Kachina Roulette (Jenny Hatch Mystery Book 2) by Steve Carr

Author:Steve Carr [Carr, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-01-22T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

“Hey, stranger. Mind if I join you?” asked Joe as he approached the campfire along the tree line at the back of the Black Butte Mine where Jenny was sitting alone, staring into the dying flames.

Brutus didn’t wait for an invitation and bounded up to Jenny and planted a wet kiss on the side of her face.

“Curb your hound, Joe,” laughed Jenny as she tried to dodge the dog’s slobbering tongue.

“BRUTUS! Get your ass over here. Right now!”

Brutus slinked back to his owner and crawled the last few feet on his belly. It was truly comical.

“Sometimes he gets a little too affectionate – like his owner – but he means well,” winked Joe who was wearing a well-worn woolen Pendleton jacket, faded jeans and his maroon and yellow Arizona Sun Devils baseball cap. His hair draped past his shoulders and was still tied with the red piece of cotton yarn he had been sporting back at his pueblo home on Second Mesa.

“Pull up a log,” said Jenny as she patted the length of pine she was sitting on.

“How ‘bout I throw some more wood on that fire?” said Joe. “I like a nice white man’s fire – one that you can read by.”

“But you’re an Indian,” replied Jenny. “And I thought that Hopi were minimalists – never use more than you need. I guess you aren’t the standard issue Hopi.”

“You don’t miss a thing, do you?” smiled Joe as he sat down next to Jenny after feeding the fire with several pieces of seasoned Juniper.

“I heard that all the Hopi went back to the Rez,” said Jenny as she poked the roaring fire with a long pine branch that she was using as a fire stick.

“Yep” nodded Joe. “Things just got too crazy for them around here. Hopi are basically spiritual people. We all hold on to the old stories our parents told us as children. So when Masaw pays several visits to the mine and leaves two dead bodies on the doorstep, well, it’s gotta make a person wonder. And any way you slice it, this is a very bad place.”

Jenny turned toward Joe and tilted her head sideways. “So, why are you still here?”

“That’s a good question.”

Jenny waited for more, but Joe remained silent.

“Do you have a good answer?” prodded Jenny.

“For a couple of reasons I guess,” replied Joe. “First, I always wanted to see a Kachina up close, and this might be my best shot.” Joe winked at the Forest Service archaeologist.

Jenny smiled and felt her heart flutter. She had never been attracted to any Indian man before, but the mysterious Hopi leader was different. Jenny couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but Joe seemed like the one solid thing in this constantly shifting investigation.

“But seriously,” continued Joe, “I guess I’m more curious than anything else. Part of me says that Masaw must be mighty pissed-off and that this might not be the safest place in the world to be right now. But another part of me wants to know why all of this is happening.

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