Leoti (21 page)

“True. I think there is history all over this area that we need to know more about.” The young assistant with a pair of tortoise-shell square frames riding the point of her nose said. “The interesting thing is the Chicatee were in this region before they arrived and then disappeared only a short decade after. I believe they occupied the land that Elu owns. It’s over 300 acres.”

Tim nodded in agreement. “We can’t prove any of this. Nothing documented explains where these people were or what happened to them. But during that time the Native tribes’ history wasn’t treated with much respect and the census records are incomplete. I will tell you this, the government is already pushing back on my request for the condemnation hearing.”

“Did you find a judge who can hear the case on Monday?” Josie asked.

“We have a stay. We can see Judge Angler on Monday.”

“Thank God. What else can we do?”

“Turns out they either overlooked a detail, or assumed your client wouldn’t bother to do his homework. The injunction doesn’t cover his entire land. So they have to re-file to seize all of it.”

“The treaty made mention of sacred land. Maybe we should explore that?” The assistant perked up.

“Holy Land?” Josie’s eyes lit up. “Wonderful!”

“Whoa! Everyone slow down. I’ll say it again. We have no proof. We go down that road and it’s false, Elu Takotie could lose everything,” Tim warned.

“Or it could be everything! The missing tribe of Chicatee, and the land proximity that has to be tied to a history worth exploring.”

“We are talking years of excavation to uncover the truth of these people. You know how it works. If the government wants this land they could pressure the courts not to grant the appeal on an unproven theory,” Tim reasoned. He erred on the side of caution and Josie understood why. This was a long shot. A one and a million shot, but it was the only shot they had.

She picked up the map and held it before her; arms stretched a yard wide to view the entire thing. “This isn’t the original map. Is it? The tribal council may have agreed to modify it but I’m sure they have the original copy for historical record.”

Tim nodded as Josie put it together. “Could they purposefully be keeping silent on this?” Josie asked.

“How else can you explain them not making a big noise over this? Why is Elu in this fight alone? It’s not my specialty, Josie, not this. I’ll have to call in help from our offices.”

“Call in whomever you choose, I’ll pay,” she dismissed.

“No.” he stopped her with a touch to her shoulder. His eyes cut over to the blond. “Give us a minute. She nodded and walked out. Then he moved in close, his voice lowered. “You can’t get involved. The media attention could work against him. We have a small window of opportunity here. If the government, who is still pissed at losing the case in the Sea Islands to you, finds out they’ll shut us down before we start. Plus your sister works for Crescent.”

“I understand.”

“Do you? From this point on you are out of it. Do you hear me?” Tim started collecting his documents.

“I have just one more suggestion,” she said. “Go public. After the emergency hearing tomorrow, you go public with Elu’s story and the Blackfoot community has to respond. Someone in those tribes should know about this land, what importance it has.”

She walked over and hugged him.

“Tim, if I was a free woman.”

“And I was a straight man.”

She smiled. “I’d give you one big wet sloppy kiss!”

He kissed her cheek, “How’s that instead?”

“Perfect,” she beamed.

He winked and walked out.

Doctor’s Office

The hospital wasn’t far from Tim’s office. Josie decided against a cab and walked. She enjoyed the stroll under the sun with the light breeze blowing through the trees. When she arrived she immediately had to undergo a battery of tests. She now waited in the exam room alone. All of it appeared sterile and impersonal. Without Elu or her family, Josie suffered a cold sense of loneliness and secretly regretted keeping them at bay. The door opened and a tall handsome man with silver grey hair and a thick mustache entered.

“Ms. Eastman? I’m Doctor Mathews.”

“Hi doctor,” Josie said.

“How are you feeling? I know today has been exhausting for you. Sorry we kept you so long.”

“I’m okay. Ready to get this over with. Do you have my test results?”

The doctor showed her the folder. He sat on the small stool to the left of her. He crossed his long legs. She waited in silence as he leafed through pages of lab results. “First I have some questions. How long was the amnesia?”

“Two weeks.”

“And during it did you suffer any other symptoms like nausea, impaired vision, headaches?”

“No. Well, I had a headache but the pain went away. My vision cleared after a day. Then I slowly improved with no vomiting or physical issues.”

The doctor frowned. “Interesting.”

“What is it?” Josie asked.

The doctor’s gaze lifted over the rim of his glasses. “Typically a head injury doesn’t cause the complete memory loss you suffered. Even if you are disoriented it never lasts longer than an hour or so.”

“Are you saying I made it up?” Josie flinched.

“No. No. I believe you suffered dissociative amnesia. It’s a form of shock or trauma. Think of it like a witness of a violent crime or personal tragedy, the brain can’t cope with what it’s seen or experienced and it shuts down. Wipes out personal memories until you can psychologically recover. I’m curious, right before the accident what was your state of mind?”

The question confounded her. She’d left her life to gain perspective. She spent a day in her cabin and the night fantasizing about a man she saw take a swim in the lake. There was no trauma, unless you call going over the side of a cliff trauma. “I was fine, I was vacationing and trying to relax. I just wanted to escape the pressure in my life.”

“I know who you are.” The doctor smiled. “A few of the nurses have your book. They want your autograph. It’s a lot of pressure for a young woman to manage. Stress can manifest itself in strange ways. The human condition of amnesia isn’t a perfect science.”

“So it’s over. I’m okay.”

“I think you need to step away from whatever is driving you right now and take a few days to completely recover. Time alone, reading a book or resting, would do you some good. Dial back on the stress and follow-up with your physician. But yes, you’re fine.”

She smiled. “Thank you doctor. Thank you very much.”

