In the Arms of Stone Angels

chapter ten


“Mom, this is Joe Sunne. He’s a tribal elder and a Shaman for the Euchee tribe.” I spit out the man’s full pedigree, hoping Mom would be impressed and not so mad at me. A long shot. “This is my mother, Kate Nash. We’re from Charlotte, North Carolina. Just came back to fix up my grandmother’s old place. She died not too long ago.”

When I played the grandmother card again, I hoped he’d take pity on me. I had a hard time looking the man in the eye. He had a way of staring that made me feel like he could read my thoughts. You’d think that keeping my mind a blank slate wouldn’t be hard, but it was.

“Sorry to hear about your grandmother,” he said.

When he directed his comment to me, I looked up and met his gaze. The stern expression I had seen the other night—after I’d intruded on him—was gone.

“Your daughter came to see me yesterday evening. I’m saying this because, if she’s like most kids, she didn’t tell you.” He shifted his focus to Mom. “She came to ask me about White Bird. You might know him as Isaac Henry.”

“Is that so.” Mom crossed her arms and glared at me. She’d done the math and knew I’d taken the car to run my little side trip. I knew that choice tidbit would add another log onto the fire of our argument, once our visitor left. “And what brings you here, Mr. Sunne?”

“Please…call me Joe.” He took off his hat and tossed it through the open window of his truck. “I came to talk to Brenna and ask her a question, Mrs. Nash.”

“Kate. Call me Kate. You want to come inside, Joe?”

“No, thanks. This may not take long.”

I didn’t like the sounds of that. One question and he’d be gone. My dread at seeing him had shifted to worry that he’d come for a good reason and I’d have to prove myself for him to stay and help.

“What did you come to ask?” I’d gotten tired of them talking around me.

“Why do you care so much about White Bird?”

“Yeah, Bren. Tell us both.”

Two sets of eyes stared at me like I’d farted in church.

“It’s complicated.” I stalled.

“Then simplify it for us.” Mom wasn’t cutting me any slack, but the edge had gone out of her voice. She really wanted to know.

I could have told them that I loved him and that the guilt of me turning him in had gotten too much for me to handle, but my feelings for White Bird were deeper than that and what we shared was private. So I told them what I could and spoke from my heart.

“I’m part of his tribe. He asked me to be his family and I said yes.”

Mom cocked her head and I had a hard time reading her face. Did she feel betrayed that I had chosen White Bird as my family? I wanted to tell her that saying “yes” to him didn’t mean I had disowned her, but I wasn’t sure she’d believe me.

Joe Sunne’s expression was easier to read.

“A tribe has to do with blood.” He shook his head. “You can’t say ‘yes’ and make that happen. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Why not?” I asked.

Even Mom turned to him for an answer, but when he only shrugged, I had something to say.

“You act like you don’t even know him. Why is that? He’s Euchee, like you. Even if he’s not full-blooded, why would you treat him like shit?”

“Brenna.” Mom grimaced. “Watch your language.”

The man stood silent for a long time. He fixed his eyes on me and I did the same back to him. After what seemed like an eternity, he blinked and looked human.

“Your daughter’s right, Kate. And she deserves an answer.” He cleared his throat and glanced away. I knew whatever he’d say would be hard for him. “I’ve been a coward when it comes to this boy. And your daughter came to me the other night to speak up for him. That took guts. And I respect that.”

Mom looked at me and narrowed her eyes as if she was seeing me for the first time.

“It looks like we’ve got things to talk about,” my mother said. “Why don’t you come inside, Joe. Please.”

He nodded and followed Mom to the house and I walked two steps behind them. I had a strong feeling that White Bird was with me. And I pictured him smiling.



Deputy Will Tate had started his shift with more of a purpose than his usual patrol duties. The incident with Brenna Nash had been bugging him ever since it happened. That kid was hard to forget. And when she kept her mouth shut about what had happened, that worried him. His gut told him that he had to watch out for the quiet ones—the kids who took a beating without complaining. That meant someone else posed more of a threat than cop trouble.

And it didn’t take him long to find out who that might be.

Being a liaison officer to the local high school, Will knew plenty of the local kids. The sheriff had assigned him the job as part of his rookie duties. And with him being a young deputy, the assignment fit. He had a small office on school property with regular hours for him to interact with kids. And with his visibility, he not only kept incidental crimes to a minimum at the school, but he also had become more visible to the community. The program was innovative and he liked being a part of it.

