Detective Whitehorse clenched his fists below the table.

"Y-yes, of course," Alan stammered. "Whatever I can help with. Ask any question you want."

"How about—" Detective Whitehorse started.

He didn't get to finish the question. They were interrupted by the door opening and a man barging into the room. The man was older and wore a grey suit. He gave off a lawyer vibe.

"You can't just barge in here like this," Kelsey said, standing up with Detective Whitehorse.

John stepped in front of them both to provide a barrier between the interviewee and the man who had just barged into the room. The man, who looked in his late fifties and was small and wiry, was explosively angry but didn't pose an immediate physical threat.

The man pointed to Alan Wilson. "You’re interviewing him without his lawyer. Who do you think you are?" He looked directly at Detective Whitehorse. "I should have expected this."

"Who are you?" Kelsey asked. "His lawyer?"

"No," Detective Whitehorse snarled. "I know exactly who this is. We’ve dealt with him many times. Victor Drake, the CEO of Northern Plains Oil."

"Alright," John said. "Now that we’ve established that you are not Mr. Wilson’s lawyer, you can leave." John moved forward and put his hand on the CEO’s shoulder.

"I’m not going anywhere," Victor growled. He might have been small and wiry, but he was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. "The three of you are here to interview him? What sort of circus is this?"

"Mr. Wilson didn't need his lawyer present," Kelsey told the CEO.

John still had his hand on Victor’s shoulder.

"Why don't you ask him again," Victor suggested. "You can't have asked him properly. This is a murder investigation, isn’t it? From what I heard, you’ve already spoken to Mr. Wilson multiple times. Why do you need to interview him again?"

"We’re here to speak to Mr. Wilson, not to you," Kelsey told him. She noticed the strain in Detective Whitehorse’s body. Kelsey turned to Alan. "Mr. Wilson, we can have your lawyer come down here if you wish, but you understand how that looks?"

"I, um," Alan stuttered. "I thought I had asked for one already. I think it would be best if I had my lawyer here with me so I can give you the answers you need. I don't mean to cause any trouble or anything."

"There you go," Victor said with a sneer. "It’s a good thing I came down here to do your jobs for you."

"Is that why you came down here?" Detective Whitehorse snarled.

"Let’s step outside," Said Kelsey in frustration. "We will speak with Mr. Wilson when his lawyer arrives. For now, I would like to know what you are doing here, Mr. Drake."

John helped guide Victor Drake out of the room. Kelsey followed next, providing a buffer between the Northern Plains Oil CEO and the Tribal Detective. She didn’t have to worry about Detective Whitehorse verbally or physically attacking Alan Wilson; he had a much bigger target.

"He’s the biggest threat to this investigation," Detective Whitehorse hissed from behind Kelsey.

Kelsey turned her head as she walked. "Let’s just see what he has to say, but you better believe I’m just as annoyed as you are at him derailing this investigation. I want him out of here as soon as possible. They left the room, and Kelsey closed the door. She was glad that John remained close to the CEO to protect him from the detective and to protect the detective from doing something stupid and being thrown off the case.

"Mr. Drake," Kelsey said, taking the lead as the most level-headed of the three—a position she didn't find herself in very often. "You can't come down here and impede our investigation. We have no reason to suspect Mr. Wilson of any wrongdoing, but you’ve just cast suspicions over him."

"Oh, come off it," Victor Drake said. "We all know this is not what that is about. You were planning on bullying him in there, especially with him in there." Victor pointed at Detective Whitehorse again.

"Hey, point at Detective Whitehorse like that again, and I will have Deputy Gallant throw you out of here," Kelsey warned.

John took a step toward the CEO.

"Lay a finger on me, and I will sue you and your department," Victor Drake warned.

"Hey, come after me if you want and see where it gets you," Detective Whitehorse snapped back. "Do you see how it is? He comes down here because he’s afraid of what one of his employees will say about his company. He casts some suspicion on his employee, but a dark cloud of suspicion is already hanging over him."

"Let’s all take a breath," Kelsey suggested. "Mr. Drake, you don't get to come down here and bully us. We will talk to Mr. Wilson, and he will answer our questions. Detective Whitehorse is right, so maybe we should speak to you about what your company is doing."

"Do I need my lawyer?" Victor asked. "This is about two murders, not the legal drilling rights of my company. I don't have to answer any questions about that."

"You're the one who came down here," Kelsey pointed out. "You came all the way here just to silence one employee? What do you have to hide, Mr. Drake?"

"I didn't come here for that," Victor spat. "I want justice for James Patterson. James was a good man, and it’s obvious no one is doing anything about it."

"You want justice for one of the dead?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"We are conducting our investigation," Kelsey said, stepping in. "Your being here is only slowing us down."

"That’s why I came," the CEO said. I want my private detectives to work on this. My lawyers have started requesting the needed information, but you are to cooperate fully with them."

"Who do you think you are?" Kelsey snapped, stepping forward. "We’re not working with any private detectives on this. That is absolutely out of the question. I’m an FBI agent, Mr. Drake. Don't you dare step into my investigation and insinuate I am not doing my job?"

Victor Drake pointed his finger at Detective Whitehorse again, jabbing it in the air. "You have that Tribal Detective working the case. You’re a hypocrite if you don't allow my detectives to investigate this."

"I warned you," Kelsey said, her eyebrows furrowing and her lips tightening. "You want to treat people like dirt, then you can be treated like dirt. John, you can throw Mr. Drake out now."

"With pleasure," John said. He grabbed the CEO by the collar and dragged him towards the door.

Victor tried to struggle for a second, but it became better for him to use his legs to walk the way he was being dragged than to have his good suit dragged across the floor.

"This is not the end of this!" Victor shouted toward Kelsey. "You’ve made a big mistake here today, and there will be consequences."

There are always consequences, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

CHAPTER TEN

Kelsey sat at the breakfast bar in her kitchen, sipping coffee and eating a blueberry muffin. The case was fraught with far too much tension, and they had the Northern Plains Oil CEO to deal with. She was sure he couldn’t derail the investigation, but he could cause headaches if he wanted to. They didn't know a whole lot yet about Northern Plains Oil, but they did know the company was wealthy. That meant the CEO was wealthy and could afford expensive lawyers.

They wouldn’t be able to get any private detectives on the case, but they could tie up time and resources by trying to. They could also filter and stop the flow of information, making it impossible to gain any insight into the company.

Kelsey’s apartment was usually her safe space, a place where she could relax, but she was just as tense at home as she was at work. She sat with her breakfast, thinking about the case and staring at the closed door to Erica's room. The man in the room beyond worked for the people who had trafficked Erica. She needed to know more about them but couldn’t do that on her terms. It was a waiting game.

"Hello?" Kelsey called suddenly. She got up from her stool at the breakfast bar and walked to the front door. She ran from the door to Erica’s bedroom door. "Stay in there," she hissed.

"What’s going on," came the frightened whisper from inside.

"I don't know," Kelsey said quietly. "I think there is someone at the door."

"Who?" Philip asked. "What did they look like?"

"Two men," Kelsey replied. "Tanned skin, maybe Mexican."

"I need a gun," Philip begged. "Please, don't let them in."

"You know them?" Kelsey asked.

"They’ve sent them," Philip whispered. "You have to take them out. They’re here for me."

"What am I dealing with here?" Kelsey asked. "Have they come here to take you or to kill you?"

"They’ll kill me," Philip muttered. "They’ll kill you, too. If they know I’m here, I’m already dead. I need to get out of here. A fire escape for something. Please, you have to help me."

Kelsey could hear the terror in his voice. If he worked for them, then it was some rival group who had come after him, and contract killers were not unexpected. She had also discovered that he didn't have a gun on him, making her feel a little safer.

"Stay there," Kelsey said. "I’m going back to the door. If you hear gunshots, you might have to drop from the window. It’s high, but it’ll be your only chance of escape."

"Please. You have to stop them!" Philip whispered loudly.

Kelsey left the bedroom door and went to the front door. There was no one there; there was never anyone there. She now knew he was important enough for someone to want him dead.

What do you do for them, Philip Guppy?

Kelsey took a second and returned to the bedroom door.

"It’s fine," she said, trying to sound relieved. "They were only handing out flyers. A new restaurant in town. They slid one under the door."

"You’re sure?" Philip asked.

"I saw them go to the other doors on this level and talk to some of the residents. They weren’t here for you."

"Okay," Philip said, his voice shaky.

"I have to go out," Kelsey said with a smile. "There’s some coffee in the pot if you want to come out of the room."

She left the door and went to grab her stuff.

Piece by piece, I will figure you out.

***

John stopped his truck outside the Stone River Tribal office. He and Kelsey got out of the car and for the main doors. Before they got there, Detective Whitehorse exited and headed their way. As he closed in, he held out his hand to Kelsey first.

"Special Agent Hawk, I wish to thank you for how you handled yourself yesterday." He shook her hand firmly and warmly. "The CEO of Northern Plains Oil has used his money to push us around, and I am sick of it. You can see how he treats people. He will be back, but it is welcome to have someone on our side for change."

"He was a complete idiot," Kelsey said. "No one comes in and tries to derail an investigation like that. We have had our moments, but I know we’re working toward the same goal."

"Thank you again." Detective Whitehorse let go of Kelsey’s hand and shook John’s next. "You made an enemy of Victor Drake by throwing him out like that. It is something I have wished to do for a long time."

"And who says this job can't be fun?" John asked.

Detective Whitehorse allowed himself a tight smile. "I would like to invite you both into our Tribal office. Perhaps I have not been as forthcoming with sharing information as I should have been. I would like to remedy that."

Kelsey and John followed the detective up the steps and then through the main doors. John had been inside the Tribal office before, but Kelsey had not.

She smiled as she entered, looking around and taking it all in. The Tribal office doubled as a small museum, and the front half of it was filled with Tribal artifacts. A large medicine wheel split into red, black, green, and yellow hung just inside the main entrance. A wooden wall displayed wool clothing beaded in the Tribe’s colors: black, yellow, and green. A few stuffed animals were positioned to look like they were in motion, and then glass cases of weapons: bows and arrows, knives, axes.

Kelsey didn’t have time to waste, but she took a moment to take it all in. She knew that in the past, many Tribes were nomads and moved wherever the buffalo took them. As agriculture flourished, they set down roots. The Stone River Tribe had been in the area long enough to build enough history to be on display.

That happened with many peoples, but the difference was that these specific people were still in the same area. It was different from a country displaying its history. This was a small community that had looked after the land, and now, it was being polluted.

Kelsey had to remind herself that they had no current proof of any pollution.

"This way, please," Detective Whitehorse said, inviting them through to the rear of the Tribal building.

Kelsey saw some of the elders they had seen when they first arrived on the reserve to view the dead body, including Marcus Running Bear. The Tribal office was relatively busy, with around eight people in there, most of whom looked like elders. There was a mournful atmosphere.

The rear of the Tribal office was taller than the front, with large windows starching halfway up the rear wall and parts of the side walls, a long horizontal strip of pine, and then a second set of windows above. The window panes were rectangular at the bottom and came to a point at the top. A large conference table sat at the rear by the windows, and between that and the museum was a small office area. Some of the elders sat at desks, working. The juxtaposition between history and modern brought together the past and present.

The lake was visible through the large windows.

"Please, take a seat if you wish," Detective Whitehorse said. "My home is your home." He leaned against one of the desks in the office area, and Kelsey and John did the same. "Has Victor Drake been back in touch yet?"

"No, not yet, but I expect he will soon," Kelsey said.

"He will attack you more than me," Detective Whitehorse said. "He will try to influence me, but he has no power on this land, and his lawyers know it. That’s why he has tried to get it through the people."

"I’d like to look into Northern Plains Oil," Kelsey said. "Your Tribe has friction with them, and there is friction within your Tribe because of them. I want to look into their dealings with your land to see if everything is legal."

"Even if it isn’t, they will have covered their tracks," Detective Whitehorse said. He looked behind to one of the elders. "Tracy Wakpa. Will you lend us your knowledge?"

An older lady, perhaps around seventy, approached them. She had long, flowing white hair and wore a bright floral dress.

"Tracy, would you mind talking with Special Agent Hawk and telling her what you know of Northern Plains Oil?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"Hawk," Tracy stated. "A good name." She gestured with an open hand, palm up. "I need to sit. Let’s talk where we won't be disturbed."

Kelsey smiled and then followed the older woman to the side of the office where comfortable chairs sat by the large windows looking out toward the lake.

"I have followed Northern Plains Oil’s progress for a long time," Tracy said.

"Can you take me back to the beginning?" Kelsey asked. "There would have been a time when they were not drilling here, and now, they are on the opposite side of the lake, drilling for oil."

Tracy scoffed. "Not only on the other side of the lake. They have ways to drill down and under the lake. You can't see that from the surface, but I know it is happening. They are taking from land that is not theirs and polluting the lake in the process."

"You have proof they are drilling where they shouldn’t?" Kelsey asked.

"No, I don’t, but I know," Tracy claims. "I’ve lived on the land since I was a child. I know the land better than anyone. I don't have proof either that the water is being polluted, but I know. I can feel it."

Kelsey looked out the window toward the massive lake. "There must have been tests done. The oil company would have done it, and your Tribe must have ordered tests."

"Of course," Tracy said. "Northern Plains Oil had Dr. Martinez come from the EPA, and when he found no pollutants, we requested another EPA agent. Dr. Longman visited next, and he found the same: no pollutants. Still, I did not believe it, and I was the one who pushed for an independent inquiry. Dr. Chen came third. He was not affiliated with any government agency or Northern Plains Oil. He found there were acceptable levels of pollutants in the water. Clean enough to drink, he told us." Tracy shook her head.

"I understand your frustrations," Kelsey said. "I met the CEO of Northern Plains Oil, and I don't like him one bit. He’s a man who is used to getting what he wants, and that could include manipulating tests or testers, but without any evidence, I can't do anything. If three scientists came to the same conclusion, it’s hard to dispute that."

"The land they took wasn’t theirs," Tracy said. "Do you know that?"

"What land?" Kelsey asked.

"The land they drill on now." Tracy folded her arms over her chest. "It was once our land."

"What happened?" Kelsey asked. "I haven’t heard anything about the land being bought?"

"It wasn’t," Tracy said. "Northern Plains Oil surveyed the area against our wishes, and they reported back to the government about the stock of oil below the surface. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. I understand the wealth and the need for oil, but I don't understand how they can just assign the land to someone else. His lawyers did it: the CEO. They found some loophole or precedent, and they found a way to legally take the land from us. It was theft, plain and simple. The people in government have changed, but the ownership will never come back to us."

"That’s awful," Kelsey said. She believed the woman, but her thoughts ached for evidence, and she didn’t believe there would be any."

"What’s done is done," Tracy said. "If that’s all they did, perhaps I could forgive, but now, they pollute our land and cover it up. I will fight them tooth and nail to keep the land we have. It is our birthright."

"And now, the Tribe is split about what to do," Kelsey said.

"We toiled to get where we are today, and the youth see a way out. If they take the money, they won't have to toil like we did, and I understand that, but they don't see the bigger picture. Northern Plains Oil will destroy this land, and long after the money is spent, they will have no home anymore. I will be gone by then, but I can't leave that as my legacy."

"So, the older generation wants to keep the land, and the younger generation wants to see and move on?" Kelsey asked.

"They constantly push and push," Tracy said. "James Patterson made some headway recently in convincing some key members of the Tribe, and now, he’s dead. They will allow a grieving period, and then they will send someone else to continue convincing. They won't stop until they have a majority. That is all it takes in our Tribe. If there is a simple majority, no matter how slight, the decision is made. Some decisions can be undone, but not this one. If we sell the land, there will be no chance of getting it back."

"Rachel Blackcloud was one of the Tribal council members who was convinced to sell, wasn’t she?" Kelsey asked.

"Yes, she was. She held out like the rest of us, but he managed to convince her, too."

"Detective Whitehorse cares a lot about her," Kelsey noted.

"They dated as teenagers," Tracy explained. "Their families have always been very close. He takes personal responsibility for her death. I'm worried about what he might do. You must be there to guide him."

"I don't know if I can," Kelsey said.

"He has allowed you into our community," Tracy said. "Detective Whitehorse is wary of outsiders, but you are here, and it didn't take long. You have a lot of influence with people."

"I know it won't be easy, but I would really like to talk with more people around here, get a feel for how people are feeling and what they are thinking."

"You will have that chance," Tracy said. "We are organizing a Tribal meeting with the entire town to discuss recent events. I'm sure Detective Whitehorse will allow you and your partner to come."

"I don't want to cause any trouble, and I understand this is a sensitive matter," Kelsey said.

"It is."

"And I don't want you to think I am accusing anyone in the Tribe," Kelsey said.

"Why not?" Tracy asked.

Kelsey frowned and held the elder’s game.

"An executive from the oil company that wants to destroy our land and the woman who would let him are both found dead in the lake. We are sure they are polluting," Tracy noted. "Many of us are thinking the same thing you are. One of us is a killer."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

John and Kelsey walked through the Tribal office building and out the back, led by Detective Whitehorse. He took them across the short patch of grass between the Tribal building and the community building. Others from the direction of the town were filtering down toward the meeting place. Detective Whitehorse opened the door to the community building and gestured for them to enter.

"Hey, why don't you go in?" Kelsey told John. "There 's something I need to talk to Detective Whitehorse about."

"Sure," John said, entering the building.

Detective Whitehorse stepped away from the door, letting someone else take over as people arrived. He stepped to the side with Kelsey.

"What’s going on?" he asked.

"You dated Rachel Blackcloud," Kelsey said.

"I don’t know what that has to do with anything," Detective Whitehorse said.

"And your families are still close."

"If you are accusing me of something, come out and say it," the detective said, shifting from foot to foot.

"I do think it is important we know all connections, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about," Kelsey said. "I wanted to know how you were doing. I know it can't be easy for you with the dispute and split in the Tribe, and as a detective, murder is horrible, especially one so close to home. This is too close."

"I didn't agree with her decision, but she was my friend," Detective Whitehorse said. "I won't ever forget the look on her mother’s face or the sound she made when I told her. I should have done more."

"There was nothing you could have done," Kelsey remembered Tracy Wakpa's words. "None of this is your fault."

"What if it is?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"What do you mean?"