The Next Morning

After a night of tossing and turning she was ready. The waiting was the worst of it. She spent the rest of her Sunday buried in law books studying everything she could. She blocked out Carlton’s pain, and Elu’s impatience, and focused on what she could change. Her mother and sister hadn’t called since they left. There was so much regret between them all now. She wasn’t sure how it would change for the better.

And then it was time to go to court. She paced in the little hall in the Courthouse; unable to do anything to contribute, she waited and waited. Part of her wanted to reach out to Elu. Call him and tell her of their theories, share her fears. But the doctor’s sage advice weighed heavy on her. Carlton said she was acting differently because something may be physically changed or wrong with her. The doctor could not explain her amnesia. She never considered the fact that Carlton and her family could be right. Was she losing her mind? Were Elu and all the feelings she had for him real?

“Josie? Why don’t you wait in here?”

Tim’s assistant led her to a small conference room to continue to wait. She took a seat at the table. Her hands clasped in front of her with her fingers laced and locked. She itched to be in the courtroom. Being heard before the judge, laying out the truth and getting in the fight. Maybe her mother was right, that she was born for this. Maybe her dreams of writing romance and making babies were just fantasy. If that were true why did her mind purposefully force out her life to give her the fantasy?

“Josie?”

Her head lifted. Madeline walked in. Shocked to see her she scooted back in her chair and rose. “What are you doing here? I thought you and Tiffani left for Billings and then home?”

Tiffani entered the room next. “We came back, for you, to support you.”

“Tiffani you can’t be here. Crescent has a team of lawyers here today. Your job could be in jeopardy if they find out you have any involvement.”

Her sister smiled. “I’m here for you. Ma and I talked and we agreed that family is our priority. No matter what. No way we’d leave you behind. Sorry about what I said to you, how I’ve behaved. I’m so ashamed.”

Josie walked over and embraced her sister. She felt a great sense of joy to have her sister’s love again. It made her stronger. Tim’s assistant walked out. Tiffani let her go and smiled at her with tears in her eyes. “I want to apologize for Carlton too. I was jealous, Josie, and that’s something I plan to stop immediately. He loves you. Somehow I felt entitled to what you two shared. Forgive me?”

“Of course!” Josie smiled. “I can never stay mad at you for long.”

“Thank you.”

“And I love you too, baby.” Madeline said as the sisters let go of each other. “I was wrong to punish you girls for my problems. Being a mother was the best thing I ever did. And you two are the best gift your father ever gave me. I had so much resentment over his leaving us I blamed myself and I made you girls compensate for what I thought I lost. Forgive a stupid old woman.”

Josie and Tiffani laughed. “Ma, you are not old.”

“Oh so I’m stupid?” Madeline frowned.

They both hugged her. Josie squeezed her tight. She had hoped to repair her relationship with them but not so soon, and so completely.

Mission Creek

The squad car drove up onto his land just as he and Po walked out of his front door. Sherriff Rogers got out of the car, his cowboy hat riding high on his forehead. He dropped his hands in the pockets of his dark brown, nylon, county issued Sheriff’s jacket.

“Morning, Elu.”

“Morning, Sheriff. What brings you here?”

“Got news. Heard from the lawyers that friend of yours has bought you some time. We won’t be enforcing that order for you to vacate any time soon.”

Elu looked past the Sheriff to his property. Josie had made good on her promise. But this wasn’t her battle, and if he wasn’t nursing his heart he’d have insisted she stay out of it all together. In truth, just the thought of her fighting for him and Po was enough for him to swallow his pride and let her intervene. The ideal situation would have been to open the door and find her standing there with her bags packed and ready to be his. As if reading his thoughts the Sheriff stopped his approach and shook his head with pity. “What’s the plan, Elu? You know the tribal council wants nothing to do with this land or Chicatee. You can’t win this fight. Why sit here and let her go into a losing battle for you? That’s not who you are.”

“I never asked her to get involved. I know it’s my fight.” Elu’s gaze lifted from the Sherriff’s face and swept his land. “This land is a promise I plan to keep, just as I kept the promise for Chicatee. There are just as many forces of good as there are evil. I will be patient, until the time comes for me to do more.”

“Mission Creek hasn’t seen real jobs return here since the logging mill cut half the workforce. They even cut back on your hours. People are thinking this deal with the government could bring more.”

“They’re wrong. The government bringing a military installation here won’t bring jobs. It will be a cancer for Mission Creek. Doesn’t matter either way. My land isn’t for sale. I’m not stopping them from ripping into every mountain around here, just not the foothills of Blackfoot. That’s the end of it. It is my fight and if Rex thinks he has won he will soon learn differently.”

“How long have we been friends?”

Elu rocked the swing; the Sherriff removed his hat and rested his foot on the third step, leaning forward with his left arm on his knee. Po’s head lifted then lowered. “How long?” The Sheriff repeated the question.

“A long time.”

“This woman, Josie, she means a lot to you?”

“She means everything to me. Not since Ella has there been anyone as special. She’s my Leoti.”

“Then you have more to fight for than this land, correct? All of which may be outside of Mission Creek. I know you think you owe it to your grandfather and the people of Chicatee to stay here. The secret you protect the town protects as well. No strangers will ever know our shame. This lawyer lady could be your chance to move on, out of these mountains to have a good life. A family of your own.”

Elu smiled. The Sheriff didn’t know it but he’d fantasized, debated, and wept for answers. Leaving Blackfoot was never an option and now he accepted it. Leoti could return to him, there was hope, and he’s lived off much less in the past. “Have a beer with me, you can tell me what you know of this Crescent company and what Rex thinks he can gain. Then I’ll pack a bag and go to Libby to find her.”

Rogers checked his watch. “Sure, why not.”