Maria took the first taste, closed her eyes, and said, “Heavenly.”

Annie took a bit of the mixture and agreed, though in truth she was so distracted that she barely tasted it.

They returned to Jenny’s car along the trail through the forest, Waaboo dancing ahead and Jenny hurrying to keep up with him. Annie and Maria lagged behind.

“He is a remarkable man,” Maria said. “Why didn’t you tell him?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to know.”

“But I know.”

“And it weighs on you.”

“Your burden is mine.” She took Annie’s hand. “We are connected by the great spirit that runs through all things.” She bumped Annie’s hip playfully with her own. “And more.”

They walked awhile that way, hand in hand. Then Maria said, “You should have told him. I believe he would understand.”

“Let it go,” Annie said.

But why hadn’t she told Meloux everything? Because Annie had the sense that somehow he already knew. And that he wanted nothing less than to crack her open and have it all spill out for everyone to see, the whole horrible truth.

CHAPTER 9

Daniel was sitting at the kitchen table when Jenny returned along with Annie, Maria, and Waaboo. She’d called as soon as she had cell phone reception, and Daniel had promised to meet her at the house on Gooseberry Lane.

“We picked blueberries, Daddy,” Waaboo said as he ran to his father. “And we brought home some syrup Prophet made.” He held out a small jar filled with a thick blue liquid.

“Looks delicious, little guy.”

“Where is everyone?” Annie asked.

“Stephen just left a few minutes ago. Belle called. There’s been more trouble at the Spirit Crossing protest. Some arrests. He went to help.”

“What can he do? He hasn’t even started law school yet.”

“Sometimes, he runs errands for Belle and the others who are working on the legal side of things,” Daniel explained. “But he’s often on the front line, using his cell phone to document what’s going on and reporting back to Belle. He says that’s where he prefers to be.”

Rainy stepped into the kitchen, holding the medical bag she used in her work as a public health nurse.

“You’re going, too?” Annie asked.

Rainy nodded. “Belle said there might have been some injuries. I’ve been helping out when I can. I’m usually there when a big demonstration has been planned. But sometimes things just flare up.”

“We should go with you,” Annie said. “Maria’s a nurse.”

“What are the protests about?” Maria asked.

“An oil pipeline,” Waaboo said. “It’s a bad thing. It’ll pollute Mother Earth.”

“I am all for saving Mother Earth,” Maria said.

“Come, then,” Rainy said. “But we have to leave now.”

“Can I come?” Waaboo asked.

“Another time,” Jenny said.

The boy looked disappointed, and Daniel said, “I have an important job for you here.”

“What?”

“Go ride your bike for a while and when you come back, I’ll tell you.”

Waaboo set the jar on a kitchen counter and took off out the back door along with Rainy and the other two women. Jenny sat down at the table with her husband as the spring on the mudroom screen door gave a loud squeal, then slapped shut with a bang.

“God, I hate that pipeline,” she said.

“We all do. Give me the lowdown on our son. What did Meloux say?”

Jenny recounted her conversation with the old Mide.

“So, the buried girl has a name. Tacicala.”

“Fawn in Lakota,” Jenny said.

Daniel nodded, pleased with this information. “The identity of the second spirit is still a mystery, but Henry believes the second spirit must be near her grave?”

“That’s what he thinks. But didn’t the FBI and BCA go over that whole area?”

“Monte told me that after it was evident the girl in the grave wasn’t Olivia, they pretty much took off. They certainly weren’t looking for a second grave. But that second spirit could be Crystal Two Knives. Or, I suppose, Olivia Hamilton.” Daniel looked toward the mudroom where Waaboo had gone. “How’s our little guy handling all this?”

“Pretty well, all things considered,” Jenny replied. Then she seemed to get the true intention behind her husband’s question. “You’re thinking of taking him back there, aren’t you? You can’t be serious.”

“You said yourself that he appears to be doing well.”

“He’s a seven-year-old boy, Daniel, not some scientific instrument of law enforcement investigation.”

“If there’s another girl buried out there, don’t you think we should do everything we can to locate her body?”

“There must be some other way. Cadaver dogs?”

“If Waaboo senses something more concrete now, we’ll get the cadaver dogs out there or whatever we need. Look, Jenny, the spirit of a young girl is begging for help. How can we deny her that?”

Jenny’s lips went into a hard line, and she was silent a long time. “All right,” she finally agreed. “But I go, too.”

Waaboo’s only question had been “Can we pick blueberries?”

Now he sat in the rear seat of Jenny’s Subaru Forester, singing softly to himself. Daniel, who was driving, recognized the tune, “Jambalaya,” which Waaboo often requested when Daniel brought out his accordion for an evening singsong at the O’Connor house. In the rearview mirror, he watched his son’s head bob up and down as he sang very softly “me-oh-my-oh.”