Detective Whitehorse grimaced as if he had put his foot in it. "She came to me a week before her death, and something was wrong. I spent some time with her, and I could tell something was off. I asked her about it, but she assured me everything was fine. I think she was worried about changing her vote. What if that’s why she died?"

Kelsey pursed her lips. She wanted to reach out and pat the detective's shoulder but thought better of it. "You wouldn’t have saved her; I don't think you could have saved her."

"I should have talked to her more," Detective Whitehorse said. "What if she was in trouble and I didn't see it?"

"If you could have helped her, she would have come to you," Kelsey said. "This is not your fault. Believe me, I’ve blamed myself for way too many deaths. I try to tell myself there was nothing I could have done, but I always wonder if I was a little quicker or discovered the right clue at the right time. We’ll always blame ourselves for things we can't control. It’s who we are."

Detective Whitehorse held Kelsey’s gaze for a second. "We should go inside. The Tribe will want my presence."

"I would like to talk with some people after the meeting," Kelsey said.

"Alright," the detective replied. He went to the door and held it open for Kelsey to enter.

She went inside and found John standing off to the side. There was a low hum in the room as people spoke amongst themselves. Some people looked John and Kelsey’s way, but no one approached.

The elders Kelsey had seen a couple of times were sitting at a long table on the stage at the far end of the building, along with one man she had not seen before; he wore a large feather headdress.

Kelsey caught Detective Whitehorse before he walked past them. "Is he your Chief?" Kelsey asked, indicating the man with the headdress.

"Chief Eagle Bear," Detective Whitehorse said before he left them near the end of the room.

Detective Whitehorse looked purposeful as he walked toward the front, but he stopped to offer a woman a few words before he continued on. Kelsey assumed from the way he spoke to her that it was Rachel Blackcloud’s mother. Once Detective Whitehorse made his way up into the stage, the Chief rose from his chair and approached the microphone at the front of the stage. The gathered crowd, some of them sitting and some standing, quieted down.

The Chief held his arms out. "Thank you all for coming. Let us offer a prayer to the Creator for bringing us all together this afternoon." The Chief gave a prayer in a language Kelsey did not understand. "These are difficult times, and we all have a lot of questions. There will be a time for questions, but I would like for us to hear from Detective Whitehorse first."

The Chief left the mic, and Detective Whitehorse approached.

"We have one man dead on our reserve and a daughter of ours murdered. This is a time of grieving, and I ask that you give Rachel Blackcloud’s family the privacy and respect they deserve in this difficult time. I would like to address the question you have all been asking. I wish I could tell you there is no reason to worry and that we are all safe, but I can’t do that yet. We don't know yet who did this, so I ask you all not to go out alone until we know more. Travel in pairs, and if you can't do that, call the Tribal office, and we will have someone to escort you."

"So, we have to be scared on our own land!" a man shouted.

"We shouldn’t have to be." Detective Whitehorse spoke with a quiet intensity that helped to maintain calm in the large room. "I don't want more deaths. It is despicable that we have fear in our community, but it is at times like these that we come together and support each other. I ask that you all stay safe and don't go out alone. We don't expect this to be for long."

Detective Whitehorse paused and stepped back from the mic while he straightened his shirt a little. He looked over the expectant crowd and stepped forward again.

"As for the investigation, there are some updates I can give you," he said. "The murders don't only involve our reserve. Because of this, I have made the decision to call a Special Agent from the FBI and a Deputy Sheriff to aid me in this investigation. They have resources we do not have, and they will work under my guidance during this investigation. I ask that you cooperate with them when you can, and remember that they don't understand our ways, so please be patient with them.

"I am working my way through everyone in town to find out if anyone saw or heard anything that might help the investigation. If you remember something, please reach out to me. Special Agent Hawk is looking into Northern Plains Oil and their reach. As of now, we don’t have any suspects."

Chief Eagle Bear stepped forward to join Detective Whitehorse at the mic. "Before we get to the questions, I invite you all to Rachel Blackcloud’s funeral service on Thursday. Let us honor her. I want to repeat what Detective Whitehorse said. We are a community. This oil business might have driven a wedge between us, but now is the time to come together and ensure we are protected. No decision on the land sale will be made until after the killer is arrested. Then, we will reassess as a Tribe."

"Thank you, Chief Eagle Bear," Detective Whitehorse said. "I would like to open up the floor. If anyone has any questions, please ask them now."

"Someone among us is killing off those who want to sell the land!" a young man shouted. "How long until they kill us all."

Detective Whitehorse put out his hands and gestured up and down with them as the crowd became a little riled. "I understand your concern, and we are investigating every possibility. I don't believe one of us did this. I will follow the evidence, but I won't consider we have a killer in the Tribe until that person is found."

Kelsey could hear what he wanted to say. They had a severe lack of evidence. No DNA evidence on the bodies—any had been washed off by the water—no established crime scenes, two deaths from different sides of the lake, and a bunch of symbols that meant nothing to anyone except the killer. All they could do was talk to people and hope to find a connection.

Kelsey looked around the room. If there was a killer in the Tribe, they were likely in the room. With all the noise and commotion and the sheer number of people, it was hard to study any one person.

"What are you doing to catch the killer?" a man shouted at the detective. "It sounds to me like you are talking with people and hope one of them confesses. Have you spoken to Northern Plains Oil yet? What do they have to say for themselves?"

"That won't be necessary," came a shot from the back of the room. "We have nothing to hide."

Kelsey and John looked around, aghast. They had not witnessed Victor Drake slip into the room. John immediately strode toward him, but two men in black suits stepped between him and the CEO. At least six private security guards were with Victor Drake.

"Get out!" Detective Whitehorse shouted. "You don't belong here."

"Let him talk!" someone else shouted.

"That’s all I want!" Victor shouted from the back of the room. "You have one of your own dead, and I have one of mine dead. It is obvious who did this!"

Detective Whitehorse leaped down from the stage and gave commands to people Kelsey could not see.

"Someone is trying to stop the deal!" Victor shouted. "That person is not me. My entire company wants the deal to go ahead. We are looking for someone against the deal, and we don't have to look very far to find them."

That insinuation caused an uproar in the large room. Even those who supported the deal reacted in anger. Someone had recently suggested a killer might be among them, but it was an insult for an outsider to suggest such a thing.

"Get him out of here!" Detective Whitehorse shouted from within the crowd.

"One of you is killing people, but it won't stop the deal!" Victor Drake shouted. "I am more motivated than ever to push this through. None of us will be pushed around, and—"

Victor took a step back as someone moved to grab him. One of his security detail stepped in between, his coat shifting as he moved, and Kelsey saw the gun on his belt. She looked around, seeing the other five men in black suits converge on Victor Drake. Kelsey and John had guns, and she was sure Detective Whitehorse carried one, too. Kelsey could feel the tension in the air. If mob mentality took over, guns might be drawn.

She caught Detective Whitehorse’s eye through the crowd. He looked as concerned as she felt. She quickly pushed through the rising crowd to get close to Victor Drake, not able to move past the security detail that surrounded him.

"Get the heck out of here, now!" she screamed at him. "You’re threatening more death if you stay here. I will arrest you, Victor!"

A group of middle-aged men approached from the side, all of them with clenched fists. They would overpower the security detail, but not before some shots were fired.

"Now!" Kelsey ordered.

Victor took the warning and said something to the guard closest to him. He was slowly moved back toward the door and then outside. Kelsey and John followed them, getting outside to see Victor being hustled into a car. The door closed, and something smashed against the door. The window of his door rolled down as the security detail joined him in the back car and the car behind.

"You won't sabotage this deal! I’m making a new offer, upping the ante. I won't be bullied. Either take it or leave it." He shouted the last part loudly as the cars drove off.

Detective Whitehorse left the building and joined Kelsey and John outside as they watched the two cars drive off the reserve. The crowd were whipped into a frenzy, and there would be violence if something wasn’t done.

Kelsey was also worried about what might happen to Victor Drake if he continued on as he was. Someone would silence him eventually.

CHAPTER TWELVE

"Alright, alright!" the Chief called, trying to restore some calm to the proceedings. Please, everyone, come back inside, and let’s finish the meeting."

"And be in the same room as the killer!" someone shouted.

"Victor Drake’s the killer!" someone else shouted. "He’s killing our land. What difference is it to him if he kills our people?"

"We can't stay in the past forever!"

"We can't let our land be destroyed!"

"That’s enough!" Detective Whitehorse shouted. "The meeting is over for today. If we can't remain civil with each other, then what hope is there for us now? I don't want to spend another minute in the same room as anyone who wants to argue with their brothers and sisters. I’ve had enough of this! We don't know who is to blame here, but at the moment, it looks to me like everyone is at fault." Detective Whitehorse walked off toward the lake, leaving everyone in surprise.

"We will take a break!" the Chief ordered calmly. "We will reconvene when we have all had time to think about this. Please go home for now, but don't go anywhere alone. We must not be broken apart."

Kelsey watched the people start to calm down as they filtered out of the large building. Some had red faces, and others muttered to each other, but there was no fight left for now after the Chief’s words.

Kelsey leaned in close to talk with John. "It does feel like Victor Drake came here just to cause division. There is already fight within the Tribe, and he's only made it worse."

"He knew what he was doing," John replied, "and he knew to bring a security detail with him. He knew what he was stepping into and stepped into it happily. He was willing to put his life on the line to get what he wants."

"They were carrying guns," Kelsey said.

"I saw," John said.

"It could have turned ugly if he had not left, and he could have claimed self-defense. If the Tribe attacked him and his men, many of them could have been killed."

"I’m going to make a phone call," John said. "I want to talk with him and find out exactly what he’s playing at. I knew he wanted to make this deal, but that was pushing it too far."

"I’ll go and find Detective Whitehorse," Kelsey said. "We need to make sure he is up to this, or we need to take full control of the investigation."

John nodded and moved off from the crowd to make the phone call and hopefully get the needed information. Kelsey was about to walk toward the lake when she saw the woman Detective Whitehorse had spoken to previously. She didn't want to speak to anyone without running it past the detective first, but he had stormed off, valid in his anger. She couldn’t wait around to get to the bottom of the murders.

Kelsey walked toward the woman and then fell into step with her. "Excuse me, are you Rachel Blackcloud’s mother?" It was an educated guess that she hoped was right.

"I am."

"My name is Special Agent Hawk," Kelsey said.

"I know. We all know," the woman said.

"I only want to help," Kelsey said.

"Then tell me who murdered my daughter."

"I was hoping you could help me with that," Kelsey told her.

The woman stopped and turned to face Kelsey, a storm brewing on her face. She placed her hands on her hips. "How can I do that?"

It took Kelsey a moment to realize the woman was genuinely asking and not offended by the question.

"I was told that maybe your daughter's mood shifted lately, around the time she changed her decision on the vote," Kelsey said.

The woman shook her head. "I think she did it just to spite me. We had a big blowout about what the future held, and the next week, she changed her vote. She did it to get back at me. We never had the best relationship. I loved Rachel, and I know she loved me, but it was hard for us to be in the same room together. Our spirits never aligned."

"I really am sorry," Kelsey said. "No mother should have to go through that. It doesn’t matter if you don't see eye to eye all the time; losing a daughter is just about the worst thing that can happen. I lost my family at a young age."

"I can see your pain." The woman’s eyes suddenly filled with tears, but she didn’t let herself cry.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the blowout argument about?" Kelsey asked.

The woman sighed and didn’t dare blink, or the tears would flow. "Rachel wanted to leave the reserve. She told me there was nothing here for her anymore. I told her I would never leave the reserve and begged her not to go. I didn't want to lose her." The woman wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "She told me I was living in the past and needed to leave. I can't leave this place. I was born here, and I’ll die here. It was.. it was the first time in forever that I saw the love in her eyes. She looked at me with something I had never seen before and told me to come with her, and I almost said yes. I almost caved in, but I couldn’t do it. It was not long after that she changed her vote to sell the land. If she couldn’t make me leave the land, she was determined to take the land from me. I wouldn’t sell our land for any price. It was that Mr. Patterson. He was the one who convinced her. He was a snake in the grass, always whispering in people’s ears."

There was a flash of fury in the woman’s eyes, and Kelsey wondered if she might have killed James Patterson. The look left her as quickly as it came.

"I’m sorry for your loss," Kelsey said. "Thank you for talking to me."

"Find who did this," the woman ordered.

"I will," Kelsey said.

She watched the woman leave, then turned toward the lake to find Detective Whitehorse. She walked for a while and finally found him at the spot where the first body had been found. He was standing on the bank, staring down into the water.

"That was quite an outburst back there," Kelsey said.

"Do you think anyone noticed?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"Nah, I don't think so," Kelsey told him. "They were much too busy focusing on the madman ranting, and—oh, wait, that was you."

Detective Whitehorse turned with a sardonic smile on his face. "It shouldn’t get to me as much as it does."

"You have emotion, and that shows you care, but there are times to show it and times to tone it down. Still, you have a good Chief, and he calmed the situation."

"I should get back there," Detective Whitehorse said.

"The meeting is done for today," Kelsey told him. "It’s hard to be in your position. You are not impartial when it comes to the oil deal. You don't want it to go ahead. You have to deal with people on both sides of it, and that causes complications. I don't know what I would do if I were in your shoes. You’re doing amazingly well considering."

"I want to find who did this. I owe that to Rachel."

"I spoke to her mother," Kelsey said. "I wanted to wait for you, but you were not really in the mood to speak."

Detective Whitehorse waved a hand. "It’s fine. It’s good you spoke to her; she needs to know we are here to find her daughter’s killer."

"You spoke about Rachel maybe being in trouble, that maybe something was wrong. Did you know that she wanted to leave town?" Kelsey asked.

"Leave town?" Detective Whitehorse asked. "She never mentioned that to me."

"Her mother told me they had a big argument about it, and she changed her vote right after that to spite her."

"To spite her mother?" Detective Whitehorse asked. "Rachel and her mother had problems, but Rachel wouldn’t change her vote just to spite her mother. She made her decisions because she wanted to make them, not to spite someone else. I asked her why she changed her vote, but she didn’t tell me. She might have changed it on a whim, but not to spite her mother."

"You’re sure?" Kelsey asked.

"Positive," Detective Whitehorse replied.

"Then what if she was pressured to change her vote?" Kelsey asked. "Or threatened?"

"You think she might have been in trouble and wanted to get off the reserve because someone threatened her over her vote?" the detective asked. "When she changed her vote, she didn't have to leave?"

"Maybe," Kelsey said. "James Patterson was on the reserve pressuring people to change their votes. What if he did that with Rachel? What if he threatened people? From what I’ve seen of Victor Drake, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility. It feels like something he might have ordered."

‘Then why didn't she come to me?" Detective Whitehorse moaned. "If he was pressuring her, I could have put a stop to it."

"Unless you couldn’t," Kelsey said. "Her mother mentioned never leaving the reserve, but Rachel tried to get her to leave. Rachel must have known her mother could not be convinced. What if she wanted to leave to protect her mother? What if James Patterson threatened Rachel’s mother, and Rachel changed her vote to protect her?"

"I don't like it," Detective Whitehorse said. "Can I see it? Yes. But we don't have any proof, and the two people involved are dead. And it still doesn't explain the murders. If James Patterson was threatening Rachel Blackcloud, that doesn't give anyone a motive to kill them both."

"Unless the two things are unrelated," Kelsey said.

Detective Whitehorse rubbed his face in the way he always did when thinking through a problem.

Kelsey knew one thing for sure, even if she couldn’t prove it. There had been some doubt about the detective and how he might be feigning ignorance with the symbols or working only to protect the Tribe, which he was doing. She and John had suspected something of him initially. Kelsey didn't know everything about him, but she was convinced he had not killed Rachel Blackcloud. He cared for her and her family too much. That meant he didn't kill James Patterson, either.

"We’re still at square one," the detective said.

"It seems like that, but I’ve investigated multiple homicides, and one of the many things I’ve learned is that anything you learn adds to the puzzle. We have all these snippets of information, and none of them tell us who killed these two people. Still, they are pieces of information, and that is valuable. We continue to push forward and build the case one brick at a time."

"The Deputy," Detective Whitehorse said, gesturing behind Kelsey.

Kelsey turned to see John approaching, walking like he had something to say.

"I just got off the phone with Victor Drake, and it took me threatening to bring him down to the station to get to talk with him," John said.

"What did he have to say?" Kelsey asked.

"He claims he was invited to the meeting by a Tribal member."

"What?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"He doesn't know, but he assumed it was someone wanting the deal to go through. He didn't get a name, only an invitation. He gave me the number of the person who called him. I called it, but there was no answer."

"I’ll find out who the number belongs to," Detective Whitehorse said. "And when I do, I will kill them for doing that."

Kelsey and John looked at Detective Whitehorse with raised and furrowed brows, respectively.

"Figure of speech," the detective said.

"Whoever it is wanted to cause division," Kelsey said. "I would say that it worked."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kelsey was back in the Sheriff’s Office in Winchburgh for what felt like the first time in weeks, even though it had only been days. She looked up from her desk to see Sheriff Anderson enter. She could still remember the first time they had met when she had come to town, and like most people she met for the first time, there had been some butting of heads.

They had grown to like each other, and Sheriff Anderson had become something of a father figure to her. Although she didn’t go to him when she needed help cracking a case, talking with him helped her mood considerably if she felt stuck or low.

Kelsey got up from her chair and smiled as she walked over to him. When the Sheriff spotted her, he smiled back.

"It feels like it's been forever," he said. "Erica is at home with my wife and daughter. I don't ever leave her alone."

"I know," Kelsey said. "I trust you implicitly with my sister."

"Is John in as well?" Sheriff Anderson asked.

"He’s in his office dealing with the CEO of Northern Plains Oil. He’s a tough nut to crack, and I don't know if we’ll ever get much from him, but John has become our point of contact with the CEO even though he did throw him out of a police station recently."

The Sheriff raised his eyebrows.

"The less you know, the better," Kelsey said. "Plausible deniability."

Sheriff Anderson laughed.

"I’ve had to go back to some contacts at Quantico," Kelsey told him. "Northern Plains Oil has a lot of money and influence. We haven’t fully pushed at them yet, but when we do, I don't think they push back. I think they shut up shop and let us push with no results."

"If anyone can get results, it’s you, Hawk," the Sheriff told her. "If there is anything I can do to help, let me know."

"Honestly, just talking to you is good for my soul."

The Sheriff smiled again. "How is it going on the reserve? I hear you are making some headway down there."

