Chapter 3 The Meet-Up
April shut the Native American woman’s remains inside the refrigerated morgue drawer once again and carefully secured the test results.
She was still basking in the wonder of verifying a few DNA markers so quickly.
She might have set a personal record. There was still a lot of work to be done before figuring out the woman’s identity.
Bear Dakota might be able to shed some light on her newest working theory about a distant relative.
If he was willing to cooperate with the investigation, he would be the best source for information like that.
Kaya watched April closely. “Are you really going to hold off telling anyone else that the bones don’t belong to Uncle Uri’s sister until after you tell him?”
“Yes.” April experienced a twinge of guilt over the delay in documenting her findings.
It was the first time in her career she’d detoured from protocol on such matters.
However, it felt like the right thing to do.
A couple of hours wouldn’t make much difference in testing the remains of a woman who’d been deceased for so long.
Kaya searched her expression. “Why are you doing this for us?”
“Now isn’t the time for this discussion.” April gave their surroundings a harried glance. “Or the place.” She doubted their conversation was being recorded, but walls sometimes had ears.
“Right.” Kaya watched her movements, drawing a bracing breath. “What can I do to help speed things along?”
April handed her a few instruments to clean, still struggling to justify her decision to meet with Uri Dakota ahead of reporting her initial findings to Gil or Luke.
She reminded herself it was only eight o’clock.
She’d gotten an early start this morning.
For all she knew, Gil was still enjoying breakfast with his family.
She didn’t know whether Luke was married.
He hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring yesterday, though a lot of men and women in uniform didn’t wear their wedding rings for security reasons.
“All done over here!” Kaya dried the instruments she’d washed and held them out to April. “What next?”
“Let’s go,” April ordered briskly.
She and Kaya left the medical center from a lower-level exit and cut across the side parking lot to reach her sedan.
Once upon a time, her Volvo had been white — many years ago before the rust had taken over.
Most people would’ve long since replaced the car for aesthetic reasons alone.
She could easily afford an upgrade, but it hadn’t felt prudent to replace a car that still ran just fine.
She honestly didn’t care what she drove as long as it got her where she wanted to go.
Plus, she liked how invisible her rusty little sedan was.
Nobody on the road gave it a second glance.
From a safety and security standpoint, it was off the charts.
Kaya wrinkled her nose in distaste as April unlocked the passenger door for her. “Not what I was expecting,” she muttered as she slid into the seat and pulled the seatbelt over herself.
“Is something wrong?” April shot her an amused look as she climbed behind the wheel.
Kaya rolled her eyes. “No offense, but what kind of doctor drives a beater like this? I had you pegged for a Lexus or BMW, maybe a Tesla.” Her disappointment was just shy of palpable.
April started the motor, unable to resist teasing her. “Volvos are high-quality vehicles, too. Safe, reliable, and comfortable.” She wiggled on her seat cushion for emphasis.
Kaya looked wildly underwhelmed. “I’m going to spring for a Porsche as soon as I can afford it.”
“Nice!” April smiled at her exuberance. “On a lawyer’s income, you’ll be able to drive whatever you want.”
“My income won’t be the problem,” Kaya returned glumly. “It’s my Uncle Uri. He’s all the family I’ve got left. A live-off-the-land kind of guy who’s the king of frugality. He’ll try to talk me out of it.”
Though April considered frugality to be an admirable quality, she didn’t want to dim Kaya’s dream of owning a nice car someday.
If she’d grown up on the poverty-stricken reservation on the south side of town, driving a beautiful new car would feel like a big step up for her.
Though it wasn’t likely, April hoped she would be around to see it happen.
She drove to the exit of the parking lot and looked both ways. “Where to?”
“The rez.” Kaya pointed south.
April coughed. “Is your uncle at home?”
“Not exactly.”
When Kaya didn’t elaborate, April changed the subject. “What made you decide to go to law school?”
Kaya twisted the end of her ponytail around a finger. “This may sound corny.”
“Try me,” April urged.
“I want justice for my people.” She darted a look at April, as if trying to gauge her reaction. “A voice for those who all too often go unheard. Yes, I’ll have to hang a shingle and take on regular clients to pay the bills, but I intend to do pro bono work on the side. It’ll be my passion project.”
