In the Arms of Stone Angels

chapter nineteen


Ever since he’d said them, the sheriff’s words kept playing in my head. “It’s over. It’s really over this time.” I thought if I heard them enough, especially coming from him, I would believe it was true.

Guess I still needed time. And wounds that had cut so deep would never go away without a trace. I had to accept that.

After the sheriff had driven me home and explained things to Mom, it was my turn. She wanted my version of the truth. And after I got done with that and she’d patched me up, there wasn’t much nighttime left, but I made good use of my sack time. I had slept hard and I didn’t remember dreaming—until I heard a lawn mower outside my bedroom window.

That’s when I knew I was definitely dreaming. When I looked out my window, I saw Derek Bast and his buddies hard at work.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” I shook my head.

I got dressed real fast, as fast as I could with a fresh bandage on my stomach from where Chloe had clipped me with that butcher knife. Thinking about that gave me chills. So I raced downstairs looking for Mom. She was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

“They’re calling you heroic, honey.” Mom grinned and raised her coffee mug.

“Oh, my God. I definitely must be dreaming.” I shook my head. “A friggin’ nightmare.”

Me, in the damned papers again. Two years ago the local papers were nothing but a rumor mill. Today I was heroic. Jeez! I didn’t need any of it. I wanted the whole thing to blow over. Mom didn’t look like she minded the story getting out, given the way she was glomming onto every word in that small-town paper. But me? I could use some serious downtime.

“And tell me that’s not Derek Bast and his buddies out there, fixing Grams’s house?” I scrunched my face, not doing a very good job of hiding a smirk.

“Sheriff Logan dropped him off. And Derek called the rest of those boys. Guess you could call it advance community service.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through my hair. “I get to keep them until everything is done. And Derek is paying for everything. How’s that?”

“It’s a start.” I poured some orange juice. “Did the sheriff say…anything else?”

From the look on Mom’s face, she figured out what I was really asking. She skipped to the chase, the way mothers do sometimes.

“He said that he expected White Bird to be released from Red Cliffs today. You need the car…for anything? It’s got all new tires, just waiting for some miles.” Mom was playing it sly, too.

“Maybe. I’ll let you know.”

I knew Mom wanted me to talk to her, about how I felt and about all the things rolling loose in my head, but I couldn’t do it. I had a lot to think about and I had to do it alone. I suddenly felt like writing. And I thought I knew how to finally finish the poem that had been kicking in my head.

But as strongly as I felt about getting my thoughts down on paper, only one thing could challenge my creative juices. White Bird had been angry with me, for what I’d done and said. Showing up at Red Cliffs like nothing had happened didn’t feel right. But I knew today would be a long day of waiting, of hoping—and maybe a little letting go.

I made a PB&J on toast and headed upstairs where I wouldn’t look pathetic waiting for the phone to ring. Pathetic I could do alone.

Shawano Sheriff’s Office—Midmorning

Sheriff Matt Logan had gotten a phone call from Dr. Sam Ridgeway that Isaac Henry was in the process of getting released after the criminal charges had been dropped. That was a good time to visit the boy and sign for his release. Matt was heading out when Deputy Will Tate knocked on his office door. With Tate being on duty last night, he’d heard the news and only got a short briefing at the end of his shift. He was told what they had at the time.

“Come in, Will. Have a seat.”

Will had two mugs of coffee and he handed one to Matt.

“You look wasted.” Will took a gulp and settled into a chair.

Matt definitely was exhausted. It had been a long night.

“Before I fill you in, I need to tell you that I took that watch out of evidence. I recognized it as a gift I’d given my nephew. I had no intention of destroying it. I only wanted to confront Derek so we could figure out what to do if he’d been involved.” Matt found it hard to stare his young deputy in the eye. “The watch is back in the evidence locker now. And I put my name and signature to that log. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

“You were protecting your family,” Will said quietly.

“That doesn’t matter. It was wrong.” He shook his head. “I’m giving a hard look at resigning. I’ve been at this job too long.”

“You made a mistake, but you’re a good cop. You won’t do it again,” Will argued. “Don’t let this be the legacy folks will remember. Make it right. And start with these kids. Tell me what happened.”

They sat in silence for a long while. Matt didn’t feel like talking. He had a lot to think about, but he owed Tate an answer. His deputy had kept after the investigation. If he hadn’t pushed, who knows where things might have ended up?