"We are," Kelsey said. "Everything takes a little longer, but we are making progress."

"Good," the Sheriff said. "Keep going."

"I will." Kelsey smiled at the Sheriff and headed back to her desk.

She looked around the office. There were never many people working; Winchburgh was a small town. She hooked up her phone to her laptop and transferred the photo she had secretly taken that morning of Philip Guppy. He loaded it into the FBI system and ran the facial recognition software. She minimized the window to allow it to run in the background while she dealt with other tasks.

She pulled up her email and found a reply from one of her contacts back in Quantico. She clicked on the email and read through it, along with the accompanying reports. She gave a half-smile and grimace. Kelsey picked up the phone and called Detective Whitehorse. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello."

"Do you have time to talk?" Kelsey asked.

"I do," Detective Whitehorse said. "Do you have something for me?"

"Maybe," Kelsey said. "We won't get any helpful information directly from Northern Plains Oil, but I do have some agents back at Quantico who are willing to help me out. I asked them to look for anything they had on the oil company."

"And?" the detective asked.

"When I spoke to Tracy Wakpo, she knew of three separate occasions when the water in the lake was tested. Dr. Martinez was employed by the oil company and worked for the EPA. He found no signs of any pollutants. Dr. Longman also worked for the EPA, but he was requested by your Tribe. His findings confirmed what Dr. Martinez found. Tracy Wakpo pushed for another test, and Dr. Chen was brought in from an independent third party. Again, the results showed no sign of pollutants in the water."

"But the reports were falsified?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"I don't know," Kelsey admitted. "There is no evidence of that. No, there was a test done three years ago, suggesting toxicity in the water, but the scientist who did the test was suddenly replaced, and the test was repeated the next day to show no levels of pollution in the water."

"So, they did the test, found pollution, were likely fired from their position and replaced by someone who would give them the results they needed," Detective Whitehorse said.

"That’s what it looks like to you and me," Kelsey said. "If we bring it in front of a judge, they won't allow it to be used in court to argue that. From the reports, it looks like a mistake or a false positive."

"So, it gives us nothing?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"It doesn’t help us find our killer, but it gives us more information, and that is always valuable. The more insight we can get into Northern Plains Oil, the better we can understand the feud in your Tribe and discover if there is any manipulation. Deputy Gallant is trying to talk with Victor Drake again. He will be our point of contact with the CEO. You asked for us to go through you when we first stepped foot on your reserve, and I ask you to contact John if you need any information from Victor Drake. He obviously doesn't like any of us, but he dislikes John the least."

"Alright," the detective agreed. "How about Alan Wilson? Where are we with him."

"He has a lot of lawyers swarming around him, but Victor Drake brought that about because he didn't want Alan talking about the company. Alan found the body, and he was willing to talk about that. I don't think we need to bring him in and try to talk to him now. Even if he was involved, his lawyers would have prepped him."

"You’re sure he’s not involved?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"I am," Kelsey said. "He’s not our killer. He works with the drilling equipment for Northern Oil, but there’s no motive. I’ll request an alibi for the times of both murders, but he wouldn’t kill two people and then want to be the one who discovered the second body. And his story about running by the lake checks out."

"So, where are we at?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"I don't know," Kelsey said. "The murders are crimes of passion. Throats were cut, and symbols were carved. Whoever killed both victims wanted to communicate something, even if we don't know what that is. We also don't know if the two victims were targeted or were convenient. What we are most sure of is that whoever did this is angry at the possible oil deal. Killing Rachel Blackcloud and James Patterson doesn't stop the current drilling, and it doesn't stop a future deal. Whoever killed them must have known that. The murder of Rachel takes away one vote, and James Patterson will be replaced soon with some form of executive clone in a suit. So, stopping the deal can't be the reason unless the killer is oblivious."

"So, it comes down to senseless killing because someone is upset at the oil deal or drilling? Perhaps both?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"At the moment, yes," Kelsey said. "Did you get anywhere with the number Deputy Gallant got from the CEO?"

"It doesn’t belong to anyone on the reserve," Detective Whitehorse said.

"You can't know that," Kelsey told him. "Someone might have bought a phone just for that reason."

"We've gone door to door and spoken to everyone, and no one made that call. I know there's a lack of evidence pointing one way or the other, but I believe my people. If everyone told us that they didn't make the call, then I believe them."

"Alright, I’ll run the number through our systems and try and find who it belongs to," Kelsey said, trying to keep the peace.

"Someone is trying to stir up trouble between us and the oil company," Detective Whitehorse said. "I saw the phone records, and the call was definitely made. Perhaps the CEO fabricated that so he could visit, but he didn't need to come down to our meeting. I believe that someone called him, but it wasn’t a Tribal member. Someone wants to stir discontent."

"I’ll see what I can find on my end," Kelsey said. "The only question is why? Who stands to profit from a fight between your Tribe and the oil company?"

"I don't know," Detective Whitehorse said. "Many people on the reserve might want the deal to go through, but they don't profit from calling the CEO in. None of us wants this fight or to make it any worse than it already is. Northern Plains Oil stands to profit most from the deal."

"Then why kill one of their own?" Kelsey asked.

"I agree," Detective Whitehorse said. "It doesn't make sense. There’s no reason for them to kill one of their own, and we wouldn’t kill one of our own. That means someone outside of the two parties is meddling in our business. I don't know who, and I don't know why."

"We will, in time," Kelsey said. I’ll call you if I get anything from the number."

"Alright," Detective Whitehorse said.

Kelsey hung up the phone and returned to her laptop. There, she searched for the phone number used to call Victor Drake. She also dialed the number and listened to it ring before a generic answering service message rang.

Kelsey leaned back in her chair.

Detective Whitehorse is right. It doesn't feel like the oil company would kill James Patterson or someone from the Tribe would kill Rachel Blackcloud. That only opens the pool of suspects to everyone else. Does someone stand to profit from the deal going ahead? Or not going ahead? Or is it unrelated to that? The kills are passionate enough for it to be someone angry at… something. And they are communicating with the symbols, if only I could figure out what that is.

Kelsey’s laptop pinged. She pulled up the finished searches. There were no results for the phone number. She sat back in her chair, but her laptop pinged a second time before she could get comfortable.

She pulled up the search that had been running in the background. The facial recognition software had brought back a match. Kelsey clicked to open it. A mugshot photograph of Philip Guppy appeared on the screen. He was much younger in the photo, with much more hair, and his name was different: John Oliver.

She read the report. He was arrested for counterfeiting and spent six months in prison before being released. Kelsey ran a second search for John Oliver, which eventually returned no results except for the same mugshot and arrest report.

John Oliver? And another piece of the puzzle falls into place.

John paced quickly into the room, and Kelsey rushed to shut down the searches on her screen. She looked up and saw the look in his eyes. She knew before he ever said it: there was a third body.

"Let’s go," Kelsey said, leaping up from her chair. "And let’s hope we get something this time."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

John and Kelsey pulled up at Spirit Mirror Lake to find Detective Whitehorse already there with some of the forensic team and a contingent of park rangers. Kelsey looked out the truck window to see a small white tent around the presumed body and some officers combing the area.

She got out of the truck, and Detective Whitehorse walked toward them, a sullen look on his face.

"Another of your Tribe?" Kelsey asked tentatively.

"No, thank Creator," Detective Whitehorse said. "Dr. Michael Chen."

"Dr. Chen?" Kelsey asked. "The scientist who came out to test the water?"

"Yes," the Detective said. I met him when he came onto our land to test the water, but I only spoke to him briefly. It’s hard to see him as he is now. He came to help us but was not able to. I know he spoke to a few Tribe members when he visited the reserve, spending considerable time with Tracy Wakpo. She will be upset to hear of his passing."

"Is it the same as the others?" John asked.

"Yes," the Detective confirmed. "He was found in the lake, shirt removed, symbols carved into his back. From the bloating, he was likely in the lake for hours but not more than a day like the previous two victims."

"Was his throat cut?" Kelsey asked.

"Yes," Detective Whitehorse said. "We have a serial killer on our hands. Will you allow me to talk to the Tribe before you talk to anyone? I know how this looks. An oil executive, a Tribal council member voting to sell our land, and the scientists who could not prove the lake was being polluted. I know the conclusion here, and I would like to frame that before you interview anyone."

"Of course," Kelsey said. "I want you to know something, Detective Whitehorse. When we first encountered you, I suspected you were hiding something from us, but I believe now you were only protecting your Tribe. When things are hidden, we become suspicious. My mind didn't immediately jump to your Tribe."

"Thank you," the Detective said.

"The park rangers?" John asked. "Are they here for support, or did they find the body?"

"They found the body," Detective Whitehorse confirmed. "They were doing fish and game checks along the lake and found the body floating in the shallows. They managed to pull the body up to the bank. The deceased is not one of ours, so the body can be sent to the medical examiner as soon as they are done."

"I don't know if we get anything from the medical examiner, but I do want to see the symbols on his back," Kelsey said. "Three victims all fished out the lake at different points. Perhaps they were put into the lake at the same point, but you would expect more convergence if they were."

"There’s no real current in the lake to drag the bodies in any one direction," Detective Whitehorse said. "Where they float is entirely random."

Kelsey nodded, left John and the Detective, and went to the small white tent covering the victim. The body was visible from the road, so the tent had been used. She poked her head inside.

"Is there anything you can tell me with this body that we don't already know from the other two? Kelsey asked.

"Not yet," the forensic scientists said.

"Would you mind if I got some photos?" Kelsey asked.

The forensic scientist shook her head and continued working. The body lay face down on a white sheet. Kelsey stepped inside the tent, staring down at the bloated skin that showcased similar carvings to the previous two victims. She hoped this would tie it all together, but nothing jumped out at her. She took out her phone and snapped some photos of the gruesome carvings. Then, she left the tent and took a breath in the fresh air.

"Anything?" John asked, approaching her.

"The symbols look the same. They mean something, but I can't figure that out."

"Where do you want to start with this?" John asked.

"Dr. Chen may have been killed because of the tests he conducted. I want to find out what he was working on and if the tests could have been falsified or if there was pressure put on him. Anything that points to someone wanting him dead."

"We’ll need a warrant," John said. "I’ll get on the phone and see what I can do. He’ll have an office somewhere, but we’ll want to check his home, too. He might have kept his research there. Where do we head first?"

"His lab," Kelsey said. "Get on the phone and get warrants for both." Kelsey patted his shoulder and walked away from John and toward Detective Whitehorse. "We need to cover this quick," she told him. "John is on the phone obtaining warrants for Dr. Chen’s house and lab. If someone killed him because of his reports, then they might want to obtain those reports. We don't know if that is what we are looking for, but the quicker we cover all our bases, the better it is."

"Where do you need me to go?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"Take his house," Kelsey said. "John and I will go to the lab. As soon as we get the warrant, I will call you, and you can go in."

"Or, I go in and hope we get the warrant," Detective Whitehorse said. "You said we need to move swiftly, right?"

"I want to tell you not to do that, but it’s exactly what I would do," Kelsey said. "Perhaps you hear sounds from inside indicating someone is in danger."

"I'll pay close attention when I get there," the Detective said with a smile.

***

Kelsey and John walked into the scientific building, the warrant secured. They didn't call ahead, not knowing what they were dealing with. The decision had been made to get into the lab as quickly as possible before anyone knew they were there. John opened the glass door for Kelsey, and she walked through.

They were met with an empty lobby. The sign on the wall showed which businesses were on which floor. The lab where Dr. Chen worked was on the third floor. Kelsey and John headed for the stairs, foregoing the elevator. They rushed up to the third floor.

A feeling crept into Kelsey's stomach. There was no need to rush now; it was a matter of seconds before they would be at Michael Chen’s lab, but the closer they got, the more rushed she felt. She expected to get there to find someone burning reports, and they would be just too late to find out the truth.

They went through the door to the third floor and found a hallway leading in three directions: straight ahead, to the left, and to the right. They had no idea where to go, but there were only so many rooms to search.

Kelsey looked at John, and he nodded back at her. They broke apart, silently communicating what would happen next. John went right, and Kelsey went left. She checked the doors as she passed them. Names were printed on them. When she reached the first open door, Kelsey looked in and pulled out her badge.

"Special Agent Hawk," she said. "I’m looking for Dr. Michael Chen’s office."

The woman sitting at the desk initially looked frightened to have an FBI agent in her office. Then, she became confused but quickly composed herself. She pointed in Kelsey's direction. "It’s done that way, around the corner. Office 235. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You have already been extremely helpful," Kelsey said as she left.

She rushed down the corridor and around the corner, checking the numbers on the door. She was closing in when she came to his door. It was closed. She reached for the handle, her heart in her mouth, and pushed it down. Relief washed over her when she found it unlocked. More relief came when she opened the door and found the room as she expected it to be. It didn’t look as if someone had searched the lab or taken anything from it.

Scientific equipment sat on a long counter on the far wall, and a desk was off to the right. Kelsey went to the desk first and rifled through the stacks of papers and reports, looking for any reports related to the lake.

John arrived in the room a minute later and looked over the scientific equipment.

A minute after that, a man in a suit entered the room, flustered. "Excuse me! What are you doing here?"

John turned to face him and showed his badge. "We have a warrant to search Dr. Chen’s lab," he added, showing that.

"Oh," the man said. "Is everything okay? Is Dr. Chen in trouble?"

"Do you know Dr. Chen?" John asked.

Kelsey didn't find anything on his desk, so she turned on his workstation to see if that gave any information.

"I’m Dr. Chen’s boss," the man said.

John nodded and took a step toward this man. "I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Dr. Chen was found dead this morning."

"Oh, my goodness!" the man gasped. "What happened?"

"We can't release details of an ongoing investigation, but it was a homicide," John said.

The man held his hands over his mouth as he struggled with the news. "I… I only just saw him yesterday. I can't believe this."

"I’m sorry," John said.

Kelsey stopped what she was doing and stared at the screen. "Do you know what Dr. Chen was working on recently?" she asked his boss.

"He is testing all of the rivers near the Canadian border," the man said. "His counterpart in Canada is doing the same, and they are sharing research."

"Has he been doing anything else?" Kelsey asked.

"Not that I know of. It takes up all his time right now."

"There are reports here from last week detailing samples taken from Spirit Mirror Lake," Kelsey said.

"Spirit Mirror Lake?" the man asked. "No, the reports will be from three months ago. We received a call from the people who live on the lake asking for an independent review of the pollution levels."

"The reports are definitely dated from last week, and it looks like he was working with someone else to test the water quality. There are photos attached. Not of him, but of the lake. John?"

John went over to take a look. "The colors look the same. It’s either from recently or from the same time of year."

"The photos are time-stamped," Kelsey said. "All from the past month."

"It’s not possible," the man said. "There was no reason to do any tests."

"Unless he was conducting them in secret," John said. "Someone finds out and kills him because of it."

"Do you know of anyone he might work with if he were collecting samples from the lake?" Kelsey asked.

"I don't understand any of this," the man said. "Why would he take samples from the lake without any reason."

"Is there anyone he would work with?" Kelsey demanded. "We need your help here."

"I, um, no, not really. I mean, he could ask anyone for help and get it, but there’s no need to get help; it’s not a two-person job."

"There are some tests from the land Northern Plains Oil owns," Kelsey pointed out.

"Maybe they asked for the tests?" John suggested.

"Why do it secretly?"

"Maybe they knew there was pollution and wanted to see how much, but they didn’t want anyone else to know about it?" John suggested. "Then, they killed him to shut him up about it."

Kelsey looked at Dr. Chen’s boss, and he understood.

"I should maybe call a meeting and let people know about Dr. Chen," he said.

Kelsey waited until he was gone. "That would make sense for this death, but what about the others?"

"They might have used them as a cover. Killed Dr. Chen and made it look like the other two murders."

"Maybe," Kelsey admitted. "If we can find the message in the symbols, that will prove or disprove that theory. Whoever killed the first two victims wanted to communicate something. I need to figure it out."

"So, what does this mean?" John asked. "Dr. Chen was working with someone else to test the water in the lake. Does that mean we expect another death? The person Dr. Chen was working with? And why test the lake in secret? Why would the oil company bring someone in to do tests if they thought there were pollutants? They wouldn’t have done that only to kill them. I’m already picking apart my theory."

Kelsey stepped back and looked around the room. Under the desk, she saw a small safe.

"If you were doing something you shouldn’t, where would you hide the evidence?" she asked.

"We’re going to need to bring someone in to open that thing," John said. "I’ll make another call."

Kesey continued searching but stopped when Detective Whitehorse called.

"Hey," Kelsey said.

"Do you have anything from the lab?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Kelsey said. "Dr. Chen was conducting secret tests on the lake water. He might have been working with someone else. We’re waiting to get into his safe—someone is drilling it now. How about you?"

"Yeah," the Detective said slowly.

"What did you find?" Kelsey asked.

"There was correspondence between Dr. Chen and Rachel Whitecloud," the Detective told her.

"What?" Kelsey asked, surprised. "What correspondence."

"I don't know what it means," the Detective admitted. "Rachel reached out first. She emailed him. The message says I was told to contact you. He replied: Do as you are told, or your family will suffer. Step out of line, and you will lose her."

When was that sent?" Kelsey asked.

"Right around the time she changed her vote," Detective Whitehorse replied.

"He threatened her to change her vote," Kelsey said. "It’s obvious Dr. Chen is talking about her mother. But who told her to contact Dr. Chen?"

"It’s obviously the oil company," Detective Whitehorse said. "They wanted her to change her vote, threatened her mother through Dr. Chen, and then killed Dr. Chen to tie up loose ends."

"But why also kill Rachel Blackcloud?" Kelsey asked. "They wanted her vote."

"Maybe she was going to change it back. She made decisions on a whim."

"It doesn’t make sense," Kelsey noted. "If they killed because she was changing her vote, they would have killed many more people."

"Either way, we know the oil company is behind this."

"We need evidence," Kelsey said. "We have no evidence the oil company threatened her, only some correspondence showing Dr. Chen threatened her, and he’s dead. So is she. All we have are theories with nothing to back it up."

"So, you don’t—" Detective Whitehorse started.

"I do believe they are behind the threats," Kelsey interrupted. "I’m as sure as you are, but we can't do anything until we have evidence, and we don't want to tip them off until we have them bang to rights. Hold on, I have to go. They have the safe open. I’ll let you know what we find."

