It made sense, even if it meant she'd have to wait.And honestly, a case requiring her immediate attention meant she wouldn't be able to focus properly on these files anyway.Her mind would be divided.
"Okay," she agreed, then paused."I must say, I'm surprised."
He frowned, waiting for her to explain.
"You were awfully reluctant to come here, but now…" She made a vague gesture, indicating the folders.
James smiled sadly."Maybe I just needed a reminder that some things are more important than weekend plans."
Kari felt closer to him than she had in a while.As he turned his attention back to the files, she felt a strange and sudden urge to hug him, to acknowledge that yes, no matter their differences, they would always be father and daughter, united by blood as well as by the shared grief of Anna's death.
Then James turned back to her, arching an eyebrow."Something else?"
She hesitated."No.Just… thanks.That's all."She turned and left, not giving him time to reply.
She walked quickly through the campus corridors and out into the bright April morning.Students lounged on the quad, enjoying the weekend sunshine, oblivious to the weight of unsolved cases and hidden patterns that existed in the climate-controlled tomb beneath the building.
As she climbed into her Jeep and started the engine, she felt the pull of two investigations—one buried in the past, waiting in manila folders, and one apparently urgent enough for a Hopi Police Chief to reach across decades of tribal tension to request her help.
Her mother's voice echoed in her memory, something Anna had said years ago when Kari was still in high school:The present and the past aren't separate, Kari.They're threads in the same weaving.Pull on one, and you'll feel the other move.
Kari had dismissed it as anthropologist mysticism at the time.Now, driving south toward the reservation with Ben's call still echoing in her ear, she wondered if her mother had been more right than she'd known.
She pulled out her phone at the first red light and dialed the number Ben had given her.
"Hopi Tribal Police, Chief Lomayesva speaking."
"Chief, this is Detective Kari Blackhorse with the Navajo Nation Police.I understand you've been trying to reach me."
There was a pause on the other end, then a breath that sounded like relief."Detective Blackhorse.Thank you for calling back so quickly.I need to speak with you in person about a sensitive matter.How soon can you get to our headquarters?"
The urgency in his voice was unmistakable.Whatever this was, it couldn't wait.
"I'm in Flagstaff now.I can be there in about two and a half hours."
"That would be acceptable.Detective, I..."Another pause, as if he was choosing his words very carefully."I've heard about your work on the ceremonial murders case.Your discretion and your understanding of cultural complexities.What I'm dealing with requires someone with those exact qualities."
"Can you tell me what this is about?"
"Not over the phone.But..."The chief's voice dropped lower, as if he was afraid of being overheard."I need someone who can see what my own people might be too close to see."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said."But I'll need approval from my captain.This is outside my jurisdiction."
"I've already contacted Captain Yazzie.He's expecting your call."
So it was official, then.Whatever was happening in Hopi territory was serious enough that the bureaucratic wheels had already been set in motion.
"I'll see you in a few hours, Chief."
Kari ended the call and immediately dialed Captain Yazzie.He answered on the second ring.
"Blackhorse.I was just about to call you."
"Chief Lomayesva contacted you?"
"About an hour ago.Spoke to me directly, which is unusual enough.Then he went through the official channels, requesting interdepartmental cooperation."Yazzie's voice was measured, careful."He wants you specifically, Kari.Says your recent case experience makes you uniquely qualified."
"Did he tell you what's happening?"
