Whispering Spirits (11 page)

“You’ve got me all wrong,
Niipo
. I
think more highly of you than any woman I’ve ever known. You’ve
shared with me…your most intimate self. If you think I’ll take that
lightly, you’re mistaken. I thank you for your gift. It was meant
to be.”

She shivered against him. “I wanted you…I
want you again. Why? I’ve never been so moved, so excited, so
fulfilled. I thank you for making me feel loved. I know it’s not
really love right now…but I needed you. I needed to be close
and…not to feel alone. Thank you for being there for me.”

“We were there for each other. Let’s get back
to that fire before we have to make love all night just to keep
warm.” He laughed and carried her back to the warmth of the fire.
He quickly pulled on his wet clothes.

“Hey, is this your roll of clothes?” He
kicked the rolled-up jean bundle toward her.

“Oh, I completely forgot about them. I
dropped them there when I came back from…my dip. You have no idea
how relieved I am to have these.” She quickly slid up the panties,
then jeans. She pulled the wet dress over her head and dropped it
to the ground and quickly slipped into the bra and tank-top. Let’s
dry my dress and keep it, you never know when it’ll come in
handy.”

They sat in silence, both lost in their own
private thoughts. He pulled her hand between both of his and held
it there. “You…must know something. It might get me fired, but I
truly believe you have to know the truth. If something happens to
me, you have to know what’s going on here.”

“What are you talking about? You don’t think
this is happening because of me? Is someone after you?”

She tensed and she pulled to free her hand
from his. He held it firm, keeping her close. “They might not be
after either of us.”

“
Nah’ah
? No! What could she possibly
be involved in that would threaten her life. She’s an eighty year
old woman of the people. Does it have to do with…
napi’kwan
government? She’s been trying to get the United States to look at
the unlawful papers from the Lame Bull Treaty of 1855 for years.
Lately she’s been petitioning the Canadian Government in similar
ways. She’s claiming their Treaty 7 from 1877 is unlawful. The
Hudson’s Bay Company sold our land to the Dominion of Canada. No
one told our people who were living there this was happening.
Nah’ah
told me the treaty says our people did cede, release,
surrender, yield, rights, title, privileges whatsoever to the
lands…and I’m not sure what else. She’s making a point that our
people couldn’t comprehend such words and, therefore, they were
lied to and their land was swindled from them.”

“I know about the petitions
Nah’ah’s
been stirring up. Our ancestors have said for years our leaders
didn’t sign any land transfer agreements with the Canadian
government. Our people only agreed to live peacefully with the new
napi’kwans
coming to our land.”

“Did she stir up enough trouble that they
want her dead? I can’t believe—”

“No, that’s not what this is about. Yes,
she’s a formidable woman and is recognized by both the US and
Canadian governments. It’s her wide recognition and respectability
that’s put her in this position. But it’s worse than land
treaties.”

“What could possibly be worse than land
treaties? What aren’t you telling me, Running Crane?”

He gripped her fingers between his. The
classified information he planned on sharing was in direct
violation of his orders. “Two weeks ago
Nah’ah
called and
asked me to come over to her house. She needed to talk to me. She
asked that I come late at night and to park in the grove down from
her house. That I should sneak to the backside patio and enter the
house unseen. She warned me she’s being watched.”

“Who was watching
Nah’ah
? Did she
know?”

“I went to see her, as she asked. You have to
know, Summer, what I’m telling you could get me fired. There are
only a few people aware of what’s going on. It…could put you in a
compromising position. You still want to know?” In so many ways he
hoped she choose not to know. He knew better. Summer Timber Wolf
wasn’t a woman to be kept in the dark.

“You really have to ask? Tell me what the
hell is going on, Running Crane.”

“
Nah’ah
had gone to a powwow planning
meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn in Missoula. Your father took her
and two members of the Tribal Council. She said she was in the
ladies room when she heard the door open. Someone whispered to
check under the stalls to see if anyone was there. She said she was
sitting so she quickly picked her feet up and rested them against
the stall door. Her purse was hanging on the door hook.”

