Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
The whole room got quiet at Pratt’s question. The only one who knew the correct answer was the woman looking at Pratt in shock.
“What the hell? This is who brought in to help find our people?” The officer known as Jace screamed at Warcloud.
“Dude, if we ever yelled at our captain the way you are yelling at yours, our asses would have been grass! And the question was legit. Got a problem with it, build a fucking bridge and jump over it. Now, Warcloud, is there photos of all the girls missing?” Pratt ignored the officer and turned towards the man in charge.
“Yes. In the folders. There’s at least fifteen of the files I was able to find regarding the missing girls so far. The top three files are the newest girls that have gone missing.”
Raso, Pratt and York walked over to the table and picked up the top three files. They looked at each folder in their hands before looking up at Catori and Warcloud collectively.
“Catori, what did you mean when you said your husband was having a hard time with your daughter’s disappearances?” Raso asked, looking up from the folder to the officer’s name tag.
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
“Jesus can’t fuck Christ because it’s the same damn person. Have another outburst, officer, and I will have you removed from this room and this investigation. So, before we begin, let us get some facts straight. You have missing girls. This is our specialty. We are the best for a fucking reason. If there’s any fucking secrets, they better come out now, because we are like fucking hound dogs when we are on a hunt. Those we’ve hunted in the past have called us predators, because we are like that fucking alien in the movie. We hunt until we find the ones we are searching for. We fuck people up, collect their names and protect those we find. So be fucking warned, we take this case on, those girls become fiercely protected as if they were our own kids. You, your secrets, and your fucking feelings don’t mean jack shit to us. Only those girls and their safety.” Pratt got into the officer’s face as she warned him.
“You said sisters, as in plural. What are your daughter’s names, Catori?” York asked looking at the woman whose face went white from Pratt’s statement.
“E-Enola and Aiyannei Blackfoot.” Catori answered, clearing her throat to speak.
“Catori, why do the kids have your last name and not Iyei’s?” Warcloud asked in confusion as he looked at one of the files Pratt had in her hands.
“Our father never really accepted us. Said we were waste of spaces.” Jace muttered before Catori could say anything.
“Asshole!” Warcloud muttered, ignoring the look he received from Jace.
“Catori, you need to come clean. I see it. My partners see it. The two behind me see it. How the fuck others don’t see it is beyond me. Our other partner gets here, she’s not as nice as me. We both know you have a secret. You want our help finding your daughters, you need to tell us what you know about them,” Pratt called the woman out, staring her in the eyes.
“Now you wait a damn minute! That’s my mother you’re talking to. She has nothing to do with my sister’s disappearances,” Jace defended his mother, glaring at Pratt.
“Last chance, Catori. We need to know the truth about your daughters,” York backed Pratt up.
“Ladies, that’s enough.” Warcloud stepped in front of Catori, ready to go to battle for her.
“That! That right there is what a man does for a woman, Catori. Not the shit your husband did,” Raso pointed at Warcloud, as she stared Catori down.
“The kids aren’t Iyei’s. That’s why they don’t have his last name.”
The room went quiet at Catori’s quiet admission. Jace and Warcloud both turned to look at the woman whose head was down, tears streaming down her face.
“Who’s our father?” Jace yelled at his mother, stepping back from her in shock.
“Son don’t yell at your mother like that. You don’t know her story.” Warcloud defended Catori, looking at her in shock.
“Everyone knows you’re still in love with my mother. It’s why you’ve never married. You’re pathetic just like she is.”
Pratt didn’t hesitate as she pushed the officer against the wall, ignoring the shouts from Catori and Warcloud. Pratt had the man pinned with Raso and York standing behind her, their faces a mask of anger as they stared the man down.
“Speak to your mother like that again without knowing her story and I will make sure you know what it means to have your life in our hands. Shut the fuck up and let her speak.”
The women stepped back only to have Warcloud come around them and push the officer to a chair for him to sit away from his mother. The women pulled a chair for them to sit in front of Catori, letting her know they were there for her.
“Talk to us, Catori. This is the only way we can help you. It gives us a starting place to look for the girls.” York softly told the woman.
“Iyei wouldn’t hurt them. He may not accept them, but he wouldn’t hurt them. Have them married off, yes, but that is it.”
Catori didn’t look up from where she fidgeted with her fingers. The women knew she was ashamed, but why, they couldn’t figure out yet.
“Who is their biological father?” Pratt asked, knowing the answer without Catori saying it.
“How about this, why marry Iyei if you were in love with someone else? I can tell you still love him, so why marry another man. Don’t tell me it’s because he chose the Navy over you. He wanted you to go with him,” York prodded, reaching over to touch her hand.
“My father threatened to kill him. He’s the chief of our tribe. He had already arranged my marriage to Iyei when I was a young girl, but I was in love with Hosa. Iyei’s father is good friends with my father and has connections and money. My father didn’t think Hosa was worth anything. A fool living a fool’s dream about seeing the world in a white man’s army.” Catori laughed as she looked up to the ceiling.