sported an espresso bar. A nice looking girl was behind the counter and she smiled at him sweetly. He ordered a double shot of Americana. The girl had boobs that would make a man cry, and her blue uniform dress tried mightily to hold them in. “I’m Sarah Glass, are you just passing through White Peak?”
“No, I’ll be here for a while, I’m Gordon Masterson at your service.”
He tipped her two bucks for the coffee, which was probably the reason for the tight bodice, but he didn’t mind paying for a little eye candy. He walked across the street with the hot coffee, and entered the sheriff’s office. It was early, but an older woman sat working at a computer desk in the corner. When he opened the door she got up and left the desk, “I imagine you are the FBI guy Sheriff Slater told me about? I’m Alice Gunderson, I cleared you out an office.” As she held out her hand her sunny disposition was very apparent.
“I’m Gordon, thank you Alice.” He followed her down the hall to a door to the right of sheriff Slater’s office. She left the room, and walked back toward the front. He laid his brief case on the desk, and noticed the room had been cleaned. There were fresh pins in a cup, and a box of tissue on the desk along with a phone.
He sat down at the desk, and laid his brief case on top. He motioned for the dog to lay down. “That’s a beautiful dog, does he tend to bite?” Alice asked.
“Not unless I tell him too, then he’ll tear the cloths off a man.”
Alice walked over to the dog, and the dog arose to be petted. The sheriff came in the door of the office, “I see Alice fixed you up. Ready to take a ride?”
“Sure, lets go.”
He followed the sheriff out to an old four wheel drive, “You can have this car after we get back, it has a radio.”
“Thanks.”
The car gave a slow groan before it started, “She’s slow to crank of a morning, but she never fails to crank. All of our vehicles are four wheel drive, and you might need that around here.”
They drove out of town, and then turned off on a dirt, and gravel road, “The killings all took place on this road.”
He stopped the car in the shallow ditch, and Gordon followed him to a depression in the grass across the road, “This is where we found Deek Harper; Floyd Apisi was found a little further up.” The sheriff said.
“The body was dumped here. Where was he killed?”
“How did you know that?”
“I didn’t just fall off a turnip truck sheriff. The photos indicated their throats were cut after they died.”
“We don’t know where they were killed; we found the other man dumped the same way up yonder about a thousand yards, you want to see the other site?”
“No, have the bodies been buried?”
“They were cremated Masterson, if the Indians don’t claim the bodies we cremate’um. Makes less of a mess.”
“We wouldn’t want to mess up the prairie with a poor dead Indian, would we?”
“What’s that mean? The county just don’t have the money to spend that it used to have.”
Gordon thought he detected a little whine in the sheriff’s voice, and if there was one thing Gordon hated it was whiners. He looked and saw a red flag on a stick about fifty yards away, “This wouldn’t just happen to be where the Indians intend to build the casino would it sheriff?”
“Yeah, starts over there about fifty yards where that red flag is, you are actually standing on the beginning of the parking lot.”
“You are just a well of information, aren’t you sheriff?”
“I don’t like your tone Masterson, you FBI guys are supposed to know this stuff aren’t you?” The sheriff didn’t look happy.
Gordon looked at the seams in the sheriff’s face cast by the early morning sun, “I’m sorry sheriff, I didn’t really want to come out here, and it’s not fair to take it out on someone else.”
The sheriff’s face relaxed a little, “Can’t say as I blame you there, are we done here? I could use a second cup of coffee this morning.”
I’m not getting off to a great start here. Gordon thought as they drove back to White Peak. The sheriff was quiet on the way back to town.
“Where is the main road out to the reservation?” Gordon asked as they pulled up in front of the sheriff’s office/courthouse.
“Bout five mile north of town on twenty three, you’ll see the sign when you come to it, you going out there soon? I can call Dan Akule to meet you at the gate.”
“Thanks, again, I’m sorry for being such an ass.”
“Its ok, you want to come in for a cup?”
