Chapter 2
2
W ynona had known the truth would come out the moment she’d contacted Chase. Had known there would be consequences, but they didn’t matter as much as finding her son.
Finding Eli alive and well had to come first.
“What’s next?” She pushed the question through her tight throat. “Where do we begin to search?”
Chase opened his mouth but seemed to think better of whatever he’d been about to say. “We need to canvass the neighbors, see if anyone noticed the white truck.”
Her heart sank. The looming darkness only made her more keenly aware of the passing time. And Eli was afraid of the dark. Something she highly doubted the kidnapper would care about. “The tribal police officers already did that. They told me nobody saw anything suspicious.”
Chase turned to scan the road. This section of town wasn’t highly populated. People on the rez liked being far apart from their neighbors. And one thing the reservation had in abundance was land.
“We need to ask them again.” He glanced at her. “Maybe coming from you as his mother will convince them to talk.”
She frowned. “There’s no reason the people living here would lie to the police. Not when it comes to a missing child.”
He sighed. “Okay, the only other idea I have is driving around to look for a white pickup truck. Unless you can give me some idea as to who took him.” His blue gaze sharpened. “A spurned boyfriend? Someone seeking revenge?”
She almost lashed out at him but managed to hold back. He had every right to ask these questions. This was his area of expertise after all. “My only relationship since we were together ended by mutual agreement. I can’t imagine Dorian King assaulting Shana and taking Eli. He would have no reason to do such a thing.”
“We still need to talk to him.” He held her gaze. “What about Shana, the teacher? Is she seeing anyone?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” She felt as if they were grasping at straws. The Wind River Reservation was huge, roughly two million acres with less than twenty thousand residents scattered across the land. Eli could be anywhere. She abruptly turned to head back toward Shana’s. Concern for Eli had dulled her senses to the cold, but she realized she was beginning to shiver. “I’ll ask her.”
“Come, Rocky,” Chase called. The dog didn’t immediately come to Chase’s side but ran in a circle first before trotting toward him. He held out his hand for the ball, but the K9 dropped it on the ground.
Chase let out a sigh as he bent to retrieve it. “I’m not in the mood, Rock. Don’t push me.”
If things were different, she may have been amused by the way Chase stared down his fluffy dog in a battle of wills. But there was no room in her heart for joy. Not while Eli was missing.
She headed into Shana’s home. Eli’s teacher was stirring a pot of soup on the stove. Shana winced with guilt when she saw Wyn standing there. “I need to eat something to quell the nausea in my stomach.”
“Probably from the head injury.” She couldn’t blame Shana for making dinner. The hour was going on seven o’clock, and normally, she’d be making dinner too. “I—we need to ask you some personal questions.”
Behind her, Chase entered the home with his large dog. Shana’s eyes widened at the sight of the animal, but she didn’t protest. “Go ahead. Ask me anything.”
“Have you been involved in a contentious breakup recently? Is there anyone in your past who could have decided to do this to get back at you?”
“That makes no sense. Eli isn’t my son,” Shana protested. But when Wyn continued to stare expectantly, she added, “I was seeing a man last year who I discovered had a secret drug problem. His name is Henry White, and I haven’t seen him in months. I will say that if Henry had come here, he wouldn’t take Eli. He’d have held me at knifepoint for money.” Shana’s expression turned grim. “He has stolen from me before, that’s how I discovered he was using drugs. He wouldn’t have the patience to hold a child for ransom. He’s all about making a quick buck.”
The ransom part was concerning. Why hadn’t anyone reached out to her asking for money? If the man who’d taken Eli was indigenous to the rez, he would know her father was one of the tribal leaders and assume she had access to money.
She didn’t consider Henry White as a viable lead, but one glance at Chase convinced her he intended to check him out. Dorian too, she assumed, and she wanted to scream in frustration.
They were wasting precious time. Minutes that should have been spent scouring the area.
“Where does Henry live?” Chase asked. “We’ll pay him a visit.”
Shana sighed. “Last I knew, he lived in a trailer near the casino. He worked there for a while, until he showed up for work high on drugs. They fired him.”
