Book 4 "DAKOTA MIST"
However, during her first night in the cabin, Hanna has a haunting dream. Then, while researching material for a school assignment, Hanna and her friend Stephen Anderlund find artifacts buried beneath the log cabin that only lead to more questions. As the young detectives band together to search further they stumble onto a murder mystery that dates back to the founding of their town. But that isn't the club's only puzzle. The photographs Philip Peter's took for the Halloween dance at the old territorial prison reveal another mystery... [eBook copy $1.00]
CHAPTER ONE
The
Eyewitness
Dear Patrick, You are not going to believe the wacky Halloween we had here. I mean, I was there and I still hardly believe it myself...
Sunday October 20, 1858
The air hissed with arrows.
Swish-swish-swish. From behind - three arrows pierced the crisp
fall air hitting their
mark
in a blink. Chief LonesomeStar fell forward against the side of the horse. With
knife drawn,
two more arrows struck.
Swish-swish. BrokenKnife and SmallBea, went down. The two braves
holding their
horses
had no time to react to the arrows that came from their right.
Swish-swish. BlueDog dropped by his older brother DarkRiver
mortally wounded by
arrows
launched from their left.
Darkness spread as the setting sun
tucked its pink and orange sky behind the steep, sharp
western
peaks. Four Crow braves and their chief lay dying, not of their wounds but of
the
treachery
that caused them...
##########
Sunday October 20, 1998
Hanna
Gaikis sat up with a start gasping for air.
The
mantle clock chimed four AM.
Heart
pounding, her eyes darted about. She was in her new bedroom. Moving boxes were
stacked in uneven towers outlined by shadows that
moonlight didn’t touch. Drenched in sweat,
she shivered in the cool bedroom air.
Hanna
pulled the goose-down quilt up over her head, covering her curly auburn hair as
she rolled onto her side. She tried to still her
thudding heart with slow deep breaths. Closing her
eyes she waited for the memory of the disturbing
dream to fade. But the minutes ticked past, the
clock struck five AM and every detail remained
vivid. She
just couldn’t get back to sleep for
several minutes.
The
scene had been too real. Hanna had watched the tragic events, but at the same time she
felt
involved. She remembered the smell of wet pine mixed with damp, fall leaves scattered
on the
ground. And…she remembered feeling the impact as arrow points pierced her back.
And then
pain, as the shock wore off with the heavy cold air – more miserable than the wounds.
##########
October 20, 1858
A fire was lit.
The five Crows sat down with seven
Gros Ventres in a circle. The pipe was made ready
with
dried buffalo grass and herbs and soon they were smoking and talking.
Crow Chief LonesomeStar explained
the reason for their journey. “Before the treaty at
Fort
Laramie, scarcely six sunsets passed without large numbers of horses taken away
by
war
parties. Braves were killed and their deaths cried for revenge.”
“Now we have peace but it is a peace
that profits the white man more than it profits us.
The
buffalo become fewer each day. Let us make a peace without the white men. A
peace among
brothers.”
FirstBoy, who led the scouting band of Gros
Ventres, took his turn and inhaled from the
pipe.
His expression was thoughtful. A cloud of smoke floated above his head. “It is
strange that
such
a small party is sent on so important a mission.”
“A small party that includes the
Crow Chief.” LonesomeStar emphasized.
FirstBoy turned the pipe and passed
it back to the Crow Chief. “The Crows have truly
sent
their Chief? You are then, the one we have heard so much about?”
LonesomeStar accepted the pipe but
remained silent concentrating on the words that
FirstBoy
was not saying.
His tone was even but FirstBoy studied the
other members of the Crow party. “Many of
our
proudest warriors fell by your hand.” He stood. “It is good that we sit
together and talk of
peace.”
But the Crow Chief had understood
the message in FirstBoy’s eyes and knew they must
leave
quickly. LonesomeStar stood also.
“Do not be uneasy.” FirstBoy signaled to one
of his braves, who ran to the leader. After
he
whispered something to the runner the brave disappeared into a stand of trees.
“I sent him
after
the horses. Your words are good. I shall carry them to my people.”
The Crow horses were led from the
trees, along with twelve others.
“We wish peace also.” FirstBoy took the rope that tied four of the
tallest horses
together.
“These are strong and fast. Take them.”
Each Crow brave was given his own
horse and two as a gift. Chief LonesomeStar
was
given four horses.
But an uneasy thought darted across
the Chief’s mind. Their horses faced away from the
direction
of home. And in mounting, all members of the Crow party would have their backs
to
the
Gros Ventres.
The Chief’s fleeting glimpse of the
four Crow braves, showed their expressions fixed
with
dread. All motion seemed to freeze. The world stopped as it had stopped long
ago. In a flash
of
recall, LonesomeStar was a child carrying a small bird to Grandfather’s lodge
moments
before
their village was raided.
War whoops of that memory merged, then
mingled with those in their ears now.
