She stared up into his dark, swarthy face, his high cheekbones and strong chin, evidence of his power and ancestry. He was Lakota, one of the surviving members of a proud nation of Sioux warriors. If anyone could find her son, he could.
The aching emptiness in her belly eased, followed quickly by an acidic froth of guilt. She should have told him her secret when shed found out about it, before he left for the Middle East. But the time had passed. Now she had to keep the knowledge to herself.
Tribal police officer Delany Toke cleared his throat. Joe, we found some graffiti on the exterior wall.
Joes eyes narrowed. What graffiti?
It was on the west side, out of line of sight of the road, Del said.
Thats been there a month. Maggie raked a hand through her hair. Had it really been four weeks since the ugly paint had appeared on the side of her little house?
Did you report it to the police? Joe asked.
No. I didnt want the persons responsible to think I was scared. I had enough problems getting through to some of the teens as it was. But that hadnt stopped Paul from doing something about it. Hed been angry enough to march down to the youth center and ream every teenager unfortunate enough to stop by that day. Maggie would rather have let the matter drop, not risen to the bait.
What does it say? Joe asked.
Del glanced at Maggie. Go away, white woman.
Joe stared at Maggie, his lips tightening into a thin line. Any idea who might have done it?
Could have been one of a dozen. A bucket of white paint still sat in the storage room waiting for her to cover the hateful words, but so much had happened since that day shed completely forgotten.
Joe glanced at her. I thought you had a rapport with them.
Things change. Besides, its a long story. One she was entirely too tired to get into. Shouldnt we concentrate on finding Dakota?
Thats what Im doing. He softened his words with, I need to know everything thats gone on in your life for the past few months, maybe even year.
You mean since youve been gone? Her gaze met his, unwavering for a few long seconds before she dropped hers. What was the use? He had never loved her.
Yes, since I left. With the kidnapping of your son following the accidental death of your husband, I wonder if Pauls death wasnt as accidental as wed originally assumed.
Maggie struggled with the words teetering on the tip of her tongue. Would the facts shed withheld make a difference in Joes investigation, or would they only cloud the issue of finding her son?
When she didnt say anything, he continued. Do you know if Paul was involved in any unusual activities?
Gritting her teeth, Maggie shook herself and concentrated on Joes question. He didnt need to know any more than he already did about Dakota. As the head of tribal police, he had a lot of influence within the tribe. It was enough for him to know his stepbrothers son was missing. Unusual? What do you mean?
Was he acting strange, had he altered his habits? Did he hang out with anyone in particular?
Maggie shook her head. I dont know. Paul didnt tell me about his life outside our home. She swallowed against the lump rising in her throat. He hadnt told her because she hadnt let him. Paul had loved her and had married her when shed been desperate. What had he gotten from the deal?
Nothing.
As the only white man shed halfway trusted on the reservation, shed gone to him to seek help in preserving her secret.
From the beginning, Paul knew Maggie still loved Joe but hed married her anyway. Maggie had been the one to insist on a marriage in name only. Although Paul would have liked it otherwise, hed abided by her wishes, agreeing to wait until after shed given birth to persuade her otherwise. Hed slept in a separate bedroom down the hall from her, and hed come and gone as he pleased. All this was information Joe didnt need to know.
No one knew. As far as the Painted Rock Indian Tribe was concerned, Paul was the father of her baby.
He worked nights at the casino and I worked days at the youth center. We didnt see much of each other.
Joes eyes narrowed. Not much of a married life, he muttered, but he didnt ask any more questions about Pauls friends or activities. He turned to Officer Toke. Check Pauls phone records and get out to the casino and ask around.
The officer nodded. Will do. He tipped his head at Maggie. Maam, let us know if you hear anything from the kidnappers.
A rush of panic pushed Maggie forward and she laid a hand on Joes arm. You have to find him, hes your She bit hard on her tongue until she tasted the bitter, metallic tang of blood. nephew, she finished in a rush. How close had she come to telling him the one thing she couldnt? Based on his belief that Indian children should be raised in the Indian culture, he wouldnt understand. He might demand custody of her baby if he knew Dakota was his son.
Chapter Two
While Officer Toke stood outside on her porch smoking a cigarette, Maggie paced her tiny living room more times than she cared to count, chewing through every last fingernail. Joe had gone to the police station with the others, promising to be back soon.
The more time that passed the more the walls seemed to close in around her. With Joe there, she could handle almost anything. Without him, she felt the black hole of loss sucking her down. She couldnt just wait around for his return, she had to do something to find her baby.
But who would have taken him? And why?
She sat on the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on everyone shed been in contact with in the past six months. A person who could be malicious enough to steal a baby from his bed. It had to be someone who knew which room her baby slept in and that she would be the only adult in the house.
Who? Who? Who? She tapped her finger to her forehead. Faces swam in her mind of all the boys and girls she worked with at the youth center. Shed never invited any of them to her house, but one of them could have spied on her just as easily as someone had painted graffiti on her walls while shed been away. As if her mind was on a continuous loop, she couldnt slow her thoughts enough to wrap around an individual. None of the teens surfaced as mean enough to steal her baby.
Was it even one of the teenagers shed been working with? Could it be someone who knew Paul? If so, she was at a complete loss. For once, she wished shed been closer to Paul than strangers in a shared house.
She pushed to her feet and strode to the window. When would Joe get back? He would know where to begin. Hed know who to question, who to call.
God, she prayed he did.
After one more circle around the living room, she stopped at the entrance to the hallway. From Dakotas doorway, light spread in a triangle on the carpet in the hall. As if drawn by an irresistible force, Maggie walked toward the room shed avoided since the police left. The closer she got, the more her chest squeezed until she was gulping short, shallow breaths. The walls pressed in on either side of her. She didnt want to go in but she had to know, to see for herself, that her child really was gone.
This wasnt a dream.
The officers had tried to clean up their mess before they left, but she could still see the faint traces of dust from where theyd lifted fingerprints from the walls, window-sill and furniture.