[Desert Roses 03] - Beneath A Harvest Sky (29 page)
Istaqa looked up. His dark eyes seemed to scrutinize her with more interest. Rainy felt uneasy and continued.
“I’ve been told there were thefts and that the Detours trips seemed to correspond with those thefts.” Outside, thunder rumbled as the rains moved in. The snake dance had apparently done its job.
Una nodded. “It hasn’t been good.”
“I actually came here not only to share supper,” Rainy admitted, “but in hopes that you’d help me in this very matter. There are people out there who want to blame me for these thefts.”
Una looked to Istaqa. For a moment neither one spoke, then Una nodded and gave her husband a nudge. Istaqa finally spoke. “There has been trouble and your name has been given many times.”
“But why? You know me. You know I wouldn’t steal from you. You know I respect the Hopi.”
“We know,” Una said, looking to her husband. He nodded as well.
“I did not believe their words,” Istaqa stated. “But the Indian agent and his people have been quite convinced of your guilt.”
Rainy slumped back in defeat. “I’m trying so hard to find the real culprit, but if everyone else is determined to blame me, I’ll be working all alone and never get anywhere.”
“You won’t work alone,” Una said. “You’ll work with God.”
“He seems to be my only friend.”
“No,” Istaqa said. “We are your friends. You have been a blessing to us, and we will not believe these lies against you. That is what I told Mr. Richland when he suggested you were to blame. You and Sonny.”
“Who is this Mr. Richland?”
“He is the man from the Office of Indian Affairs.
He has been so convinced of your guilt he has hired someone to watch you—to get close to you so that they can know the truth.”
“Hired someone? Who? What’s the name of this person?” Rainy asked, feeling angry at the thought that her every move was being watched.
“I shouldn’t tell you this,” Istaqa said. “But I am supposed to watch you too.” He smiled and shook his head. “It’s all worthless to me. I know you are not guilty.”
“I appreciate the fact that you believe in me,” Rainy said, reaching out to touch both Istaqa and Una.
“You have been dear friends. But now I need to know who Mr. Richland has hired to watch me.”
Istaqa sighed. “Very well. His name is Hartford.
Duncan Hartford.”
————
Rainy left shortly after this declaration. She felt that if she didn’t leave, she might very well repeat the vomiting ritual viewed earlier that day. She felt a cold numbness creep over her body. Duncan was nothing more than a spy sent to keep track of her comings and goings. No wonder he always seemed to turn up when she was alone. No wonder he invited her to dinner— walked with her—kissed her.
Rainy felt sick. “Oh, God, how can this be? I knew he was aware of the situation. He shared with me that others thought me guilty. Now I can see he only did that hoping I’d talk.” She moaned as she remembered that she’d told Duncan about the situation at the university.
The hopelessness of her dilemma washed over her in waves. “Oh, God, where are you?”
T
hings went from bad to worse for Rainy. First was the declaration from Istaqa regarding Duncan’s involvement in the investigation; then Sonny arrived while Rainy was eating breakfast to tell her that Jen-netta Blythe had disappeared. The latter didn’t really surprise Rainy—the woman had been moody and unresponsive since the trip first began. All sorts of images ran through her head. Had Jennetta fallen into harm? Had she run off with some new love?
“What do you mean, disappeared?” Rainy asked, forcing herself to remain calm. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought.
“I mean she left the hotel shortly after the snake dance and no one has seen her since.”
Rainy sighed. “She didn’t return to her room last night?”
“No, apparently not. Bethel is beside herself and wonders if we can delay the trip until Jennetta’s return.”
“I suppose we could consider it, since Jennetta arranged this trip, but we are expected to keep to our schedule. Perhaps I should talk to Jennetta’s friends and see if anyone knows what’s become of her.”
Sonny shook his head and gave his hat a twirl. “I did that as soon as Bethel came to me. No one has seen her. They all admit that something was bothering her, but no one has a clue as to what it might be.”
Rainy pushed back from the table. “I suppose I’ll go talk to Istaqa and see if he can nose around and find her. She couldn’t have gotten that far.”
“No, I don’t suppose so. You don’t think it has anything to do with the missing artifacts, do you?”
Rainy startled at this. She’d talked very little to Sonny about the situation and it seemed strange that he should comment on it now. “How much do you know?”
Sonny shrugged. “Quite a bit. I’ve talked some to Duncan and I’ve also talked to several other people.
I’ve wondered about Jennetta and Phillip because of their continued trips. It just doesn’t make sense that they would take trip after trip. The Detours are costly and, while entertaining and fun, I don’t see those two as benefiting from it.”
Rainy couldn’t agree more with her brother. “Let’s walk around a bit. You can go with me to Istaqa’s and tell him what you know.”
They walked along together and Rainy felt an overwhelming sorrow as she thought of Duncan. How could he do this to her? How could he kiss her and comfort her, then use her for information? Her hurt went beyond anything Rainy could explain to Sonny.
They didn’t go far before they ran into Istaqa. He waved as they approached and listened to their concerns about Jennetta.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” he told Rainy.
“We need to leave tomorrow morning,” she said.
“But obviously I can’t ignore the fact that one of my dudes is missing.”
Istaqa nodded. “I’ll talk to you this evening. You can both come to dinner. Una will be happy.”
Throughout the day there was no word of Jennetta and by evening’s dinner with Una and Istaqa, they were no closer to knowing her whereabouts than they had been that morning. Jennetta’s disappearance made Rainy even more suspicious of her involvement with the missing artifacts. Rainy could only imagine that Jennetta had latched onto goods that she couldn’t hide in the touring car and perhaps was making provision for their return to Santa Fe by some other means.
“Is anything missing—has anyone reported missing artifacts?” she asked Istaqa.
