19

19Jude

As Fitzgibbon drove north on Route 89, silence hung heavy in the van. Jude had called John and Nathan while Ronan got in touch with Liam Flynn. All three men said they’d meet Jude at the site. Flynn warned him twice not to even get out of the van until he was on scene. Jude had been tied to law enforcement for over half his life, and he knew better than to walk through a potential crime scene.

Jude told Flynn he’d gotten an anonymous lead about this location being a possible body dump site, but he knew that white lie would only carry him so far. At some point, he was going to have to explain the info was gathered by a pint-sized psychic. Where the lead came from shouldn’t matter at all, but he knew it would. He’d deal with the ramifications later. Right now, all he wanted to do was locate the bodies of the missing women and find Prairie Moon before it was too late.

Everly had been ebullient when Dancing Leaf crossed over, but as soon as they’d gotten in the van, she’d been silent. Jude couldn’t help but be worried about her.

“How are you doing back there, honey?” Jude asked.

“Fine, sweetheart,” Ronan chirped back, making Jude laugh.

Jude rolled his eyes. “I was asking Everly. Do you need a juice pouch or a snack?”

Everly nodded. She sat in Ronan’s lap with her head lying against his chest. Under any other circumstance, it would have been cute, but the six-year-old had just helped a murder victim cross over to the other side after she’d been kidnapped, viciously raped, and strangled.

Jude reached into Cope’s cooler and pulled out a juice pouch and several waters. The juice went to Everly, and the water was passed around to the adults. He also handed Everly a cookie snack pack.

“Thank you, Uncle Jude.” Everly stabbed her straw into the pouch with relish. Her eyes flashed with anger, something Jude very rarely saw in his niece.

“What are you angry about?” he asked softly.

“Leaf was a nurse. She helped sick babies. What kind of a monster would hurt someone like that?” Her blue eyes blazed with what looked like rage.

Jude had to admit seeing the little girl angry was better than seeing her cry. On the other hand, Everly’s tears would be welcomed over having to answer her question. “There are some people in this world who enjoy hurting other people.”

“Like Michaela at school when she pulled my hair.” Everly’s eyes darkened as she spoke.

Jude’s eyes narrowed at the thought of anyone, including another child, hurting Everly. Glancing at Ronan, he saw her comment was news to him as well. “There’s a girl at school who pulls your hair?”

Everly nodded, a sly snarl curling her top lip. “She only did it once because I told her I’d send my Daddy to her house to arrest her, and then the whole class would see her in jail, and we’d have a party with cupcakes to celebrate.”

Jude snorted. He couldn’t help himself. Soon, Ronan joined in, and before long, Everly was laughing too.

“That was really clever.” Jude sighed, coming back down to the real world. “Whoever kidnapped these women has something wrong inside his brain. We’re meant to be kind to each other and to love one another, but for whatever reason, his brain works the opposite way.” How the hell did you explain to a child that some men got off on invoking fear and causing pain? His heart ached, and looking at Ronan, he could see he felt the same way.

“So the only way to stop him is to find him.” The anger drained from Everly’s eyes. In its place was determination. He’d seen that same look on Ronan’s face a hundred times. It was his fuck-around-and-find-out face. Every time he saw it made Jude happy he was on Ronan’s side. Everly was her father’s mini-me at the moment.

“Right. We have to find him before he hurts Prairie.” Jude took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to ask his next question. “Is there anything you can do to help us find him?”

“I keep reaching out to Silver Sky, but she’s not answering me. I’m having a hard time with my gift right now.”

Ronan’s eyes widened. “Do you think it has to do with the energy vortex in Sedona?”

“I don’t know.” Everly sounded worried.

“Ten, Cope, are either of you having trouble with your gifts?” Ronan asked.

“I’m not hearing or seeing as many spirits as I usually would, but I haven’t given it a lot of thought,” Ten said. “It’s been nice having a break from speaking with so many dead people.”

