Black Raven's Pride

Always and forever. The words were in his heart when he entered her again, loving her fierce cries as he plunged deep inside her. Their release was sweet and he lay over her, their bodies still locked together.

Then suddenly Nick’s dreams shifted. Another scene unfolded, and Nick’s heart began to drum against his chest, anger and pain gripping him. He was standing in the center of his old room, trying to accept the fact that Eden was really gone. The note she’d left for him was balled up in his fist, the words branded in his mind. I made a mistake. I’m sorry. There’s life and there’s love, and we’ll never be able to make the two come together.

Black sorrow filled him and, with a sharp, angry cry, Nick jackknifed to a sitting position, coming abruptly awake. He got his bearings slowly as he looked around the bunkhouse and tried to focus on the present.

Back then he hadn’t understood what had happened. Afterward he’d wondered if it had been his stand on children, but if Eden had loved him enough, she would have understood. They’d both lived through so much pain as kids on the pueblo that it had seemed inconceivable to him that she might have felt differently from him on that issue.

They’d known each other well as children, but he wondered now how well they’d really known each other as adults. One moment they’d had an entirely new life waiting for them. The pueblo and the sadness in their pasts would have eventually been nothing more than a memory for them. Yet she’d vanished without explanation, taking a piece of his heart.

The love he’d felt for her had been real but the closeness he’d wanted and had thought they’d shared had only been an illusion. It hadn’t been anything said or left unsaid that had split them apart. What had really come between them was that there’d been another man in Eden’s life.

He took a deep breath. The gut-wrenching pain he’d felt fifteen months ago had not diminished with time. He’d simply filed it away mentally, banishing it to a spot where he could handle it. Now, understanding the depth of her betrayal, a coldness settled over his steel-encased heart.

Naked, he walked to the window and stared out at the stars. He would never again allow anyone to come as close to him as Eden once had. Gone forever was the boy who’d thought love could conquer all, and the faith that had allowed him to give his heart.

The only thing he would do now was protect her. As a cop it was his duty—and as a man who’d once lover her it was his debt of honor to the past they’d shared.

Chapter Three

It was shortly after eight the following morning and Nick was on his second cup of coffee. All night long he’d lain awake, unable to stop thinking about Eden. At one time in his life, she’d been the world to him. But now everything was different except for the way she could make desire twist through him. And, as always, she’d turned his life upside down.

The letter Eden’s grandmother had written to her mentioning Tall Shadow had disturbed him deeply. He’d only been a young boy, but he remembered how his father had hated the nickname, thinking that it made him sound like some kind of big boss the pueblo was required to look up to. His father had chewed out Martin, the ranch foreman, for using it, and he’d given orders that he was “Paul” on the ranch. Any ranch hands referring to him as Tall Shadow would be stuck with cleaning out the horse stalls permanently.

Lost in thought, Nick almost didn’t hear the phone. On the third ring, he picked up the receiver, half expecting to hear Captain Mora’s voice telling him he was needed to go on duty earlier than his originally scheduled shift.

Instead, it was his brother, Jake. “Nick, I need to talk to you. Can you come over this morning?”

“Sure.” Nick had moved into the empty bunkhouse several months ago. He’d told his brother and his wife Annie that he wanted to give them more privacy, but the truth was that he’d felt out of place there. “Is something wrong?” he asked Jake.

“You could say that,” Jake answered, his voice hard. “But I’d rather discuss this in person.”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Nick put his coffee cup in the sink, then walked over to the main house, which was less than a hundred yards away. Jake’s tone had put him on his guard. Whenever Jake sounded this cool and reserved something major was brewing. And on top of whatever was going on, Nick knew he’d also have to tell Jake about the letter, and what Tall Shadow had been accused of doing years ago.

From the second Nick stepped into the main house, the large two-story adobe structure they’d both grown up in, he felt the tension in the air. Annie gave him a quick “good morning” as she met him by the door carrying nine-month-old Noelle in her arms.

Nick gave his niece a kiss. “Hey sweetpea.”

The baby smiled and so did Annie. “You’re so good with kids, Nick. Why don’t you hurry up and get married?”

