Shallow Grave-J Collins 3 (31 page)

He gave me a wicked smile. “You know I don’t wear pajamas.”

“Not good enough. I need to judge for myself if you’ve got any quirks I should be concerned about.”

“Just the territorial instinct you bring out in me,” he muttered.

I tapped my foot. “Funny. But I’m serious, Martinez.”

“Fine. I built a house, way out in the Hills. It’s se-cluded, next to Forest Service land. I end up staying here or at Fat Bob’s way more than I’d like.” He smoothed a strand of hair from my cheek. “Or I’ve been crashing at 355

your place.”

“Not lately.”

“Will you quit pouting if I promise to take you to my house soon?”

“Maybe.” I scowled at the door to the staircase.

Martinez sighed. “What now?”

“Do we have to go down there? I don’t want to see anyone else.”
Take a chance and tell him the truth.
“God, Martinez, it’s been a hellish week and I don’t want to be with anyone else. I don’t want to share you with anyone else. I just want it to be . . . you and me.”

His soft gaze swept over my face. “Jesus Christ, I can’t believe how much I missed you. I’ll grab your stuff and be right back. We’ll bunk here tonight, okay?”

For the rest of the night, and into the wee hours of the morning, our world was a pair of reunited lovers, and it was more than enough.

356

In the morning I zipped home and changed clothes before I went to the offi

ce. I was exhausted, but things

had changed between Martinez and me in a positive way last night, and sacrifi cing sleep was a small price to pay.

I scrolled down my to-do list. I might as well get all the phone calls out of the way. I tracked down the Dove’s number and dialed.

“Hi, Sharon, it’s Julie Collins.”

“Hello.” Her voice was decidedly cool. “I hope you have good news with Maria’s case?”

“Some. I’ve uncovered new information.”

Th

e phone was quiet for so long I wondered if my handset had died. “Sharon?”

“Yes, I’m here. I’m a little out of it. What new information?”

357

No way to easy way to say it except straight out.

“Did you know Maria was moonlighting as a cocktail waitress at Bare Assets for three months before she disappeared?”

“What? No, you’re mistaken, Maria would never—”

“—she did, I’ve verifi ed it with the club manager.

It also appears she had hooked up with a biker guy who worked security at the club, who went by the nickname, Beaner. Ring any bells?”

Silence.

“Sharon?”

“No, this is all news to me. Go on and tell me everything.”

“Th

is has to come as a shock, and I’m not trying to be diffi

cult, but are you sure you’ve told me everything about what Maria was doing in the months prior to her disappearance?”

“Yes. And like I told you when you were here, the discovery of her surprising place of employment, the mysterious biker she was seeing on the sly; none of it’s relevant.”

I practiced patience. “Why not?”

“Because Roland Hawk killed Maria. You should be concentrating on fi nding proof.”

Roland Hawk, Roland Hawk.
Squawk squawk; she sounded like a parrot. “I talked to Roland. While he 358

is a piece of garbage, he denies he had anything to do with Maria’s disappearance. And I’ve gotten confi rmation from a couple of other sources that she had been head over heels in love with this Beaner guy, despite the fact he was married.”

“I see. And you’re taking Roland’s word for it?”

“No. I’m looking for other reasons and motives and suspects. Th

e process of elimination is just part of the process.”

“Have you ruled out Roland completely?”

“No.”

“Good. Sorry, but I’ve got to run, we’re planning Maria’s memorial service. Keep me informed.” She hung up.

I dropped my head on my desk. “Th

at went well.”

“What went well?” Kevin asked from the doorway.

“Th

e phone call to Sharon Dove.” I sat back in my chair. “She acted pissy when I mentioned the mystery man in Maria’s life again. Do you think she knew about the scummy guy her daughter was seeing and disap-proved?” I chewed on that for a second. “Nah, Sharon wouldn’t keep that information to herself because she wants Maria’s case resolved.”

Kevin blew on his coff ee. “You’re learning the power of deductive reasoning, young Jedi.”

“Speaking of . . . how is Denny today?”

