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“What do you mean you aren’t taking me with you?” Kitree asked, studying the top of Hawke’s head as he bent to spoon cereal into his mouth. She didn’t want to see the man who killed her parents, but she didn’t want anyone else to be hurt.
“Not today. I have to go back and get everything set up. Then I’ll come get you.” He raised his face and stared her straight in the eyes. “Have I lied to you?”
She thought about her first meeting with the policeman and their talks and events since. “No.”
“I’m not lying now. I want you to remain here, safe. Where no one knows where you are. It’s going to take a bit to get the information we need from your mom’s past employer and to talk Child Services into going along with the plan. Not to mention talking with Sage and Dani.” He placed his spoon in the bowl and reached over to her hand.
Kitree placed her hand in his large, wide one.
“We don’t want to rush this and have anything go wrong. This is to catch the murderer and keep you safe.” He squeezed her hand and let go.
Mimi sat down at the table. “It makes sense to get everyone knowing what to do. Many lives could be at risk if the plan doesn’t go right.” Her gaze landed on her son.
She wished her mother had looked at her the way Mimi looked at Hawke. This was a mother’s love. She’d had Daddy’s love. But it was her mother’s she’d craved. When she’d wanted to stay with Momma and Daddy to protect their bodies from animals, it had been her mother’s last wish that she flee. And to show her mother she loved her and wanted her love back, she’d fled through the mountains.
“Okay. But don’t take too long. It’s already way past forty-eight hours.” Kitree narrowed her gaze on Hawke.
“What do you mean?” His eyebrows scrunched together. She’d said something that he didn’t understand.
“On the T.V. they say if you don’t catch the murderer in forty-eight hours you have less chance of catching them.”
Hawke laughed. As usual the girl came up with something he wouldn’t have thought someone her age would know. “It’s true, working with fresh clues makes it easier to solve the crime. It’s been almost two weeks since the murder. But we are getting closer to knowing what we need to know.” He picked up his bowl and drank the milk. “I need to get going. I have a stop to make before I head back to the county.”
He stood and Kitree rushed out of her chair and flung her arms around his waist.
“Be careful. Please,” she whispered.
“I will.” He patted her head and glanced at his mom.
She had the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “You have wasted years. You would have been a good father. Much better than your father or stepfather.”
He put his good arm around her shoulders and squeezed. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
“Never. You have never been a disappointment. I have wished you had a family. You are too lonely.”
“I’ll be back. Both of you stay out of trouble while I’m gone.” He stepped away from the two and hurried into the living room where his bag waited for his departure.
Without looking back or saying a word, he walked out of the house, dropped down into the driver’s seat, and drove away. It was hard not knowing if he was leaving them to fend against the murderer or keeping them safe.
He went north to Walla Walla. There were questions he felt Mrs. Bergman could answer. And he doubted the lieutenant would have any answers yet.
«»«»«»
The block was quiet. The vehicles weren’t parked outside the Poulson house. He drove around the block, checking out the house Mrs. Riddle lived in. It was dark, the blinds drawn. The quiet neighborhood seemed unreal after having come from the reservation and the activity that was always going on in his mother’s neighborhood.
He parked in front of Mrs. Bergman’s house and walked up to the door. Three quick raps and he turned to scan the house on the other side of the street. Quiet.
A car pulled up and parked behind him.
“Are you interested in the house?” a man in his thirties, dressed in slacks and a dress shirt asked, getting out of the mid-sized SUV.
“I’m looking for the owner. Mrs. Bergman.”
“I don’t know the name. That’s not who put it up for sale.” The young man pulled a For Sale sign out of the back of his vehicle.
“For sale? Who is the owner of record?” Hawke walked up to the man.
“It is owned by a house management firm. They said they wanted to sell to purchase more condos.” The man pulled a hammer out of the car and beat the sign into the ground.
“What’s the name of the management company?”
The man stopped pounding. “Eagle Management Company. Why?”
“I want to see what other properties they have.” Hawke strode to his vehicle, lowered his body down into the seat, and googled the management company. It looked legit, but he had a feeling it was backed by the government.
He started the car and headed out of Walla Walla and over Tollgate Pass.
Lt. Titus called him as he headed down toward Elgin. “I’m banging my head against a wall. No one wants to give me any information about our victim’s previous job.”
“Has anyone in Wallowa County noticed less FBI in the area?” He had a feeling all the government entities were pulling out. It was fine with him. The county police agency and the State Police worked well together. They didn’t need the Feds mucking things up when they set their trap.
“Word is there are only two left who have been visiting your haunts on a daily basis and asking questions no one is answering.”
Hawke grinned. Merrilee must have spread the word to not tell the Feds anything. “Good. It will make what we have planned easier with less agencies involved.”
“Hawke, I haven’t signed off on your plan yet.”
