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HAWKE DROPPED THE EVIDENCE off at the forensic lab in Pendleton and headed east toward his mother’s home on the edge of town. He hadn’t called her, but knew she’d be there. Since the death of her husband, she had started watching children for the young mothers in her neighborhood while they worked. The weekends she went shopping. If it was Saturday, he wouldn’t find her home until after the bingo game at the center.
It always amazed him that even though he hadn’t felt as close to the people on this reservation as he had the ones at Lapwai when he was younger, his throat still tightened as he approached. Perhaps it was knowing he’d see his mother or the thought of immersing himself in the culture he grew up with but rarely practiced while away.
Maybe what he felt wasn’t nostalgia but guilt? That thought left a lump in his gut.
Two little boys around four-years-old were wrestling in the yard when he pulled up. They stopped, looked at his vehicle, and immediately bolted for the front door.
It was rare for a state police rig to be seen on the reservation. The reservation police dealt with issues here.
He stepped out of his truck as his mother came to the door.
She smiled and waved for him to come in.
Hawke’s heart beat with a renewed joy seeing his mother. He wouldn’t call himself a momma’s boy, but the two of them had gone through a lot. First the rejection by his blood father and then the abuse of his stepfather. They had a bond that was different than his younger sister and mother had.
He took off his duty belt and vest and locked the truck before walking across the dried lawn. Stepping through the door, familiar scents sent him back in time. To the days when his stepfather was on the road for his job and Hawk would come home to fresh-baked cookies and soup simmering on the stove.
“My boy. It’s good you came to see me. I’ve been thinking about you a lot,” his mother said, walking up and giving him a hug. Her graying head came to his shoulder. Her thin arms wrapped around him in a warm embrace.
“I’ve missed you, too.” He hugged her and stepped back to get a good look at her. “You are growing too thin.”
Four children ran around them and out the door, giggling.
“You don’t have to watch children. I can send you money.” He always offered. She always turned him down.
“You need to keep your money for the day you decide to buy a house and settle down like a proper husband.” Her gaze scanned him from head to foot. “You look good.”
She wandered into the kitchen and he followed. Pieces of chicken were in different stages of preparation to be fried.
“Would you like me to help?” he asked, remembering the days of the two of them preparing meals.
“No. You sit and talk to me while I work.” She plopped a glass of iced tea in front of him and went back to rolling the chicken in flour. “You are in your work truck. Does this mean you won’t stay for dinner?”
“I can stay for dinner. If it were up to my sergeant, I’d stay for two days but I’m this close to finding what I need to pin a murder on a suspect.” He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
“That isn’t close at all.” His mother put her fingers together. “If you were this close you would have the truth.”
“I know who did it. I’m just trying to get the proof before I arrest her.”
His mother put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You don’t arrest people. Your job is to catch hunters who devalue their privilege to hunt. Not catch killers.”
He’d told her in the beginning when he joined the state police that his goal was to be a game warden and not be in the middle of situations that could get him killed. He’d known he would be in just as much danger, but it made her feel better. “Mom, I found the body on the mountain. I followed the tracks that showed how the man was killed. I want to be the one to bring the killer in. She’s the sister of a friend of mine. I feel I have to be the one.”
Her gaze traveled over his face. “This friend, is it a she?”
“Yes, it’s the woman who found Dog for me.”
Her face lit up. “So, she is special to you?”
He shook his head. “Special as a friend. I don’t want her to be devastated when her sister is arrested. That’s why I want to be there.” His mind flashed back to stepping into his house and finding his wife and all her clothes gone before he could tell her he’d arrested her brother. Someone else had told her first. And she’d left him for doing his job. He wanted to be the one to tell Justine before anyone else did.
“She is only a friend? Have you been seeing anyone else? Someone who could make me grandchildren?”
Hawke shook his head. Mom had been mad at him for a long time after Bernie, his wife of five years, divorced him. She’d thought he should have tried harder to make Bernie come back. He’d tried to talk with Bernie twice. Both times had been torture. He’d loved her, but she couldn’t see past what she thought of his being a traitor for arresting her drug trafficking brother. His only solace was that they’d had no children and he wouldn’t have to worry about her druggy brother being around his daughter or son. Hawke had signed the divorce papers, and decided then and there, he was finished with marriage. But his mother wanted grandchildren. His sister had yet to find a man worth marrying.
“Mom, you’ll have to hope Miriam finds a decent man at the Cultural Center. I won’t be marrying any time soon. And any woman I’d marry would be too old to bear children.” His mind flashed to Dani.
“You do have your mind on a woman.” His mother jumped on his comment like a cat on a mouse.
“There is a woman who interests me, but that’s as far as it can go.” He didn’t think the Air Force Officer was a one-night type of woman. And he couldn’t give her anything more, considering she wasn’t giving up her inheritance and he wasn’t giving up his job until he could no longer perform his duties. “Have you seen Linda around?”
“You are not going to bed her tonight,” his mother said, frowning. “That woman makes her living on her back. You don’t need to catch any of what she has.”
He knew his old classmate and junior year girlfriend had fallen into the trade after her husband was killed. She’d always been a pretty girl and had grown into a nice-looking woman. He’d asked her why she didn’t remarry, and she’d said, she’d rather not get close to another man. It hurt too much when they died.
“I wasn’t going to sleep with her. I just wondered how she was doing. Mike’s death was hard on her.”
“We all lose men. But we don’t all sell our bodies.” She slammed a pan on the stove and plopped a spoonful of bacon grease in.
“Mimi,” a young woman’s voice called from the other room.