“It doesn’t work that way. Not in my book anyway.”

“I thought Black Raven men never went by the book—unless they wrote it themselves.”

Nick laughed. “We only play by the rules when it suits us,” he said, following her to the library.

As they entered the room, he saw Martin, who’d been the ranch foreman for as long as he could remember, as well as a family friend. He was helping Jake remove books from a shelf, then searching each one.

“What’s going on? Lose something important?”

Jake came down the ladder that allowed him to reach the top of the highest shelf in the wood-paneled library. The ceilings in most of the ground floor rooms were ten feet high. “Our mother’s diary is gone,” he said flatly.

“Gone? You mean stolen?” Nick asked, his tone now as taut as his brother’s had been.

Jake nodded. “Precisely.”

That diary had already cost them their father’s life. Its loss now made Nick’s blood turn to ice. There was no telling what price getting it back would exact this time. The journal was a treasure trove of community secrets, since just about everyone had confided in Saya, their mother, and she’d written down all her private thoughts in that leather-bound book. Last time, as they’d worked to get it back, greed and jealousy over the contents of the diary had nearly claimed Annie’s life and that of her baby.

“Did you just leave it in plain sight?” Nick demanded, trying to suppress the anger in his voice. It was just like Jake to think it impossible that anyone would break in now that he was the head of the house.

“I wasn’t careless,” Jake snapped, sensing the direction Nick’s thoughts had taken. “Far from it. I’d intended to start reading it a little at a time each night, so I took it out of our bedroom nightstand and put it down here. I honestly thought mom’s diary would be safer in these bookshelves than in any drawer.”

Nick paced around the room, his thoughts racing. “Okay, so now we concentrate on getting it back. Any idea who’d want the diary? Before, it was used against our father, but now that he’s gone…”

“I don’t think this has anything to do with our family’s past this time. Those matters are settled,” Jake looked at Annie and his daughter, love and relief etched clearly on his face.

“But there are other families—and other secrets,” Martin said. “There’s a skeleton in almost everyone’s closet, if you look hard enough.”

“We have to figure out who in this community knew about that diary,” Nick said. “This house obviously wasn’t broken into by some stranger or you would have seen evidence of it before now. We have to backtrack, and check who’s been here recently.”

“Everyone knows about the existence of that diary these days,” Martin answered with a shrug. “It came out in the trial that convicted your father’s killer.”

“Then let’s narrow down the times when it could have been taken, and figure out who was around then. When was the last time any of you remember seeing the diary?”

Annie spoke first. “I was dusting in here last Wednesday, or Thursday. I would have noticed it missing then…I think.”

“You don’t take the books out every time you dust, do you?” Nick asked.

“No,” she admitted. “I stand on the ladder, and move the books back and forth. But I really think I would have noticed the diary missing. Jake showed me where he’d put it so he wouldn’t be the only one to know.”

“I’m no help on this,” Martin said. “I come in here at least once or twice every day, but I don’t pay much attention to what’s on the shelves. All I look at are the ranch’s business ledgers, the breeding records, and things like that.”

Jake took a long, deep breath. “Then I guess I was the last one to see it. I read the first few pages about a month ago, the day before Noelle’s naming ritual, to be exact. Then, I put it back on the top shelf, with the book jacket in place.”

“Tell me, who came to Noelle’s naming ritual?” Nick asked.

“Almost everyone we know stopped by that day—either before, during, or after. And any of the guests could have come in here,” Annie said.

“I came at dawn in time to see her presented to the sun,” Nick said. “If I remember right, my boss, Captain Mora, arrived right after that. After we all returned to the house, Elsie Mueller, the pueblo’s nurse practitioner arrived.”

Annie nodded. “Elsie helped us bathe Noelle, and was there when Blue Corn Woman and White Corn Maiden were thanked for bestowing a soul on the baby. After that, everyone else dropped by.”

“Think in specifics,” Nick persisted.

“Your uncle Thomas was here briefly with his girlfriend, Theresa Redwing. All the ranch hands came, too, even recent part-time help like Daniel Hawk.”

