CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

The four women walked into the tiny cultural center on the border of Louisiana and Texas. Beside them were Beast and Monster, causing the young man at the counter to take two steps backward. It wasn’t much more than a modular building, but it was nice to see that they were trying to keep their culture and way of life alive.

Like many of the tribes, they had been nearly all but made extinct by diseases brought by the Europeans.

“May I help you, ladies?” asked the man. “Uh, are the dogs friendly?”

“They are as long as we’re safe. As for what we want, I’m not sure. We’re hoping that you have record of or know a story about a young Choctaw chief’s son who might have been killed a few hundred years ago.”

He raised a brow, staring at the four beautiful women. They shifted nervously, unsure of how much they should say.

“A few hundred years ago?” asked the man.

“That’s right,” said Marie. “We know it sounds crazy, but a friend of ours found the bones on his property. Through DNA, we know that he was Choctaw, and the items near his body indicated he was a chief’s son.”

“And you think he was killed?”

“Yes.”

“Why would you think that?” he asked.

“Because there was an arrow in his back,” said Ella. The man eyed the women again, staring them up and down.

“I’ve never heard any such stories, but there are some books over there that have some stories in them. You’re welcome to look.”

“Thank you,” said Rose.

They took a seat around a small round table and, one by one, read through stories, some handwritten, of the history of their people. Many sounded like fairytales, others more realistic. For the better part of the afternoon, the women scoured through the books.

At one point, Lauren and Ella ran to a fast-food restaurant and brought back lunch for them all. When they’d gone through every book, every page, they finally raised their hands in defeat.

“Nothing?” asked the man.

“Nothing,” said Lauren.

“Told you,” he smirked.

“Thank you for your time. Sorry if we occupied your seats for too long,” said Ella.

“In case you didn’t notice, I don’t exactly have a run of people coming through here. I’m just trying to preserve my culture and my people,” he said, looking at the women.

Turning, the women began to leave the building, but something caught Marie’s eye. A shadow box with one item in it. One. An eagle feather.

“Sorry, but is that an eagle feather? It’s beautiful,” said Marie innocently.

“Oh, yes. That’s exactly what it is,” said the man nervously.

“Eagles aren’t generally found in this part of the country any longer,” said Ella, stepping closer to the glass. “It appears to be very old.”

“Hey, uh, please don’t touch it,” he said.

“I’m not touching it,” smiled Lauren. “I’m just looking at it. I find it interesting that you have this one thing framed so beautifully, so protectively, and the killer we’re looking for killed a man by the name of Eagle Feather.”

The young man was silent at first, but he was nervous. Very nervous. The dogs stared at him like he was going to be their lunch. That made him more nervous than anything.

“Why don’t we have a chat, honey,” said Marie. “Come on. Sit down. It’s four hundred years gone. No one is going to jail.”

“No, but my tribe’s history could be destroyed.”

“Nothing will be destroyed,” said Ella. “We’re just trying to set the soul free of a murdered man.”

He quickly realized that he wasn’t going to get away from these women. Not only did they outnumber him, but they looked ready to kill, and he wasn’t sure that they wouldn’t.

“Alright. Let’s talk.”

“Has anyone heard from them?” asked Dex, concerned for his wife and the other women.

“All we know is that they’re on their way back,” said Nine. “Marie said they had some good news, sort of. Whatever the hell that means.”

“There they are,” said Trak, looking up to see Lauren in the front seat, Marie driving. Ella and Rose were in the backseat, the dogs ready to escape the enclosure. As they took off, the husbands stepped forward, hugging the women.

“I’m afraid to be hopeful,” said Tahlako.

“I’m not sure if it will give you peace, Eagle Feather,” said Marie, “but it was a young warrior from the Atakapa tribe. We don’t know if the story is real or not, but he was opposed to the tribes joining to push back the French in particular.”

“Why? They were ruining our lands, stealing them, robbing us of our resources,” he said, confused.

“He had made a deal with them. He, and he alone, would be the emissary between the tribes and the French. He would be paid handsomely in land and other things.”

“What was his name?” he asked.

“Running Bear. It won’t change anything. It won’t make you feel any better, but he died shortly after that from measles. I’m so sorry, honey.”

“I’m still here,” he said, looking down at his body. “What does that mean?”

“I think it means you’re supposed to be here,” said Gaspar. “I don’t know why.”

“I know why,” said the soft, sweet voice of Genevieve. She stepped closer to the other spirit, sliding her hand into his own. He looked down at the starkly contrasting colors of their skin, then gripped her hand with intensity.

“If I am to spend eternity here, then I think you’re supposed to spend it with me,” she smiled.

“I can live with that,” he grinned. “Or not live with that. What am I doing?”

“We’re not sure,” laughed Antoine, “but it appears that Archie and Charity are in the same predicament.”

All eyes turned to see the young couple strolling in the gardens. Gaspar shook his head, looking at his brothers. They hadn’t seen their parents in several days. Although they’d been willing to give them their space. It was time.

“Gabriel? Go find Mama and Pops. We need to talk.”