Kelsey hung up and waited expectantly as the man removed the drill from the hole. Smoke came from the metal door. He pulled on the dial, and the lock fell out. He used a screwdriver on the internal mechanism to unlock the safe. He stood up and brushed his hands together.

"She’s all yours," he said. "So, what’s in there? Diamonds? Guns?"

"Nothing so interesting," Kelsey replied.

John pulled the door open. Then, he crouched down and pulled everything out of the safe: a few folders and an envelope. He looked inside the envelope and then showed it to Kelsey. A stack of hundred-dollar bills. John shared the folders with Kelsey as the workman collected his tools to leave.

The folders contained reports, none of which looked all that special until Kelsey hit on what they had been looking for. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew it was significant.

"This is it," she told John. "The reports from three months ago."

John moved closer and examined the water. "It’s exactly as we were told. There is no pollution in the water."

"Yes, but look at this," she said. Kelsey placed the reports on the desk, then removed the set of reports from under them and placed them on the desk, too.

John studied them, and his eyebrows raised. "Another set of reports, exactly the same, but showing high levels of pollutants. What is this?"

"It could mean a number of things," Kelsey admitted. "Maybe he was blackmailing someone or playing both sides. I don't know which set of reports is real, but if he had opposite copies, then he meant to do something with them. Or hide the truth. Maybe the lake is polluted, and he hid the reports, wanting to use them to blackmail the oil company at a later date."

"That would be a good reason for murder," John said.

"These reports give us a lot of reasons for murder," Kelsey said. "There are people on both sides of this who would kill to get their hands on the report to either use them or keep them a secret. The only question is who?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The man sat at his table and carefully arranged his tools. He took the carved bone knife and placed it before him, leaning closer to check the details. He had carved the handle himself from a buffalo bone. The head of an eagle was carved into one side of the handle. He took his cloth and cleaner and carefully wiped the handle, giving it the reverence it deserved.

He flipped over the knife and checked the white handle on the other side. He had carved a flowing river into the bone, the water twisting and turning, moving from the bottom of the handle to the base of the blade. Once again, he took his cleaner and wiped the bone clean.

Then it was time for the blade, the metal that had tasted human flesh and taken the lives of three people so far. There was still work to be done.

"They must all know the truth," he muttered. "The secrets can't be buried forever."

He picked up the bone-handled blade and held the blade up to the light. It glimmered as he turned it back and forth. The blade was clean, but he could smell the blood on it. He could still feel what he had felt when he had pierced the flesh and painted the blade red as he had painted his message on the bodies.

He didn't care when they deciphered his message. He would like it to be soon, but as long as the truth came out and his journey came to an end, it was all worth it. He would avenge the death and destruction by spilling blood. Sometimes, to make people stand up and take notice, you had to shock them. What better way to shock than by spilling blood? A lot of blood had been spilled, and a lot more would be spilled.

The man took out his sharpening stone and placed it on the table. He gently guided the blade to the stone and ran it the length at a slight angle. He repeated the motion, shaving off any imperfections created by the last kill and bringing the keen blade back to its original sharpness. He then flipped the blade and repeated the hypnotic and therapeutic motion with the other side.

When he was satisfied, the man set the knife aside. He unfolded the worn and torn sheet of paper showing all his symbols and ran his fingers over them. He had memorized them completely, but it never hurt to be sure. He could have carried the sheet with him, but if something happened and he lost it, then he, too, would be lost. It had been better to commit the symbols to memory.

He studied the symbols for fifteen minutes, looking at each one like an old friend. Then, he carefully folded the sheet and placed it aside, above the knife. The third and final book in his ammunition was the map of the lake and surrounding areas. He unfolded the map of Spirit Mirror Lake and ran his eyes over it.

The drilling buildings were clearly visible, but not the tunnels dug down under the lake. He had no evidence there were any tunnels, but like many others, he strongly suspected it. The boundaries of the reserve were marked with dashed yellow lines. The man ran his fingers over the land around the lake as if his fingers were walking it. Four red X’s had been drawn on the lake, near the shore, each of them spaced some way apart.

"They must understand what this is all for," he muttered. "They must know there was no other way. People must be punished for what they have done."

A lamp shone down on the map from above, and the man leaned even closer. The finish on the map gave it some reflection, and he could see his silhouette but not his eyes reflected in the still water. He leaned back a little and took his red pen from the back of the desk. He uncapped the pen and drew a circle around a house on the lake.

"I am coming for you next. You made this personal, and I won't let you live another day." The man smiled wickedly. "That is not correct. You have a few days before it all ends. Enjoy them. You don't know they are your last, and in the end, you will wish you had spent them better."

The man picked up his carved bone knife. He wanted to stab it down into the map, but that would only blunt the tip a little. Instead, he tapped the blade’s point to the house in the middle of the circle he had drawn.

"Soon, more blood will be spilled."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

It had been six days since Philip Guppy had arrived. Kelsey had not believed that was his name when he first told her it, and she knew he had once gone by John Oliver and been arrested for counterfeiting. She sat at the breakfast bar in her kitchen, drinking coffee before heading into the office. She stared at Erica’s door, willing him to come out so she could try and get more information.

Kelsey drained the last of her coffee and placed the mug in the dishwasher. She meandered around, getting the stuff she needed for work, and then went to the door of the apartment. She put on her shoes and jacket, then opened and closed the door without leaving, making sure to lock it.

She stood silently by the door and waited. It took a few minutes, but Philip Guppy finally emerged from the room. He hummed to himself as he walked to the kitchen. He must have seen Kelsey out of the corner of his eye. He spun around suddenly, making a sound halfway between a gasp and a moan, and almost fell over backward as he tried to get away from what he initially thought was someone coming to kill him.

"John, are you okay?" Kelsey asked, stepping forward.

"What are you doing here?" Philip stammered.

"You mean in my own apartment?" Kelsey asked.

"You know what I—you tricked me."

"Come on, John, don't be like that," she said.

"What if I had a gun?" Philip asked.

"But you don't, do you?"

Philip suddenly paled. "What did you call me?"

"So, that is your real name," Kelsey said. "I wondered if it was another alias, but I guess not."

"What’s going on?" Philip asked.

"So, is it counterfeiting you do for them?" Kelsey asked. "I’m guessing that and more. You look like the kind of person who deals with the money."

"Who have you been talking to?" Philip asked, looking extremely worried.

"And someone is after you, but they are hiding you here because they want you to keep doing what you are doing. Who is it? Are the police after you or a rival of theirs? Do they want everyone to think you are dead? Is that it?"

Philip stood with his mouth clamped shut.

"My guesses sound really good right now," Kelsey said. "You can jump in any time and let me know which of the details I have wrong. I don't have many wrong, do I? Do you know what, John Oliver? People like you are expendable. One wrong move, and they bring someone else in to fill your shoes. And you are powerless to do anything. All you can do is do the job they want you to and hope you never mess up. You’re not a prisoner here, are you? You are a prisoner of theirs. There’s no escaping for you, is there?"

Kelsey made educated guesses about everything, and based on the look he returned her, she was confident that most of her guesses were correct.

"So, is this the point where you offer to protect me again if I give you evidence against them?" Philip asked.

"I’m not offering you anything," Kelsey said.

She turned and opened the door, leaving the apartment. She didn’t look back—she didn't want John to see the smile on her face. She didn't know if he would take the bait, but it had to be him asking her for her help and not her offering it. It pleased her more than anything to work him out as she did with her cases.

***

Detective Whitehorse had joined Kelsey and John in the Sheriff’s Office in Winchburgh.

"I’m really trying to understand all of this, but I don't understand what it means," Detective Whitehorse said. "It feels like the picture is right there before us, but it’s blurred."

"We’ve gone through the reports, and we have one set of reports that show no toxicity at all," Kelsey said. "Then, we have a set of duplicate reports that show alarming levels of toxic chemicals in the lake water. There are notes at the bottom describing runoff from the oil wells on the shore, as well as toxicity from chemicals used in the drilling equipment."

"Which reports are the real ones?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"That’s what we don't know. We can't tell which are the real ones and which are not."

"So, either there is no pollution, and Dr. Chen created reports showing levels that would shut down the drilling, or there is enough pollution to shut down the drilling, but he created reports to cover that up. So, he was either working with the oil company to cover up the pollution, or he was going to blackmail them."

"He could have been blackmailing them whether there was pollution or not," Kelsey clarified. "If the report is real, he uses it to pressure them, or maybe he created fake reports that he threatened to release. That’s a strong motive. Deputy Gallant floated the possibility of the oil company using the two murders to cover their tracks."

"So, one person killed James and Rachel, and the oil company kills Dr. Chen and makes it look like the serial killer."

"Exactly," Kelsey said.

"What do you think?" the Detective asked.

"I’m still not convinced," Kelsey admitted. "The murders are consistent. I still believe it is one person behind all three. I also have a feeling there will be more."

"So, where do we go next?" Detective Whitehorse ran a hand through his hair. "I feel lost with this."

"Dr. Chen was working with someone before his death. We don't know who, and we don't know the results of the tests, but they were working in secret. Perhaps the person working with him is our killer. If this is about the oil drilling or pollution in the lake, then maybe they had a disagreement, and it ended in murder."

"So, they might have been on good terms, and then the persons who had already killed two people chose Dr. Chen as their next victim because of a disagreement?"

"It’s a working theory," Kelsey said. "We have someone from the oil company, a Tribal member, and an environmental scientist. The kills are consistent, but that doesn't feel consistent. Maybe the people are not as important as the message in the symbols. Maybe they want to bring attention to the lake and the drilling. If they do, the killer could have been the one to contact the CEO and invite him to the meeting. Create friction around the lake, draw attention to it, and then give his message."

"Which is?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"That’s what we still need to work out," Kelsey said.

Join rejoined them in the small meeting room they had commandeered to accommodate Detective Whitehorse.

"Alright, I have some officers calling around," John told them. "We’re getting in contact with anyone who could have been working with Dr. Chen to test the lake water. If we find them, we will find the results of the tests. I tried to call Dr. Lookman and Dr. Martinez personally, but I can't get in contact with either of them. They tested the lake previously. Maybe we find out from them whether Dr. Chen’s results are positive or negative for pollution. Maybe he contacted them to test the lake as they had done it before."

"No answer from either of them?" Kelsey asked.

"No, not yet," John said. "Both of them quit their jobs shortly after they tested the lake."

"Okay, that’s suspicious," Kelsey said. "Keep going with that line of inquiry. See if you can get a hold of either of them or talk to their former colleagues and see if you can find out why they quit."

"We must all be thinking the same thing," Detective Whitehorse said. "They both got positive results for pollution in the lake and were pressured by the oil company to quit."

"That is what I am thinking," Kelsey admitted. "We need to get in contact with one of them to discover if that is true and if they are willing to talk about it. Maybe that’s what happened with Dr. Chen. If he was pressured to switch the results to show no pollution, then he could convince Rachel Blackcloud to change her vote because he knew they were not idle threats. The people we really need to talk to are dead."

"Because the oil company is covering it up," Detective Whitehorse stated. "We need to bring him in."

"We can’t bring him in yet," Kelsey told him. "And it doesn't explain why James Patterson was killed. We don't have the evidence yet, but we are still moving forward. For the first time since we started investigating this case, it feels like we are headed in the correct general direction. We only need to tweak our course to find our killer."

"This is when the magic happens," John said, smiling at Detective Whitehorse. "I’ve seen her like this many times before. Don't even bother trying to work this thing out because Special Agent Hawk will get there first. All we can do now is collect as much evidence as possible for her."

"I hope you are right," Detective Whitehouse said.

"She’s the best at this," John said. "Okay, I’m going back to my office, and I will get back on the phone and see if we can track down one of our scientists."

"I want to know once and for all what is going on in our water," Detective Whitehorse said. "If we can’t find someone who knows the truth about the water, then I will find out for myself. I’m bringing someone in to do another test, and I’m staying by their side each step of the way. I want to see it all with my own eyes, and I’m making sure no one tries to stop the testing or meddles in any way."

"Good," Kelsey said. Now that we have a third set of symbols, I’m going to take another look at the symbols. The killer wants us to see what is there. I know there’s something there."

Then they diverged, with Kelsey and John going back to their offices, and Detective Whitehorse staying in the meeting room to conduct his business. Kelsey wanted to know what was in the lake water, and it was a good idea for the Tribal Detective to order another test and oversee it. She only worried that if the killer was trying to cover up the pollution, they would not hesitate to harm one of the detectives working the case.

Kelsey opened her laptop and brought up the pictures of the dead bodies. She had three sets of symbols now, and they all looked similar. It was another reason she believed the same killer was behind all three murders. There were too many similarities, and she knew from experience that it was hard to be so precise.

She copied the images and brought them into her photo-editing software. Then, she lined them up side by side, first portrait and then landscape.

Is there an overlap?

Kelsey highlighted the first photo and color-matched the red lines where the skin had been cut. She isolated the color and deleted the rest, leaving only the symbols with a transparent background. She did the same with the other two photos, resizing them slightly, changing the color to black, and placing them over a white background.

When she had only the symbols, she moved them around, rotating and lining them up in different ways. Any hope she had of overlapping them was quickly dashed. They didn't overlap.

But do you line up?

Kelsey tried again, placing them together and moving them around, but it didn't add anything or show a pattern. She leaned back in her chair and sighed.

What are you trying to tell us? What do you want me to see in all of this? Did you know that the symbols were close to Siouan, or is it a coincidence?

If there had been only a couple of symbols, it might have been a coincidence, but almost all the symbols were very similar to Siouan symbols.

It’s not a coincidence, is it? You knew someone would eventually see the symbols. Are you happy to wait? Will you be done with the killing, and someone, somewhere down the road, will figure it out and see your message? This is what it is all about, isn’t it? This message.

Kelsey wanted to beat her head against the wall. She felt the answer just out of reach.

"Okay, you drew these symbols, knowing they would be recognized, but they don't resemble anything that can be understood. Why do you want us to see this? Why these symbols? They don't mean anything."

Kelsey suddenly sat up in her chair.

"They don't mean anything," she repeated. "It’s not them that matters, but the rest of the message. You needed time to reveal the entire message, so you hid it, knowing it would take time to work it out."

Kelsey brought up her browser and found the page she had initially used to identify the symbols. There were symbols very like the Siouan ones. She painstakingly went through each of the three images, erasing any Siouan symbols, until all she had left were a bunch of lines. And amongst the lines were three X’s. When she saw those, she was sure she was onto something.

Kelsey pushed her office chair closer to the door to better shout through the office. "Hey! John! Detective Whitehorse! I think I might have something." She pushed herself back over to the desk and heard two pairs of loud footsteps approaching.

Detective Whitehorse arrived first, but only because the meeting room was closer to John's office. "What have you found?"

"I removed the Siouan symbols from the images, leaving me with this," Kelsey said.

John entered the room, and both men rounded the desk to take a look at the image on Kelsey’s screen.

"This looks like something, right?" Kelsey asked. "Look, three X’s."

"It looks like some sort of map," John said. He pointed at the screen. "Can you move that one up and over here? Look, it lines up in two places."

It didn't take them long to line up the third image after that, giving them three parts of a rectangular map. It showed almost a lasso shape around the there X’s, with winding lines around the central point.

"The definitely looks like a map," John said. "I saw enough in the army. It’s been simplified, but someone left us a map."

"I know exactly what this is a map of," Detective Whitehorse said. "It’s Spirit Mirror Lake. The reserve is here, and the drilling company is here. These lines are the road, and the lake is obviously in the center."

"It is," Kelsey said, her heart beating faster. She knew the map would give them answers if they could interpret it. "Two of these X’s are close to where two of the bodies were found, and the third one would be on this missing part."

"Which means a fourth murder is coming," Detective Whitehorse said.

"Right here," Kelsey said. "If this is a map of where the killer is dumping the bodies, the fourth victim will be dumped here."

"How do we stop it?" John asked.

"I don't know," Kelsey said. "The killer wanted us to see this. They wanted us to know this place is where the body will be dumped. I have to get close to the lake on that side and see what I can find."

"I know the land," Detective Whitehorse said. "I’ll go with you."

"I’ll try and find the person who worked with Dr. Chen," John said. "Maybe we can stop the next murder before it happens, and if not, you will be there when he tries to dump it in the lake."

"We’re getting close," Kelsey said. "I can feel it."

"There’s only one problem," Detective Whitehorse said. "If we are planning to get close enough to see something, we’ll have to trespass on Northern Plains Oil land. Are you up for that?"

"If it means catching a killer, I’ll step foot anywhere," Kelsey said.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"You don't need to sneak onto the land when you have an open invitation," Kelsey said.

"Don't you think that’s too much of a coincidence?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

Kelsey looked at the message again. It was sent by Victor Drake’s personal assistant, giving Kelsey a heads-up that they had organized a press conference by the drilling wells to address the recent issues. There was no formal invitation, but the press conference was not a secret, and Kelsey would not miss it.

"He won't like seeing us there, and by us, I mean me," Detective Whitehorse said.

"He won't be able to do anything about it," Kelsey said. "There will be cameras and reporters there. He came into your land to antagonize you and your Tribe; I won’t stand in your way if you want to do the same."

"I want to do much more than only doing the same, and I don't need a security detail to do it."

Kelsey looked herself up and down as they drove toward the oil company buildings. "Then what am I doing here?"

Detective Whitehorse gave a tight smile before it slipped from his face.

"I do think it is a coincidence," Kelsey said. "Victor Drake wants the oil deal to go ahead no matter what happens, so he’ll act like everything is normal. He doesn't have access to our crime scene photos, so he won't know there is an ‘X’ near his company buildings."

"Unless he is the one who sent the messages to us," the detective said.

"I know you want it to be him so you can bring him in for murder, but he’s not the one behind this. He wants the deal to go ahead, and killing people and dumping them in the lake doesn't help his cause. I do believe he is guilty of something, but not of murder."

"Someone arrives in three days to test the lake," Detective Whitehorse said. "When I confirm the toxins in the lake, I will make it my life’s work to stop him from doing any more harm to our world."

"And I will help you with that in any way I can," Kelsey said. "But please don't let your anger cloud your judgment. I don't want you to believe he is the murderer and miss something because of it. We keep an open mind at all times until we have evidence of who is killing people."

Detective Whitehorse sighed and rubbed his forehead as he drove. "I’ll try," he said.

