11

11Jude

All of the kids and Cope had fallen asleep in the van on the way back from Eagle's house. Neither he nor Everly had a vision of any kind when they'd left the reservation. When they'd gotten to the rented house, Cope had changed into his sleep pants and had fallen right back to sleep, which meant Jude didn't have a chance to ask him what he thought about working this case and where they should start.

Jude had tossed and turned throughout the night before finally getting up for good around half past five in the morning. He'd gone downstairs and made a pot of coffee before doing a little research into the missing women. He'd been disappointed to find there had been very little media coverage for each disappearance, which wasn't uncommon when it came to native women.

As Jude read through the online articles, he took meticulous notes. A ping from his phone signaled a text message from John, letting him know he'd sent the case files for the four missing women. Quickly printing them out, Jude went through them, taking more careful notes, memorizing the details so he'd be able to tell Ronan and Fitz what he'd learned.

Two hours later, after a huge breakfast of French toast and bacon, Fitzgibbon had the van loaded up and ready to head to the Grand Canyon. All of the kids were situated in the back, wearing headphones and watching episodes of Bluey. Eagle had chosen a seat beside Kaye, while Fitz and Jace were back in the driver and navigator seats. As Jude had been poring over the case files, Fitzgibbon had been busy printing directions and maps, just in case they were unable to get a wireless signal to power the navigation system.

"You looked like a man possessed when I came downstairs this morning," Ronan said.

"John sent over the case files for the four missing women. I thanked him and let him know we'd be out of town today but would get back to him either tonight or first thing in the morning. Time is of the essence, with Prairie still being alive, so I got to work on all of the files."

"As much as I hate to say it, let's hear what you've got," Fitz said, eyeing Jude in the rearview.

"Like I said, I've got copies of the files with me. I also printed out newspaper articles dealing with the missing women."

"I'm guessing you didn't find much," Eagle said.

Jude shook his head. "There were mentions in the paper when each woman went missing, along with a picture, but with the exception of Prairie Moon, there was no follow-up."

"The only reason Prairie got more press was thanks to Trevor being a member of law enforcement," Eagle said.

"I agree." Jude knew there was probably a bit of pressure applied by Trevor to get the follow-up article written.

"Let's hear what you've got while the kids are settled and not listening to us." Ronan cast a look backward just as the kids laughed at something on the screen.

"I'll start with Prairie. According to the article in the paper, she was taking classes at Yavapai College in Sedona, only months away from completing an accelerated EMT course. She loves Navajo Nation and wants to do everything in her power to protect the people who live here. She wasn't interested in law enforcement like her brother but found her niche in being a member of the volunteer fire department. After going on a couple of calls, she decided to become a medic. Her hands were full going to school and working with the fire department."

"Too full to be dating anyone?" Ronan asked.

"I don't know the answer to that. Trevor would be a better person to ask." Jude knew most crimes against women were committed by intimate partners. Asking about Prairie's dating life was the first question on his list. "Trevor reported Prairie missing after she hadn't come home from her night class at the college. He claims she goes for a drink or apps with friends after class and is usually home by eleven. The report was made around nine the following morning."

"What's been done to find her?" Fitz asked.

"Trevor was interviewed at length, but he didn't know too much about her personal life away from the reservation. Most people don't like to admit they're dating white people." Jude sighed. "It starts trouble." That was putting it mildly. Elder members didn't approve when young people left to join the white world. Most came back, but there were always a few, like Jude, who got out and stayed gone.

"Okay, so we don't know a whole lot about Prairie," Ronan mused.

"The police interviewed several of the people she'd been out with the night she disappeared. All of them said they'd gone to a local bar and had a few beers. Prairie left around quarter of eleven, which, if she'd driven straight home, would have put her there around half past. That was the last time she was seen."

"What about the car?" Fitz asked.

"Hasn't been recovered. It's a blue '96 Toyota Camry. There's a BOLO out for it, but no dice." Jude wondered just how hard the car had been looked for. It was much more difficult to hide a vehicle than it was to hide a person.

"Okay, that's Prairie. What about Silver Sky?" Cope asked. "She was the one rumored to be an exotic dancer off reservation."

Jude sighed. "Out of the four missing women, Sky was the only one with a criminal record. She'd been arrested three times on solicitation and drug charges. She had danced at the Vixen Lounge in Flagstaff. According to the manager, last call was at two, and all of the guests and dancers were gone by half past. He saw Sky, who danced under the name of Sugar Kane, on stage around midnight, but she hadn't been in the club at last call. The Flagstaff police spoke with several of the other dancers, who said the last time they saw her was in the dressing room around midnight when she got off stage. Usually the girls work the room to get men to pay for drinks, dances, and time in the VIP room, but no one saw her back on the floor that night."