“Derek finally did the right thing. He confessed what had happened the night Heather was murdered. He confirmed that Jade DeLuca had convinced Heather to stalk that Indian kid into the hills to harass him.” Matt felt himself get angry at what his nephew had done.

“When they got there, the kid was drugged out. Some vision quest thing,” he continued. “His condition made it easy for them to give him hell, but Isaac Henry had enough fire in him to fight them off. They ran away from the kid, like the cowards they all were. And they had to split up. Derek couldn’t tell me much after that, but Jade filled in the gaps when she was able to talk.”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. She came away with a cracked skull and a concussion, but it could have been a lot worse. All things considered, that girl was damned lucky,” Matt told his deputy. “If it hadn’t been for Brenna Nash, Jade would have died at the hands of Chloe Seaver.”

“No shit.” Will shook his head.

“And it seems Jade had a secret of her own about that night. She’d left Heather to die.” Matt set down his mug on the desk. “After they’d run away, Heather had taken a bad tumble. She’d twisted her ankle. And with the Henry kid on their tail, Jade thought only about her damned self. She ran and left Heather behind, all crippled up. No one else knew about that. And Jade had been determined to keep it that way.”

After she left Heather, covering her own ass, Jade believed Isaac Henry had killed the girl. She had no idea that Chloe was still out there and stalking Heather in the dark. The Madsen girl might still be alive today if Jade hadn’t left her behind. If they’d stuck together, Chloe might not have had the chance to isolate Heather.

Matt would’ve felt sorry for Jade having lived the past two years with the guilt that she’d left Heather to be killed. Fortunately for Jade, it turned out that wasn’t much of a burden.

“You should be the one who tells the Nash girl all this,” he told Will. “Normally we don’t talk about an active case with civilians, but she and her mom have a right to know.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Will stood and headed for the door. “I’m on it.”

“And thanks, Will. For everything.”

His deputy only grinned as he closed the door behind him, leaving Matt alone with his thoughts.

He was sick at what almost happened to Isaac Henry. The kid had looked guilty. How could he have been so wrong? He had real soul-searching to do. And a good first move was a visit to Red Cliffs Hospital.

There was a young man he had to see before he got released.

A Half Hour Later

“Brenna.” I heard Mom’s voice from downstairs. “You have a visitor.”

When I looked out my window, down to the driveway, I saw a patrol car and my heart lurched. What did the sheriff want now? Sheriff Logan had apologized to me and Mom, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t like me much and never would. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

When I hit the first landing, I was relieved to see Deputy Will Tate at the door. I couldn’t help it. I smiled.

“Hey, Deputy Tate, what’s up?” I sounded casual, but whenever cops showed up at my door these days, I figured something bad was about to happen. Guess I had to get over that sometime soon. Maybe.

“You got that look in your eye, Brenna, like you’re expecting the other shoe to drop.” The deputy grinned and showed off his dimples. “Relax. This is only a courtesy call. The sheriff wanted me to fill you in on the case, at least what we know now. You deserve to know.”

Mom invited Will to sit in our living room. Seeing a cop in my house felt unnatural. But then again, unnatural was a pretty broad term in my world. Over a cup of coffee, Will told us about the case. When he was done, Mom had questions.

“So are murder charges pending on Chloe Seaver now?” Mom asked the deputy. “I just can’t believe it. Chloe Seaver.”

Chloe had surprised me, too, but after seeing the crazed look on her face and hearing what she said last night, guess it all fit now.

“Chloe had the perfect opportunity to kill Heather Madsen and blame it on someone else,” Will told us. “No one saw her do it, except a drugged-out kid who was too far gone to stop it.”

“But why did she do it? I don’t get it,” Mom said.

“Heather died because she’d slept with a boy Chloe had her eyes on, Lucas Quinn. We found a drawer full of evidence that Chloe had been stalking this Quinn kid. And she’d kept a diary. We’re going through it now, but it’s all there.”

“Unbelievable.” Mom shook her head.

“So what about the two knives?” I asked. “If White Bird had Joe’s knife, where’d the other one come from…the murder weapon?”

“We still need confirmation on that, Brenna. Chloe’s parents are flying back from some trip they were on. But when they get here, I’ll bet money her daddy is missing a hunting knife. If that’s so, then we’re looking at premeditated murder.”

“That’s harsh, real harsh.”