“Same for me,” Cope admitted. “To be honest, I haven’t really tried using it very much, except when we’ve tried to contact the missing women and when everyone came to dinner the other night. Even then, it wasn’t as sharp. I could only feel Trevor’s anger and Liam’s pain, only strong, heavy emotions seemed to be getting through. If that makes any sense?”

“It does, Uncle Cope. I think it’s like swimming underwater. I can hear sounds, but they’re weird.”

“Distorted, right?” Ten asked.

“Yeah,” Everly agreed.

“This is it up here.” Jude pointed to a dirt road.

When Fitzgibbon made the turn, Jude felt instantly sick to his stomach. He took a deep breath and tried to keep himself from getting throwing up.

“I don’t feel good, Daddy,” Everly said to Tennyson.

“Neither do I,” Ten admitted, sounding worried.

“Me too,” Cope chimed in.

“Same with me.” Jude turned to Ronan, whose eyes were on Everly. “What about you and Fitz? Do either of you feel like throwing up?”

Ronan shook his head. “I’m fine,” Fitzgibbon said. “Let me know when I should park the van. I don’t want to go too far and contaminate the crime scene.”

“There’s little chance of that being in the desert. The wind would have already covered over any tire tracks or footprints left by the killer. I’m guessing that’s why he dumped the bodies out here.”

“What does this road lead to?” Ronan asked.

“When I was growing up here, there were double-wide trailers down here. One of Eagle’s cousins and his extended family stayed here but left after the hazardous materials plant was being built, so now it’s abandoned. There’s not a lot of people who would remember this road is even here.” Jude hated to admit it, but the location was just one more nail in Trevor’s coffin. He’d been friends with the boys who’d lived on this part of the reservation and would have known the land was abandoned.

“Stop!” Cope and Ten called out at once.

Fitz hit the brakes and brought the van to a stop. “Are you two okay?”

“This is as far as we should go,” Cope explained. “I don’t know why. I saw a huge stop sign in my head.”

“Me too,” Ten agreed.

“They’re here, Dad,” Everly whispered, wrapping her arms more tightly around Ronan, whose eyes had gone glassy. “I can see them.”

“How many?” Ronan asked.

“Three. Prairie isn’t here.” There was no relief, only pain in her voice.

While Ten and Ronan comforted their daughter, Jude saw two cars heading toward them. He got out of the van to greet them. Fitzgibbon joined him.

Both cars parked single file. Liam Flynn got out of the first one, while John and Nathan got out of the second. “You want to clue us in on what the hell is happening here?” Flynn asked.

Even though the FBI agent was wearing mirrored sunglasses, Jude could see the look of annoyance on his face. He knew this was where the rubber met the road. Thankfully, Ronan had joined him and stood to his right. “Cope and Tennyson had a vision,” Jude began. He’d decided that it would be for the best if he kept Everly’s name out of this.

“A vision?” Flynn shouted. “That’s why you called me? You said you had a lead.”

“Take a breath, Flynn,” Fitzgibbon said, using his captain’s voice. “Tennyson has helped solve several cold cases we’ve worked on with the Boston Police Department. I was the one who authorized him working with Ronan. Same goes for Cope. We wouldn’t have brought you out here on a whim. I trust Ten and Cope as much as I trust Jude and Ronan.”

“I can’t fucking believe this!” Flynn thundered. “You want me to take the word of a couple of fruitcakes?”

“Hey!” Ronan said sharply. “What is it going to cost you to take a walk a few hundred feet in that direction?” He pointed down the road. “If we’re wrong, we’re wrong. But if we’re right, then you get to bring three women home to their families.”

Flynn looked as if he was about to start shouting again when a large black pickup came into view. Jude could see it was Trevor behind the wheel. The man was driving like he was being chased by hellhounds. Barely throwing the truck into park, Trevor hopped out and ran toward them. “Where’s my sister? Did you find her? What the hell is going on here?”

“I’ll tell you what the hell’s going on,” Flynn said, his eyes darkened with anger. “We’re on a wild fucking goose chase, thanks to your friends.”