Putting his connections to good use, Will spent his past few shifts calling on the kids who owed him a good turn, ones who might be honest with him. But when even those kids played it cagey—and kicked out the same story verbatim—he was even more worried for Brenna.

“You’re hiding something about that Seaver party. What’s got you spooked?” he pushed Tyler Dixon for an answer. “Since when do you keep your mouth shut, Tyler? It’s not in your nature, man.”

Tyler was heading into his junior year and was the editor for the school paper. He was a bit of a big mouth with an ego to match and prided himself on reporting the truth. Maybe his rebellious nature only went as far as the cafeteria menu and parking lot issues.

“I told you. I wasn’t there until later, but I heard stuff.” The kid sprawled on a bench along a hiking path by Walnut Hill pond. He’d been playing Frisbee with his dog, Taco, a border collie–terrier mix. Will had seen the kid from the street and drove into the park to talk to him, one-on-one.

“Like?” Will leaned against a tree with his thumbs hooked into his duty belt. “Come on. You know you’re dying to tell me ’cause you like stirring things up. You’ve got the instincts of a big city reporter, so talk to me.”

Tyler sat quiet for a long moment and stared down at the black-and-white-spotted dog stretched out at his feet. The dog’s long tongue dangled from its panting mouth.

“I heard Jade DeLuca and Derek Bast made things happen. I don’t know how far they went, but those two don’t have limits, if you know what I mean. And they fed their concocted story to the other kids to stack the deck against that Nash girl. But I have to tell ya, I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of either one of those idiots. Derek is a mean son of a bitch, but Jade is worse. She’s a backstabbing snake and not even her bodacious boobies make up for that.”

The kid smirked and gave him a visual, holding out both his hands. Taco wasn’t impressed. The dog groaned and went to sleep.

“Why would they want to hurt Brenna Nash?” He knew enough about the Heather Madsen case to suspect this was all connected, but he wanted to hear what Tyler had to say.

“You weren’t in town when Heather got whacked, but it’s all linked to her, dude. In my opinion, that girl had serious issues. And she’d pissed off plenty of folks to make a hefty list of enemies, including Jade DeLuca, numero uno on Heather’s hit parade.”

“Jade? I thought she was Heather’s best friend.”

“Well, you know what they say. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. That pretty much described those two. Heather was one mean bitch and anyone in her inner circle knew that firsthand.”

“Then why would anyone want a part of that?”

“Good question, dude. I heard she dealt out the good with the bad. Personally, that wouldn’t be my thing, but some folks don’t know how to stand on their own two feet. They get desperate to belong, you know?”

“So if Heather had plenty of enemies, are you saying someone else might have killed her?” Will cocked his head and grimaced. “Because from what I’ve seen of that investigation, Isaac Henry was a clear front-runner.”

“I’m not saying anything. We’re just two guys talking here. Capisce?” Tyler raised his voice, clearly uncomfortable with his line of questioning. “I’m just into conspiracy theories, okay? And that Indian kid seemed like a convenient suspect. The investigation was over before it began. Considering your boss had a connection to a kid who should have been questioned, I just think that’s funny, is all. And that’s all I’m gonna say.”

Will knew what Tyler was suggesting. And he had to admit that he’d thought the same thing about Sheriff Logan’s conflict of interest since Derek Bast was his nephew and had been part of Heather’s circle.

“But why pick on the Nash girl? If what happened at the Seaver party was about retaliation for what happened to Heather, why go after Brenna Nash? She was the one who turned in Isaac Henry.”

“Who knows how psychos think? But if I had to take a guess, I’d say someone wanted to point a finger at Brenna because of her Tonto fetish. White on brown doesn’t always play around here with some folks. That’s no big deal for me, but each to his own.” He twirled the Frisbee on his finger and kept talking. “This town got real riled up when they heard about those two hooking up. If I was writing this movie, I’d say that playing the race card made a good smoke screen for the real killer to hide what might have happened.”

“And what was that?” Will asked. Tyler definitely had his interest.

“Don’t know. That’s why it’s a mystery.”

When the kid laughed, Will slumped onto the bench next to him. With Derek Bast being related to the sheriff and Jade DeLuca’s family being well connected in town, he would have an uphill battle to dig into this thing with Brenna Nash. He had a bad feeling he’d be unearthing something dark and ugly. And if he did run his own investigation, he’d be alone in pursuing it. The sheriff would be all over him. Second-guessing his boss’s case—a case everyone in town thought was a done deal—would really muck up the works.

He should have let things go, but keeping his mouth shut when things weren’t right wasn’t in his nature, either.