The casino was a good twenty-five miles away. She turned to look at Chase. “Dorian lives here in Riverton. We can try him first, then head out to Ethete. But I don’t see why either of these men would take my son.”
Chase had picked up one of the blocks from the floor, and she knew he was imagining their son playing with them. Resisting the urge to snatch it from his hands, she turned back to Shana.
“Will you please call me if you remember something?”
“Of course. I feel terrible this happened.” The side of Shana’s temple was red and swollen from the force of the blow. At least the cut had stopped bleeding. “I don’t like knowing I failed your son.”
“You didn’t.” She forced a brittle smile. “The man who took him is responsible. Not you. Just call me if you think of anything that may help.”
“I will.” Shana glanced pointedly at Chase and arched a brow. Shana probably figured out he was Eli’s father, so she gave a slight nod, acknowledging her suspicions. Then she turned away.
“Wynona, could this be related to your job?” Shana asked.
She spun to face her. The thought hadn’t occurred to her. “I’m not sure how taking Eli solves anything for the tribal elders.”
“What’s your job?” Chase asked.
She glanced at him. “I’m an accountant for the tribal council. I’ve recently started an audit, but I haven’t found anything unusual. And as I said, I can’t imagine why anyone would think that taking Eli would change that.” She shrugged. “The truth is, if I quit my job today, they’ll just hire someone else.”
There was a long moment as Chase considered that. “Something to think about.”
She resisted the urge to lash out at him. She wanted to be doing something. To be physically searching for Eli. “Let’s go.” She brushed past Chase to head outside. “We need to keep an eye out for the white pickup truck along the way.”
Chase and Rocky followed close behind. Chase gestured toward his vehicle. “We’ll take mine, as it’s specifically designed to keep Rocky safe. And I need five minutes to feed him.”
“Of course.” She stopped abruptly, noticing the trailer for the first time. “What’s in there?”
“Snow machines.” He used his key fob to open the back hatch. Then he rummaged in the back before pouring kibble into a dish for his dog. He made Rocky sit and wait before giving him the signal to eat. It appeared that as far as food went, Rocky was willing to cooperate with Chase.
“Why?” She hadn’t expected him to bring them. The stenciling announcing the Sullivan K9 ranch along the SUV was also something she hadn’t anticipated.
“Hauling the trailer cost me some time in getting here, but we have options if Rocky catches Eli’s scent and leads us off-road.” He shrugged. “Besides, some of the roads out here aren’t great to start with. Many are barely dirt tracks that don’t see a plow.”
She hated to admit being impressed with his foresight. The fact that he’d considered all possibilities was heartwarming. He’d taken her request seriously, even before he’d known Eli was his son.
She reached for the front passenger door. “Good to know.”
He took care of his dog, then slid in behind the wheel. As he pulled away from the side of the road, he asked, “Where does your former boyfriend live?”
“Turn right at the next intersection,” she directed. “He lives between the community college and the cemetery.”
“Okay,” Chase said. She braced herself for additional questions, but he didn’t voice them. Oh, he would, she knew, and likely sooner rather than later.
But for now, he appeared focused on the task at hand.
“Dorian works for the college. He’s half Native American like me.” She waved a hand. “I don’t see why he would be involved in this.”
“We need to check him off the list.” His tone was even. “Once we know he’s not involved, we can move on.”
“You sound like a cop.” She knew his older sister Maya worked as a police officer in Cheyenne. Or at least, she had until their parents were killed.
“I’ve learned a lot about running investigations from Maya.” He darted a quick glance at her. “Many of our search and rescue operations involve a criminal component. We have to consider that’s a possibility here too.”
“I don’t want to,” she said in a hoarse whisper. “I know you’re right that Eli may have been taken by some sort of child-trafficking organization, but I can’t bear to think about it.”
“I know. I can’t stand the thought of that either.” For a moment, a brief second in time, they were joined together by their shared panic, worry, and fear over Eli’s fate.
Guilt hit hard. She knew she had wronged Chase, although he had done his part in this too. Still, she should have told him about his son.
She couldn’t change the past. But she could impact their future.
She would ensure Eli had time to know his father once this nightmare was over. She would do anything once their son was back home where he belonged.