"Sky had been kicked out by her parents after that first arrest." Eagle shook his head. "She'd bunked with several young men over the last two years but didn't stay long in any one spot."

"Jesus," Ronan muttered.

Jude didn't need Cope's gift to know Ronan was thinking he'd never kick Everly out of his house, no matter what. Jude felt the same way about Wolf and Lizbet and was certain Fitz would say the same about Aurora. "Next is Dancing Leaf. She worked as a maternity nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center. She'd been employed there for three years and never missed a day, according to her manager. Several of the nurses were scared for Leaf when she didn't show up for a shift and went to the police department and made a missing person's report. A man named Cliff Wellman had been her boyfriend until two weeks before she went missing. Leaf had broken up with him because he'd been cheating on her. She lived with him and after the breakup was staying at the Tombstone Motel."

"It's the kind of place that rents rooms by the hour," Eagle said. "It's cheap, and everyone minds their own business."

"That poor girl," Ten said. "Both Leaf and Sky were down on their luck, which made them the perfect target for this monster. What about Rainbow? Was she in a similar situation?"

"Eagle had said she'd always been troubled, but that wasn't the half of it. She'd been arrested for several DUI offenses, she'd had her license revoked, and was in and out of rehab three times over the last five years. Her parents had washed their hands of her and didn't raise a finger to help search when she went missing."

"I can't imagine," Fitz said. His eyes were on Aurora, who was laughing with Everly.

"The saddest part of Rainbow's story is that she'd started to turn things around. She had a job working at a grocery store in Flagstaff. Her time living at a halfway house was going to end when she was released from probation. According to her manager at the Food Mart, she'd asked him to write a reference for her to secure an apartment. Rainbow attended an AA meeting the night before she went missing, where she was awarded a six-month chip. Her sponsor couldn't discuss what she shared during the group meeting, but she did say that everything was on the up and up for Rainbow."

"Okay, so with the possible exception of Prairie, all of the girls were in some kind of a vulnerable position. The sort of girls who might be tempted to make bad decisions based on their current circumstances." Jude slipped his notes into his backpack. "What's our first step, Cap?"

"The first thing we need to do is speak to the tribal police chief and make sure our help is wanted. I know John and Nathan would like us in on this investigation, but I'm not dipping a toe in the water until I know we're welcome. Having the backing of the police will also be crucial in us being able to speak with that guy from the FBI. John said he'll be in the area tomorrow. Once we've got our i's dotted and our t's crossed, then we can focus on Trevor and anyone else who can shed light on Prairie Moon's life. Were there any threats made against her? Did she have any enemies? What kind of relationships did she have with exes?"

"The other thing we need to talk about are our secret weapons," Ronan said softly, his eyes on Ten. "Do we let these guys know we've got several aces in the hole, or do we keep that information to ourselves for now?"

"Eagle, what do you think?" Jude turned to his grandfather, who wore an emotionless look.

"John and Nathan understand that if any or all of these women are dead, then that means their spirits are wandering and can come back to cause trouble at any time. Being able to bury the bodies would be an utmost priority, which might make them more willing to agree to the kind of help we have available. When it comes to the FBI guy, he's a wild card, but I can't imagine a lawman wanting to willingly work with a psychic." Eagle coughed to cover his wide grin. "With the exception of you, Ronan."

Ten laughed. "No, you've got it right. Ronan didn't want to work with me in the beginning. It took a while before he realized my gifts were genuine and to stop calling me a nutjob."

Ronan opened his mouth, looking as if he were about to disagree with Ten, but kissed him instead.

"I'll reach out to John and set up a meeting with his captain for tomorrow. We can figure out what's going on with these cases, and everyone else can go back to Sedona for the day." Jude knew how much Cope wanted to visit all the crystal and psychic shops and could guarantee they were going to need another suitcase for all the things he'd buy.

"Sounds good," Fitzgibbon said. "That's enough work talk for the day. Let's focus on the Grand Canyon."

Jude relaxed back into his seat. He fired off a quick text to John and turned his attention to the kids who were quietly watching their favorite show. He couldn't wait to see the looks in their eyes when they caught sight of the canyon for the first time. The same went for Ten, Ronan, and Cope.

After only being back in Arizona for two days, Jude had reunited with his family and mended fences with his teenage bullies. Would wonders never cease.