“Are you having second thoughts?” He didn’t like that Lt. Titus might not let them set up the snare.
“I’m still thinking it over and talking with the D.A. If this goes wrong, we could be up to our armpits in lawsuits.”
“It won’t go wrong if we are all one hundred percent committed.” Hawke couldn’t have Kitree kept under lock and key the rest of her life for fear someone might kill her. That wasn’t a way to live.
“I want to make sure. Are you coming to headquarters?”
“If you need me to.”
“Yes. I want to make sure I have your plan clear and hear why you think this might be linked to terrorism.”
“I’m just entering Elgin. I’ll see you in twenty.” Hawke hung up and eased back on the accelerator. It was close to noon. He’d grab a couple of Subway sandwiches in Elgin and take the lieutenant lunch. Get on his good side to make him understand the plan was the quickest way to draw out the killer. That or contact the FBI and tell them he had what they were looking for... But he didn’t and if they didn’t catch the killer with that plan the second one may not work.
«»«»«»
He left State Police headquarters in La Grande feeling more optimistic about his plan. After hearing everything, the lieutenant signed off on it as long as the civilians involved signed a waver to not sue if things went wrong and if Child Services would make up the fake adoption papers.
Once he talked this over with Dani, Tuck, and Sage, Lt. Titus would get the paperwork rolling.
Hawke called Justine.
“Hey, when are you bringing my car back?” she asked as soon as she answered the phone.
He smiled. She really didn’t care about the car, but was probably wondering what he had needed it for. “In about forty minutes. Are you home or at the café?”
“Home. It’s about dinner time. You want me to put another burger on the grill?”
That’s what he liked about his friendship with Justine. She didn’t dress up or change who she was when they were together. She knew it was a friendship and neither one felt the need to try and impress the other.
“Sounds good. Need me to pick up anything to go with it?”
“I’m good. See you when you get here.” She ended the connection.
As he drove out of Elgin, headed to Wallowa County, he dialed the number he had for Dani.
“Hello?” Her voice sounded as if she were deep in thought.
“It’s Hawke.”
“Hi. What’s happening? Can I go back up to the lodge?”
“Funny you should ask that. I need to visit with you, Tuck, and Sage. If you can get them rounded up in the morning, I’d like to meet someplace that we can’t be overheard.”
“That sounds ominous.” She chuckled. “How about I see if they can meet us here at my place, say oh-nine-hundred for breakfast?”
“That would be good. Text me if they can make it and your address.” Hawke was interested in seeing the mother-in-law apartment she rented from an elderly couple in Eagle.
“I will. See you tomorrow.” She ended the connection.
His phone made noise as he coasted down Minam Grade. That was quick. He pulled over across from the Minam store and checked the text message.
Tuck and Sage will be here at nine. They are curious too.
His phone dinged again with her address. He texted back. See you then.
Pulling back onto the road, he had the dinner with Justine to feel out what the county residents were saying about the Feds and the rest of the night to make sure his plan was foolproof if executed correctly.
«»«»«»
Justine met him at the door. She always knew when someone arrived due to the ruckus of the barking coming from the kennels. “Your truck’s unlocked if you want to put your things in it.”
“Thanks.” He grabbed his bag out of the back of her car and tossed it in the passenger seat of his pickup.
Stepping onto the porch, he said, “You know, I should be taking you out to dinner for the loan of your car.”
She studied him. “You didn’t ding it or anything, did you?”
Hawke laughed, drew in a settling breath, and said, “No. I filled it up in Winslow.”
“Thanks. That’s all I need for the use of it. Friends help friends.”
That was what he liked about the woman. She didn’t keep tally of how many times she helped anyone. She just did.
“And I appreciate that.”
They walked through the house and out to the patio behind. For June it was hotter than usual. The shaded patio was refreshing.
Her horses walked about the corral, fifty yards beyond the backyard fence, swishing their tails. Sun and Shilo, her dogs, were playing in the yard.
Taking a seat at the small table, Hawke slowly relaxed. It was the first time he’d been able to since finding the Poulson bodies. Even when he had dinner with Dani, the two FBI agents had been present, keeping him from completely deflating.
“This is nice. I needed it.” He accepted the bottle of beer Justine handed him from a small cooler by the table.
“Let me check the burgers and then you owe me an explanation.” Her dark brown eyebrows rose accenting her determined comment.
He nodded.
She pivoted, walking to the grill on the other side of the small patio.
The beer tasted good. He wasn’t much of a drinker. His drunken stepfather had him vowing at an early age to never have more than one drink. However, in the military, he’d imbibed a few more, only because he’d been taunted by some of the other soldiers that Indians couldn’t hold their liquor. Now, thirty years later, he saw how he had only played into their bigotry. He no longer had to prove anything to anyone. He knew who he was and didn’t give a rat’s ass about what others thought. And he’d learned to ignore others ignorance.