* * *
Hard. Soft. Hard. Soft. Eli rocked back and forth on the sofa, holding a wooden block in one hand and his stuffy in the other. He liked them both.
Hard and soft. Hard and soft.
“You hungry, kid?” The smelly man called him kid rather than his name. Eli. Eli Blackhorse.
Hard. Soft. Hard. Soft.
“He ain’t too bright,” the scary man mumbled. “Not sure why he’s so important.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re being paid to keep an eye on him.” The smelly man raised his voice louder. “I hope you like pizza, kid.”
“I’ll go pick it up.” The scary man pulled on his coat but didn’t use the face mask the way he had before. “At least we don’t have to worry about him creating a ruckus.”
Eli continued rocking back and forth. He was hungry. And he liked pizza, but only cheese pizza. Nothing else on it. He was too scared to tell the two men that, though. Instead, he kept his head down and rocked.
Hard. Soft. He looked at his horse stuffy. Seeing it reminded him of his mom. She said the stuffy was from his grandfather because of their last name, Blackhorse.
Tears pricked his eyes, and his nose was running again. It had runned all during school too. He swiped at his nose with his sleeve. He didn’t want to cry in front of the men. He was afraid to make them mad. They’d left him alone as long as he was quiet. And being quiet was his superpower.
That’s what his mommy said.
Hard. Soft. Hard. Soft.
The scary man left the house, but he didn’t watch him go. There was only one man there now, which he thought was a good thing. And Eli knew his mommy would be there soon.
She always came for him. No matter what.
* * *
It took every ounce of willpower not to lash out at Wynona for keeping his son a secret for over four years. Four years that he’d never get back.
And his despair over the possible outcome of this search haunted him. He couldn’t, wouldn’t fail this time.
Please, Lord Jesus, please protect Eli!
“Turn here,” she said. “Dorian lives in the second house down from the apartment building.”
He’d forgotten how dilapidated many of the homes were here on the rez. Shana’s neighborhood had been one of the nicer ones. This area of town featured more trailer homes and prefab structures.
The one owned by this Dorian character appeared to be the latter. He silently chastised himself for judging the guy based on the sole fact that he’d been the reason Wynona hadn’t returned his calls.
“Looks like he’s home,” he said, breaking the tense silence. Lights glowed from inside the place. He didn’t pull into the driveway because backing up the trailer was a pain. He put the gearshift in park, then turned in his seat to face her. “I’ll bring Rocky with me. Rocky will let us know if Eli is or has been inside the place.”
“Eli has been inside, so I’m not sure how that helps.” She shrugged and pushed her door open. “But whatever you think is best.”
He snagged her arm before she could get out. “How long ago?”
“Over a year.” She glanced over her shoulder at him, clearly annoyed. “Why?”
He had no right to be angry, so he did his best to dial it back. “Okay, so if Eli has been here, then my plan of using Rocky won’t work. Do you think Dorian will allow us to search the place?”
“I’m sure he will.” She tugged out of his grip. “I told you our breakup was mutual.”
He found that difficult to believe but didn’t argue. As he’d told her earlier, the sooner they could scratch this guy off the list, the better. Chase opened the hatch for Rocky. The K9 jumped down and lifted his snout to the air. Then without waiting for his command, the dog bounded over to the sidewalk leading up to the house.
Chase hurried to catch up with him. The dog’s independent streak could be annoying, but the Elkhound’s hunting instincts were helpful when it came to the game of search. Rocky sniffed the ground but didn’t alert. Dogs had over three hundred million olfactory receptors in their noses and could distinguish between various scents with surprising accuracy.
But scents that were outside didn’t last long. The wind, rain, snow, and other elements eroded them away. Undaunted by Rocky’s failure to alert outside the house, he waited for Wynona to catch up to them.
She rapped sharply at the door. Within seconds, he heard the muffled thumps indicating someone was coming. The door abruptly swung open revealing a man about five years younger than Chase with blond hair and dark eyes. The guy’s eyes widened when he recognized Wynona.
“Dorian? Can we have a minute of your time?” she asked.
“Who’s there?” a female voice asked. Before Dorian could protest, a slim, pretty Native American woman who looked to be barely of legal age came to join Dorian at the door. She wore a tight-fitting, long-sleeved shirt with a deep V revealing the upper edge of a bright-purple bra.
