10

10Cope

As far as Cope was concerned, the reunion was a hit. There were no raised voices or punches thrown, which Cope wasn't necessarily expecting but was prepared for nonetheless. The last time he and Jude had been on the reservation, they'd gotten a chilly reception, and Jude had been in one fight but had come perilously close to being involved in several others.

Friends and neighbors came and went all afternoon, keeping Jude and Cope busy shaking hands and catching up with people Jude hadn't seen in years. Ronan and Fitzgibbon took a turn manning the grill for dinner and helped light the bonfire when it got dark. The kids had way too many s'mores and were currently watching a movie in Eagle's living room while the adults gathered in the kitchen.

"It wasn't quite the reunion you had in mind, was it, Little Phoenix?" Eagle asked with a grin. He took a seat at the head of the table with his cup of tea and watched Jude expectantly.

"Not even a little bit," Jude admitted. "I knew things would go well with Abel's family and you, but seeing Nathan, John, and Trevor was a bit of a surprise."

"They seem like great guys. What was their story back in the day?" Ronan asked.

"To be honest, they bullied me mercilessly for being half Navajo and for having spent the first thirteen years of my life off reservation in Albuquerque." Jude shivered. "The taunts and insults hurled by those guys have haunted me for the last two decades, but it seemed none of them harbored the same ill intent they carried in childhood."

"They were jealous of you, Jude," Eagle said softly.

"You've got to be kidding. They made my life a living hell every single day until I packed the Thunderbird and drove away."

"It's true," Eagle affirmed. "You had a plan for your future after high school that didn't include the reservation. Those boys knew their future was here. They had families to care for and footsteps to follow in. John became a member of the tribal police just like his father. Nathan went to work at the power plant until the rumors started that it was going to be closed down. He was ahead of the curve in applying to the tribal police force. Both men are good cops. Competent and honest. Neither of them is living the life they dreamed of, but they've changed for the better, as you saw today."

Jude nodded. "I can't argue with the changes I saw. As for those guys being jealous of me, I'm not sure I agree but will take some time to think it over. Hell, I've been jealous over a lot of things throughout my life, mainly people who still had both of their parents, but never once did I harm people mentally or physically for wanting something I couldn't have."

Eagle set a comforting hand on Jude's shoulder and turned his attention to Cope. "Tell me about your vision."

Cope shot Jude a look with a raised eyebrow. He'd said he would keep his mouth shut about what happened in the van on the way to the reunion, but it seemed Jude had mentioned what he'd seen.

"Jude didn't say a word. I could see something was off with you the moment you got here. Same with our little Everly." Eagle cast a glance toward the living room, as if he expected Ronan's daughter to be standing there.

Cope took a deep breath. "When we drove into Sedona, my, Ten, and Everly's gifts were all muted. We assume it had to do with the energy vortex."

Eagle nodded. "I would agree."

"To be honest, I was enjoying my time in Arizona without it. My head was quiet, and I could just relax with my family and keep my full attention on them. Everly was happier too, more carefree, same for Tennyson." Cope took a sip from his tea before continuing. "When we were driving here, I was watching the beautiful scenery pass by when Fitz announced that we were approaching the border. When we passed it, I saw a flash of blinding white light, and a series of images flew through my mind too fast for me to really focus on. In the background were anguished voices begging for help. I think I sort of blacked out or something because the next thing I knew, Jude was tapping the side of my face and calling my name."

"It was scary," Jude said. "I knew you were having a vision and didn't want to interrupt."

Cope set his hand on Jude's shoulder. "When I came back to myself, I wasn't really able to describe much of what I'd seen, but then Everly took my hand, and she was able to see my vision." He'd spent much of the afternoon trying to recall the images that had flashed through his head but hadn't been able to get a firm grasp on the faces of the women crying out for his help.

"We haven't talked to her about what she saw yet," Ronan added.

"Her light was dim when she hugged me," Eagle added. "I knew something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what."

"She mentioned that the women in my vision were in pain and looking for revenge. Jude assumed the voices were the souls of Navajo women who'd been murdered on tribal lands. I know this is the last thing you wanted me to bring to you, but these women need our help." Cope knew his gift and talk of restless spirits was taboo within the reservation, but Eagle was uniquely situated with half his heart on the reservation and the other half in Jude and Cope's world.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think it's time we hear from our tiny medium." Ronan sighed and got out of his seat.

"Here I am," Everly said, walking into the kitchen. It was possible she'd heard them talking about her, but Cope had a feeling she'd picked up her name with her abilities. She climbed up into Ronan's lap. "Can I have a cup of tea, Granpa Eagle?"