“No, I’ll get a coffee across the street, and truck on out to the res if you don’t mind.”
The sheriff pulled up and stopped the truck, “Be careful out there, if you haven’t been on the res for a while, things have changed to what it used to be.”
“Thanks sheriff, I’ll do just that. Come on Satch, lets go see a pretty girl.” He pulled the seat forward, and the dog jumped out.
“That pretty girl belongs to my deputy, Pack Jennings, don’t get too friendly, Pack is jealous as hell, and I don’t need a disturbance between our local law enforcement.”
“I get it.”
“Do you?”
“I think I do sheriff.” But Gordon began to wonder if he did, as he walked across the street to the coffee shop.
There was only one customer sitting at table when he walked in the door. Sarah Glass gave him a big toothy smile when she turned and saw him, “Another double shot this morning Gordon?”
“You remembered my name, yes, I’ll take another one, I don’t get really awake until about noon. Make that to go will you?”
“You’re sure busy for a slow waker.” She turned to make the coffee, and he sat down at the bar.
“Do you know Dan Akule Sarah?”
“The tribal police chief? Why do you ask?”
“What kind of man is he, do you think?”
“I don’t know much about him, he stays on the res, I do know he doesn’t like outsiders much.”
The espresso let out a gasp of steam as it spilled a cup of strong black coffee into a paper cup, “That’ll be a buck and a half.”
“Thanks Sarah.” He took the cup and turned toward the door, “Come on Satch.”
Sarah walked around to the end of the counter, “Here you go boy.” She handed the dog a half sandwich, and as she bent over he thought sure her breasts would spill out, but the bra held.
“He likes you; he won’t usually eat out of someone’s hand he don’t know.”
“I like dogs. They say there is something in my skin they like, I don’t know how true that is.”
“See you later Sarah.”
“I get off at three.”
“I probably won’t make it back by then, maybe see you first thing in the morning.”
“Sounds like an invitation to me Satch!” He said as he opened the door of the truck. The dog jumped into the truck and took his rightful place in the front seat, he leaned his head out the window as Gordon pulled the truck out onto the road.
The highway wound its way out into the hills and towards the distant peak which was the peak the town took its name from. He reset the mileage button, and glanced at the gas gauge, “Nice of the sheriff to furnish the gas Satch.” The dog paid no mind as his ears flopped in the wind.
When he was five miles out he saw the gate leading onto tribal lands, and a police cruiser sitting by the gate. He pulled up to the gate, and waited for the officer to open the gate. The uniformed officer casually sipped his coffee, then just as casually got out of his cruiser, and walked to the gate. After the gate was opened he drove through.
“How.” The officer said as he stopped the car.
“Don’t give me that fake Indian crap, are you chief Dan Akule?”
“Who’s asking?” Akule had very dark skin, and his hair was shoulder length. He was actually a striking figure in the dark blue uniform.
“My name is Gordon Masterson, and I’m with the FBI.”
>
“How long has it been since you were on the res?”
“How would you know if I have ever been on the res or not?”
“I can tell.”
“I’m not here about my history chief, the Bureau sent me out here about a couple murders, do you know anything about them?”
“I know the whites don’t want a casino.”
“Did you know the two surveyors who were killed?”
“No, they were sent here from Billings.”
“Who hired them?”
“Jack Gover hired them to do a survey for the casino.”
“Who is Jack Gover?”
“He’s the chairman, who else?”
“Where does he live?”
“In Billings mostly, he has a house up in town, but you won’t find him there.”
“I’ll just take a ride around the res if you don’t mind.”
“I do mind.”
“Look chief, I’m not here looking for trouble, but if I were to encounter any, I have the whole federal government to call for help if need be. Now am I going to have trouble?”
“Not from me, you go where you want. You better be careful out here white man, everybody ain’t as generous as I am.”
Gordon was thoroughly aggravated with the man as he drove the gravel road on into the