“I thought Daniel worked at the Cultural Center,” Nick said.

Jake nodded. “Here in the mornings, there in the afternoons.” He paused. “Our list of guests that day is almost endless. Martin, of course, was here, and so was Mrs. Chino. Our family lawyer came, the Kormans, Samuel Runningwater, some of our best clients from Santa Fe, the Winter Chief and the Summer Chief. I really think that everyone from the pueblo or connected to it visited that day at one time or another.”

Nick weighed the information then, at last, spoke. “As far as I’m concerned, no matter how many came, our uncle should be at the top of our suspect list. Thomas admitted to us months ago that he’d been sneaking into the house for years when our father wasn’t around and searched every room, hoping to find that diary. He’d intended to use it to get leverage over people. In my opinion, it’s very possible he’s gone back to his old tricks.”

“Let’s go over there and pay him a visit. Knowing you’re a cop should rattle him, even if nothing else does,” Jake said.

“Slow down, Jake. We don’t want to go in there like gangbusters, tip our hand, and let him know the diary’s missing. Although we have to know if he’s got the diary, we also have to be careful not to give him any more information. If he discovers the diary’s gone, even if he didn’t take it, he could play on people’s fears who have secrets they want to keep hidden. Let’s think this through before we take any action.”

“We’ll think on the way,” Jake said, grabbing his keys from the desk. “You always move too slow, brother.” He gave Annie a quick kiss, and Noelle a tiny peck on her forehead.

“And you always rush out, leading with your chin. That’s why it ends up on the ground so often.” Nick glanced at Martin, who just shook his head, knowing that neither brother would win this perpetual competition.

They took Jake’s truck, Nick having decided to keep his presence as unofficial as possible, despite Jake’s protests.

As Jake drove past a familiar tree-lined path that led seemingly nowhere, Nick’s thoughts drifted to Eden. There was an old house down that lane that had been gutted by a fire decades ago. These days he saw it as nothing more than a burned-out shell, but back then, meeting with Eden there had made it seem like high adventure.

Relationships hadn’t seemed so complicated in those days and he’d moved faster then, too often tripping over his heart. But nothing had been more important to him than stealing time to be with his girl. It had been a time of discovery, a time of first love. But those days were gone.

“What’s got you so distracted?” Jake asked.

Nick shook his head. “The past haunts me,” he said cryptically, then continued. “But let’s stay on track here,” he added, suddenly all business. “Do you, by any chance, know if Thomas has a job these days? If he’s pressed for cash, then that would give him a motive for stealing the diary. He’s always seen it as an easy way to make money.”

“He’s always pressed for cash,” Jake answered. “What I’d like to do is search his house from top to bottom. If we do, I’d be willing to bet we’d find that diary.”

“Forget it, Jake. Legally we can’t do that. We have nothing to stand on since we have no actual evidence against him.”

“Sure we do,” Jake insisted. “His lousy track record counts for something. He admitted right in front of Captain Mora once that he’d broken into our home many times while our father was still alive. I should have pressed charges then, but I didn’t. His past tells us exactly what he’s capable of doing.”

“Logical, but not legal. We need facts, not a history lesson.”

“How about an unofficial search, then, like he did at our house? You keep him busy outside and I’ll go in and look around. Even if he catches us, he won’t do anything about it. He owes us and he knows it.”

“Think, Jake. Don’t tip your hand so easily. If we’re careful, we can find out if Thomas has been sneaking into the ranch house again without ever letting him know anything’s missing.”

“All right,” Jake said. “But I really like an in-your-face type of confrontation a lot better. It’s more satisfying.”

Nick grinned. Jake may have become a family man with responsibilities, but certain things never changed. Trying to divert some of Jake’s compressed energy, he brought up the subject of the letter Eden’s grandmother had written her.

“According to that, ‘Tall Shadow’ was connected to the crime which resulted in her parents’ death,” Nick said. “As you know, Tall Shadow was Dad’s nickname, and, if that’s true, our father ruined an entire family. Eden’s mom and dad are dead, but Eden is still paying for what happened, so our family could owe her big time.”