“Who are you?” the woman asked in a voice that did not sound happy. “We’re busy.”
“I’ve got this, Trina.” Dorian’s voice sounded impatient and faintly embarrassed. From the arched expression on Wynona’s face, Chase assumed the young woman was one of Dorian’s students.
No wonder Dorian hadn’t resisted the breakup.
“We need to come inside,” Chase said firmly. “Wynona’s son is missing, and we need to make sure he’s not here.”
“Here?” Dorian looked shocked but readily opened the door. “Look, I don’t think Eli could have made it all this way on his own. And I would have called if he’d shown up unexpectedly.”
Chase realized Dorian was assuming the child had wandered away from home rather than being taken. Rocky brushed past him to enter the house, sniffing around the living room, then sitting near the sofa in front of the TV. The dog let out a sharp bark, startling both occupants of the home.
“Hey, I don’t appreciate you bringing your dog in here,” Dorian protested.
“He’s working,” Chase said. “Searching for Eli.”
“Oh, well, okay.” Dorian appeared chastised. “I guess I should have noticed his vest. But I’m telling you, I haven’t seen Eli.”
“Who are these people?” Trina asked irritably. “What right do they have to barge in here like this?”
“I’m looking for my son, and Dorian agreed we could look around to make sure he’s not here.” Wynona pinned the girl with a narrow look. “Unless you own the place, too, I’d recommend keeping quiet.”
“Back off, Trina,” Dorian said, looking nervous. Chase suspected the young woman was one of his students and her being there with him was breaking all kinds of rules. Not that he cared about that.
Chase stood by with Rocky as Wynona made quick work of searching the house, appearing devastated when there was no sign of their son. “Thanks, Dorian.” She glanced pointedly at Trina, then added, “Don’t worry. I have bigger things to worry about than whatever you’re doing here.”
Dorian flushed and began to object. Then he must have thought better of it. Chase turned to leave with Rocky. Wyn soon joined him.
“I told you that would be a waste of time.” Her voice was low and harsh. “I don’t want to drive all the way out to the casino. We need a different plan. There must be some way to find that white pickup truck.”
He shared her frustration over their lack of a viable lead, but he wasn’t a miracle worker either. He strove to keep his tone nonconfrontational. “You live here, Wynona. I don’t. I’m open to suggestions.”
“I don’t have one!” Desperation vibrated from her tone. She waved a hand at their surroundings. “If you took a child, where would you go? I can’t think of a specific place the masked man could be hiding out. There are dozens upon dozens of abandoned homes. They could be anywhere.”
“I understand. But getting upset and angry isn’t going to help.” He glanced at Rocky who was setting about to do his business. Something he should have anticipated after feeding him dinner. “Hang on, I need to clean up after my dog.”
Wynona stood and stared up at the starless sky as he set about finding a bag to dispose of the waste. She looked so lost and forlorn; he ached to hold her. To comfort her.
He gave himself a mental shake. She’d lied to him, keeping his own son a secret. Yet he couldn’t seem to stay angry with her.
At least not while Eli was missing.
The anger and hurt would hit him later, he knew. But for now, she was right in that they needed a better plan.
“I still think the drug addict could have something do to with Eli’s disappearance.” He fought to keep his tone calm. “The only other option is to simply drive around looking for the pickup truck. I’m willing to go that route, but I’m sure there’s more than one around here.”
“I know, it seems like a waste of time either way.” She’d managed to get her emotions under control. “I’m sorry I snapped. I think we should stay in Riverton. I keep thinking they must be holding on to him for a reason.” She pulled out her phone, staring down at the screen. “I almost wish the kidnapper would call with a ransom demand. At least we’d have something to work with.”
He nodded, feeling the same way. “I have money to pay the ransom demand, if necessary.”
She shrugged. “I can get money from my father too.”
Over his dead body. But he didn’t voice the thought. This not knowing was the worst. And really, the longer the kidnappers remained silent, the worse it was for Eli. He tried to take comfort in the fact that this situation was different from the one six months ago. Eli hadn’t wandered out in the cold. Someone had taken him. Hopefully, they were keeping him warm and fed.