“So if you were plotting this movie—” he grinned at Tyler “—who would you put on the suspect list for Heather’s murder and why? Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

Tyler smiled back and kept talking. Guess the kid had guts after all.

Bricktown Ballroom—Oklahoma City

Known for its live music, the Bricktown Ballroom was a converted warehouse of red brick with massive exposed wood beams jutting through its tall ceilings. Colored lights were dim, barely bright enough to see faces. And even though the place smelled like smoke and alcohol, Jade DeLuca loved the casual vibe that focused on the music.

And tonight would be no exception.

The ballroom was packed and Jade felt the electric mood that ran through the crowd. Everyone was talking and drinking and stealing glances at the stage as they waited for any signs of the band, Brain Crush. Lucas Quinn played lead guitar and was the front man for the hot new group. His band was on the fast track and Jade thought they were way better than the Flaming Lips, a very popular alternative music band that originated out of Oklahoma City and had made it big. And that was saying something about Lucas.

Brain Crush had played in Bricktown many times, a sweet gig and a hot spot for entertainment that was located near the downtown canal in OKC. And when Chloe had told her about Lucas playing there, Jade really wanted to go. She had used her fake ID in Bricktown before and she knew she could get into most places. And it took only two hours to drive there from Shawano.

But messing with Chloe was the main reason she was here. Jade took advantage of the fact that the girl didn’t want to drive to OKC alone. Chloe had already offered to pay for her gas and all her expenses if she drove, including the cover charge, drinks and food after. So Jade took advantage of her pathetic excuse to buy friendship and invited Nicole and Brandy—telling them all their expenses would be paid for, too.

Chloe never objected. That’s what a total loser she was.

Jade had bought drinks for a crowd of strangers, using Chloe’s tab, and was passing the drinks around when an announcer came on the stage and introduced Brain Crush. And as she expected, Lucas was amazing and the first set was incredible. Elbow to elbow, the crowd jammed to the music and screamed after each song. With cool videos playing on a big screen behind him, Lucas was in his element and he was crazy good.

“He looks yummy,” Jade screamed to Chloe over the music.

The girl nodded and hadn’t said a word since the music started. She only stared up at the stage with buggy blue eyes, drooling over her crush. She had it bad. Real bad.

“You gonna talk to him at the break?” she asked. When Chloe only grimaced back with a crazed look that was a mix between deer in the headlights and pure panic, Jade came up with an idea. “You should let him know you brought a group down from Shawano. He’d like that.”

Even in the dim lights off the stage, Jade saw Chloe smile. She had dangled the bait and Lucas Quinn made an enticing lure. When Chloe went back into ogling Lucas onstage, Jade got to work. She moved through the crowd until she spotted the person she was looking for. After everything had been arranged, she sat back and waited for the band to take a break.

Jade didn’t have to wait long.

At the break, Lucas made his way through the crowd. He was stoked and grinning, looking cuter than ever. Hands reached out to touch him and people called out his name and waved. Chloe was rooted where she stood. Her eyes were glued onto Lucas, but she was too scared to approach him until Jade waved her hands and gestured for her to go. Even though it was too loud for Chloe to hear, Jade mouthed the words, “Go! Talk to him!” And good little Chloe did as she was told.

To get a better look at the train wreck that was about to happen, Jade crawled onto a bar stool and craned her neck over the sea of heads. Chloe worked her way through the masses, but so did some chick named Misty that Jade had met near the bathrooms. She’d paid the stacked blonde—who had the best rack money could buy—to plant a deep wet kiss on Lucas and pretend to know him intimately.

And everything played out like Jade had planned.

Misty wrapped her arms around Lucas, yelling, “Baby! You played our song.” And she even grabbed his ass as she drove her tongue down his throat. With Lucas still working off his stage adrenaline, he took full advantage and kissed her back.

The crowd went wild, but Chloe didn’t.

She had broken through the hordes just in time for a front row seat. She stood next to Lucas, so close she could touch him. Even from a distance, Jade saw the shock on her face…and the tears that followed. Chloe melted into the mass of people and got swallowed up. And Jade lost sight of her. She plopped down on the bar stool and smiled.

Seeing the hurt on Chloe’s face should have made her feel bad, but it didn’t.

It only brought back terrible memories of the same crap Heather used to pull on her. Lashing out at Chloe—to make up for Heather’s sins—was never enough, but she’d become addicted to the power of controlling other people’s lives. Hanging with Heather had been the stepping stone she’d needed. And now it was her turn to be on top.