Trevor took a step back from the agent, his eyes going to John and Nathan. “Tell me what’s going on here and why neither of you called me.”

John took a deep breath. “Cope and Tennyson had a vision that the bodies of the missing women had been dumped here. Ronan called us to come out to assist in case they’re here. We didn’t call you because we didn’t want to upset you until we had news.”

“You’re taking the word of fucking witches?” John shouted. “What the fuck is this?”

“Everyone, take a breath!” Fitzgibbon ordered, obviously having had enough of everyone’s shit. “Liam and John are going to walk down the road with the three of us. If the remains of the missing women are here, you both can put your wheels into motion.” He pointed to Flynn and John. “If there’s nothing here to find, then no harm was done, but save all your anger until we know for certain.” Without waiting for an answer, Fitzgibbon turned and headed away from the group.

“Are you coming?” Jude asked Flynn, who still looked like he was going to hit something. The man said nothing but hurried to catch up with Fitz.

“Fucking witches,” Trevor mumbled. “There’s nothing here!”

Ronan turned to the obviously fuming man. “I can’t tell if you’re truly angry or just putting on a show because your crimes are about to be revealed. Either way, show some fucking respect.” Ronan headed toward Fitzgibbon with John at his heels.

“I’m coming with you,” Trevor said.

“No,” Nathan said gently. “Let’s stay here and wait for word.”

Trevor didn’t look happy but nodded.

“If we’re right, this won’t take long,” Jude said. He knew Everly’s visions were right on the money. They were going to find three bodies here; there was no doubt in his mind.

“We’ll be waiting.” Nathan took Trevor’s elbow. “Let’s sit in the truck. It’s too damn hot to be outside.”

With Trevor under wraps for the moment, Jude ran to catch up with the others. John and Liam were standing in a semicircle, all eyes looking at something half-buried in the sand. He didn’t need Cope’s gifts to know they’d found one of the women.

“It’s Dancing Leaf,” John whispered when Jude joined them. “He used her hospital scrubs to strangle her.”

Jude stared down at the nearly bleached bones, which lay facedown in the sand. He could see the left foot and tibia were missing. A black purse lay nearby, its contents scattered. Pink lip gloss, a hairbrush, and a wallet were visible. “Should we check the wallet for ID?”

“Don’t touch anything,” Flynn said through gritted teeth.

Jude couldn’t decide if the man was still angry at the idea of trusting psychics or at knowing that Cope and company were right.

“Up here,” Ronan shouted. He was about fifty yards away from Jude.

Jude rushed toward them with John at his heels. He heard Liam making a call for backup and the crime scene unit. “Who is it?” he asked when he reached Ronan’s side.

“My guess is Rainbow.” Fitz walked around the body, giving it a wide berth. “We saw cashiers wearing a vest like this at the supermarket the other day.”

Two down, one to go. “Let’s find Silver Sky.” Jude walked away from the second skeleton with Fitz and Flynn at his side. His eyes scanned the desert sands and came upon the last thing he wanted to see. “There she is.” Jude pointed toward something metallic catching the light.

Hurrying toward the object, Jude saw a purse with a metal clasp. A few feet beyond that was the third skeleton. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath.

“Let’s get out of here and wait for the medical examiner and the crime scene unit.”

Nodding, Jude followed Flynn away from the body. He wasn’t a scientist by any stretch of the imagination, but based on the condition of the bodies, he knew there would be few clues pointing toward the killer.

“You found her?” Ronan asked when Jude reached him.

“We did. How the hell are we gonna catch this guy? All that’s left of these women are bones. There’s no chance of DNA or fingerprints.”

“We’re going to need a confession,” Fitz said, his eyes glued to Trevor, who was being physically restrained by Nathan. John stood in front of him, begging his friend to calm down. “Let’s go see what this is about.”

“Don’t make me arrest you,” John warned.