“Yep. Chloe had set up your friend, Isaac Henry, to take the fall for what she’d done when she scalped Heather. And she made sure he had Heather’s blood on him, and even wrapped his hand around the murder weapon to get his prints on it. She bragged about that in her journal. In his condition, no one would have believed that Indian kid, even if he’d been able to talk. She would’ve gotten away with murder if it hadn’t been for you.”

I might have been the one at Chloe’s house last night, but I really believe White Bird’s visions put me on the right track. He’d been a witness after all. And thanks to Joe’s help, I was able to figure out his dream symbols.

“And as it turned out, even Derek owed you,” Will added. “Sheriff Logan made sure his nephew knew about that.” To my mom, he said, “Chloe had been waiting for Derek last night. She’d planned to kill both him and Jade, making the killings look like a murder-suicide. Chloe Seaver was one messed-up girl who wanted the Quinn boy all to herself. The whole ugly mess would’ve come out in a trial, but I doubt the case will ever go to court. Chloe’s at Red Cliffs, under Dr. Ridgeway’s care.”

I hated that any of this had happened, but it had. Everything would take time to figure out, but Sheriff Logan had plenty of real proof this time.

“With Jade and Derek talking, we’ve got eyewitness testimony, Heather’s missing scalp and even Chloe’s diary to make sure we have the right kid in custody this time.” Will looked me in the eye. “Bottom line is, it’s all over. And we have you to thank for getting it right.”

Mom reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. She had tears in her eyes. Guess I did, too.

Red Cliffs Hospital

When Matt Logan saw Isaac Henry, the kid was dressed and pacing the floor of his hospital room, staring out the window into the sunlight. After he’d knocked on the door, the boy turned with a look of eagerness on his face, but that changed when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Isaac. I came by to see if you needed anything, but I hear Joe Sunne brought you some clothes.”

“Yeah, he did.”

The Euchee Shaman had bought the kid clothes that would fit. Isaac was older now. And he was a tall kid, taller than Matt had remembered him.

“Listen, I won’t stay long. I know you probably don’t want to see me.”

The kid didn’t bother to correct him.

“I owe you an apology.” Matt had planned to say more, but the Henry kid interrupted.

“For what? Doin’ your job?” The boy stopped his pacing and stuffed his hands in his jeans.

“It’s just that I was dead wrong about you. I was so sure I had the right guy.”

“Did me being an Indian make a difference?” Isaac asked the question without anger in his voice. It was a simple question, one Matt should have been able to answer without hesitating, but when he couldn’t do that, both of them knew the answer.

“Then I won’t apologize for doin’ my job, but I still have plenty to regret. And I don’t know how to make it right.”

He’d admitted something to the boy that he hadn’t said to anyone. Doubt was hard to live with, especially when he’d always thought his job was to set a good example for the town. He had no idea how to change, enough to make a real difference.

But in his quiet way, Isaac Henry gave him something to think about.

“A journey takes time.” The boy shrugged and looked him square in the eye. “And I guess the lessons we learn best, they come from the journey, not the destination.”

Matt narrowed his eyes at the boy and let what he said sink in.

“Can’t argue with that, son.”

Outskirts of Shawano

Earlier when I had told Mom that I wanted to see Joe Sunne, she didn’t argue and she didn’t even ask why. She’d handed me her car keys and kissed me goodbye. It had been her way of telling me that she trusted me. And that she understood there’d be things in my life that would be mine.

It was a start. And I totally kissed her back.

It had taken me twenty minutes to drive to Joe’s place. And without hesitating this time when I drove through his gate, I jostled over the ruts and potholes of Joe’s dirt road and parked the Subaru in front of his house. Like I remembered him from our first meeting, he sat on his cluttered porch as if he’d been expecting me.

“Hey, Joe.” I waved when I got out and joined him, propping my feet on his railing, right next to his dusty boots.

“I heard you figured it out.” He twitched his lip and gave me a sideways glance.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t…cool about it. Almost getting killed is not cool.” I nodded my head and pursed my lips. I found humor where I could. Otherwise I’d be too tempted to cry. And I’d done enough of that to last a lifetime. I was ready for a change.

