“My grandfather. He and my grandmother took me in after my parents were murdered. They taught me about the Tohono O’odhamhimdag, our way of life. They made sure I learned the traditional skills so I could pass them down one day.”
Winona stared at him. “Your parents were …murdered?”
The word cut through her like cold barbed wire, sent chills down her spine. Some part of her wanted to tell Jason that she’d almost been murdered, too. But she wouldn’t open that door. She couldn’t. Besides, this wasn’t about her.
“The police said it was drug traffickers.” Jason hammered in another stake, his face downturned so she couldn’t see his expression. “They were shot execution-style while coming back one night from my grandparents’ home on the Mexican side, their bodies left in the desert.”
“I’m so sorry. How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
“So young.” She’d been only ten when her mother had died. “I guess that’s why you became a federal agent.”
He hammered in another stake. “Yeah.”
“I’m glad your grandparents were there for you. You grew up on the Mexican side? You must speak Spanish.”
“Sí, por supuesto.” He grinned. “All O’odham speak English and Spanish, as well as our own language. We all have dual citizenship, too—US and Mexican.”
“Our grandparents taught Chaska and me Lakota. There aren’t that many Lakota people who still speak the language, especially young people.”
“Have you thought about going back to Pine Ridge to teach Lakota classes? It sounds like they need you.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure I’d be a good teacher. I wouldn’t want to leave the clinic or move far away from Chaska.”
Jason reached for another stake. “You two are close.”
“When I was little, our mother had too much to drink one night and got lost in a snowstorm. Chaska and I found her the next morning, frozen to death, just ten feet from our front door.”
Jason’s head came up, sympathy in his dark eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Our dad had a girlfriend and wasn’t around much, so Chaska took care of me. For a time, all we had was each other. He kept me safe, got me to school, and made sure I had something to eat every day until our grandparents came for us.”
“He sounds like a good big brother.”
“The best.”
“Where’s your father now? Or maybe I shouldn’t ask.”
“I’ve had a hard time forgiving him for being unfaithful to our mother and abandoning us. He and Chaska were on speaking terms for a while after Chaska completed his fourth Sun Dance. But then Chaska caught him taking money from non-Native tourists for bogus ceremonies—vision quests, naming ceremonies, and the like. That was the last straw for both of us.”
Jason frowned. “That’s not okay. I’m sorry.”
With the tarp in place, they made their way back to the truck.
“I called the sheriff’s department,” Jack told them. “They’re sending a deputy this afternoon. I was wondering if we could head over to the other pasture to look at the other two sites before lunch.”
Winona had taken off the entire day. “I’ve got time.”
“Fine by me.” Jason turned and walked toward the trees. “Before we go, I want to check the edge of the forest, see if I can find anything else. The poacher left the pasture heading this way.”
Winona walked beside him, amazed at how quickly he moved. She’d have been on her hands and knees, crawling along with a magnifying glass if she’d been looking for sign, but he walked at a normal pace. Did he have laser eyes?
He stopped, knelt. “Do you have any more of those nitrile gloves?”
There, lying in the duff, was a brass shell casing.
“I’ll get some.” She ran back to the truck where Jack and Nate stood talking, grabbed a pair of gloves, and hurried back to Jason.