They drove down the narrow road for two more miles before Detective Whitehorse shook his head and pointed up ahead. "Look at this! What evils are they hiding in here?"

Kelsey could see his point. A large metal chain-link fence cut the road in two and surrounded the oil company property. There was a small guard house at the gate that blocked the road, and the guard stepped out of the small hut when he saw the vehicle approaching. He put up a hand to stop them as if they might carry on through the gate if he didn’t.

Detective Whitehorse pulled up beside the guard and rolled down his window.

"Press?" the guard asked.

"Police," Detective Whitehorse said, showing his badge.

"And FBI," Kelsey added, showing hers.

The guard looked toward the gate and through it before looking back at Thomas and Kelsey.

"Is there a problem?" Detective Whitehorse asked. "This isn’t a private event, is it?"

The guard didn't reply. He looked into the truck for a second more before going to the gate and pulling it open. Detective Whitehorse drove through as soon as there was room.

They drove on for half a mile more and were met near the first oil well by two men in black suits, who used the same move as the guard, raising their hands to halt the truck. Kelsey worried that the detective might continue driving as if he hadn’t seen them, but he slowed and stopped. He rolled down his window again, staring silently at the two men.

"Is there a problem?" Kelsey asked. She reached into her pocket for her ID, but the guard waved at her to stop.

"We’re checking all vehicles," the first man said. "We can't be too careful right now."

"What is it you are checking for?" Kelsey asked.

"You just leave that to us," the man said.

The two men in suits stared at Kelsey and Detective Whitehorse, not looking anywhere else in the truck.

"Will we have any problems today?" the first man asked.

"You tell us," Kelsey said before Detective Whitehorse could say anything. "Just the two of us. We don't need armed security personnel to accompany us."

"But you are armed," the first man said.

"We are," Kelsey said. "I’m sure it will put Mr. Drake’s mind at rest to know he has a police presence here today and his capable bodyguards. Can we go through now, or would you like to chat all day?"

The two men stared at them for a second longer before the first man waved them through. "You can park outside the main building. You will see the podium from there."

Detective Whitehorse rolled up the window before anyone said anything they regretted, and he drove on slowly.

"I think they were expecting us," Detective Whitehorse said.

"Whatever goes down, remember we are here to listen to what he has to say and then to slip away and see if we can find anything on or around the lake that might help us," Kelsey said. "I only hope we don't find a dead body. Something tells me Victor Drake will use this to his advantage."

Detective Whitehorse slowed the truck when he reached the makeshift parking lot before one of the oil company buildings. A short distance away, in the shadow of one of the oil wells, a small crowd gathered before a podium.

The detective and Kelsey got out of the truck and wandered closer, standing back from the main crowd. Kelsey scanned the area. Along with the guard at the main gate and the two men who had spoken to them on the way through, seven other men wore black suits and watched over the immediate area. Then there were the oil company employees, the gathered press, and anyone else who had been invited.

It shouldn’t have felt like they had crossed over into enemy territory, but it did.

More people filtered in, and the crowd grew to a decent size: perhaps forty to fifty people gathered.

Ten minutes after Kelsey and Detective Whitehorse arrived, Victor Drake made an appearance. A back sedan with tinted windows pulled up, and two men in black suits got out first before one of them opened the door for Victor. He got out of the car, holding his jacket in place. His face showed little emotion—he was ready for business.

When Victor reached the podium, he put out his arms to ask for silence even though there was no real noise. Victor took a moment after that before he spoke.

"Thank you all for coming here today. As you already know, these are troubling times for Northern Plains Oil. We are one of the largest employers in North Dakota, and we have faced numerous counts of eco-terrorism since we arrived here, but nothing like what we face now. We have strived to create the best working conditions for our employees and give back to our community, creating jobs and income for businesses around. We supply oil to refineries across the country, and we help fuel businesses and families. We strive to keep this state and great county running smoothly. James Patterson was a wonderful man with a family who will never get to see him smile ever again."

"Are you buying this?" Detective Whitehorse asked.

"No," Kelsey said.

"James was brutally murdered," Victor Drake continued. "It was an attack on our company. A member of the Stone River Tribe was also brutally murdered."

Kelsey played a hand on Detective Whitehorse’s arm to stop him from doing anything stupid.

"Rachel Blackcloud was willing to work with our company and take a step toward the future. James spoke of her often after he visited the reserve. The scientist who conducted multiple tests to show the lake water was clean was also murdered. There is often no rhyme or reason with murder, but there is in this case. Someone is out there, killing people because they want to stop the deal we have put forth. The deal was about to be passed before the killing started."

"It was not," Detective Whitehorse muttered.

"I don't want to worry anyone, but I would warn anyone who is for our oil drilling deal or who has helped my company in any way to look over your shoulder when you are out at night or alone. It is clear who the targets are with these killings, and I hope the FBI, who are here today, are talking with those who wish to stop the deal. I will not tell them how to do their jobs, but I am sure they know where the attacks are coming from."

Kelsey had to pull back on Detective Whitehorse’s arm as he made to step forward.

"That’s exactly what he wants," Kelsey said. "He is casting the blame toward your Tribe, and if you make a scene, it only helps his case. Stand tall, and don't be goaded into anything."

"My only concern now is the safety of my employees," Victor stated, his voice booming louder. "We will not step back and be scared. The killer wants to stop our deal, and if we stop, then they have won. It is in the face of adversity that we show our strength, and I am stating now, on the record, that the deal will go ahead. I will push it through as quickly as possible. That is how we will save more people. Once the deal is done, this killer has no reason to kill. I ask for support in this difficult time to not only stop a killer by finalizing this incredible deal but to bring prosperity to this area for decades to come.

"Thank you all for coming down here. I will not be taking questions." Victor stepped away from the podium as the attending press hurled questions at him. He ignored them all.

"Mr. Drake!" Kelsey shouted, stepping forward. "Mr. Drake!" She got a little closer. "Mr. Drake, what response do you have to a set of reports found in the safe of Dr. Chen showing high levels of toxicity in Spirit Mirror Lake?"

Victor Drake continued to walk, but she saw the twitch at the corner of his mouth. He didn't know about the reports, but he might have thought she was making them up.

"Mr. Drake!" Kelsey called again, making sure everyone could hear her. "Would you like to respond to these reports? They would put an end to all pending deals and halt oil drilling."

Victor knew he had no choice. He stopped, turned to face the cameras, and smiled. "I have nothing to say about any reports that may or may not have been found. All I know is that the lake water has been tested multiple times, and each time has shown that there is no pollution in the water. I am happy to share that information with the press. We have had at least five different scientists come out and test the water. I don't have any problem being transparent with our business practices."

Detective Whitehorse got close to Victor Drake but was buffered by two men in black suits. It wasn’t his intention to get to Victor, but to get in front of the cameras.

"My name is Detective Thomas Whitehorse of the Stone River Tribe. I have called in another scientist to test the water and will oversee the process at every point. I will offer protection to the scientist at all times, and I will be sharing the results with everyone as soon as we have them. I will prove once and for all that Victor Drake has been lying about the pollution his company creates. I am going on record right now and calling out the CEO of Northern Plains Oil. If I am wrong, I will gladly surrender my badge. When I am proven right, I will arrest Victor Drake for the crime of running up profits at the expense of our homeland."

There was a commotion as the assembled journalists clamored to get closer to Detective Whitehorse.

"Are you publicly calling out Victor Drake?" a journalist asked.

"I am," the detective replied.

"Get him out of here," Victor hissed to one of his guards. "Quietly!"

"I will not be silenced!" Detective Whitehorse called out as he was taken by the arm. "I won’t rest until there is justice for my tribe and those who have lost their lives."

Detective Whitehorse made a show of being taken from the limelight, glaring at Victor Drake the entire time.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Detective Whitehorse drove them off Northern Plains Oil property. They had lingered as much as possible, so most of the people left before they did. The guard opened the gate as they approached and then slid it closed behind them. Detective Whitehorse looked in his rearview mirror until he couldn’t see the guard and gate anymore. There were still vehicles up ahead, so the detective slowed the vehicle until they drove around the next curve and were lost from sight.

He took one more look in the rear-view mirror to make sure the coast was clear and swung the wheel to take them into the trees. The truck bounced up and down, and Kelsey’s head almost hit the roof above. She held onto the seat to secure herself as the detective took them in far enough that they wouldn’t be seen from the road.

The truck lurched to a stop, and Kelsey swayed forward a little and then back.

"That should be enough," the detective said. "We won't be seen this far in. Are you ready to do this?"

"Let’s go," Kelsey said.

They got out of the truck and walked through the trees back the way they had come.

"Thank you for holding me back at the press conference," Detective Whitehorse said. "I would have done something I regretted."

"But you didn’t," Kelsey said. "He came onto your land and tried to make trouble, but you stepped foot on his and held your head high. I mean, you did throw a spanner in the works by having the last word after the press conference. You should have seen the look on Victor Drake’s face. I don't know if he was angry or worried."

"It felt good to do that, and I meant what I said," Detective Whitehorse said. "I know he is lying about the pollution levels. I can see it in his eyes. He’s using these deaths to push the deal through. Once that happens, we lose a lot of access to the lake, and it will be harder to test. I don't know if I can get the scientist here quicker, but I will do all I can to stop the deal."

"Deputy Gallant and I are here to help," Kelsey said.

"I know that now," the detective said. "Thank you.

They walked on further, taking some time to return to the fence after driving a short distance to be out of sight.

"I need to check something," Detective Whitehorse said. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Miss Blackcloud, how are you doing?… Can I ask you something? Did Rachel ever meet with James Patterson?… Mmm-hmm…How about Dr. Chen? Did she ever mention him?… Okay, no. Thank you. I will talk to you again soon."

Kelsey looked at him when he came off the phone.

"Rachel’s mother told me that her daughter didn't have any real contact with James Patterson. She wanted to have some meetings where he spoke, but it’s not like Victor described it."

‘How about Dr. Chen?" Kelsey asked.

"Rachel never mentioned him," the detective said.

They reached the chainlink fence. It ran all the way down to the water, making the choice to either swim around the end of the fence or go over. Seeing as they might be there for a while, going over was the best option.

"I can give you a boost and then climb up after," Detective Whitehorse said, kneeling down and placing one hand in the other to support Kelsey’s foot.

Kelsey smirked and walked off in the opposite direction for a few steps before she turned and sprinted at the fence. She leaped and scaled the side, grabbing hold of the top and swinging her legs over before dropping to the other side.

Detective Whitehorse looked at her through the fence and smiled. "Alright." He walked backward and repeated what Kelsey had just done. On the other side of the fence, she smiled at him again, and they started off again, walking further into Northern Plains Oil Land to get close to where the ‘X’ had marked the spot on the map.

"Let’s think this through," Kelsey said. "Let's assume that Rachel didn't have any contact with Dr. Chen other than when she emailed him, and he messaged back with the threat. We have to assume that she had been threatened already, pressured to change her vote. Let’s say that she was threatened by the oil company to change her vote and then told to contact Dr. Chen to confirm the threat. He confirmed in the email that she should listen to the threat. He knew the threat was credible. That means he was working for the oil company and knew what they could do, or he had been threatened by them and knew they were serious in that regard. Then, he works with someone else to test the water. You wouldn’t go down there and test it in secret unless you were trying to prove there were toxins in the water. That suggests he wasn’t working for the oil company in that regard, but by having two copies of the report in his safe, one good and one bad, he was keeping his options open."

"If he had a copy of the toxic report in his safe, then he was prepared to betray them even if he was covering for them," the detective said. "That’s enough for them to kill him. If he tried to blackmail them, they would put a stop to that."

"No," Kelsey said. "I’m positive this is someone outside of it all. We have to think now that whoever killed Dr. Chen was the same person who was testing the water with him."

"It could still be the oil company," Detective Whitehorse said. "They know they are polluting, and they wanted the tests done in secret. They wanted to know how bad it was getting and maybe have contingency plans in place. Dr. Chen wants to come clean, and the person working for the company kills them."

"I think you are right about part of that, but James and Rachel don't fit their plans. Killing them only delays the oil deal," Kelsey said. "Still, Dr. Chen was testing the lake with someone, and he was willing to play both sides. I can agree with them finding out about some sort of betrayal. Perhaps whoever was testing the water thought Dr. Chen was on the same side, finds out he was not, and kills him as part of their spree. The killer needs to get their message out, and if they feel betrayed, it’s a great opportunity."

"Deputy Gallant did say to trust you," the detective said. "Let’s see if he is right?"

"I only look at the evidence and go where it takes me," Kelsey said.

"No, it’s more than that," the detective told her. "You see things differently. You can see things the rest of us can’t. There are people like that in my Tribe."

"I’ll take that as a compliment," Kelsey said.

"This is the spot," Detective Whitehorse said. He moved to the edge of the tree line on the lake.

They could not go past the trees. They might not be seen, but the oil company buildings were visible from where they were, so they would be visible if anyone looked in their direction.

Kelsey looked at the lake. On the rudimentary map, the X appeared to mark a spot twenty feet from the bank.

‘This is where he will dump the next body," the detective said. "Do you notice anything about where we are? How will the killer transport the body?"

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Kelsey said. "They can't bring the body over the fence, but they could easily bring it in a boat once it gets dark."

"They could," the detective agreed.

"Look," Kelsey said, pointing further down the bank toward the buildings. Two large concrete openings let water run into the lake. A small amount of steam rose from inside the concrete tubes.

"Some sort of cooling system for the oil drilling equipment," Detective Whitehorse said. "They probably pump the water from the lake and then dump it back in after it is heated. I would like to test this part of the lake to discover the results. Perhaps when my scientist arrives, I will bring them out here in the middle of the night. Northern Plains Oil can claim anything they want, but the lake belongs to no one, and it never will."

"I want justice for you and your people," Kelsey said. "Part of me hopes they are not polluting the lake because I know the lake is sacred to you, but the best way to stop them from encroaching on your land is to prove they are destroying the land."

"There is no win for us. It will come at a cost," the detective replied.

"We’ll find who killed Rachel Blackcloud," Kelsey told him. "I try not to make promises like this when investigating a case, but I won't leave here until we bring the person responsible to justice."

"I appreciate that," the detective said. He chuckled. "We grew apart as we aged, but there was a time when we spoke about getting married. I’m glad we didn’t. Not because I don't think we could have made things work, but because she grew into a woman who would not be tied down. She was a wild animal, full of joy, and she would not be tamed. Not by me, or her mother, or anyone. I can still feel her spirit on the reserve. I know she is looking over my shoulder and urging me on. Her spirit won't rest when I find her killer; she is still wild even in death. A part of her will always be with me."

Kelsey stood looking out at the lake, taking a deep breath and hoping the tears would not fall down her cheeks.

"We’ll find her killer," was all she could manage.

They stood in silence as time stretched out and the sun made its way through the sky above. The silence was finally broken by Kelsey’s phone ringing. She took it from her pocket and answered it.

"Hey, John," Kelsey said.

"Are you still on Northern Plains Oil land?" John asked.

"We are. We just snuck back in. All we can do now is wait, but I don't know how long that will be. If the killer is planning on dumping the body in the lake, it will be at night."

"We’ve been looking into the water testing here," John told her. "I’ve been looking back three years ago to find who initially tested the water. The name Dr. Briggs keeps coming up, but I can't find a record of them anywhere, It’s like they just disappeared off the face of the earth. And we haven’t found the person who was working with Dr. Chen."

"John, I know you haven’t called me just to give me bad news. Please tell me you are holding off on the good news until the end of this call."

"I spoke to come people at the EPA," John said. "The bosses of Dr. Lookman and Dr. Martinez, both different people, have no idea why both doctors quit. They told the same story. One day, everything was fine, and then the next, they handed in their resignation and were gone."

"Which backs our theory they were forced out," Kelsey said. "Have you found them?"

"I think so," John said. "It took some tracking down, but they are both still in the area. Although, I think Dr. Lookman is the one we need to visit first. I believe he was forced out by someone, but I don't know if Dr. Martinez was. I did a little digging, and his sister passed in a road accident right before he quit. He had a reason to leave his job."

"Alright, then we visit Dr. Lookman and see if we gain any insight."

"Go now," Detective Whitehorse said to Kelsey. "I’ll stay here and wait for the killer; see if he shows up."

Kelsey nodded at him. "John, I need a ride. Come pick me up on the road leading to the Northern Plains Oil buildings. I’ll start walking toward you."

"I’m leaving now," John said.

Kelsey hung up the phone. "Call me if anything happens," Kelsey said. "When we are done chasing down some scientists, I will try to get back to you with some food if you are still here."

"That sounds good," the detective said. He crouched down and stared at the lake.

Kelsey headed back toward the fence. It was when she reached the fence that the thought hit her.

We have them the wrong way around! I know where we have to go.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kelsey raised her arms when she saw the black truck approaching. John slowed the truck and pulled to the side. Kelsey ran to the door and got in.

"We need to visit Dr. Martinez first," Kelsey said. "I think he’s the key to all of this."

"Okay," John said as he turned the truck on the narrow road and headed the other way. "What have you discovered?"

"Nothing yet, but I think he fits better."

"We’re looking for someone who might have been threatened and left their job because of it," John said. "Dr. Martinez might have been threatened, but it makes more sense that he left his job because of the death in the family."

"What was the threat they followed through on?" Kelsey asked. "We’re looking for someone who is angry enough to kill people. Someone who might have it in for the Northern Plains Oil. What if they threatened him, but he didn't listen? So, they caused the accident. I would be willing to do anything to protect Erica, and if someone killed her, I would love to only make them pay for that."

Kelsey thought of the criminal she harbored in her home. She really was willing to do anything to protect Erica.

"Yeah, that makes sense," John said. "We talk to Dr. Martinez first and then pay a visit to Dr. Lookman. If it is Dr. Martinez, then is he the one who was testing the water with Dr. Chen?"

"He could be," Kelsey said. "We know Dr. Chen was playing both sides. What if Dr. Martinez contacted Dr. Chen because they had both been threatened and tried to include him in his plan, but Dr. Chen had no intention of following through? Maybe he’s too scared of the oil company. So, Dr. Martinez kills him,"

"So, what’s the end goal?" John asked. "To bring down the oil company?"