“If it’s true,” Jake repeated. “And I really doubt that. Our father was many things, but no way I’m going to believe he was party to the theft of sacred items or the framing of an innocent woman. That just wasn’t his style. He was like me, an in-your-face fighter.”

“So you think I should let this drop?” Nick asked.

“Yeah, for now. Let’s see how things develop. Unlike this matter of the diary, it doesn’t require immediate action.”

“Agreed.”

A short time later they pulled up in front of their uncle’s home. Thomas Ray had lived in the stucco and wood frame house for the past thirty years. There was a wire fence around the property and a sagging wooden gate that led to the backyard.

As the twin brothers stepped up onto the porch, a strong breeze blew the front door open a few inches. Nick stopped and glanced around, holding out his hand to signal Jake to remain still. “His truck’s not here, so why’s that door open? Our people generally don’t use locks, but they do close doors.” He peeked through the foot-wide opening into the house.

“Maybe he’s still around. The fact that his truck’s not here doesn’t mean anything. His pickup’s long past a stop at the junkyard. It could be over at Ralph’s gas station getting its engine rebuilt, or broken down between here and Santa Fe.”

“Point taken. Now hang back,” Nick said, pushing the door open completely. “If he’s around, and this door’s open, something’s wrong.”

Jake went inside first, despite Nick’s warning. Cursing, Nick rushed in after him, hoping his brother wasn’t about to confront a burglar.

“Jake, what the hell are you doing? You can’t burst inside someone’s home like this.”

“Chill out. It isn’t like we’re breaking and entering.” Jake bumped into a low table and a small clay pot fell to the floor, shattering into several pieces. “Well, okay, now it’s entering and breaking. But we’re here, so let’s look around.”

“This wouldn’t be a legal search,” Nick snapped. “It’s a waste of time.”

“Are you one hundred percent certain that our uncle isn’t in trouble? The door swinging wide open by itself is enough to indicate suspicious circumstances. We’re here, worried about a family member. You’re not on duty now, are you?”

“Who do you expect to sell that load of garbage to? Captain Mora wouldn’t swallow it.”

“Fine, but let’s look around anyway. We owe it to ourselves.”

“You don’t get it, do you? It’s illegal, and I’m a cop. I don’t want to arrest my own idiot brother.”

“I’ll tell you what. Go out back and see if our uncle is around the yard, maybe chopping wood or pulling weeds.”

Nick’s expression hardened. “I’m going to give you just the time it’ll take me to go through the house and make sure there’s no signs of trouble here,” he snapped. “Then we both leave.”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll work fast, and you work slowly. And if we happen to see the diary, we’ll take it back.”

“I didn’t hear that,” Nick said. Seeing the pot shards on the floor, he stopped and picked them up. “No sense in advertising the fact that we were here,” he said, then added, “At least this is something that was stolen from us originally. I remember seeing it at our house after Dad was killed, and I know neither of us gave it to Thomas.”

Jake was already in the single bedroom searching by the time Nick threw all the ceramic fragments into the trash.

Several minutes later, Jake met his brother by the door. “He’s only got a few pieces of furniture. I opened every drawer. The closets were full of clothes and cardboard boxes of stuff, but there was no diary. If it’s here, it’s too well hidden for us to find easily.”

Nick looked around with a scowl. “Come on. We’re wasting time.” He led the way back to the truck.

Hearing his cell phone ring, Nick grabbed it from his pocket and flipped it open. He listened, then answered. “I’m on my way.”

Nick glanced over at his brother. “There’s trouble at the school. The principal reported someone watching the kids from inside a hedge behind the basketball court. There’s a big cornfield just beyond the school grounds, so that’s probably how he got in close. No one else is available so I’m responding to the call. Give me a ride over there, will you?”

“Sure thing.” Jake pressed down on the accelerator. “Any ideas what that could be about?”

Nick nodded. “About two dozen pueblo kids will be initiated into the tribe soon. Anthropologists from area universities have been dying to find out what goes on during that ritual, so when they hear one’s about to take place, they start nosing around.”

Jake smiled. “Remember when it was our turn to be initiated? All the girls got off easy, but it was different for us.”