“Fuck you! You’re supposed to be my friend!” Trevor screamed, spittle flying from his mouth.

“I am your friend, which is why I can’t allow you to tamper with evidence,” John said, sounding like he was about to lose his temper.

“I need to know Prairie isn’t out there,” Trevor shouted.

“You know she’s not out there,” Jude said. “Since you’re the one who kidnapped her.”

Shoving Nathan away, Trevor charged at Jude, his fists swinging. He caught Jude with a left uppercut, and he hit the ground. “I got more where that came from!” He stood over Jude’s prone body, his hands balled into fists.

Jude couldn’t have cared less. He’d take five more shots to the face if that’s what it took to get Trevor to confess.

“Why did you do it, Trevor?” Jude asked. “Why did you kill these women? We get enough hate for our heritage as it is. Why would you hurt native women?”

“I didn’t hurt anyone!” Trevor screamed before charging toward Jude again. John and Nathan grabbed him.

“You just punched me and rung my bell. I’m six three and over two hundred pounds. If you could put me on my ass, you easily could have overpowered these women.” It broke Jude’s heart to think what their final moments must have been like. Alone. Scared. In pain. Praying for help that would never come.

“What do I have to do to convince you I didn’t do this?”

“Tell us where Prairie is,” John said. “I promise if you lead us to her, I’ll be there for you at your trial. I’ll plead for leniency. I’ll come to every parole hearing. I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

“Me too,” Nathan said.

“Fuck you all!” Trevor shouted. “I’ll get you for this if it’s the last thing I do,” he shouted.

“Come with me.” Flynn slapped the cuffs onto his wrists. “I’m going to put you in my car to keep you from hurting anyone else and from contaminating the evidence. If you didn’t kill these women, the evidence will prove it.”

Trevor’s chin hit his chest. He walked to Flynn’s cruiser and got into the car.

“It’s a sad day when you have to arrest one of your own.” John sighed.

Jude knew how John felt. He hadn’t expected the killer to be a member of Navajo Nation either. What he wanted to know was why? Trevor had always been a bully, but what the hell caused him to turn on his own people? To hurt vulnerable women that, as a member of the tribal police, were his job to protect?

What was worse was that all it would take to get Trevor out of this mess was a good lawyer. There wouldn’t be much evidence with the bodies, and if he were smart, he would have had his squad car detailed after every kill. The police might never know beyond a reasonable doubt who killed the women. But Jude was going to do everything in his power to make sure Trevor paid for his crimes.

Pulling out his iPhone, Jude pulled up the notes app and started jotting down everything he’d seen and heard since arriving at this scene. He was halfway through the discovery of Dancing Leaf’s body when the van door slammed open and Everly popped out. She ran toward Ronan like her life depended on it. Cope and Ten stumbled out behind her with confused looks on their faces.

Ronan knelt in front of Everly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, but Trevor didn’t hurt the women. He did.” With a surprisingly steady hand, Everly pointed to Liam.

“Okay, little girl, that’s very funny.” Flynn’s look indicated he didn’t think Everly’s accusation was funny at all. “Why don’t you go back into the van and have a snack and a nap?”

“I don’t need a snack or a nap,” Everly said calmly. “Maddie is here. She told me what you did.”

It took Jude a moment to remember where he’d heard that name before. Maddie was Liam’s wife, who’d been killed in a car accident along with their daughter. He could tell from the look on Ronan’s and Fitzgibbon’s faces that they recognized the name too.

“Can someone please remove this kid from our crime scene?” Liam asked, his eyes on Ronan.

“Not on your life.” Ronan turned back to Everly. “What did Maddie tell you?”

“She wants to tell her story.” Everly stepped away from Ronan as a woman materialized in front of them. She was short, with long, dark hair, and wore jeans with a red sweater.

“Okay, kid, this has gone far—” Liam froze as Maddie took a step toward him. “What the hell is going on?”

Jude’s eyes were on Liam, who’d gone from angry to terrified in a matter of seconds.