359

“He looks better. He’s applying for a cook’s job at the new sports bar down the road from me. Within walking distance so he can get there on his own. I managed to get him to borrow some of my clothes, since he has nothing but the clothes on his back, his cell phone, and his iPod.”

“If I haven’t told you how unbelievably cool it is that you’ve taken him in, Kev—”

“It’s just as good for me, Jules, as it is for him.” He squinted at me. “You’ve got that High Pro Glow. You and Martinez fi nally kiss and makeup?”

Hoo-boy, did we ever. I smiled. “Yeah.”

“Back to normal?”

“Better than it was.”

His gaze narrowed. “Did you tell him everything that’s gone on?”

I nodded. I couldn’t disclose the Hombres problems to Kevin, even if it involved me to some degree. “What’s on the agenda for today, boss?”

“Last batch of Greater Dakota Gaming employee lists came Fed Ex yesterday afternoon. I’ll take half; you take half.”

We worked in our individual offi

ces all morning and

ordered pizza for lunch. I’d returned to my desk when my cell phone rang. Hoping for Martinez, I frowned when I didn’t recognize the caller ID.

360

“Hello?”

“Abita?”

“No. How did you get this number?”

“Umm . . . Abita called me from this number a couple of days ago. I’m trying to get a hold of her.”

“Who is this?”

“Her fi ancé, John Hooper.”

Fiancé? Abita hadn’t mentioned a fi ancé. “I haven’t seen or talked to her for a couple of days. Have you tried calling the dorm?”

“Yes, but no one ever answers. Its really important I get in touch with her as soon as possible.”

“Has something happened to someone in her family?”

“No, nothing like that.” Th

e receiver shifted. “Our

attorney hit a snag in the adoption paperwork for Jericho and Abita needs to call her to get it straightened out.”

My vision dimmed. Adoption? What the fuck?

“I’d planned on seeing Abita today so I can pass on the message. Does she have the lawyer’s number?”

“She should. Just have her call me if she needs it.

Please tell her to call me anyway.”

“Will do.”

“Th

anks.”

I shoved my phone and cigarettes in my purse, knocked on Kevin’s door and poked my head in. “Look, something just came up I need to take care of.”

361

“Something with Martinez?”

“No. With Abita. I’ll explain it later, okay?”

During the short drive to the college I fl ashed back to my conversations with Abita and the suspicion she was keeping secrets.

I paced outside the closed classroom. Seemed like thirty hours rather than thirty minutes before the door opened.

Abita was the last student out. She froze when she saw me. “Julie? Why are you here?”

“I hadn’t heard from you so I thought I’d drop by and see if everything was all right.”

“I’m fi ne.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I’ve only got a short break—”

“You’ve got half an hour, which will give you plenty of time to explain about your fi ancé John, and why your attorney wants to talk to you about a problem with the adoption process.”

Abita’s eyes fl ared panic. “How did you fi nd out?”

“John called my cell phone looking for you.”

“I-I wanted a little more time before I brought this up with you.”

“Wrong. I suspect you wanted to wait until the last possible minute to spring this on me because you probably knew I wouldn’t react rationally.”

“Can you honestly blame me?”

362

“No, but you’d better come clean about everything.

I’ve been dealing with enough secrets and shit in my life and I’m sick of it.” I spied a pair of wingback chairs in an alcove at the end of the hallway and pointed at them.

“Sit and start talking.”

Abita’s fi ngers bunched the pleated folds of her broomstick skirt. She wouldn’t meet my gaze.

“Tell me about John.”

“I met him a year and a half ago. He’s a member of a neighboring tribe. I-I didn’t date after Ben . . . and John is the fi rst person who showed a serious interest in me and my work. He talked to his elders about me coming to his reservation and teaching weaving classes.

So, I’ve been working with his tribe. Th

ey’re paying for

this seminar.”

“Why isn’t your tribe paying?”

Her long braid coiled on her thigh like a snake.

“Weaving has been a big part of my life since I was a little girl. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I’m pretty good, but my tribe already has a master weaver. Even if there wasn’t one, I’m a single parent, not a good example for the young girls in our community.

“John’s tribe welcomed my skills and didn’t shun me.