"It has to be," Kelsey said. "Dr. Martinez, if he is our guy, tested the water three months ago, and it came back positive for toxins. He goes to the oil company, and they threaten him. He fights back, and his sister dies. This shuts him up because he wants to protect the rest of his family. He knows they have deep pockets, and he can't fight them unless he has an airtight case. No, not only that. He needs people to be paying attention. He can't take them down alone. He needs a crowd watching. He kills to bring attention, so when he reveals the truth, Northern Plains Oil can't shut him up. I don't think he even cares. If they took his sister from him, he’d do anything and take any consequences. He only wants to take them down."

John sighed. "Alright, this is a lot. We can't be sure about any of it, can we?"

"No, we can’t. Not yet. We talk to him and see what he has to say. If all he wants is to bring the oil company to its knees, we can help to do that, and the killing can stop. Detective Whitehorse is bringing someone in. If he gets the results he believes he will get, this all comes to an end in three days. There’s too much focus for the oil company to cover it up now."

"Three days," John said. "If we can get through that, we stop the murders. We still need to bring someone to justice for killing three people."

"We will," Kelsey said. "I promised Detective Whitehorse that we would find the person who killed Rachel Blackcloud."

John pulled off the small road and back onto the main road that led to the highway.

"How far do we have to go?" Kelsey asked.

"His residence is about thirty minutes from here," John said. "Twenty if I gun it. Call in our vehicle and let state troopers know we are coming through. I know it’s only ten minutes difference, but that feels like a lot right now."

Kelsey nodded and then got on the phone to negotiate safe passage. After that, she logged into the system and searched for the police report on Dr. Martinez’s sister.

"Alison Martinez was driving alone at night when her car went off the road and hit a wall. She was killed instantly," Kelsey said, reading the report. "No witnesses, no signs of intoxication, barely anything else other than her going off the road. No CCTV or dash cam. There was almost no further investigation. The report acknowledges some gray paint on the side of the car, but it wasn’t ever connected to anything."

"Could another vehicle have run her off the road?" John asked.

"Without photos, it’s hard to tell," Kelsey said. "Going by what we have here, it was an open and shut case. There was a funeral shortly after. Robert Martinez was her only sibling, and it looks like both parents are still alive."

"So, if your theory is correct, Robert Martinez was threatened, he ignored it, they killed his sister, and he quit his job and falsified reports to stop anything else happening to his family."

"It fits even if there is no direct evidence of it," Kelsey said. "No one wanted the case investigated more. If it were my family, I would do everything to have the cops look into it, but they spoke to almost no one, and the case was wrapped up at the scene of the crash. We need this to be it. If Drs. Martinez and Lookman give us nothing; we have to rely on Detective Whitehorse to spot something after dark."

John pushed down on the accelerator a little more, taking them faster down the highway. It was starting to get dark when they reached the small town where Dr. Martinez lived. John indicated and took them into the off-ramp, turning and going over the highway and down the other side into the town.

Kelsey’s phone rang, and she answered.

"Do you have something?" she asked.

"Not in the lake, but there’s a light on the far side of the lake," Detective Whitehorse said.

"What do you mean?" Kelsey asked.

"There’s a house on the other side of the lake, and someone is in there. It’s way too far to see anything other than the light. Are you anywhere near the lake? Can you check it out? If the killer wants to stay close, they might be holed up there."

"What is the house used for?" Kelsey asked as John turned onto a street and slowed.

"Sometimes, it’s rented out to hunters or fishers."

"Could it be that?" Kelsey asked.

"It could be. I’ll call it in and see what I can find," Detective Whitehorse said. "I’ll call you when I find out."

"Okay," Kelsey said. "We’re at Dr. Martinez’s house. I think he might be connected to all of this. Maybe we find evidence inside, but everything is pointing me toward him as our killer. I’ll keep you updated."

She said goodbye and looked at the house before them. John was looking at it, too. It was getting dark, and there were no lights on inside. Kelsey knew they would gain access and search it, but Dr. Martinez was unlikely to be in there.

Kelsey and John got out of the vehicle and quickly walked to the front door. John knocked on the door while Kelsey crept closer to the front window. If Dr. Martinez was in there and he was their killer, she didn't want to take any chances and put herself in the line of fire. He had used a knife to kill his victims, but that didn't mean he didn't have a gun.

John knocked again while Kelsey moved slowly, gaining a better view of the empty living room.

"Tell me it looks like someone is in trouble in there," John ordered.

"I think I hear something," Kelsey said. As long as they were on the same page about there being possible danger inside, John could break down the door. Kelsey moved back to the front door as John took a step back and kicked the door. She drew her gun as he stepped back and kicked the door for a second time. The door burst inward, and John and Kelsey gained access to the house.

From the outside, the house looked like a single-level residence, but a door before them hinted at a basement. Although they had made a lot of noise gaining entry, John gestured silently: He would take the basement while Kelsey searched the main level.

She pointed her gun toward the living room, which looked empty from the outside, and followed it through. Family pictures hung on the wall. Presumably Dr. Martinez with his parents, one with his sister, and one of the four of them. Another framed photograph of his sister sat on a bookshelf, and beside it was a framed poem. Kelsey didn't stop to read the poem but imagined it contained something about death or love, possibly both.

The house was neat, and it looked like Dr. Martinez lived alone. She moved through to the kitchen, which was also neat and tidy. A mug sat beside the sink. Kelsey approached and looked into the mug. Some pale liquid sat at the bottom, but there was no mold. She was sure he lived in the house, which meant he wasn’t far away and could return soon.

There was no backdoor in the kitchen—only one way in and out of the house. She moved through the kitchen to a short hallway. It led to an empty bathroom and then turned the corner to take Kelsey past a study. She stopped at the door. There was nobody in there, but a safe was positioned under the desk, and she couldn’t help but think about the safe in Dr. Chen’s office. She didn't search the study just yet, moving through the lower level and past a bedroom. Then, she was back at the front door. She looked out, but no one approached.

Kelsey looked down the basement stairs. "John?"

There was no answer.

"John!" she called again.

Her heart skipped a beat at the silence that was returned. She pointed her gun down, knowing she was at a disadvantage to be going down into the basement if someone was down there, but she had to descend. Her body shook at the thought of John lying injured in the basement.

Or worse!

She got low, crouching as she went down, one step at a time, ready for a gunshot. The furnace rumbled in the basement, passing heat to the main level. Kelsey couldn’t hear anything else. She took the stairs slowly but sped up near the bottom. She was almost fully revealed, and if someone was waiting for her, they would act swiftly. Kelsey ran the last few steps, checking the area directly in front of her before she spun around.

Shelves of boxes filled most of the basement, obscuring the view of anyone hiding. She couldn’t see John.

Kelsey approached the boxes, the furnace rumbling like a waterfall. She reached the end of the shelves. Kelsey took a breath, touched her finger to the trigger, and rounded the corner.

Someone was there, and Kelsey wanted to shoot. He grabbed her wrist and pushed her gun to the side. She might have fired if she had not been so aware. John stood before her.

"You scared me," Kelsey said.

"I scared you?" he asked with a smile. "I’m not the one who came around the corner with their gun pointed."

"I shouted down to you," she said, a little frustrated. "You didn't answer."

"You can't hear anything down here," he said.

The furnace continued to rumble.

"Did you find anything?" Kelsey asked.

"I don't know," John admitted. "There are a lot of boxes, but it could be just personal belongings. It’ll take some time to go through them all."

"I saw a safe upstairs. Maybe he has the same reports as Dr. Chen," Kelsey said. "Can you call in your guy and see if he can break into it for us?"

John nodded. "I’ll get a team down here to start searching the boxes to see if that gives us anything."

John left her by the shelves and went back upstairs to make the call. Kelsey let out a nervous laugh. It was extremely noisy in the basement, with the furnace running. She reached out and opened a couple of random boxes to find clothes. The furnace suddenly stopped, and it sucked all the noise from the room. Kelsey listened to the silence for a second.

She left the boxes. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Kelsey went back up the stairs and to the study first. A large desk sat under the window, and the safe was underneath. There was a map on the wall, and she gained some excitement, but it was of the state and not of only the lake. She got closer to it, checking for any markings, but there were none.

Kelsey went to the desk and sat down. She ran her hands over the desktop, imagining Dr. Martinez sitting there. She pulled open the drawers and went through them. There were no reports, recent or otherwise, of water testing from Spirit Mirror Lake on the top of the pile or in any other obvious place. However, there were folders with water testing from sites across the state. He had saved them all from his time at the EPA.

Kelsey flipped through them, looking for something that would help. With each page she turned, she expected to find a report on the lake, but she was disappointed each time. The only thing that stood out was the number of reports from Indigenous reserves.

You spent a lot of time around Indigenous people. Did you learn Siouan symbols from them?

Kelsey put the folders back in the drawer after she went through them. The top two drawers had water testing reports, but the bottom drawer was filled with newspaper cuttings, police reports, a death certificate, and other artifacts connected to the death of his sister. Kelsey could understand his anger at losing a loved one, but if it was caused by the oil company, it would be easy for him to turn to revenge.

After going through the last drawer, Kelsey closed it. Then, she sat back and ran her hands across the table again. She needed something to connect him to the murders, or they would have to move on to Dr. Lookman. Kelsey frowned and leaned in close to the table. The surface was free of imperfections except for a small divot near the middle of the wood.

She ran her finger over the small hole and leaned in some more. It could have been made by stabbing the point of a knife into the wood. It felt like there were tiny pieces of evidence hinting at Dr. Martinez being the killer, but they wouldn’t know for sure until they got into the safe and perhaps searched the boxes in the basement.

Kelsey’s phone rang. Detective Whitehorse was calling.

"Hello?" she answered.

"It’s not the killer," the detective said.

"Who’s in there?" Kelsey asked.

Victor Drake," Detective Whitehorse said. "He must be renting the place out while he’s pushing the deal through. If I don't see or hear anything on the lake tonight, maybe I pay him a visit in the morning. Did you find anything on your end?"

"Not yet," Kelsey said. "There’s a safe here, but we’ll have to wait until someone gets here to drill it open. And a pile of boxes in the basement that might give us something. Dr. Martinez is living here, so maybe he will return, and we can talk with him. I don't think we will be back with food anytime soon."

"I’ve faced worse," the detective said. "I’m going to make some calls and see if I can figure anything else out. I need to keep my mind occupied, or I won't be focused."

"I’ll call if we find anything."

"And I’ll do the same," Detective Whitehorse said.

Kelsey hung up. She sat back in the chair, imagining Dr. Martinez pouring over maps or symbols at the desk. She wouldn’t leave until they had the safe open. She knew there was something in there waiting to be found.

Her phone rang again, and she pulled it out of her pocket, confused that it wasn’t vibrating. She put it down on the desk and listened to the noise. There was a phone somewhere in the room.

Somewhere in the desk!

Kelsey pulled open the drawers and pulled out the reports, files, and artifices. The vibration continued. She pulled out the middle drawer, angling it to get it out of the desk. Taped to the back of it was a phone. Kelsey quickly answered it and brought it to her ear.

She was silent, and so was the person on the other end of the line.

"Hello?" Kelsey said softly.

"Who is this?" the man asked.

"Detective Whitehorse?" Kelsey asked.

"Special Agent Hawk?" he replied. "I don't understand."

"You dialed the number, didn't you?" Kelsey asked. "The one that called Victor Drake to get him to the Tribal meeting."

"Yes, how did—"

"Robert Martinez is our killer," Kelsey said. "The phone was hidden in the desk in his study."

"We have him," Detective Whitehorse said.

"Not yet, but…"

"What?" the detective asked.

"After today, I know where he will go next," Kelsey said. "He invited Victor Drake to the meeting. He blames Victor Drake for the death of his sister. Victor Drake is his next victim."

CHAPTER TWENTY

"It’s a nightmare," Victor Drake said into the phone. "I can't wait to get out of this place. It’s the PR nightmare of all PR nightmares, and everyone is looking at us now. We need to push this deal through as quickly as possible and get down to doing what we need to do."

"How close are you?" the Chief Operations Officer of Northern Plains Oil asked.

"Not close enough," Vincent said. "I should be back in New York, planning our next expansion overseas instead of pandering to the press. We can't run at full steam here right now because we have eyes on us, but we will get it done, and we will triple our output when everything settles down."

"I can't believe you are roughing it out there." The COO chuckled.

"Oh, you have no idea," Vincent said. "This was the best place I could find on such short notice."

The COO laughed again. "How about the maniac running around out there? Do you think it’s our doing?"

"It’s hard to tell. They want to hurt us; that’s all I know. Hundreds of people wish to harm us." Vincent laughed. "When you push people around, you expect some of them to push back a little."

"Be careful out there," the COO said. "Can you imagine if that is where you die? Ugh, the photos will be unbearable. Promise me you’re not planning on dying until you at least get back to New York."

Vincent let out a large guffaw. "Don't worry about me, I have my security detail, and they are paid to put themselves in harm’s way. Whoever is out there can continue on their insane killing spree and kill as many people as they like, but we are not intimidated by anyone."

"Not when you have personal bodyguards," the COO said.

"Alright, enough talk. I have a glass of brandy with my name on it. Anything to help numb the pain while I am out here. Oh, there is something you can do for me. That Tribal detective was at the press conference today, and I am sure news has filtered back to you. I want you to find out who he has coming to test the water and test the water with them, so to speak. Find out if they can be bought, and if not, then make sure they don't step foot in the area."

"I’ll handle it personally," the COO said. Once you speak to the Tribe tomorrow, I’ll start the paperwork. I only need to know whether it will be a hostile takeover."

Victor sighed. "Part of me wants to make it a hostile takeover, but maybe it’s easier to get their agreement on this. The press will cover this, and if we get an agreement from the Tribe, we lose the press’ interest."

"Boring and profitable," the COO said.

"Okay, Goodnight," Victor said.

The CEO of Northern Plains Oil hung up the phone and walked through to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of brandy. He held the dark liquid up to the light in the kitchen.

A week’s wages for one of my oil drillers.

Victor Drake smiled and downed the contents of the glass. He poured himself another.

Why don't we have two weeks' worth of wages?

Victor grinned and sipped from the glass this time.

A noise caught his attention, and he spun around in the kitchen. There was no one there. He was all alone in the house. Two of his private security detail were stationed outside in case he was troubled by anyone.

"Hello?" Victor called into the empty house.

He stood in the middle of the kitchen, listening and hearing nothing. He scanned the outside, but it was futile. The kitchen light was on, and the exterior was pitch black. He was far enough from civilization to see nothing except the moon's reflection on the lake and the lights on top of his drilling wells on the other side of the water.

It was a dark-sky country.

"Why did I come here?" Victor muttered. "I hate this place."

Victor was sure he heard a noise this time. He quickly downed the rest of the brandy in the glass and tried not to feel the fear that was coursing through him. He had gone up against those who wanted to take him down in the past, and he wouldn’t be scared in his own home.

This is my home! I rented it!

Victor moved quickly to the kitchen counter and grabbed a knife from the knife block. He spun around and checked the windows and back door. They were all closed. He started through the house, turning the lights on. If one of his security detail had entered the house, they would be fired on the spot and sent away.

Victor found no one in the house. He relaxed a little and shook his head. Still, he gripped the knife tightly as he made his way back to the kitchen. When he got there, he immediately knew something was not right.

His eyes looked around frantically, and he saw the back door slightly ajar. Victor ran to it and pushed it closed, locking out the intimidating dark night.

"If you have come in—" he said as he spun around.

Victor’s blood turned to ice when he saw the man standing in his kitchen.

"I’m warning you," he stammered.

He could feel his face pale when his eyes fell on the knife in the man’s hand. Blood dripped from it.

"Who are you?" Victor demanded. "What do you want? I have money."

The man shook his head. "You don't recognize me, do you? You ruined my life!"

"No, no, no, you have the wrong man. If you just let me…" Victor ran for the back door.

He fumbled at the lock but managed to turn and open it.

"Help!" he shouted into the night. "He’s in here."

The man grabbed his shoulder and yanked him back, tossing him across the kitchen and against the kitchen island. The knife fell from Victor’s hand and clattered across the floor. He whimpered as he watched the man advance on him. The carved bone knife in his hand still dripped with blood.

"Your security guards are not coming," the man said. "It’s time we had a little chat."

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

John skidded the truck to a stop outside the lake-front house. The lights were on inside, but no movement could be seen through the front windows or the glass pane on the front door.

Kelsey and John stepped out into the dark night. Without the light coming from inside the house, they would have been enclosed in darkness. It was quiet—far too quiet for Kelsey's liking.

Lights blinked on the drilling equipment in the distance across the lake. If they didn't blink on and off, they might look like stars, of which there was an abundance in the sky above. An owl hooted from somewhere in the trees—the hoot ominous in the silence.

Kelsey glanced at John. Both of them had drawn their guns. To the right of the building was a black sedan, but there was no second vehicle. John walked slowly to the front door and quickly pushed down the handle. When he pushed on the door, it didn't give—locked.

Kelsey gestured that she would go around back and take a look. She didn't know if the killer was inside, but he might have heard the truck and made a run for it. John raised his hand to stop her. His eyes were wide. He moved to the bushes to the right of the front door. He moved his hand as if checking if someone was okay.

"We need to go in now," John said with urgency while keeping his voice low.

Kelsey nodded. She took off running around the side of the building while John headed for the front door. Her foot collided with something, and she almost tripped and went head over heels. Kelsey looked back to see a man in a black suit lying on the ground. She didn't have time to stop and find out if he was okay. She caught herself and ran again toward the rear of the building.

As she passed the window, a flash of movement to her right briefly caught her attention. Someone was inside and moving. She didn't stop to look in. It didn't matter what she saw through the window; she would still enter the building to face what was inside.

The back door was closed when she reached it. She grabbed the handle and found the door unlocked. She pulled it open, took a step back, and pointed her gun in. No one was in the kitchen.

Kelsey followed her gun into the house and instinctually moved. She knew where she had seen the movement inside, and she moved to find what was happening. Kelsey heard a scream, and she thought a life had been ended before she could save him, but when the screaming persisted, she understood what was happening. She walked purposefully, her gun pointed ahead.

She entered the dining room to find Robert Martinez carving into Victor Drake’s back. Victor Drake was bent over the dining room table, his shirt off, and symbols carved into half of his back. Kelsey had seen pictures of the three other bodies with similar symbols, but it was completely different to see it being done before her. Blood covered the dining room table, dripping to the carpet beneath.

Robert Martinez was hunched over the CEO, dragging his carved bone knife through the man’s skin.