“Maddie?” Liam whispered.

“Surprised to see me?” Maddie’s dark eyes glittered with what looked like triumph. “No one believed me when I told them what a monster you were. No one believed me when I asked for protection from you, but they’re all going to believe me now.”

Liam opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“You being speechless is a first, but I know exactly what you want to say. That I’m a bitch or a whore, right? That I need to be punished. I used to be so afraid of those fists.” Maddie pointed to Liam’s balled-up hands. “Now I see what a weak, insignificant man you are.”

“This isn’t happening. You’re not really here. You’re dead and buried. I’m having a stroke or something. I’m going to wake up in the hospital, and this will all be just a bad memory.” Flynn didn’t sound convinced.

“Tell us what happened, Maddie, please,” Jude said.

Maddie smiled. “To make a long story short, I thought Liam was the man of my dreams. Tall, handsome, sweet, and so protective over me. I should have known that was all an act. Two days after we got married was the first time he hit me. Of course, he apologized, and I was stupid enough to take him back. The abuse happened two to three times per week. I was gathering my courage to leave him when I found out I was pregnant. The beatings stopped, but he accused me of sleeping around behind his back and that the baby wasn’t his. I had to have my baby DNA tested to prove she was his!”

Jude’s heart broke for Maddie. He could see the rage building in Liam’s eyes. Rage that was about to hit its flashpoint. There was no doubt in his mind that Liam was every bit the monster Maddie said he was. “How did things end?”

“He was away on business for three days. I knew this was my only chance to escape, so I packed a bag for me and the baby, grabbed as much cash as I could from the wall safe, and left. It was raining, and I was driving slowly. There was no one else on the road with me, but then I saw headlights behind me. They raced toward me. I knew it was Liam. He hadn’t been out of town at all. His truck bumped me from behind, which sent my car spinning into a tree. Blood streamed into my eyes. I couldn’t see a thing, but then I heard his voice telling me I’d gotten what I deserved. Liam stood there and watched us die. The last thing I heard in this world was his laughter.”

Liam snorted. “You got everything you deserved, bitch. If I could kill you all over again, I would.”

“You did,” John said. “Rainbow, Dancing Leaf, Silver Sky, and Prairie Moon. You killed them all as surrogates for your wife.”

Liam laughed harder. He held his stomach and brayed like a deranged donkey.

“Prairie isn’t dead,” Maddie said. “She’s at my house, in the crawl space in the basement. Hurry.” The spirit turned to Everly. “Thank you for giving me my wings.” The white light appeared behind her. Standing within it was a young woman who bore a striking resemblance to Maddie.

“Bye, Miss Maddie,” Everly said.

Maddie ran toward the light and into the young woman’s arms. Jude had no doubt the woman was her daughter, Michelle.

Liam, who had sobered, charged at Jude. Ronan and Fitzgibbon tackled him to the ground. “This is your fault! All your fault. If you hadn’t come here, no one would have ever known what I’d done.”

Sirens sounded in the distance. Jude knew the cavalry was on its way. He wanted nothing more than to kick Liam Flynn in the teeth for what he’d done to his wife and child. For the way he’d taken three other innocent lives and had imprisoned a fourth. “Enjoy prison, asshole. Though I don’t imagine you’ll last very long once word gets out to the Warrior Society that you killed native women.” He waggled his eyebrows at the suddenly terrified man and walked away. Both of them knew the reputation the native gang had in prison. They were ruthless, cunning, and always got revenge.

Jude scooped Everly into his arms and hugged her tight. “Thank you for helping my people.”

“Our people, Uncle Jude. I’m Whispering Wind, remember?” Everly smiled and hugged Jude tighter.

For decades, Jude had been ashamed of his native roots. Now, for the first time, Jude was proud to be of Navajo descent. All of his old biases and hurt feelings fell away from his heart. At long last, Jude had found what he’d desperately searched for his entire life. Freedom.

Freedom to be his true self. Freedom to love his entire being and his place in this world.