Maybe they shouldn’t ignore the drug dealer. Desperate people did desperate things. After getting Rocky settled in the back seat, he slid in behind the wheel and waited for the heat to kick in. He turned toward Wyn. “Do you think the tribal police would check in on Henry White for us?”
Her expression brightened. “I can ask.”
“Good, you do that.” He shifted the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. If they were going to drive around looking for the white pickup truck, he should consider leaving the trailer of snowmobiles behind. He didn’t like that idea, as they could be stolen. But pulling the trailer would also hinder his ability to chase the bad guys.
He listened as Wynona asked if the tribal officer could head out to visit Henry White, citing his drug habit and lack of employment as possible motives as to why he may have assaulted Shana and taken Eli. When she finished, she set the phone in her lap and sighed.
“He didn’t sound enthused but agreed to head over to check on Henry.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do, Chase. Am I wrong not to drive to Ethete to speak with Henry myself? What if Eli is there, and we could have already had him back by now?”
“Playing the what-if game isn’t healthy,” he said. “For one thing, if Henry wanted money, he’d have called you by now, right?”
“Yes. I’m sure he would have.”
“Okay, then. Let the police do their part. If Eli is there, we’ll know soon enough.” He glanced at his fuel gauge. “I’m going to need to stop at the gas station.”
“I understand.” She was quiet for a moment, then said, “It seems wrong to eat while Eli is missing, but I’m hungry.”
“I am too.” He glanced at her. “It’s not helpful to imagine the worst. No matter why this guy has taken Eli, we need to assume they’ll feed him and keep him warm.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. Eli—” She stopped and frowned, then sat forward excitedly. “Chase, is that a white pickup truck?”
He saw the vehicle at the same moment she had. The white and more-rusty-than-not pickup truck was parked in front of a tavern called the Silver Spur. There wasn’t enough room to park next to the truck while hauling his trailer, so he pulled into the side parking lot and found a spot in the back. He’d barely stopped the vehicle when she pushed out of the car.
“Wynona, wait!” He hit the button to open the hatch, then slid out of the car. “Rocky will tell us if Eli was in there!”
She ignored him, quickly crossing the parking lot. Thankfully, Rocky was still raring to go, so he turned his attention to his K9 partner.
“Are you ready? Search! Search for Eli!”
The dog eagerly lifted his snout to the air, sniffing with interest. Chase wanted to follow Wynona to make sure she didn’t get herself into trouble, but he didn’t leave his dog. He was confident that Rocky would be the key to locating Eli.
And he really, really hoped that nobody was stupid enough to head inside a bar while leaving a four-year-old out in the car alone in temperatures that were dropping like a rock.
The dog made a back-and-forth pattern of sniffing the area, similar to the way many of his siblings’ K9s did. Chase stayed back, knowing better than to try to lead the dog to the area where he wanted him to work. Granted, the rationale for that approach was to prevent a K9 from providing a false alert simply to please their handler.
Not something Rocky would do. Chase knew his high-energy K9 played the search game because he liked it. Because he wanted to succeed, and because Rock enjoyed the hunt. Not because Chase asked him to.
After what seemed like forever, but was only a few minutes, Rocky made his way toward the front of the Silver Spur. Chase lengthened his stride to keep up. The dog was good about not getting too distracted by other interesting scents, but once in a while, something really intrigued him.
Thankfully, his dog appeared to be focused on Eli, which was a good thing.
Wynona came toward him, her expression grim. “I didn’t see anything in the truck that would indicate Eli was inside.”
He gestured toward Rocky. “He hasn’t alerted yet either. And he would if he caught Eli’s scent.”
While Rocky continued searching the area, he strode toward the truck. It looked in even worse shape up close, and he suspected that Shana would have noticed if the truck along the side of the road was this battered. The inside of the vehicle was a disaster, dozens of fast-food wrappers and empty oil bottles along with at least twenty beer cans.
Wynona was right. Nothing to indicate a child had been inside. He silently prayed the kidnappers wouldn’t be drinking and driving with Eli in the car.
Trying not to be dejected, he turned away. One truck down and far too many more to investigate.
At this rate, they’d still be searching by morning.