“Did she know who came in?”

“She said she heard the door lock and waited.
A woman said her father was confident the land contracts were in
order. The parcel of land on the northeast corner of the Blackfeet
Reservation was theirs in just a matter of time. A man said he was
doing whatever he could to convince the Indians this parcel of land
was useless. She wanted him to down-play their interest so they
didn’t bring attention to the land. They didn’t want anyone
noticing their oil digging equipment. He should keep working the
school angle or there was going to be trouble.”

“Oil digging? Are you aware of any company
having permission to dig oil on our land?” Summer leaned closer to
the warm flames.

“That’s just it.
Nah’ah
is very
involved with the Tribe and all their contracts, deals, or
proposals involving land and businesses. She might be eighty, but
she’s a formidable force when it comes to protecting the
people.”

“So, did they say anything else? Does she
know who those two people were?”

“The man called the woman Domonique. Said she
was nuts to have a relationship with Bradley Wild Horse when his
father, John, had been taking kickbacks for over a year. Another
man, Terry Running Crane, has been hauling logs for them, and
inside many of the hollowed-out logs were their core samples.”

“Does Terry know what he’s hauling, or are
they just using him?” Summer asked.

“That’s where I come in. It’s a conflict of
interest, but they don’t have anyone else close enough to
infiltrate the operation. I haven’t been able to figure out if
Terry’s involved, or just oblivious to what’s going on. I do wonder
why Terry hasn’t seen the oil digging equipment. I don’t think he’d
do anything that would hurt our people…but money—”

“No, he wouldn’t do this even for money,
Running Crane. I don’t believe it for a moment.”

“His oldest son needs a heart operation.
They’re going through with it and…I’m not sure how he’s paying for
it. I asked him and he said he has a benefactor. When I pressed
him, he told me to mind my own business. He’s right, Summer, I
don’t have a right to ask such a question. I’d do just about
anything to save my child.”

“Terry could be innocent. The company would
be very careful who they’d let know what they’re up to. I’d guess
they’re paying Terry for hauling logs coming off that area of the
reservation. Wasn’t there a contract that allowed some company out
of Oregon to log in that area? All proceeds were going into the
Browning expansion project.”

“You’re right, but I thought that deal went
south.” Running Crane added a few more sticks to the fire. “You
think this could be the same company and instead of logging,
they’ve been planning on digging for oil from the very beginning?”
Running Crane stared into the fire and wondered why he hadn’t
thought of that.

“Could you turn your own brother in if he’s
involved? Would anyone fault him for trying to save his son’s
life?”

Running Crane glanced over at Summer. “The
law is the law, Summer. The land belongs to the people. No one has
the right to sell it without the consent of the whole tribe. I
can’t figure out how they plan to complete the deal without anyone
finding out. You’ve got to realize that logging rights are
completely different than mining rights.”

“Would Chief Lone Wolf be willing to sell of
that corner of land if he believed it to be worthless and
beneficial to the people? Didn’t I hear talk about new schools
being built with funds from an anonymous source? That might be how
they’ve presented the deal. We sell the land for the value of the
trees and you get in return new schools for your children. What’s
so hard to decide?” Summer squeezed Running Crane’s hand.

“I don’t think he’d do such a thing without
the approval of the Tribal Council.”

“If he believes the land is worthless, then
this is a good deal for the people. We’ve been in need of new
schools for so many years. To have both grade school and high
school funds suddenly available for building…well…it’s too much of
a coincidence.”

“
Nah’ah
would have been privy to all
that information. Maybe she put it together and realized the people
were once again being swindled. She wouldn’t keep that quiet.”
Running Crane stood and paced back and forth.

“How did they find out about
Nah’ah
?”
Summer asked.