“No. Nothing has been mentioned.”
Rainy shook her head. “It’s possible that Jennetta is secreting something out of the reservation. She has enough money to pay people off and get pretty much whatever she wants.”
“I’ve asked around about her. One woman mentioned having seen someone who fit her description, but she couldn’t be sure it was Mrs. Blythe.”
“I’m still willing to bet she’s up to no good. I think Jennetta has something up her sleeve and this little disappearing act of hers is to cover it up or take care of business.”
By the next morning, Rainy was even more convinced as they pulled out of the Hopi village without Jennetta. Istaqa promised to continue looking for the missing woman and to get her to the train once found. It was all they could do.
It wasn’t until they left the car in Williams and prepared to return by train to Santa Fe, while their dudes went to the Grand Canyon with Chester and Bethel, that Rainy learned the truth. Istaqa wired the depot to say word had come that Jennetta had gotten sick and had arranged for someone to take her to the train in Winslow. She had ridden the rails back to Santa Fe so she could see her doctor.
Rainy was relieved to know the truth but was still suspicious. It could all be a ruse after all. Just a plot to keep the others from knowing what Jennetta was truly up to. Besides, why hadn’t she at least explained the truth to Bethel?
Taking her seat on the train, Rainy immediately pretended to sleep. She figured Sonny would want to discuss Duncan after the kiss he’d witnessed, but she didn’t want to talk about him or the missing pieces.
She’d already decided enough was enough. She wasn’t going to wait until the end of the month to resign her position. She would do it as soon as she returned.
Maybe then she could avoid ever having to see Duncan again.
I can’t bear to think of him kissing me . . . that it was
part of a scheme to spy on me. I can’t believe I’ve lost my heart
to him and he’s played me for a fool
.
The thoughts churned in her head, leaving her with a tight pain in her chest. How could she have been so taken in by him? His kindness was her undoing. When people treated her poorly as Chester and his father had, she could handle it. She could deal with the unruly guests who joined the tours. She could bear up under irritated travelers, surly supervisors, and irrational hotel management, but just let someone be nice to her and . . . well, the effect was obvious.
Rainy dozed off and on, but she was very much aware of her pain, even in her sleep. Her dreams were laced with accusations and ugly scenes of confrontation. She would question Duncan only to have him kiss her again and tell her that he was taking her to jail or that he knew she was innocent but that he had to get evidence against her. The thoughts were jumbled and confusing, and Rainy always woke with a start, sweaty and hot from the close confines of the train. Her head ached from a throbbing pain that had started when they were somewhere around Holbrook.
By the time they arrived in Albuquerque, Rainy had decided to stay overnight with her folks. “I don’t feel well, Sonny. Take me home. I want to see Mom and Dad.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his tone revealing his concern.
“I don’t know exactly. I have a horrible headache, though, and I don’t think I can sit another minute on this train. Please just take me home so that I can take a cold bath and sleep.”
Sonny did just that. When they arrived, their mother greeted them in surprise but quickly escorted her daughter upstairs. “Take your bath and I’ll bring you something for your headache,” her mother promised before drawing the drapes.
Rainy went through the paces, feeling no real relief from the tepid water. She sank into the tub and tried to push aside the thoughts that raced through her head.
When done, Rainy quickly dressed in a nightgown of lightweight cotton. She threw herself across her bed and pleaded with God for answers. Clinging to her pillow, Rainy let loose the tears that had threatened to flow all day. She didn’t want her mother to find her crying, but the tears were impossible to stop. Her emotions demanded the purging.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, “how could this happen? Why should I be accused? You know my innocence. Why can’t I be free of this? I love Duncan, but now I learn that he’s only been interested in me because of the investigation.”
She buried her face in the pillow and cried in earnest.
“Rainy?”
Her mother gently touched her shoulder. Rainy raised her face and shrugged. “I’m sorry.”
Her mother put a glass on Rainy’s nightstand and sat down beside her daughter. “What’s wrong? What has happened to cause these tears?”
“Oh, Mama, it’s terrible. I feel so silly and so used.” She struggled to sit up and accepted the glass of water from her mother.
“I’ve put some headache powders in the water, so drink it down,” her mother instructed.
Rainy did as she was told, then wiped her eyes.
“I’ve fallen in love, but I’ve done so with the wrong man.”
Her mother’s gentle nature immediately calmed her. “Why don’t you tell me all about it?”
Rainy nodded. Her mother’s graying red hair and careworn face reminded Rainy that the years were passing by much too quickly. She took hold of her mother’s hand and held it to her face. “I fell in love with Duncan Hartford.”
“Why, he’s a very pleasant young man. Why do you say he’s the wrong man?”
“Because he’s only kept company with me in order to watch me. He was hired to keep track of me and see if I was the one responsible for the missing Indian artifacts.”
She dropped her hold on her mother’s hand and shook her head. “I can’t believe the way this is all happening again. I didn’t take those pieces. I’ve done nothing wrong, and yet, once again, I find myself in the middle of the same type of controversy. How can this be God’s will for my life?”
Her mother smiled. “We don’t always know what God is doing. We have to trust that He sees the injustice of this moment, however.”
“Well, I’m finished with Duncan and everyone else in Santa Fe. I’m going to stay here until I feel better, then I’m going to Santa Fe to resign early. I know they expected me to finish out the month, but I can’t. I don’t want to ever see Duncan again.”
“You aren’t going to confront him with this new information? Let him explain it himself?”
Her mother’s words were like a slap in the face.
“Why should I?”
“You don’t like being falsely accused without people seeking the truth. Shouldn’t you seek the truth from Duncan?”
Rainy didn’t like hearing her mother’s suggestion, but it pierced her conscience immediately and she knew without any question that her mother was right.