"Drop it!" Kelsey ordered.

Robert moved before she could take her shot. He grabbed Victor Drake around the neck and pulled him to his feet, using him as a human shield. Victor was pale enough to be a ghost, and while he stood, he was unsteady on his feet after so much blood loss. Saliva dripped from Victor’s lips, and his eyes swam around the room. He was in pain, but he didn't know what was going on anymore.

Robert Martinez brought the knife to Victor’s neck.

"It’s over," Kelsey said. "Drop the weapon, Robert."

"It’s not over," he said, his words rushed and tumbling out of him. Robert looked like a man who had not eaten for a week, and his body was jerky. The knife scratched Victor’s neck—Robert couldn’t keep his hand still.

Robert suddenly jerked and swung around a little as John entered the room, his gun pointed at Robert. Robert jerked back and forth, trying to keep eyes on both Kelsey and John. That only caused the knife to jerk more, but it didn't cut the skin yet.

"Just calm down," Kelsey ordered. "Let’s talk about this, Robert."

"You!" Robert shouted at John. "Over there." He jerked his head toward Kelsey.

John looked at Kelsey, and Kelsey nodded. 

John kept his gun pointed at Robert and slowly moved past the long end of the table to join Kelsey. His eyes fell on the blood covering the dining room table as he passed, and he grimaced, a shudder running through him.

As John moved one way, Robert and his captive moved the other toward the door John had come through.

"Robert, make this easy on yourself," Kelsey said.

"Easy?" Robert asked. "Nothing about this is easy. I came here to make it as hard as possible. He deserves to suffer for what he has done."

"I know," Kelsey said. She pointed her gun up at the ceiling to show Robert she was willing to talk. John still had Robert covered. "I know what he did to you, Robert. He threatened you, didn't he?"

Robert scoffed, but a pained expression crossed his face. He shook his head as if to remove the memory.

"Tell me, Robert. You can talk about it now, can't you? Did he kill Alison?"

Robert’s mouth opened, and he gritted his teeth, breathing heavily. "He killed her," Robert gasped. "I should have listened. I should have listened. It’s all my fault. She’s dead because of me."

"No, it’s not your fault," Kelsey told him.

The words bolstered Robert, and some of the pain slipped away. "You’re right. He killed her. He did this!"

"Okay, okay, okay!" Kelsey said quickly. "We don't need any more violence and killing. I want to know about the lake, Robert. You were testing the water there, weren’t you."

"I needed to prove it."

"You wanted to prove the lake was polluted, didn't you?" Kelsey asked. "You were here months ago, and you tested the water, and it showed high levels of toxins, and when you showed the report to the oil company, they threatened you, didn’t they?"

"I should have listened. I should have listened. Stupid, stupid, stupid." Robert let go of Victor for a second and hit the side of his own head with his blooded hand before grabbing him again before he could fall.

"What did you find this time, Robert? You came back and tested the water. Did you get the same results? Are they polluting the lake?" Kelsey needed to keep him talking. Detective Whitehorse knew where they were going. She only hoped it didn't take him long to get back to his truck and drive around the lake to them.

"The water has gone to hell," Robert said. "They pollute it and cover it up, but they won't cover it up anymore."

"No, they won’t," Kelsey assured him. "I will help you uncover the truth. I won't let it happen anymore."

"No, they’ll come for you, too. This is the only way. I have to kill him; don't you see that?"

"You were testing the water with Dr. Chen, were you?" Kelsey asked, needing him to talk to delay the death of Victor Drake, as much as she disliked the CEO. However, with the amount of blood lost, Kelsey couldn’t keep Robert talking forever, or Victor would die in his arms.

"He betrayed me," Robert said. I thought he was working with me, but he always worked for them."

"Them?" Kelsey asked. "The oil company?"

Robert shook his head in jerks. "He was going to tell them. He would have ruined it all and stopped my work, so he had to be killed."

"I understand," Kelsey said. She understood, even if she didn't agree with it one bit. No one should have to die, but she understood why he had taken matters into his own hands.

"You needed to kill them to send your message, didn’t you, Robert?" Kelsey asked. She thought she saw a flash of light outside. "That was the only way you could get them to pay attention."

John had not moved an inch the entire time. He stood with his gun trained on Robert, waiting to take his shot.

"They are all listening now," Robert stated, gaining resolve again.

"You tested the water and found toxins," Kelsey said. "That has to come out. The world deserves to know. I know the Tribe on the reserve land on the edge of the lake will want to know. They will want to help get the message out, but you killed one of their own. Why did you kill her, Robert? Why did you kill Rachel Blackcloud?"

"She saw me testing the water," Robert said. He grimaced and shook his head. "I didn't want to kill her, but I couldn’t let her talk to anyone, and I needed a body to show my message. She spoke about the oil drilling and how she wasn’t sure about it and she didn't know what to do about it. She confided in me as I tested the water at the side of the lake, and I liked her; I really did. Why did she have to be out there at that spot? It was fate that bright her to me, and I wish it didn’t. She didn't die in vain. She has helped, you see that, don't you?"

"Her family was threatened, too," Kelsey said. "They forced her to change her vote. Dr. Chen was threatened by the oil company. And many, many more, I’m sure. I want to bring Victor Drake to justice, Robert. You have to let me do that. If we walk out of here tonight, you will get exactly what you want. You will get everything you have been working toward."

"I will get that now, either way," Robert said coldly. "Everyone is paying attention now, and they will test the water where I guided them. They will find out the truth, but Victor Drake deserved to die."

A small spot of red appeared on Victor’s neck. Robert had not purposely cut him, but he was getting close.

Kelsey saw the movement out of the corner of her eye and did everything she could not to look and alert Robert.

"They’re not only the spots where you were dumping the bodies, but where you tested the water," Kesey said. "That’s where you found the toxins. You planned to take Victor’s body to the last spot tonight, didn’t you?"

"I won't get to do that now, but it doesn't matter," Robert said. "All that matters is he pays for what he did."

Kelsey’s heart beat faster as she watched Detective Whitehorse sneak silently through the house out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes," Kelsey agreed. "He should pay. He will pay. First, tell me about the other victim. Why did you kill James Patterson? Was it because of the oil deal? You needed to slow it down, didn't you? You needed to get your work out there before they gained more power around the lake. Is that why you killed him?"

Robert looked worn out. He was tired, needing to finish everything so he could rest.

"He was making too much headway," Robert said. "He was pushing the deal through, and he would have succeeded if I had not stopped him. I couldn’t let him finish the deal, or it would all be worthless. He was the easiest to kill. He was the easiest to kill. You don't have to be here for this. Victor Drake will die tonight; don't try to stop me."

"He deserves to be punished for what he did," Kelsey acknowledged. "But not like this. This is not the right way."

She was appealing to both Robert and Detective Whitehorse, who was almost right behind the two men. The detective had every right to let the scene play out and watch Victor Drake be murdered, but she hoped he didn’t let that happen.

"It’s time," Robert said.

John tensed, his finger pushing gently on the trigger, waiting to fire.

Detective Whitehorse lunged and reached his hand around to grab Robert’s wrist. The knife was pulled back and across Victor Drake’s throat, and the three men collapsed to the ground.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

John rushed forward first, sticking his gun back in the holster. Kelsey couldn’t tell initially if that was because it was too dangerous to shoot or if the situation had been dealt with. She rushed after John, looking for Victor Drake. He lay face-down on the carpet, the red carvings almost glowing under the bright dining room light above the table.

Kelsey couldn't help them. There was too much happening all at once. She took out her phone and dialed the emergency services to get an ambulance out there as soon as possible.

John was on top of Robert and Detective Whitehorse. He pulled the knife toward him, wresting with Robert as he tried to pull the knife toward himself. Detective Whitehorse had a hold of Robert’s hand, trying to get his fingers unfurled. Robert’s hand suddenly jerked toward John as he pushed instead of pulled, and John quickly shifted his body to the side, the keen blade flashing in the moonlight.

John rolled to the side and off Robert, who took the opportunity to throw his head back against the detectives with a crunch. Detective Whitehorse loosened his grip, reaching up for his nose. Robert immediately rolled in the opposite direction from John, stabbing the knife down toward Victor.

Detective Martinez managed to reach up and grab the back of Robert's collar, yanking him back enough for Robert to stab the knife into the carpet to the left of Victor’s neck. John was back on his feet, and he pushed Robert down to the ground.

Detective Martinez’s nose bled, but he forgot about it as he converged on top of Robert with John. They pinned him to the ground, taking an arm each. The fight left Robert, and it was easy to get the knife from his hand. Detective Martinez stood with the knife while John put the handcuffs on Robert.

Kelsey finally went to Victor, the deep cuts in his back making her feel sick. She took him by the shoulder and gently rolled him over. There was a tiny amount of blood on his neck, but his throat had not been cut like the others. John and Detective Whitehorse had done enough to stop Robert from killing the Northern Plains Oil CEO.

"He’s still alive," she told them. Kelsey ran from the room, heading for the front door. She went first to the suited man lying in the bushes and checked for a pulse. He had been stabbed in the neck a couple of times and was long dead. She got up from the body and ran around to the side of the house, but the scene was the same. The two guards were dead, and Victor had only just escaped with his life.

Kelsey fell to the floor beside Victor, watching over him. John pulled Robert to his feet and guided him around the dining room table, placing him in one of the only chairs not stained with blood. He stood by Robert, but Kelsey knew it was done. Now that Robert had been stopped, he had no intention of fighting.

Detective Whitehorse wiped his bleeding nose with the back of his hand. He held the carved bone knife gingerly as if it might cut him if he touched the wrong part of the handle. The three looked at each other, and the relief was evident. Kelsey nodded toward Detective Whitehorse. He had stopped Robert from killing Victor Drake, and that took strength. If Victor Drake had been killed in the struggle, no one could have proven it had been intentional.

Kelsey wasn’t sure if Detective Whitehorse had heard Robert talking about why he killed Rachel Blackcloud. It had been nothing more than bad fortune. She had been threatened by the oil company but killed because she stumbled upon Robert Martinez testing the water. He didn't need to know that until Robert had been taken away. There was a lot of healing to be done.

"He must pay for what he did," Robert muttered, his head down as he sat handcuffed. "He must be punished for all the hurt he caused."

"He will pay," Detective Whitehorse confirmed, still standing with the knife in hand as if he were worried about someone attacking him. "You will pay for what you have done, too. Your intentions were noble, but your actions were not."

"It was the only way," Robert said.

It felt like the two men were having a perfectly pleasant conversation around the dinner table. In the distance, sirens wailed.

"No," Detective Whitehorse said. "Northern Plains Oil tainted our lake with their pollution, but you did the same thing with murder. You killed people who didn't deserve to be killed, and you dumped them in our lake. The water is polluted by their oil and chemicals, but that will disappear in time. The blood you spilled will always taint the water."

"It was the only way. It had to be done," Robert maintained.

"No," Detective Whitehorse disagreed.

"It was—" Robert started.

John placed a hand on his shoulder. "Enough! Victor Drake will be punished, and you are going to jail. I don't want to hear another word from you."

Robert looked at Victor Drake, who was still lying on the floor, and then he looked down at the carpet between his feet again.

"I’m sorry all of this happened," Kelsey told Detective Whitehorse. "It will take time, but it can come to an end now."

"Thank you," he said to Kelsey before turning to Deputy Gallant. "Both of you. I couldn’t have done this without your help. You are welcome back to the reserve anytime. The blood will forever taint our lake, but perhaps Rachel’s spirit can find peace now that we have the man responsible. This is a sad day for our Tribe but a good day, too."

"They’re here," Kelsey said.

She went to the door to help guide the emergency services. A stretcher was brought in, and Victor Drake was loaded up onto it. Two officers escorted Robert Martinez out and into a patrol car, where he was swiftly taken from the crime scene.

The forensic team entered, waiting for Kelsey to give them their orders. She looked around the dining room, the table and carpet soaked with blood. If Victor Drake lived, he would forever carry his scars around on his back, a constant reminder of the deeds he had done. Kelsey nodded to the team, and they got to work. They would collect as much evidence as they could, even though it would not be needed to convict Robert Martinez of murder.

Kelsey shook her head and left the dining room. She had seen a lot of things in her career, and the sight of blood didn't shock her anymore. She left the house and walked toward the lake, leaving behind the noise and commotion. She could still hear it when she got to the lake’s edge, but it wasn’t as vibrant anymore.

A moment later, John and Detective Whitehorse joined her. Neither of them said anything. They stood by her side and gazed out at the lake. It was calm beneath the dark sky, the lake so inky that any ripples could not be seen. The moon reflected on the surface, but it was hard to see the stars reflected in the water. When Kelsey looked up, it felt like she could see entire galaxies above her.

Across the lake, three blinking lights displayed the source of all the problems. If it were not for the oil drilling, the atrocities would never have been committed, and what had happened would forever change the lake and surrounding area.

"There’s still a lot to do," Kelsey told them. "We have our killer, but Victor Drake must be investigated. Some might say he has been punished enough by the scars he will forever have, but if he had Robert’s sister killed, then that alone is worth twice the punishment. He might have threatened Dr. Chen and Rachel, and who knows how many other people? The can of worms will be opened, and the truth will come out. Robert succeeded in at least that. There will be no stopping it. Victor Drake and Northern Plains Oil will be investigated. The pollution, the threats, illegal drilling, everything."

"I would like to head up that investigation," Detective Whitehorse said. "It will help to heal me after everything I have been through with this investigation. This is a Tribal matter, and I will find out everything there is to know about what they have done to our lands and any others."

"We will support you with anything you need," Kelsey said. "You take the lead, and we will be your support."

"Thank you," Detective Whitehorse said. "There will also come a time for great healing. Once I have sorted everything out, there will be a healing ceremony, and I would like for you both to join us."

"We will," Kelsey told him. "It would be an honor to be included."

She felt John reach out and take her hand as they stared across the lake. She held onto him tightly. He helped to steady her in times of need, and she needed him at that moment. Detective Whitehorse would return to his Tribe and open a new investigation before the healing began. Kelsey ached to do the same with the people who took her sister, the people she was storing a criminal for.

If she were to open an investigation into them, she would need John more than ever, and that meant letting him into her life more. She still couldn't tell him that she was harboring a criminal, but once he was gone, he would help her look into them if she asked.

Will that bring any healing to me? I have suffered my entire life with the knowledge my parents and sister were dead, and then I discovered my sister alive twenty years later. If I go after the people who did it, an organization so large that it might be impossible to take them down, will that make my life better? Will that heal me or Erica? Do we even need to be healed?

There were a lot of questions and not many answers. She did need immediate answers when she had John by her side. Kelsey stayed at the lake a little longer before she let go of John’s hand. There was nothing more for them to do there. It was time to go back to Winchburgh and face those problems.

Kelsey knew Erica could not stay with the Sheriff for much longer.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

Four Days Later

"Hawk!" Sheriff Anderson called from the door of his office.

Kelsey looked up from her desk. It wasn’t an angry call, but it was a semi-urgent one. She smiled and nodded in his direction, finished typing a sentence of her report, and then got up from her desk.

"Ohh, someone’s in trouble," John teased with a whisper.

"I can't believe I’m dating someone so childish," she said.

"And yet, you are," he replied.

Kelsey shook her head and walked past John to the Sheriff’s office.

When she entered, he said, "Close the door. "

Kelsey did as she was told and then sat down opposite the Sheriff.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I hope so," he replied. "That’s what I wanted to check in with you about. Is everything okay with you?"

"Yeah, fine," she said.

"Is it?" the Sheriff pushed. "You’ve been back in the office for three days, and I know you are fobbing me off with these cold cases. I don't need to know what’s going on, Hawk, but I do need to know you are okay. Are you?"

Kelsey thought about it for a second. "Yeah, I am."

"And Erica?" Sheriff Anderson asked. "Is she safe?"

"Yes, she is," Kelsey said.

"Do you need her to stay at my house for now?" the Sheriff asked.

Kelsey almost broke down at the look of concern on his face. He was willing to do whatever it took, no questions asked.

"Can you do that for me?" Kelsey asked.

"Of course," the Sheriff said. "Anything you need, you can always come to me. John, too. He would go to the ends of the earth for you."

"That scares me sometimes," Kelsey admitted. "I don’t want him to put me before himself. He’s a good man."

"He is," the Sheriff confirmed. "I’ll have Erica stay with me for as long as you need, but the longer this goes on, the more she will start to wonder. I’m sure John is wondering about you, too, but he knows to give you space. He knows that when you are ready, you will go to him."

"I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark, but I have to right now," Kelsey told him.

"We know you wouldn’t unless it was absolutely necessary?" The Sheriff tapped his fingers on the desk. "We like having you around, Hawk, and we will do what we can to help you and Erica, but I don't want trouble in my town. Can you promise me that none of us are in danger?"

"No one is in danger," Kelsey said.

As long as I do what they ask.

"Alright." the Sheriff said. "Go on, get back out there."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Kelsey said.

She got up and left the office, not looking at John as she walked back to her desk. She really liked and respected John, and that only grew when he said the right thing and knew when not to say anything. That like and respect had turned into love. She sat back down at her desk and went back to her report but found it hard to concentrate.

When her phone rang, she was thankful for the interruption.

"Special Agent Hawk," she answered.

"Hello," Detective Whitehorse replied.

"Detective Whitehorse," Kelsey said warmly. "It’s good to hear your voice. How are you doing?"

"I’m doing okay," he replied. "Are you settled back into your life?"

"It’s been nice and dull," Kelsey said.

Apart from the criminal in her apartment.

"I thought this was a good time to call you and update you on the case. Victor Drake woke up this morning."

Kelsey heard the chuckle down the phone.

"He was initially happy to be alive, and then he saw me standing by his bed. He lost any happiness pretty quickly after that."

"How much longer will he be in the hospital?" Kelsey asked.

"Another couple of weeks for the lesions on his back to heal," the detective said. "He lost a lot of blood and is in no state to be transferred anywhere just yet. I shouldn’t be happy about it, but he’s in a lot of pain. He can't lie on his back. They’re still getting fluids back into him, and the wounds need to be dressed constantly. I thought they were bad when we rescued him from Robert Martinez, but it’s far worse now. The wounds are seeping and oozing and—well, I’m sure you don't need to know all the details."

"I’d rather not," Kelsey said. "Are they fighting it yet? The company has almost unlimited wealth, and they will toss a lot of money at this to try and make it all go away."