“You know your grandmother. She dung into the
one thing she found out in that bathroom, the name Domonique. She
told me the woman’s father is Germaine Worthington, owner of the
Landscape Mining Company. They’re worth billions and are from
Texas.”

“Okay, so how did they find out about her?”
Summer asked again.

“This is where your grandmother made her
mistake. She called up Mr. Worthington and told him he either drop
his attempts to purchase Blackfeet land or she’d go to the press
and expose their scheme. They needed to back-off immediately.”

“Really? What did he say?”

Running Crane sat back down on the stump next
to Summer. “He said they’d already paid for the land and it was a
signed and sealed deal. There’s nothing she or the Tribe could do
now to change it. The land was his.”

“Let me guess,” Summer said, “
Nah’ah
told him what bridge to jump off. She threatened to expose his
underhanded deal to the US government and Worthington knew she
wasn’t bluffing.”

“Yep. So she called me and asked what I could
do about it. I went to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and they’ve
been looking into it. That brings us to this little trip. I’m here
to protect her…and after talking with Detective Buggeta, I’m also
protecting you. It seems I’m not doing a good job of either.”

“If those two guys who left in that truck
took
Nah’ah
…then who burned down our tipis?”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing. Let’s
consider for a moment that the two are connected.”

“How can that be, Running Crane? That would
mean Jordan became my boyfriend just to keep
Nah’ah
in her
place. That makes no sense. She wouldn’t—”

“She’d keep quiet, even back off, if your
life was in danger. She’d want to get you away from danger by
bringing you out here. But someone found out. How? Who?”

“I thought
Nah’ah
would have told
everyone she was taking a trip to the old country with me, but now
I don’t think she told a soul.
Inn
wouldn’t have said
anything. Who are we forgetting?”

“How about that pilot
Nah’ah
hired to
bring supplies in two weeks? Do you know who he is?”

“I haven’t a clue. If only we could ask her.
Do you think those core samples were in that computer case Joshua
had on my coffee table? This is too far-fetched. There’s no way
Joshua and Jordan are involved in this oil-land scheme.”

“It’s a land scheme that could be worth
billions. These people are cunning and willing to allow deals like
this to develop over years.”

“Our people would never permit anyone to
drill for oil on our land.”

“You’ve been gone a long time, Summer. I’m
sure
Nah’ah
didn’t want to bother telling you.”

“Not bother telling me what?”

“Our tribal leaders have already allowed
companies to tap into the oil locked away in the tight shale
thousands of feet underground. It’s ignited heated debates over the
promises and perils of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Many feel
it’s wrong to disturb the land where the animals roam. Our elders
still believe the land is something living and sacred. Our young,
however, feel the oil is there to help the people. To create jobs
and bring money so needed to survive.”

“I had no idea that was happening.”

“One drilling rig has created forty-nine jobs
for tribal members. It’s a lifeline for our unemployed.”

“I don’t understand this fracking thing?”

“Fracking is pumping a slurry of water, sand
and chemicals to crack open underground rock beds to pry out the
oil. You have to understand oil companies have leased out the
drilling rights for over a million of our one-point five million
acres of reservation land held by our tribe. Royalties can
transform our reservation scarred by poverty and alcoholism. I know
they’ve already collected around thirty million from oil companies.
They’ve used the money to pay off debts from building the Glacier
Peaks Casino and to build a tribe-owned grocery to compete with a
national grocery right in Browning. That’s created jobs for our
people, too.”

“I would never have guessed.
Nah’ah
hadn’t said a word.”

“That’s because lately you haven’t been in a
listening mood. She and many other Blackfeet women have been trying
to persuade the tribal leaders to stop the drilling because it
threatens everything that is Blackfeet.”

“If we’ve already been fracking as you call
it, then what’s so different about this Landscape Mining
Company?”

“The other oil companies have leased the
mining rights on the land. The Tribe receives royalties on all
income pulled from the ground. The Landscape Mining Company has
fraudulently purchased the land from the Tribe. Our people will
receive nothing from the oil.”