Outdoing Heather’s cruel pranks really got her off and the other kids hadn’t seen anything yet. She was only getting started. Jade loved how everyone talked about her now and not that dead bitch anymore. Erasing Heather’s memory in everyone else’s minds was like a drug she couldn’t get enough of.

And Chloe had made it way too easy.

Shawano

Mom had fixed hot tea, something Joe Sunne had asked for. We sat at the small table in the kitchen, one of the few areas of Grams’s house that the painters had left intact. And the Shaman’s deep voice captivated me, especially when he talked about White Bird.

“The first time White Bird came to me, he wanted to know about vision quests. And with me being Shaman for my people, it was natural he would come to me. I explained to him that a vision quest is a rite of passage for boys before they reach puberty and that he was too old for the ritual. But when he insisted on knowing more about it, I told him that I couldn’t help him. I turned him away because he wasn’t a tribal member and I didn’t want responsibility for an outsider.”

“An outsider?” I let my anger show. “He took pride in being Euchee. You don’t know what it meant to him.”

“I know that now, but at the time, I didn’t realize how strongly that boy felt about being without a tribe.” He looked into his mug of tea as if he was staring into the past. “Weeks later, I found tools stolen. A shovel, an ax, a knife that my grandfather had made, and some other things were missing from my shed, like tarps and tanned hides and some old blankets. I swear that I didn’t know it was him. If I had, I would’ve kept my mouth shut. But I thought it was some white kids down the road from me and I wanted that knife back.”

When he realized that he said “white kids,” he looked at Mom and me and said, “No offense.”

“None taken,” Mom said. “Go on, Joe.”

“After the police told me the fingerprints they found were White Bird’s, I felt real bad. I knew he’d taken those things to do his own vision quest. And he took them to make a point with me. He was building a sweat lodge somewhere. He knew enough about vision quests to know he’d need one.”

“Once you found out those fingerprints belonged to him, why didn’t you explain to the police that he’d come to your place looking for help?” I asked. “You let them believe he’d stolen your stuff. That’s not right. Maybe he was only borrowing them.”

“Brenna.” Mom jumped to Joe’s defense.

“No, she’s right, Kate. That kid could have borrowed my stuff. And I should have said something to the police, but by that time, he’d been arrested and charged with murder. My tribe wouldn’t have wanted trouble with the whites. I was afraid they’d blame my people and our customs for what happened.”

Joe took a long gulp of tea before he continued.

“You see, White Bird may have taken peyote or mescaline to enhance the visions on his quest. That was an old custom practiced by the ancestors of many tribes. It was considered a sacred medicine. I would not have recommended that for the boy. Fasting and sleep deprivation would have been sufficient, but without my guidance, he didn’t know.” He hung his head low. “I had no idea what would happen by turning him away. If I had it to do over again, that never would’ve happened.”

“But you let them file theft charges against him. I don’t understand.” I shook my head, not letting it go.

“I figured if the theft case ever went to court, I’d recant my story. Those charges never would’ve stuck. But they had him for murder. And as volatile as Shawano got over one half-breed boy murdering a white girl, imagine what it would have been like if my tribe had been drawn into the investigation. Guilt by association can get real ugly, especially in a small town.”

“Believe me, we know about that,” I said. I could totally see his point. And I also knew what it was like to live with guilt and regret.

“But what’s eating me alive is that he might have killed that girl while under the influence of a hallucinogen. And all because I said no.” He clenched his jaw and stared at his hands. “That’s why I came to see you, Brenna. I can’t sit back and watch that kid take all the blame. And I think you might have what it takes.”

“What it takes for what?” I leaned forward in my chair and put my elbows on the table.

“The other night when you came to my house, I saw something in you. I know this will sound strange…”

I was BFFs with strange. And all ears.

“Go on,” Mom said. Even she was getting into this.

“I sense you have a gift that you keep secret. Am I right?”

Holy shit! Didn’t see that coming.

Mom did a double take and stared at me like I was a friggin’ alien. I’d seen the look before. And Joe Sunne waited for me to confirm something he might already know. A gift? My life was more like a damned curse. I was a borderline schizophrenic who saw dead people and was channeling a great guy who had only two flaws—he’d been arrested for murder and had a room at the local asylum.

What part of me was a gift to anyone?

I had no idea what the man was talking about, but with him being mystical and all, maybe I didn’t stand a chance of fooling him, a guy who could probably bend a spoon using only his brain. He’d see right through me. And with him and my mom both staring at me—waiting for an answer—I didn’t know what the hell I’d say.