The air hissed with arrows…
##########
Monday October 21, 1998
“NO…!”
Hanna sat up with a start, gasping for air.
Sweat ran down her temples but the inside of her
mouth was dry. She could hardly
swallow.
The
mantle clock chimed. It was four fifteen AM.
##########
October 20, 1858
Darkness
spread as the setting sun tucked its pink and orange sky behind the steep,
sharp
western peaks. Four Crow braves and their chief lay dying, not of their wounds
but of the
treachery
that caused them.
Chief LonesomeStar lay on the ground
fixed on the fading sun. The ground began to
rumble
then the chief’s eyes closed forever.
The white buffalo stood at the edge
of the hill slightly ahead of the rest of his heard. Just
below
the sloping embankment was a narrow crescent of land where cows and calves
could
reach
the creek to drink, sheltered from sight.
Overhead, four buzzards circled then landed,
then flew to the trees, then landed again.
The
white buffalo knew why the buzzards landed. He had watched the deception as it happened
below. And he had watched as life withdrew from the
beings left behind. He turned to lead his
part
of the heard away from their usual spot to a place further away along the creek’s
bank.
The white buffalo, sacred to native
tribes had been allowed to grow old. The western
Indians
called him Dakota Mist. With that age came wisdom.
Most of the heard was settled at the
water’s edge drinking. In the sky six more buzzards
had
joined with the original four by alerting others.
Dakota Mist called with a deep
throated rumble to two young bulls standing guard
nearby.
They followed the older bull to the place where the buzzards had gathered. The
birds
scattered
with angry squawks at the intrusion, as the larger animals approached.
The white buffalo walked around each of the
fallen braves then stopped at the head of
the
Crow Chief. Dakota Mist lowered his head bringing his nose to just above the
forehead of
LonesomeStar.
With a snort he acknowledged the departed.
The two younger bulls followed the
older one. They amble away taking the same path
back
to where the rest of the heard had come to rest for the night.
##########
Tuesday, October 22, 1998
The
mantle clock struck half past the hour. It was four-thirty AM.
Hanna
tossed uneasily in her sleep then opened her eyes. She awoke expecting to see
hundreds of buffalo. Then she remembered.
This
dream was different. In this dream she no longer felt like she was the
vulnerable, ill
fated Crow Chief, LonesomeStar. This time she felt
strong and large and calm. In this dream she
was…a white buffalo the Indians called - Dakota Mist.
This
time sleep returned to Hanna, deep and untroubled.
CHAPTER TWO
Maybe
It’s A Sign
November 5
Dear Patrick,
I know Halloween is supposed to be a
spooky time, but even you won’t
believe the one we had this year…
Wednesday, October 23
“You
don’t look so good.” Sonia Molosky frowned as she caught sight of her good
friend Hanna Gaikis. “You’re not
coming down with the flu are you? Please say no!” Sonia shook her head. Her
thick, ash blonde hair held in place by a single braid to the middle of her
back swung back and forth like a single windshield wiper.
Because the girls were a year apart in age
they didn’t share any school classes together, but school was out for the day
and they were heading for Main Street to shop for a pattern and fabric for
their Halloween costumes.
Hanna was exhausted. She had large
dark circles shaped like canoes beneath her hazel eyes. “I don’t think so. But
if I don’t get some sleep, I’ll likely catch the plague.”
The girls walked toward town. They caught up
to then passed groups of younger kids dawdling, while other students on bikes
rode passed them. Golden fall leaves had long since fallen making the tree
branches look like crooked, arthritic bones in the fading afternoon light.
Sonia tried not to panic. The whole
town was excited when the date for the annual Fall Celebration was announced
that included a Halloween dance this year. And her mother had gone on, and on,
and on…that if Sonia wasn’t going with her family then she could ride her bike
provided both Hanna and Mia were riding their bikes too..
But – even more disappointing, Sonia
wasn’t officially going to the dance as Gordon McKenna’s date, since Gordon
hadn’t officially – unofficially asked her. And even if he wanted to ask her,
she’d still need to keep it a secret. Sonia’s mother had refused to let her date until she was fourteen. Two years
seemed like an eternity.
“Don’t you like living in the ranch
foreman’s cabin?” Sonia began to chatter as she usually did when she was
nervous. Gordon was a big question mark and now Hanna might be sick. Sometimes
her life was just too complicated “I know you’re out of town now but that
basement apartment was so small and you had to share a room with your mom.
That’s almost as bad as me sharing a room with my younger sister! I know you’re
room is small but it’s all yours. Oh please don’t get sick.”
They stopped at the corner of
Cottonwood and Main just outside the small Sears store. Through the window on
the right of the front door they saw three people standing at the catalogue
counter. On the left of the front door, two furniture and appliance sales staff
chatted.
Hanna took in a deep breath of the
cool, Montana mountain air. When she exhaled her breath was a fog cloud. “Yes,
I love it. Having a real house to live in is great. I mean it’s small. The main
cabin’s only thirty feet by thirty feet, but it’s twice as big as the basement
apartment. My room’s a little cold cause it was once a pantry someone closed in
at one end of the old porch. But you’re right it’s all mine.”