"I’ve dealt with countless lawyers over the past three days, and they wanted to station his private security at the hospital, but I sent them all away. For now, Vincent Drake is not going anywhere, and as soon as he is well enough, he will be arrested. I don’t have enough yet, but that won't stop me. I’m slowly going down the rabbit hole, and it’s all coming together. Once I start questioning people, I expect them to throw each other to the wolves."

"If you need help with anything, let me know," Kelsey said.

"There is something," Detective Whitehorse said. "I finally had the lake tested independently and under my watch, and it confirmed what Dr. Martinez and Dr. Chen found. The lake is heavily polluted. That gives us enough to stop oil production until we can launch a full investigation. This puts the oil company at fault, but not Vincent Drake himself, even if he is the CEO.

"I haven’t interviewed Robert Martinez yet, but his testimony won't be enough to convict Victor Drake after what he did. Still, it will help to pave the way, and I know that once word gets out, we will find people who have been threatened by Vincent Drake and are willing to come forward and share their stories. That should be enough to bring him down, but what I really want to get him on is the death of Robert’s sister. Threatening people is one thing, but following through on that is another. I have a feeling that there will not be too many people involved—fewer people to keep the secrets—and Vincent Drake must have ordered the hit on Alison Martinez. I don't know exactly what we are looking for, and the case has been closed, but there must be a paper trail somewhere. I am good at talking to people here and within the oil company, but I think you will be far better at finding the evidence for the car accident."

"I’ll look into it," Kelsey confirmed. "There will have been calls, and someone in the police department must have been in on it. I’ll call some favors and find the needed evidence; you have my word. When you bring down Northern Plains Oil and Victor Drake, you can take them down for every single crime they have committed."

"I would like to do that," Detective Whitehorse said. "For now, we will stop the drilling, and then we will make right the wrongs of the past—what wrongs we can make right."

"I hope your people can go back to a normal way of life again after this," Kelsey told him.

"We will," Detective Whitehorse said. "That is the other reason I called you. Chief Eagle Bear has called for a healing ceremony in three weeks. We would like you and Deputy Gallant to join us."

"We will be there," Kelsey said. "You can count on that."

"Thank you again," the detective said. "Let’s stay in touch until we have everything on Victor Drake and his oil company."

"Thank you for your call," Kelsey said. "We’ll talk soon."

Kelsey hung up the phone and looked over at John, who looked back expectantly, waiting for an update.

"It’s going well," Kelsey said. "Detective Whitehorse is slowly building his case, and he will bring Victor Drake to justice. He believes they will stop drilling, and if the tests show as much pollution as we believe is in the lake, I don't think they will ever drill there again. The Stone River Tribe might never get that land back, but they will keep what they have and not have to worry about their lake again."

Kelsey filled him in on everything else Detective Whitehorse told him, including the healing ceremony.

"That will bring some closure to all of us," John said. "This was a hard one this time around. It wasn't about the people being killed but the entire community surrounding it. I’m glad they can go back to normal again after this, whatever normal is after facing something like this."

"If they are anything like Detective Whitehorse, they will be fine," Kelsey said. "He’s a good person to have in a position of power."

"It’s late," John said. "Can I walk you home?"

"I would like that," Kelsey said.

She and John packed up their stuff, said goodbye to Sheriff Anderson and the other staff still in the building, and left for the day. Writing the reports that came after catching a killer like Robert Martinez and everything surrounding the murders was tedious, but it was a nice change of pace after chasing the killer down.

John took Kelsey’s hand when they were outside the Sheriff’s office and held it as they walked home.

"I was thinking I could get used to this boring life," John said, "but life is never really boring with you around. Chasing down killers from time to time is a worthwhile pursuit, but you bring me enough excitement."

Kelsey smiled. "When I first moved here, I thought small-town life would be boring, but it’s far from it. I like being here with you, John."

"Yeah, I like it, too," he said.

As fall approached, there was more of a chill in the air. The leaves in the trees would soon change, and for a few weeks, a beautiful, vibrant yellow would hang from the branches.

When they reached Kelsey’s apartment building, they stopped walking. John took Kelsey by the waist and kissed her.

"Mmm," Kelsey replied. "Hey, I will talk to you soon. Once I get everything in order, I’ll talk to you, okay?"

"Okay," John said with a smile.

Kesey leaned in this time, unable to resist her handsome and understanding man, even if he didn't understand what was going on.

"Goodnight," John said.

"Goodnight," Kelsey replied.

She entered her building and walked up the stairs to her apartment. Slowly and quietly, she inserted the key and entered. She walked into the apartment and closed the door behind her. It was quiet, but there was something new that he couldn’t quite put her finger on until she saw the open bedroom door.

Kelsey put her hand on her gun and walked to Erica's room. She looked in and found no one there. She then went to the bathroom and checked inside before going through all the closets and cupboards. She went through her apartment a second time to make sure.

Philip Guppy was gone. There was no sign of him as if he had never been there at all. There was no sign of a struggle either, but that didn't mean there wasn’t one. She went to her breakfast bar and sat down.

She waited, but he didn't come back.

Kelsey felt some relief. Her life could go back to normal again.

***

Kelsey woke the following day with a start, and she jumped out of bed and unlocked her bedroom door, still in the habit of locking it at night. She looked toward Erica’s open bedroom door again to find the room empty. She searched the house in case Philip Guppy had snuck back in during the night.

The apartment was still empty.

Kelsey sighed and then smiled in relief. She switched on the coffee pot and grabbed her mug from the cupboard. She set it down on the counter and spotted a torn piece of paper within it. Kelsey took the slip of paper and unfolded it to find a handwritten note.

I want your help. I’ll be in touch. PG

EPILOGUE

Three Weeks Later

"Thank you for coming." Chief Eagle Bear said, warmly shaking Kelsey’s hand and then John’s. "We are so thankful to have had you for the investigation and that you have taken the time to come back and be with us on this special day."

"We are very glad to be here," Kelsey said.

"I agree," John said. "This gives us all a chance to heal."

"It does," the Chief agreed.

Chief Eagle Bear wore buckskin pants and a shirt with a dyed wool shawl on top. On his head, he wore his ceremonial eagle feather headdress. The feathers were beautiful on the crisp fall day, and they looked as if they might unfold into wings at any moment, and an eagle would rise from the Chief’s head to fly off into the sky.

"We will start soon," the Chief told them. Please choose the place that you feel most connected to. It is good to see you both."

Kelsey and John said goodbye to the Chief, and Detective Whitehorse approached them. He wore a black suit with a topaz hanging on a silver chain around his neck instead of a tie. He gave a tight smile as he approached, shaking both their hands.

"I can't thank you enough for the work you did on the car accident," Detective Whitehorse said. "As soon as that came out, and people in the company realized their CEO was guilty of far worse than they had heard and that he was going to jail, they all turned on him. I think he turned on them not to try and save himself but out of spite. There’s so much human pollution coming out of the oil company that it’s hard to keep track of everyone who is going to jail. I’ve certainly skewed my arrest numbers this year. Far more productive than stopping our youth from drinking on the street or dabbling in harder substances."

"We passed some demolition vehicles on the way in," Kelsey said. "Are they really taking it all down?"

Detective Whitehorse nodded. "It was the company’s decision. I think they want to hide as much as they can, but we have an independent party supervising the demolition. Perhaps we will miss some things, but we have them on a lot already, and they won't be drilling. We couldn't have asked for much more."

"You have your lake back," John said.

"For now," Detective Whitehorse said mournfully. "There is still oil beneath the ground, and another oil company will come sometime in the future and try and turn a profit from it. Perhaps we will work with them and ensure they do things properly, or maybe we will drill the oil ourselves. We are not against the drilling of oil. It is only the avoidable byproducts that affect the land that concern us."

"You can take control of your future without the lake being in the hands of someone else," Kelsey noted.

"We are a long way from that still," the detective told them. "There will be a series of meetings in the future to decide what we do next. Come, we better get closer. The ceremony is about to begin."

Kelsey and John joined Detective Whitehorse closer to the edge of the lake where the ceremony would be performed. The Tribal Chief was joined near the lake by the elders, who also wore their ceremonial dress. A young woman wearing a beaded bell dress was dancing by the lake. When she stopped, the Chief began the ceremony.

The larger ceremony started with a smudging ceremony. Sweetgrass and sage were burned to purify the area. The Chief and elders approached the burning sage and sweetgrass as the younger men from the Tribe, sitting in a tight circle, banged the same drum in a melodic beat that filled the soul. The Chef and each of the elders stepped close to the smoke and washed it over themselves to purify and cleanse.

One by one, the Tribal members approached and did the same.

"You can join if you like," Detective Whitehorse said. "The smudge is open for anyone and is used to clean and purify the body and spirit."

Kelsey felt a little nervous about doing it, but she and John walked with the Tribe and allowed the smoke to waft over themselves. They returned to where they had stood previously. Detective Whitehorse joined them again.

The Chief waited for everyone to participate in the smudge before he spoke to the entire Tribe.

"Thank you all for being here today. We have gone through a lot of hardship, and while we have emerged scarred, we are stronger for it. We must thank the Creator for giving us the strength to weather the storm, for bringing these two outsiders to our reserve, and to Detective Whitehorse for being instrumental in bringing those who have wronged us to justice. We will not talk anymore about that today. Today is about healing, and we will start that journey now. Just as the lake will purify itself over time, we, too, will become lighter in burden.

"I ask our ancestors to be here with us on our journey, for them to give us additional strength, and for the spirits of those recently passed to give safe passage to the next world. Let us take the time to pray within ourselves for what we grieve and what hurts us. Then, we will ask the Creator to take that pain and let it float away on the lake."

Chief Eagle Bear fell silent, and the Tribe followed. People bowed their heads, but Kelsey preferred to stare out at the lake. Although it had been surrounded by turmoil, it was still there, the same as it had been before the harm. She drew strength from the water, finding herself lighter as if floating on it.

As he had on the night they caught and arrested Robert Martinez, John took Kelsey’s hand. She held onto him tonight. She could feel her body being buoyed by the lake, but it was John she was tethered to, her anchor in the storm.

The drum beat was taken up again. It was faster this time. The young men beating the drum sang along with it, guttural sounds that came from their throats. The song floated over the Tribe and the lake, stirring emotions of sorrow and happiness in Kelsey.

Some of the Tribe joined in, with others standing in prayer with bowed heads. The drumming got faster and faster, and the singing grew louder until it felt like an earthquake was passing through Kelsey. It moved her to tears, which she let run down her cheeks and fall to the ground.

The singing and drumming suddenly stopped, and silence filled the reserve. Kelsey stood holding John’s hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. She took a deep breath and wiped them away with the back of her hand. She thought of Erica and all the loss she’d experienced, and then finding her and also finding John; of the community she had in Winchburgh, the support around her.

The Chief addressed the Tribe again, inviting them to remain by the lake for as long as they wanted. Trees and native plants were to be planted on the bank of the lake, and food was being brought for everyone. It was a day of mourning what was past but also celebrating what the future held.

It was on that sentiment that Kelsey’s thoughts turned to the future. She thought of the message in the mug that Philip Guppy had left for her. She didn't know if she would hear from him again but hoped she would. She hadn’t known until the ceremony that she was strong enough to face the past.

"John," Kelsey said quietly. "I need to go after the people responsible for taking Erica when she was a child. I don't know how to do that or what I will face, but I think it’s time. I need to face the past."

"Alright," he said. "We do it together."

NOW AVAILABLE!

DEAD COLD

(A Kelsey Hawk FBI Suspense Thriller—Book Eleven)

“This is an excellent book… When you start reading, be sure you don’t have to wake up early!”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When North Dakota's quiet towns become the stage for a harrowing series of murders, FBI Agent Kelsey Hawk must decode a killer's cryptic fascination with maps and history. Uncovering a dark vision of rural revival, Kelsey must race to stop the next death at the intersection of madness and method.

“This book moved very fast and every page was exciting. Plenty of dialogue, you absolutely love the characters, and you were rooting for the good guy throughout the whole story… I look forward to reading the next in the series.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DEAD COLD is book #11 in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Kate Bold, whose bestseller NOT ME (a free download) has received over 1,500 five star ratings and reviews.

When she was just a child, Kelsey’s entire family was murdered, leaving her, the sole survivor, to grow up in the foster system. A rising star in the FBI, Kelsey set her ambitions on being assigned to a field office in the big city, away from the ghosts of her past. But when she’s reassigned to a small town in North Dakota, she can’t help but remember all the tragedy she fought so hard to leave behind.

Can she stop this killer in time?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured FBI agent, the KELSEY HAWK series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night. Fans of Rachel Caine, Teresa Driscoll, and Robert Dugoni are sure to fall in love.

Future books in the series are now available!

“Kate did an amazing job on this book and I was hooked from the first chapter!”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic, and I see the bad guys as something we hear about daily on the news... Looking forward to book 2.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This was a really good book. The main characters were real, flawed and human. The story went along quickly and wasn't mired in too many unnecessary details. I really enjoyed it.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Alexa Chase is headstrong, impatient, but most of all brave with a capital B. She never, repeat never, backs down until the bad guys are put where they belong. Clearly five stars!”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Captivating and riveting serial murder with a twist of the macabre… Very well done.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“WOW what a great read! Talk about a diabolical killer! Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading others by this author as well.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Page turner for sure. Great characters and relationships. I got into the middle of this story and couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to more from Kate Bold.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Hard to put down. It has an excellent plot and has the right amount of suspense. I really enjoyed this book.”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Extremely well written, and well worth buying and reading. I can't wait to read book two!”

—Reader review for The Killing Game

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DEAD COLD

(A Kelsey Hawk FBI Suspense Thriller—Book Eleven)

Kate Bold

Bestselling author Kate Bold is author of the ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); the CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eight books (and counting); the HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising eleven books (and counting); the KAYLIE BROOKS PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); the DYLAN FIRST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting);  the LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the KELSEY HAWK SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising nine books (and counting); the NORA PRICE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); the NINA VEIL FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising ten books (and counting); OF the BARREN PINES PSYCHOLIGICAL SUSPENSE series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the ADDISON SHINE SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting); and of the MAGGIE FLIGHT SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising seven books (and counting).

THE KILLING GAME (an Alexa Chase Suspense Thriller—Book #1), LET ME GO (an Ashley Hope Suspense Thriller—Book #1), and NOT ME (a Camille Grace FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1) are available as free downloads on Amazon!

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Kate loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.kateboldauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY KATE BOLD

MAGGIE FLIGHT SUSPENSE THRILLER

FINAL KILL (Book #1)

FINAL CHANCE (Book #2)

FINAL MISTAKE (Book #3)

FINAL LIE (Book #4)

FINAL BREATH (Book #5)

FINAL WHISPER (Book #6)

FINAL HOUR (Book #7)

ADDISON SHINE SUSPENSE THRILLER

FIND ME (Book #1)

FIND HER (Book #2)

FIND HELP (Book #3)

FIND HOME (Book #4)

FIND HIM (Book #5)

FIND YOU (Book #6)

FIND HOPE (Book #7)

BARREN PINES

THE UNSEEN NEIGHBOR (Book #1)

THE UNSEEN WIFE (Book #2)

THE UNSEEN KILLER (Book #3)

THE UNSEEN WOMAN (Book #4)

THE UNSEEN PAST (Book #5)

NINA VEIL SUSPENSE THRILLER

AWAY FROM HERE (Book #1)

AWAY FROM HIM (Book #2)

AWAY FROM HOPE (Book #3)

AWAY FROM HOME (Book #4)

AWAY FROM HUMANITY (Book #5)

KELSEY HAWK MYSTERY

FIND ME (Book #1)

FIND HER (Book #2)

FIND HELP (Book #3)

FIND HOME (Book #4)

FIND HIM (Book #5)

FIND YOU (Book #6)

FIND HOPE (Book #7)

FIND NO ONE (Book #8)

FIND OUT (Book #9)

FIND DEATH (Book #10)

DEAD COLD (Book #11)

DEAD QUIET (Book #12)

ALEXA CHASE SUSPENSE THRILLER

THE KILLING GAME (Book #1)

THE KILLING TIDE (Book #2)

THE KILLING HOUR (Book #3)

THE KILLING POINT (Book #4)

THE KILLING FOG (Book #5)

THE KILLING PLACE (Book #6)

ASHLEY HOPE SUSPENSE THRILLER

LET ME GO (Book #1)

LET ME OUT (Book #2)

LET ME LIVE (Book #3)

LET ME BREATHE (Book #4)

LET ME FORGET (Book #5)

LET ME ESCAPE (Book #6)

CAMILLE GRACE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOT ME (Book #1)

NOT NOW (Book #2)

NOT WELL (Book #3)

NOT HER (Book #4)

NOT NORMAL (Book #5)

NOT AGAIN (Book #6)

NOT SAFE (Book #7)

NOT TODAY (Book #8)

HARLEY COLE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NOWHERE SAFE (Book #1)

NOWHERE LEFT (Book #2)

NOWHERE TO RUN (Book #3)

NOWHERE LIKE THIS (Book #4)

NOWHERE GIRL (Book #5)

NOWHERE TO HIDE (Book #6)

NOWHERE CERTAIN (Book #7)

NOWHERE PURE (Book #8)

NOWHERE SOUND (Book #9)

NOWHERE SANE (Book #10)

NOWHERE TRUE (Book #11)

KAYLIE BROOKS PYSCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER

LAST BREATH (Book #1)

LAST CHANCE (Book #2)

LAST WISH (Book #3)

LAST SHOT (Book #4)

LAST MISTAKE (Book #5)

EVE HOPE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

IN HIS BLOOD (Book #1)

IN HIS SIGHTS (Book #2)

IN HIS REACH (Book #3)

IN HIS MIND (Book #4)

IN HIS WAY (Book #5)

IN HIS THOUGHTS (Book #6)

IN HIS DREAMS (Book #7)

DYLAN FIRST FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

OUT OF REACH (Book #1)

OUT OF TOUCH (Book #2)

OUT OF TIME (Book #3)

OUT OF BOUNDS (Book #4)

OUT OF LUCK (Book #5)

LAUREN LAMB FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SOMETHING KNOCKING (Book #1)

SOMETHING CALLING (Book #2)

SOMETHING WRONG (Book 3)

SOMETHING DARK (Book #4)

SOMETHING TO HIDE (Book #5)