James pulled up a different window, an access log showing user credentials, dates, and file numbers.He scrolled down, searching."Here.Your mother's last access was January 10th, using my login."He frowned at the screen."She pulled seventeen different files over a four-hour period."
"Seventeen?"Kari leaned over his shoulder, studying the list of file numbers.Her mother had been here, in this exact spot, reading these exact files just weeks before her death.The thought sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with the climate-controlled air.
"Let me write these down," James said, reaching for a notepad."We'll need to pull the physical files.Most of these cases are too old to be fully digitized."
He began jotting down reference numbers while Kari continued staring at the screen.Seventeen cases.What had her mother seen in them?What pattern had she recognized?
James stood and moved to the filing cabinets that lined the far wall, organized by year and case number.Kari watched as he opened drawers and began extracting manila folders, stacking them carefully on a nearby reading table.The folders were various sizes—some thin, containing just a few pages, others thick with reports and photographs.
When he'd gathered the first five, James returned to the table."Okay.Let's see what your mother saw."
Kari pulled up a chair and reached for the top folder.It was a missing person case from 1989—a Navajo man who had disappeared while working security at a mining operation.She scanned the initial report, noting the location, the circumstances, and the investigating agent's notes.
Before she could dig deeper, however, her phone vibrated in her pocket.She almost ignored it—this was important—but years of police work had trained her to always check.It could be an emergency.
She pulled out her phone and saw Ben's name on the screen.
"I should take this," she said to her father."It's my partner."
James nodded, already opening another folder.
Kari stood and moved toward the door."Ben?What's up?"
"Hey, Kari."Ben's voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of something she couldn't quite identify.Curiosity, maybe.Or concern."Sorry to bother you on your Saturday, but I got a call at the station you need to know about."
"What kind of call?"
"From the Hopi Police Chief.Raymond Lomayesva.He's requesting your assistance with a case."
Kari felt her eyebrows rise.The Hopi reservation wasn't their jurisdiction, and cross-tribal cooperation, while not unheard of, was unusual enough to be noteworthy."What kind of case?"
"He didn't give me details.Just said it's culturally sensitive and that he specifically wants you.Something about your reputation after the peyote ceremony case."Ben paused."He sounds pretty stressed, Kari.Said it's urgent."
She glanced back at her father, who was absorbed in reading one of the files, his expression troubled.They'd barely started.There were twelve more folders to go through, and she could already feel the weight of whatever pattern her mother had discovered waiting to be uncovered.
But a Hopi Police Chief didn't request outside help lightly.The historical tensions between the Navajo and Hopi people made such cooperation politically complicated.If Lomayesva was reaching across that divide, the situation must be serious.
"Did he leave a number?"Kari asked.
"Yeah.I've got it right here."Ben rattled off the digits, which Kari committed to memory."You want me to call Captain Yazzie?Get the official authorization started?"
"Not yet.Let me find out what this is about first."Kari's mind was already shifting gears, moving from one investigation to another."I'm in Flagstaff.I can be back at the station in about forty-five minutes."
"Alright.I'll stick around.Want me to do any preliminary research on the Hopi PD?See if anything's been reported in the news?"
"That'd be good.Thanks, Ben."
"No problem.Hey, Kari?"His tone shifted."Be careful with this.Hopi territory, Hopi case...it's going to be complicated."
"I know."
She ended the call and returned to the table where her father was studying a case file, his reading glasses perched on his nose.He looked up as she approached.
"Problem?"he asked.
"Work.I need to get back to the reservation."Kari looked at the stack of folders they hadn't even opened yet, feeling a sharp disappointment.They'd been so close to finding something."Can we continue this later?"
James removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes."Of course.But Kari, I think..."He paused, choosing his words carefully."I think we should be systematic about this.Let me go through all seventeen files, make notes on what they have in common, and what Anna might have been looking for.Then we can meet again, and I'll share what I've found.It'll be more efficient than both of us trying to read everything at once."