“Now,” Justine sat down across from him with a plate of sizzling patties of ground beef. “Tell me why you needed my car.”
As they plied their hamburger buns with condiments, Hawke told Justine everything except the plan and where Kitree was staying. It was best if only those involved knew about the plan, and only he and the residents of his mother’s neighborhood knew about Kitree.
“I can see where it was wise to switch vehicles, but you know, anyone in the county could have told them you were friends with me. They could have driven by and seen your truck parked here.” She took a bite of her burger.
“I had faith in Merrilee keeping everyone’s lips glued shut.” He studied her over his burger.
Justine laughed. “That she did! I think she must have spent all her free time calling people and making sure no one said a word to any outsiders.”
“That’s what I was hoping for when I told her about the FBI.” He was hopeful the Feds had left Herb and Darlene alone. They didn’t know anything about his disappearance other than he needed them to take care of his animals.
Dog, Horse, and Jack would be happy to get out of their pen and head up the mountain. It would take a few days to get prepared and the people all in place, but by the time Dani flew Kitree to the lodge, he and half a dozen officers would be settled in around the lodge waiting for the killer to arrive.
Justine told him about events and happenings in the county the two days he’d been gone. With all she talked about, it felt as if he’d been gone a week instead of a couple days.
After the meal, he helped her carry things into the kitchen. “Thank you for the dinner and the use of your car. I need to get home and take over my responsibilities for my animals. And I’m sure Herb and Darlene will want to know where I’ve been. If I don’t get there soon, I’ll be up half the night, and I could use a good night’s sleep.”
Justine put a hand on his arm in the sling. “How is this healing?”
He stared into her eyes. As much as she’d said she only wanted to be friends, he saw a spark of more than concern and friendship in their dark depths.
“Healing. Hoping to be out of the sling in a couple more days.” He backed away from her and walked into the living room, picking up his hat from the table where he’d dropped it when he’d arrived.
“Thanks again for the use of your vehicle and the dinner,” he said before opening the screen on the front door.
“You’re welcome here anytime.” She’d followed him to the door.
“Good to know.” He stepped onto the porch and kept on moving to his truck. Getting mixed up with any woman wasn’t in his sights. He’d have to rely less on Justine in the future. He didn’t want her getting stronger thoughts than he’d just witnessed. He wasn’t marrying material. His first bad marriage proved that. And he wasn’t one to shack up. That was still a commitment and the woman would expect him to be there when he might not be able to.
He started the pickup, waved, and backed out of the driveway. Yep. He would have to curtail his interactions with Justine. Damn! He really needed to find a male friend he could confide in. But he’d never had many male friends. He’d always tended to navigate to female friends. They didn’t challenge him physically all the time. His size and quiet demeanor always seemed to make guys think they needed to best him.
The drive to the Trembley’s took fifteen minutes. Dog ran out to the truck as soon as he turned down the driveway. A sure sign he’d been missed.
Hawke parked the vehicle and heard Horse braying. It was hard to believe the stubborn animal missed him too.
“Hey Dog, I’ve missed you.” Hawke knelt and rubbed the animal all over. Dog whined and tried to lick him. “Did you keep the horses company?”
“You were missed by everyone.” Herb said, walking over to the barn.
“Sorry I couldn’t give you any notice about where I went or how long I’d be gone.” Hawke shook hands with his landlord.
“We knew a child’s life was at stake.” Herb studied him. “Can you tell us anything?”
“Not much. She’s safe at the moment, but we’re planning a way to get the man to show himself.” Hawke lowered his voice. “That’s for no one else’s ears.”
Herb nodded. “I won’t tell Darlene.”
Hawke grinned. “She tries hard, but she can’t keep anything a secret.”
“True.” Herb glanced at the sling. “How’s the shoulder?”
“Healing. Getting stronger. I plan to see a doctor tomorrow and see if I can get this thing off and start using the arm.”
“Good to hear. I’ll let you settle in. I’m sure Darlene will corner you in the morning. She’s at a meeting tonight.” Herb headed back the way he’d come.
Hawke was tired. He visited the horses first, giving them a little grain and checking to see if he needed to clean the stall in the morning before he went to Dani’s for breakfast. It appeared Darlene had cleaned the stall out that day.
“Come on, I’m sure you’ll be happy to sleep in your bed as well,” he said to Dog as they both climbed the stairs to his rooms.
He’d turned his phone off before dinner with Justine. He glanced down and saw that Lt. Titus had left a message. Before taking a shower, he listened.
“I have the form for the civilians to sign. I sent the document to your email. District Attorney Lange isn’t completely on board but he does want to catch the murderer. As soon as you talk to the people involved, let me know and we’ll start things in motion.”
Hawke set his phone to wake him at six before heading to take a shower. He had several things to deal with before he met Dani and the Kimbals in the morning.