"Any mention of similar cases?Captain Yazzie said there were several killings with the same signature."
Ben thumbed through the file."Here—investigative summary mentions 'possible connection to Carson and Miller homicides from previous months.'Suggests retrieving those files for comparison."
Kari was already moving to the cabinet and searching for the referenced cases.She located them quickly—Edward Carson, found in April 1973 near Whipple Creek, and Harold Miller, discovered in June 1973 at Cottonwood Wash.Both had been professors or researchers, both killed by single stab wounds, both found with ceremonial herbs placed in their mouths post-mortem.
"Three victims in 1973," she said, spreading the files beside Travers'."All academic types working in fields connected to Native American studies or cultural research.All killed the same way, with identical ritual elements."
"And now Martin Reynolds in 2023," Ben added, "exactly fifty years after William Travers, at the identical location."
They stood in silence for a moment, absorbing the implications.Finally, Kari voiced the question they were both considering.
"Copycat killer?"
Ben frowned."If it's a copycat, they'd need detailed knowledge of the original cases—not just general information, but specific details about the herb combinations.That information wasn't made public."
"The department digitized ten percent of old files," Kari reminded him."Maybe someone with internal access?"
"Possible.Or someone connected to the original investigation who knew the details firsthand."Ben glanced at the detective's signature on the case reports."Your grandfather was the lead investigator on all three 1973 murders."
Kari wasn't sure what to make of this information.Joseph Chee had died long before she was born, existing for her only in family photographs and occasional stories from her mother.Ruth rarely spoke of him, maintaining a respectful silence about her late husband that Kari had never thought to question.
Until now.
"Did your mother or grandmother ever talk about your grandfather's cases?"Ben asked.
Kari shook her head."Very little.I hardly remember anything about him.I think he was the strong, silent type—a real stoic.Even more so than my grandmother."
Ben sighed thoughtfully, but said nothing.Kari returned to the Travers file, scanning through investigative notes written in her grandfather's neat, precise handwriting.His observations were methodical, professional, revealing a detective who approached his work with careful attention to detail.Nothing in his notes suggested he had connected the ceremonial elements to any specific tradition or meaning.
Or if he had, he hadn't documented it officially.
"Nothing here," she said."But if anyone would know what these specific combinations might signify, it's Ruth.She and my grandfather were already married when these murders happened.She might remember details from his investigation."
"If she's willing to discuss it," Ben said."Which would surprise me, given what I know of her.Then again, you're her granddaughter."
Kari gathered the three files from 1973, along with copies of the preliminary report on Martin Reynolds."I need to try.This killer is deliberately recreating murders from fifty years ago, right down to the specific location and ritual elements.We need to understand what happened then to prevent more deaths now."
"You think there will be more?"Ben asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
"Three victims in 1973," Kari said grimly."If our killer is truly recreating the pattern, we should expect two more murders following the original sequence."
Ben checked his watch."It's nearly one o'clock.You want to head to Ruth's now?"
Kari considered this.Ruth would be preparing for tomorrow's healing ceremony, and interruptions during such preparations were generally unwelcome.But the urgency of preventing another murder outweighed concerns about proper protocol.
"I'll go alone," she said."Ruth responds better to one-on-one conversations about sensitive topics.Can you stay here and keep searching?There might be more connected cases we haven't found yet."
"I'll check missing persons reports from the same period too," Ben suggested."Sometimes victims were never found but still fit the pattern."
As they gathered the relevant files and prepared to leave the archives, Kari found herself thinking about the multiple layers of this investigation—not just the crimes themselves, but the family connections that suddenly seemed relevant.Her grandfather had led the original investigation.Her grandmother likely possessed knowledge about the ceremonial elements that could prove crucial to understanding the killer's motives.
And Kari herself now stood at the center of it all, fifty years later, tasked with completing what Joseph Chee had been unable to resolve
CHAPTER FOUR
Ruth's house looked exactly as Kari had left it that morning—herbs drying on the porch railing, baskets of freshly gathered plants arranged in order, the old pickup truck parked at its customary angle beneath the juniper tree.Only the absence of Ruth herself on the porch suggested any change in routine.
Kari parked beside the pickup, gathering the folder containing the case files and photographs she'd brought from the station.As she approached the house, the familiar scents of herbs and smoke drifted through the open windows—Ruth continuing the ceremonial preparations they'd begun together earlier.