"With one ice cube?" Eagle's dark eyes twinkled at the little girl.

"Yes, please."

From where he was sitting across the table, Cope could hear Ronan whispering to his daughter, telling her how proud he was and that she could stop this conversation anytime she wanted to.

"I need to help the lost women, Dad," Everly said as Eagle set her tea in front of her. "No one listened to their voices when they were here. We're the only ones who can hear them now."

Nodding, Ronan pressed a kiss to the back of his daughter's head, giving his silent consent for Everly to continue.

"Did you see Cope's vision as it happened?" Eagle asked.

Everly shook her head and took a tentative sip from her mug. "No. Me and Aurora were watching a movie, and I was wearing my noise-canceling headphones."

Cope wore a curious look. "Do those headphones dim your gift?" If that was the case, he was going to buy himself a pair.

"I don't think so. They help me concentrate so I can't listen in on other conversations." Everly rolled her eyes as if to say she didn't mind hearing what her fathers talked about in private.

Ronan chuckled. "Little pictures have big ears."

"Especially when they're psychically gifted," Ten added.

"I know this is going to be hard for you to talk about, but what did you see and hear when you took my hand?" Cope asked. He hated that the only way to revisit his vision was thanks to a six-year-old, but their time here in Arizona was limited, and they needed all the information they could get in order to help these missing women.

Everly's bright blue eyes slid shut. "I heard voices first. Three women. Dancing Leaf begged for help. Then Silver Sky kept saying, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!' Last, I heard Bow crying for her mother, saying how sorry she was." Tears slipped from Everly's eyes.

Ronan wrapped his arms more tightly around her. His eyes were glassy, filled with his daughter's pain.

"I heard those same voices," Cope said, although he hadn't gotten a sense for the women's names. He turned his attention to Eagle, who sat stoically, his eyes on Everly.

"What did you see in the vision?" Eagle asked.

Everly reached for her tea and took a dainty sip with her pinkie in the air. She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "I saw mountains and bushes. A man dressed in black with an evil heart. I could see the fear in the women's eyes. He's a monster." She turned in her seat to look at Ronan. "We have to stop him, Dad."

"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?" Ronan asked, ever the detective.

"No." Everly shook her head. "I only saw his shadow."

"Could you tell if he was tall or short? The color of his skin? Did you hear his voice?" Ten's hand on Ronan's arm stopped the barrage of questions.

"He's tall like you. I didn't hear his voice." Everly wrapped her arms around Ronan. "I'm sorry, Dad. I wish I could see more."

"Never be sorry, sweetheart." Ronan hugged his daughter tighter. "You did everything you could to help us." His eyes locked with Cope across the table as if to say the rest was up to him.

It broke Cope's heart that his small niece was the one who had to recount the awful vision in a way that he couldn't.

"What can you tell me about Prairie Moon?" Eagle asked.

Cope remembered Prairie was Trevor's sister.

"Her voice isn't one of the ones I heard. She's alive but in danger." Everly paused for a second, her eyes slid shut. "Prairie is somewhere cold and dark. All she wants is to come home to her family."

"I'm so proud of you," Ronan said.

"Thanks, Dad." Everly took another sip from her tea. Cope heard the melting ice cube clink against the side of the mug.

"Do you think you'll have that same vision when we're on our way back to the hotel?" Jude asked.

"I don't know." Cope hoped that would be the case, but there was no guarantee. "I'll keep my gift wide open, and we'll see what happens."

"Let's get you home." Ronan stood up with Everly in his arms. "I'll go get Ezra."

"Do you know the women Everly named?" Cope asked. He had no doubt she had the names right.

Eagle nodded. "I do. All three of them have gone missing within the last six months. There were rumors that Sky had run away, that she was living off reservation working at a gentlemen's club in Flagstaff. Rumors had swirled around Leaf's disappearance as well. She'd gotten a job off reservation as a nurse, and it was said that she was dating a white man, a doctor, but I don't know if either is true. As for Rainbow, she's always been troubled."

"If we were going to look into these deaths, where would you suggest we start?" Fitzgibbon asked.

"With the men you met earlier, Nathan Strong and John Parker. Both men work for the tribal police and with the local FBI agent who deals with native abductions and murders. Are you sure you boys are up to doing this? You're on vacation with your families. A week isn't a long time to solve three murders and one missing persons case."

"Well, I guess that means we need to get our asses moving," Jude said.

Cope never had a doubt Jude and the others would want to solve the murders. He'd be right there in the thick of it doing whatever he could to lend a hand but hoped from this point forward that Everly could go back to being a carefree kid rather than a tiny psychic.