He helped me fi nd a place to live with an older woman who needed domestic help in exchange for room and board. She doesn’t even mind rambunctious little boys.”

363

I held my breath because I knew what was coming.

“John and I fell in love. We’re getting married next month and he is adopting Jericho.”

A punch in the gut couldn’t have produced more nausea. “Why didn’t you tell me this right away?”

“I don’t know.”

“Does Jericho know Ben Standing Elk is his father?”

“No. Jericho’s last name is Kahlen. I didn’t list Ben’s name on the birth certifi cate.”

“Do you plan on telling Jericho?”

“When he’s old enough to understand.”

I remembered the day Ben had shown up on our doorstep. Looking for his birth father. Didn’t Abita realize history was repeating itself? Didn’t she understand how much the lie had tilted Ben’s world upside down when he’d discovered the truth?

“Understand what? Ben is Jericho’s father.”

“No, John is his father, Julie, in every sense of the word. He has been for the last year. Th

e only thing we’re

waiting for is the legal documentation.”

I pictured Jericho’s sweet face. My heart stopped at the idea of not watching him grow up and change, or seeing if he’d turn out to be a carbon copy of Ben.

I thought I’d suff ered every imaginable pain in my life, but nothing prepared me for the visceral sense of loss of something I’d never really had.

364

Time stretched in a brutal stillness.

“Why did you bring Jericho into my life if you had no intention of letting me be part of his?”

Her gaze met mine. “Would you rather I hadn’t?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think—”

“Th

at I’d ever get married?” she demanded angrily.

“Come on. I had to grow up fast, but I’ve still got my whole life ahead of me. Th

ere have been times in the last

four years I wondered if I’d ever stop being ‘that poor girl who got knocked up and abandoned’ and have any man look at me either without pity or like I’m some kind of easy slut. I can’t survive on memories of Ben. I didn’t want to then, or now. I deserve more and so does my son.”

“But he’s also—”

“No, he’s
mine
and you have no right to expect
anything
. Especially after you sent your father after me.”

A chill snaked up my spine. “What did you say?”

“Your father tracked me down. He told me I was a fool for coming to South Dakota and expecting anything but grief from the Standing Elk family about Jericho.

Th

en he said with Leticia being a lawyer they’d get it in their heads they deserve visitation rights.”

“What?”

Abita’s eyes burned with fury. “Doug also warned me if they didn’t pursue the visitation issue you would.

Is that true?”

365

I was dumbfounded. “No. What other lies did my dad spew?”

“He demanded to know if I talked to Ben after he’d returned to South Dakota and what he said. When I refused to answer, he said if I was smart, and if I wanted to keep the boy safe, I’d return to Arizona as soon as possible and never come back.”

Jesus. Th

is was a nightmare.

Abita’s cruel laugh made me cringe. “You know the funny thing? If I wouldn’t have met Doug, I wouldn’t have realized how much you are like him, nor would I have believed he’s the only one making sense.”

My mouth opened to deny,
I’m not like him at all!

But Abita didn’t give me the chance.

She stood abruptly. “Just leave us alone. I-I can’t handle you or anyone else right now.” She hustled away from me, her skirt swishing as loud as pine trees in a windstorm.

I was too numb to do anything but let her go.

M M M

On the way back to Bear Butte County, I detoured the long way to the Standing Elk Ranch. I parked in a gravel turn-around directly across from the gate.

Like most western South Dakota ranches, two tall 366

posts marked the main entrance. A wooden sign hung between the posts, with the Standing Elk name and their cattle brand burned into the wood.

Th

e Standing Elk ranch wasn’t huge, 10,000 acres, big enough to support a hundred head of cattle. Th e

land had been in the family since the US Government had put the Sihasapa and other tribes on reservations in the late 1800s.

As I peered down the dirt road leading to the humble ranch house where my brother had grown up, I wondered who would take over the ranch once Verlin Standing Elk died. Reese, probably. If not, surely either Leticia or Owen would have married by then and it’d pass into the hands of another member of the Standing Elk lineage.

A beat-up International pickup slowed down at the entrance, then spun a U-turn and pulled up alongside me. I glanced at the driver. Reese Standing Elk. Great.