“My mom’s so happy to have her old
job back as dining room manager at the Inn. We can’t paint the pine log walls,
but for an early birthday Mom said I can pick out any fabric I want for
curtains and a quilt cover…” Her voice trailed away.
Sonia waited a few minutes for her
friend to continue. “And quilt cover…” Sonia prompted as she took Hanna’s arm.
They began to walk to the opposite
corner of the street to Yin Song’s knitting and quilting shop just recently
opened called, THREADS.
Hanna confessed. “After everyone
left who’d helped us move in Saturday night, Mom and I went right to bed early.
I fell asleep immediately. And it was great until about four o’clock Sunday
morning. A very real, very disturbing dream woke me up then I couldn’t get back
to sleep.”
“I finished my homework, kinda late
Monday night cause I started hanging posters right after mom and I ate at the
Inn. Then it happened again. About four o’clock almost the exact same dream,
only with more stuff that I remembered - woke me up a second night.”
They reached the door to THREADS.
The owner Ms. Song was the aunt of their dear friend Mia Cho. When Yin
Song, first came to Mosquito Creek she had lived with her sister Su, brother
in-law Lee and their two daughters Mia and Niki Cho.
Her new business, with a small
apartment above the store, had only been open one month but it was doing very
well. Hanna and Sonia walked in. Floor to ceiling bins held rolls of plain and
patterned fabric in bright or pastel colors. Yin Song carried only natural
fabrics of cotton, linen and wool.
Shelves of sewing and knitting
accessories, thread and patterns made every visit the girls made inside the
store a new discovery.
As with many of the small businesses
in Mosquito Creek, a bell that hung just above the entrance door, alerted the
owner of each shop that someone had come in. Ms Cho looked up from helping a
customer to buy skeins of wool to knit a sweater. “Hello girls, nice to see you
again. Are you here for the costume patterns?”
Sonia nodded. “Mia told me they
arrived yesterday.”
Ms. Song pointed. “There is a large
box on the bench by the window over there. It is covered with black and orange
crape paper. All the costume patterns are in there, arranged by size.”
When they reached the bench Hanna
slid the box to the center of the seat, then they sat on opposite sides of the
box. Hanna kept her voice low. “I went to bed really tired last night cause I
finished unpacking all our boxes while mom worked late at the Inn. Then it
happened a third night!” She took a deep breath and looked around, as two other
customers came into the store. “More of the same horrible dream woke me up just
before my grandmother’s mantle clock struck half past four.”
Sonia stopped looking at the covers
of pattern envelops, fascinated. “Weird. What’s the dream?”
“I’m an Indian chief at least I
think I am. And I’m with four members of my tribe to meet with seven members of
an enemy tribe to form a truce. But while the seven braves ride toward us on
their ponies, we’re ambushed from the back and both sides by more of their
warriors and it’s so weird cause I see what’s happening with dozens of arrows
flying. But, I actually feel the first arrow hit me!” A single tear rolled down
her cheek.
“No!”
Brushing away the tear, Hanna
nodded. “But last night, or actually this morning, I saw this white buffalo,
but I also knew what it felt like to be
the buffalo too.”
“Now that’s, really spooky.” Sonia
thought for a moment just fingering the tops of the pattern envelopes. Then she
stopped. “D’you suppose that log cabin is haunted?”
Hanna shrugged. “I haven’t seen
anything, or heard strange sounds. And my mom is fine, really happy and
sleeping better than ever!” Her voice pitch rose.
The bell rang and the two customers
who came into the store after them, left. Ms. Song came over to where Hanna and
Sonia sat by the pattern box. “Did you find an alternative costume? I’ll be
closing thirty minutes early today.”
Both girls looked surprised to see
her. The store owner took their expressions to mean they were having difficulty
making a decision. “I hear you decided against Madonna and Cher?”
Sonia gripped three envelops
together. “My mother went into orbit.” She mimicked her mother. “No twelve year-old daughter of mine is
wearing any underwear on the ‘outside’ of her clothing Halloween, or no
Halloween!!”
Ms Song covered a smile with her
hand. “Well Cher doesn’t wear her underwear outside of her clothing.”
“According to my mother,” Hanna
explained. “Cher doesn’t wear enough
clothing.”
“I see.” Ms. Song bent over the top
of the open box. “Mia, told me that the costume theme of the dance is famous
people or characters. That is still correct?”
Sonia and Hanna nodded.
“Well then how would these do?” Ms. Song pulled out one costume pattern for
Little Red Riding Hood, and one for Goldilocks.”
Sonia pointed to the Goldilocks
costume pattern. “You have the curly hair.”
Hanna reached for the Little Red
Riding Hood pattern. “But you already have long blonde hair. And I just know you’re gonna look great with
ringlets.”
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