“My knees were shaking by the time they turned to us and asked us if we really wanted to be finished,” Nick answered.

“Then we had to promise never to reveal what went on because if all our ceremonies were made public, they’d lose their power, and our people wouldn’t have the protection of our gods,” Jake said.

“Most of the anthropologists have never respected that. They want to record and analyze everything. So they keep coming. Initiation rites aren’t held every year, but the grad students working on a thesis or trying to make a name for themselves somehow always manage to find out when one’s about due. That’s quite a feat in itself, considering that even the kids don’t know when it’s supposed to happen.”

“You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait until Noelle goes through the initiation rite. I like the feeling it gives me when I think that my daughter will continue the traditions that were important to me when I was growing up. It’s a legacy that goes beyond a simple inheritance.”

Nick said nothing. His brother had his family and, because of them, he’d always have a reason to look to the future.

But Nick had taken another road. He’d never wanted a family or kids. Yet now that he only had himself to worry about, he was starting to see that a man needed more in his life to feel complete.

Nick pushed those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to think about such things. He was a cop and there was work to do.

Chapter Four

Eden stopped by the wooden cubbyholes on the office wall that served as teachers’ mailboxes, and pulled out all the envelopes, memos and student worksheets that had been crammed inside the small enclosure labeled with her name. She sorted everything on the way back to her classroom, then sat down at her oak teacher’s desk and began to read through the paperwork.

A legal-size envelope with her name and the school address handwritten in pencil caught her eye. There was no return address on the letter, which had been postmarked yesterday.

Eden opened it, her hands shaking. As she read the short note contained inside, her stomach sank. It was getting all too familiar.

THIS PUEBLO IS ALL WE HAVE LEFT. YOU ARE HALF-WHITE AND SHOULDN’T BE LIVING HERE. THE POLICE CAN’T HELP YOU. LEAVE NOW BEFORE THINGS GET WORSE.

The unsigned note, in block letters, stunned her because a new dimension had been added to the note—a threat. She sat immobile, heart beating overtime, then stuffed the envelope into her pocket and rushed to the teachers’ phone in the book room. Although the note hadn’t mentioned her son, she had to make sure Christopher was safe. When Mrs. Chino, who ran a day-care center out of her home during the week, assured her that Christopher was fine, Eden finally relaxed.

Lost in thought, she returned to her classroom, wondering how to deal with the person who was trying to drive her off pueblo land. When she’d renewed her search for the truth, her main goal had been to clear her family’s name so that her son would grow up feeling pride, not shame in their family. She’d never expected to have to fight another battle as well.

As her sixth-grade students came into the room, she focused on the class. She’d just started taking attendance when an office secretary appeared with a cryptic note from Mr. Puye, their principal.

Students are to be kept in the classrooms. A stranger has been seen on campus. Lock your doors as a precaution and stay alert. The police have been called.

Eden, who always kept her classroom doors locked anyway, walked to the window and tried to get a better look. A shadowy figure was partially visible behind the large hedge, but Mr. Puye was already walking in that direction.

Then a pickup pulled up, and two men jumped out of the cab. She recognized Nick and Jake. With Nick leading the way, they raced around the hedge and into the tall cornfield beyond the school grounds. The men disappeared quickly from sight and, as she looked back at the hedge, she noticed the shadow was gone.

Eden held her breath, waiting for another glimpse of Nick. He hadn’t even thought to hesitate before entering the cornfield to track down the intruder. His dedication to duty was absolute. A man who possessed loyalty like his was just the kind of ally she and Christopher needed, but she wouldn’t risk letting Nick have a hold on her life again.

An eternity later, or so it seemed, Nick and Jake emerged from the end of the cornfield. They were alone. The person hiding in the hedge had either escaped or been allowed to leave.

The principal gave them the “all clear” as the period ended. Eden dismissed her class for lunch and went to the office. After reading that last note, she knew the game had changed, and the possibility that the intruder may have actually been watching her was frightening. Of course it was also quite possible that this was an unrelated incident. What she needed now was enough information to settle the question, if only in her own mind.