“In here, Sherry,” his mom called.
A woman in her twenties walked in carrying one of the boys he’d seen when he pulled up.
“Is there some kind of trouble—” Her gaze landed on him.
“This is my son, Gabriel.” His mom waved the spoon in her hand toward him and then toward the woman. “This is Sherry Dale and her son, Trey.”
Hawke stood. “Pleased to meet you.”
“That’s right. You said your son was a game warden in Wallowa County.” The woman held out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Her cheeks darkened. “Mimi, your first husband must have been one handsome man.”
His mom scoffed, and Hawke shoved his hands in his pockets. They didn’t speak much about his father. The man had dumped him and his mom on her parents’ doorstep and never came back.
“Here’s the money for watching Trey. Thanks again. I think I got the job. I’ll know tomorrow.” She put a ten-dollar bill on the table. “If I did, will you be able to watch Trey?”
Mom picked up the money, shoving it into her apron pocket. “As long as it isn’t nights or weekends. I only watch kids from seven in the morning to six at night.” She squinted at the woman. “The rest of the time you should be home with your children.”
“I know. I am. Thank you. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear from the bank.” Sherry glanced at him. “Nice meeting you.” She spun on a heel and left the room, and from the clap of the screen door, the house.
“Nice girl. She got knocked up in school. Got her GED and took college classes in business and now is out there looking for work. I wish more girls did that.” She turned to the sizzling chicken.
“Good for her.” His phone buzzed. He glanced at it. Sergeant Spruel.
“Hawke.” He walked out the back door and watched the three children still there run into a small playhouse.
“I went over the bank and phone records. I couldn’t find any contact between the three you suspect, but I did find that they all purchased burner phones in the same week. It was on their credit cards. When the warrants come through we can search each of their residences for the phones and connect them.”
“Good. I’m having dinner with my mom then I’ll head home. If by chance the warrant for the Welch home comes through tonight, let me know. I can meet whoever serves it.”
“Will do. Enjoy dinner.” Spruel disconnected.
When he stepped back into the kitchen another young woman stood in the room.
“Oh!” she said, seeing him walk through the door. “Did something happen?”
His mom went through the introductions as she manned the frying pan.
This woman took two of the children, leaving one little girl who came in and sat at the table.
“You a big man,” the girl said, wiping at her milk mustache with the back of her hand.
“You’re a pretty girl,” he said, picking up a cookie from the plate his mom had placed in front of the girl along with the glass of milk.
The girl frowned at him. “You shouldn’t steal cookies. You’re a policeman.”
He laughed. “I thought the cookies were for both of us.”
“Mimi always gives me three cookies. Now, I only gots two.”
“I’m sorry.” He picked up the plate, carried it to the cookie jar on the counter and put two more cookies on the plate. Sitting back down, he said, “Now you have your three and I have one more, because they taste so good.”
She grinned and nodded, picking up another cookie.
“Mimi?” a male voice called.
“In here, James,” his mom called back.
“That’s my daddy,” the girl said, wiping her hands on her jeans and jumping off the chair. She hit the man, wrapping her arms around his legs as soon as he appeared in the room.
“Hey bug, did you have a good day?” he asked, totally absorbed in his daughter.
“I did. I made a new friend.” She pointed to Hawke.
The young man followed her arm and froze. “What are you doing here?” His arms automatically tightened on his daughter.
There was a story here.
“It’s okay, James. This is my son, Gabriel. He’s not here to take Annie.” Mom walked over to the two and patted Annie on the back. “He’s visiting. Besides, we won’t let Annie’s grandparents take her away from you. You are a good father.”
Hawke smiled and held his hand out. “Pleased to meet you, James.”
The young man relaxed his hold on his daughter and shook hands. “Sorry. I’ve received so many threats from my wife’s parents, I don’t know who to trust.”
“I understand. Annie is a precious girl.” Hawke smiled at the child.
“I have to work overtime tomorrow. Can I drop Annie off early?”
“You can drop her off here any time you need to. She’s no problem.” Mom squeezed the child’s cheek and went back to frying chicken. “You’re welcome to stay for dinner, if you want. I made plenty.”
James glanced at Hawke. “Not tonight. You have company, and I need to get laundry done.”
Hawke didn’t invite him to stay. He preferred a quiet dinner with his mom before he headed home.
“It was nice meeting you. See you in the morning, Mimi.” He and Annie walked out the door with the child waving and grinning.
“What happened to the wife?” Hawke asked.
“She overdosed. Parents blamed James, but Carla was just unstable. Always had been. He loves that little girl and is bringing her up strong. We won’t have to worry about losing her to drugs.”
She placed the chicken on the table along with potatoes, gravy, and beans. “Sit. Dinner is ready.”
He enjoyed the meal, reminiscing with his mom and asking her about the children she watched.
“You are the best thing that ever happened to these young people who need childcare. I’m proud of you.” He gave his mom a hug as he got ready to leave.
“Thank you. I think I did a pretty good job bringing you and your sister up, considering our circumstances. I feel that gives me the guidance some of these children need.”
“I agree. I’ll come stay a couple days next time.”
“You better. A few hours isn’t enough.” The tears glistening in her eyes, made his heart ache. He didn’t come visit often enough.
“I promise.” He climbed into his truck and headed over the Blue Mountain pass back to La Grande.
His phone buzzed when he was on the summit. “Hawke.”
“Hey, it’s Shoberg. Your warrant for search of the Welch home and hangar came through. I can have it at their residence in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll meet you there.” He flicked on the lights and pressed on the accelerator. He wasn’t going to miss the search.