I told Joe how I had mistaken the little bird in my vision—the one that almost had gotten trampled by the stallion—as a blast from my past. I thought White Bird had sent the image as a message for me not to be afraid. But when I thought about it some more, I remembered that he’d always told me Chloe reminded him of our wounded little bird with the busted wing, the one he’d healed at the creek. Like that bird, Chloe thrashed around, all wounded, and hadn’t realized what she was doing to herself. And forget about her knowing what was good for her. The girl was clueless. Anyway, White Bird had always felt sorry for her and so had I.

And my little blind spot—of not recognizing Chloe in that bird vision—had nearly cost me my life.

“You would have figured it out,” Joe said with confidence, until he added, “…eventually.”

The guy could have been a stand-up comic, I swear to God.

We sat in silence and watched the afternoon sun stretch its shadow fingers into his scrub oaks, cedar trees and over his stone medicine wheel. I thought I looked relaxed, but my damned knee gave me away. I had a nervous shake and Joe never missed much.

“You haven’t asked about him. Why not?” he asked.

“He hasn’t called me or tried to get in touch after the sheriff had him released from Red Cliffs. Shawano’s not that big that he couldn’t find me if he really wanted to.” I shrugged and swallowed the lump in my throat, not looking Joe in the eye on purpose. “The next step is up to him.”

“Smart girl.”

I acted tough, but inside I wasn’t. I felt like a melty Rolo center, real mushy. And I was nowhere near as smart as Joe gave me credit for. The truth was that if White Bird didn’t want to see me that would hurt way too bad. Why would I go looking for that kind of pain? Seeing his eyes filled with anger or hate or indifference would kill me. So I figured leaving the next step to him was the only way to protect my heart.

“I thought you should know.” Joe turned and looked me in the eye. “Paperwork is in the works for new foster parents for White Bird. If things work out, it’ll be permanent.”

“Oh. My. God.” My jaw dropped. “So tell me about ’em.”

“I shouldn’t say. I don’t want to jinx it,” he said with a straight face.

“Jinx it? I can’t believe you just said that. Who would have thought you were superstitious?”

When I saw the lip twitch again, I knew I was breaking him down.

“They’re good people. And they’re Euchee.”

Knowing the couple was Euchee meant that White Bird would get the tribe and the family he had always wanted. That was plenty of good news, but I had to hear more.

“Well, what else? You’re killin’ me.”

“Ask me what clan.”

I didn’t have to. I already knew. And when I grinned, he did, too. In my mind, I pictured that bear like he’d been in my vision with his big hairy butt sitting at the crossroads between mediocrity and the next big adventure. And I even knew which road I’d take—which road I would always take, from here on.

“And if the boy still has an interest in becoming a healer, I might take on an apprentice. Who knows? Anything’s possible, right?”

“So I’m told. Thanks, Joe.”

I stood and kissed his cheek, hugging his neck. And when a soft creak of wood caught my attention, I looked up to see the face of Joe’s dead wife staring down at me from the window where I had first seen her. Only this time she had a sad smile. The dead never really looked happy, but she gave it her best shot and I appreciated the effort.

I smiled back and settled into my chair, drifting into a comfortable silence with Joe. For real, this time.

I had the feeling Joe could use some female attention to shave off the rough edges of being a guy. He’d get used to having me in his life. I planned to make a habit of pestering him, whether we stayed in Shawano or not. After all, Joe and I had crossed paths for a reason. And I grew on people, like a wart.

But before the sun went down, I had one more trip to make—and a stop along the way. It was something I had to do. And I had a strong feeling this trip couldn’t wait.

Pioneer Cemetery—Dusk

On my way back into town from Joe’s house, I stopped by a flower shop and picked out something that would be fitting. I wanted to say goodbye to Heather Madsen. When she was alive, we never had much in common. And with her being dead, that hadn’t changed. But since I was pretty certain I’d never see her again, I needed closure.

With so many flowers to choose from, I got totally confused, but the nice lady behind the florist counter saw me looking at the beautiful white lilies behind the chilled glass.

“I’ve always loved lilies, especially the white ones,” she had said. “The lily is the sign for transformation, through life, death or rebirth.”

I smiled at her and said, “In that case, I’ll take two.”

She had me at the word sign.

I asked her not to wrap them, that they would find a home soon enough. And after I parked at Pioneer Cemetery, I knew exactly where to go. The evening was picture-perfect. A gentle wind had kept things cool. And the sun had exploded glowing fire along the horizon, mixed with the cool blue of the coming night sky. I walked toward Heather’s grave and found myself smiling at every stone angel. They were like old friends. But when I looked down the row of headstones, I saw someone was standing at Heather’s grave.

