Family Ties

Chapter 4

We got back in the SUV and on the road. I don't know what Ranger thought about while he was in his zone, but I was concentrating on breathing slowly and not seeing those pictures. Ranger found a gas station and pulled in. When I looked at him, he gave me a small smile. "Thought you'd want to wash your face before we get there."

I nodded, got out of the SUV, and rummaged around in my bag for my toothbrush, among other things. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and decided to just redo my mascara and some lip gloss. Heavy makeup wouldn't hold up in this heat anyway. I examined the results. Not too bad, my eyes were still a little red and puffy, but otherwise okay.

Ranger was silent as I returned, but held my eyes. I don't know what he was looking for, or whether he'd found it, but he started driving without comment. "Tell me about your friend, the one we're meeting."

"Pat? You'll like her. She's a tough as nails, all attitude, kick your ass and take no prisoners kind of person, but she'd give you the shirt off her back, adopts strays, and manages to be all woman in the process. 'Course, she did steal one of my best men from me. I figure she owes me one."

"And what does she figure?"

"We're about to find out."

"Ranger?"

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

"Sam, will she..." I was almost afraid to ask the question, but I had to know. "Will she recover?"

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I held my breath. "It was touch and go for a while, but they say she'll recover fully, at least physically."

I let out my breath in a rush, and thought about what he said. What kind of damage would that do to a small child, and how long would it take before anyone knew? I thought about my own nightmares, and knew that hers could be worse. My eyes were filling with tears again. I took a deep breath, and shook my head to clear it. I promised myself a good long cry when we were through for the day, if only I kept it together until work was done.

We pulled in front of a small office building. 'Imari Investigations'. "Your friend?"

Ranger stared at the sign. "She changed the name."

"What?"

" Kap and Snake got married last year. She changed the name of the company, now that she is Mrs. Jack Imari."

He shook his head, and we went inside. Ranger was immediately bowled over by a human dynamo.

"Ranger!" She was maybe five foot three, dark hair and eyes, maybe Hispanic, maybe Native American, maybe Italian or maybe all of the above. Whatever, she was gorgeous! I don't know what I had been expecting, a female version of the Merry Men or something I suppose. This woman did not match my mental picture. Oh sure, she had the looks, and come to think of it, looks like she's got some muscle too. But this woman had curves. Okay, so maybe she was an amazon warrior, just a compact model.

She interrupted my musings when she enveloped me in a hug. "You must be Stephanie. So glad to finally meet you."

"And you must be Pat."

She nodded "Pat, Kap, Kappy, KQ, whatever. I answer to just about anything but 'hey bitch'." Her laugh was infectious, and I couldn't help but like her.

Pat turned her attention back to Ranger, more serious now. "And how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine."

She looked at him with total disbelief.

"No, really, I'm much better for finally being able to do something."

"Okay, I'll buy that."

"Did you find anything out for me?"

She smiled "Of course. But wait for Jack, he should be here any minute."

As if on cue, Pat's face lit up when the second most devastatingly handsome man I'd ever seen walked into the office. If I hadn't been standing next to the first, I might have drooled. Like Pat, he seemed to be of mixed origins. Some African-American, some Asian, maybe something else as well, I don't know. Again like his wife, it simply didn't matter. He was as gorgeous as she was, and together they made a striking couple.

Pat had a mock scowl on her face, but a grin was trying hard to break through. She put her hands on her hips. "Mister."

His grin wasn't hiding anywhere. "Missus."

Her grin won, but she kept up the 'you're in trouble' tone. "You're late."

He wrapped his arms around her, and they relaxed into each other. "I know, but I heard back from Sonny."

"Already?"

He nodded before turning his attention to us. "Ranger. Good to see you, even under these circumstances. Ms. Plum, I'm Jack Imari."

We shook hands as I said "Please, call me Steph."

"Jack, or Snake if you prefer."

Ranger interrupted "Snake, who is Sonny, and why is it surprising that you heard back from him?"

"Let's all sit down and we'll go over what we have so far."

There was a small conference room off the front office, and we took our places there. Jack looked to Pat. "Hon, you first."

She nodded. "We were able to find signs of your ex sister-in-law. She arrived here in town four days ago. She spent two days in a motel, and another with a friend. Through that friend, we discovered that she and her boyfriend, who we assume is Brennan, moved to the reservation."

Ranger was quiet for a minute, processing. "Do you have any connections on the reservation?"

Pat shook her head. "No, but Jack does."

Ranger raised his eyebrow toward Jack. "Sonny?"

"In a manner of speaking. Whatever happens, you have to know that without cooperation from powerful friends up there, it'll take more than a full squadron to find anyone up there. We're outsiders. It so happens that I have been spending time with a local medicine man, trading Chinese and Native remedies. He's very old, very respected, and very powerful in the local community."

"I take it we're not talking about Sonny."

"Not yet. Sonny is his grandson, heir, and...protégée, I guess. I contacted Sonny to ask him if I could see the old man in the morning. Sonny got back to me a little while ago to say we're all set."

"I don't see where this is going."

Jack sighed. "Ranger, if we can get the old man's blessing, people may open up to us. It's our only chance of finding these people."

"So what exactly are we asking for?"

"Not we, me."

Ranger looked like he was about to protest, but Jack held up his hand. "Hear me out." Ranger nodded. "We're all outsiders, but the old man knows me, and respects me. I'm asking him to give his blessing to our searching for these people on his land, disturbing his people. I'm also asking for Sonny's direct assistance and participation."

"Why?"

"Several reasons. One: Sonny knows everyone. He'll be able to suggest new avenues to explore based on his knowledge of the relationships of everyone involved. Two: Everyone knows Sonny. If he is with us, people will know that the old man approves of the investigation. Three: By asking for his own grandson's help, the old man will know we have nothing to hide. Four: Sonny knows that land better than anyone. If they go to ground away from people, he'll know the best places to look."

Ranger nodded. He still didn't look happy with having a stranger along, but understood the necessity.

"I'd like to have the investigative reports, and the medical report on Sam."

"Why?" This time Ranger's tone was low and dangerous.

"Without it this will be a hard sell. Brennan is also an outsider, and the old man won't see our..involvement with him as his problem, or his people's. Yazzie is one of his own, no matter how remotely. He won't be inclined to help us find Brennan if it leads us to her."

"But with the file?"

"I need to show the old man what she helped him cover up and run away from. Once he sees that, he won't feel any loyalty to her."

"You're confident of this?"

"Yes. If he sees this, there will be nothing he'd like better than to get these two off his land and away from his people."

"Good enough. So, we wait until tomorrow?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. Eat, sleep, try to get yourselves tuned to the new time zone. I'll be talking to the old man just after sunrise. I should be back around nine or so."

Pat spoke up. "You two are more than welcome to stay with us, you know."

Ranger smiled. "I appreciate that Kap, but we've made other arrangements. Besides, I wouldn't dream of crowding the newlyweds. I'll call in the morning."

Ranger and I said our goodbyes, and got back in the SUV.

"Babe, I know you must be starving, but how about we check into our hotel before we hunt down a restaurant?"

"That's fine." I still didn't have much of an appetite.

We arrived at the hotel, and Ranger turned to me. "Connecting rooms okay?"

I shrugged. "Sure."

The hint of a smile was back. "Sure you trust me?"

I looked at him, puzzled. "When have I not?"