April was deeply touched by the sincerity in her voice.
“There may be more of your uncle in you than you think.” He was frugal when it came to personal expenditures, but not with his charitable giving.
According to some internet surfing April had done before going to bed last night, he had a reputation for being extraordinarily generous.
The causes he supported on a regular basis included schools, churches, food banks, orphanages, youth sports teams, animal rescue shelters, and veteran organizations.
Kaya blinked at her. “You say that like you know him.”
“We met years ago,” April said carefully. “As you’re already aware, I grew up in Heart Lake.”
Kaya shifted from one hip to the other, not saying anything. Her discomfort was nearly palpable.
“Is that why you asked Gil Remington to reach out to me?” April was dying to know the reason.
The lovely law student blew out a resigned breath. “I thought I was being subtle.”
“Kudos for trying.” April smiled. “But this is a small town, and it’s Gil Remington we’re talking about. Retired sheriffs have ways of finding out things.”
“The answer to your question is yes,” Kaya sighed. “Reaching out to you was our best shot at finding someone who might actually care about a poor Comanche woman most people have never heard of.”
“Oh, Kaya!” April’s heart wrenched with sympathy. “When you said our best shot, I assume you were referring to you and your uncle?”
“And my research partner, Tiffany Masterson.” Her voice hitched with emotion.
Masterson. The name rang a bell. Why was it ringing a bell? Oh, right! Martha Masterson was the name of Dr. and Mrs. Haywoods’ housekeeper, the one claiming she’d witnessed Bear dropping off the bones that April was now examining. “Is Tiffany a hometown girl?”
“No. I met her in college, though her mom recently got a job here in town as a home care specialist, whatever that means. Maybe something medical?”
A home care specialist didn’t sound like a housekeeper. Maybe it was only a coincidence that the women shared the same last name.
Kaya wiped away the dampness forming at the edges of her eyes.
“It’s kind of a big deal since her mom got into trouble with the law a while back.
Shoplifting, I think. Tiff and her mom aren’t close, so Tiff doesn’t have all the details.
She was thrilled to pieces to find out her mom had avoided jail time.
She was hoping to reconnect with her mom while we’re in town. ”
It didn’t sound to April like she’d succeeded in doing so, but it wasn’t her place to pry. “Is everything okay?” Tiffany’s troubled relationship with her mom didn’t seem to justify the tears Kaya was shedding.
“I’m not sure.” Kaya dabbed some more at her eyes. “Tiff and I are roommates, fellow law students, thesis project research partners, and best friends — none of which explains why I can’t get a hold of her right now.”
April frowned and waited for her to continue.
“She’s not returning my calls. I don’t know what’s up.
” Kaya shook her head helplessly. “Sometimes she goes on wild tangents with her research and ignores her calls until she’s finished, but it isn’t like her to be a ghost for this long.
It’s not like her to turn off the tracker on her phone, either, but you never know with Tiff.
Uncle Uri made me promise to go to the police if I don’t get a hold of her today. ”
April jumped into the lull in their conversation to ask for more details about the tracker.
Kaya didn’t hesitate to explain the way she and Tiff kept tabs on each other.
“Honestly? It started with some creep hanging around our dorm last year. Our RA — that stands for resident assistant — recommended we use the buddy system, which we did. Tiff came up with the idea for us to take things a step further and give each other access to the tracking feature on our phones.” She gave April a pointed look.
“The creep is no longer a problem, and I never told my uncle about him. I don’t need him worrying about every little thing. ”
“Understood.” April smiled at her vehemence.
“Anyway,” Kaya sighed, sounding relieved, “our academic advisor is always harping about making every moment count, which is why Tiff and I decided to focus our thesis project on a cold case. A real cold case, not just an academic exercise.”
“You mean you decided to track down your aunt.” April quickly connected the dots.
“Yes, and Tiff agreed to help me, but if anything bad has happened to her…” Her voice hitched with emotion.
“Because you guys found the bones?” It seemed like the right time to toss that in there.
“Yes, we found the bones.” Kaya gave her an incredulous sideways glance. “Am I that transparent, or are you just really good at reading people?”