White Bird was there.

For some stupid reason, I ducked behind the mausoleum for the Tucker family and peeked around the corner to watch him. I didn’t think the Tuckers would mind. I wasn’t ready for White Bird to see me. And I didn’t want to intrude, but the God’s honest truth was that I really wanted a chance to take him all in. He was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. He still was. And I loved looking at him.

Dressed in new jeans, a light blue dress shirt and a red patterned tie, he stood at Heather’s grave with his eyes closed. Although I didn’t hear him, his lips were moving like he was praying. And in the faint breeze, Mother Nature was running her fingers through his dark hair like I wanted to. He looked tall and strong, the way he used to, but somewhere along the way, without me, he’d stepped into the shoes of a man.

And a part of me ached for those missing years.

When he was done praying, White Bird placed flowers on Heather’s grave. And when he looked like he was ready to leave, I couldn’t hide anymore. I’d learned to trust the coincidence of life’s special moments. So when I stepped out from where I was hiding, I pulled my shoulders back, held my head up and took a deep breath.

It didn’t take long for him to see me. He looked over his shoulder like he knew I would be there. “Hey, Brenna.”

The sound of his voice on the evening breeze sent chills down my arms.

“I heard you got released.” I forced a smile. “I’m glad. I’m really happy for you.”

When his expression softened, he smiled. He probably felt the awkwardness between us and he knew exactly how to melt it away. He did the one perfect thing that would make that happen.

He raised his hand to my face and touched a finger to my cheek. In one simple gesture, he’d put hot fudge on my vanilla sundae.

“I’ve missed you,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

I felt the sting of tears, but this time, I was happier than I’d ever been. And I always wanted to remember the moment when I knew my heart belonged to him.

“Yeah, we sure do.” I smiled and after a moment, I looked down at Heather’s grave. “It was nice of you to bring her flowers.”

He stared down at her headstone.

“I don’t remember much about that night, but I think she was really afraid. I still get flashes, you know?” He clenched his jaw. “I wish I could have helped her.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

He gave me a moment to put my lily on Heather’s grave and I said my goodbye. I wasn’t sure if the dead learned stuff, but I really hoped that dying had taught her something that would do her some good.

When I was done, I saw White Bird still had flowers in his hand.

“What are those for?” I asked.

“They’re for your grandmother. You want to come with me?”

Okay, this time I totally cried. I nodded with tears running down my face and when I saw the sympathetic look in his eyes, I lost it. My choked sobs became laughter. I was being such a girl. White Bird chuckled, too, and when he pulled me to him, I heard the rumble of laughter in his chest and it made my ear tickle.

“Don’t cry. I hate when you cry.” He quit laughing and lifted my chin with his finger.

He kissed me as we stood between the rows of headstones and I never felt so alive. I tasted his lips and breathed in the warm scent of his skin with his arms wrapped around me.

After we pulled apart, I said, “Grams is gonna love you.” And that made him grin.

We held hands as I took a very special young man to visit my grandmother. He was someone who had always accepted me for who I really was and who had taught me what it meant to forgive and to love.

As we walked to her grave, I pointed out my favorite markers and told him all the stories I had made up about the people buried here. Sharing my love for this cemetery with him felt like we’d both come home. And like the little shelter he’d built by the creek, this place had always been a refuge for me.

In the arms of stone angels, in the peaceful stillness of a cemetery, I had never been afraid. I thought it had been the stone angels that had given me strength, but I’d been wrong. It had taken a humble yet powerful Shaman from the enduring Euchee tribe to put a label on it and tell me about my “gift.” The strength had always been inside me. I just needed to embrace it. Embrace me, for a change.

I’ll always be grateful to Joe “Spirit Walker” Sunne and White Bird for opening my eyes to a whole other world that stretched farther than my mind, my heart and my eyes would ever see. Thanks to them, I felt like I fit in to something greater. And they helped me finish a poem that would stay with me forever.

Because finally and completely, I belonged.

I had a part in the universe and had staked out my place in the night sky with a destiny to follow. And my gift came with a responsibility that I couldn’t ignore anymore. I vowed to leave my mark—even if I wasn’t quite sure how I would do that yet. That would be my journey.

But White Bird had given me the greatest gift of all, when he taught me how to love.