Ch One By Herself
Seven O clock rolled around just as Deputy Isabel Houlihan, after having bags packed in her police car, walked back into the house, through the living room, took a left at the hallway, walked down the hallway and into the bedroom that belonged to Claira, her daughter, to wake her up to get dressed before taking Claira to her grandmother's - Isabel's mother, Val, before beginning her 'vacation' that consisted of Isabel keeping tabs on Deputy Jameson - Branch Connally's replacement, after he came back to work from his vacation. At first, Isabel thought Deputy Jameson had just grown quiet and reserved, but due to the deputy acting less cocky and more jumpy, something just seemed off.
Isabel walked up to her daughter's bed, gently shook her daughter after pressing a couple kisses to her cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to go to grandma's."
Claira stirred a bit at the sound of her mother's soft, gentle voice, but had a hard time waking up. Isabel pulled the covers back and picked up a very sleepy Claira. Isabel decided to just let Claira wear her pajamas when taking her to grandma's. The cool air brushed against both of their faces when Isabel finally stepped out of the house and onto the concrete step; locking the door behind her, she pulled open the back driver's seat door and securely buckled Claira in her car seat and closed the door after placing a kiss to Claira's forehead. Isabel slid into the front driver's seat and after making sure her seat and mirrors were adjusted properly - as she had left them the previous night when she had arrived home, Isabel shut her car door, put the car in drive, and took off down the dirt road to leave the reservation.
About twenty-five minutes passed, when Isabel pulled into her mother's driveway and Isabel's mother, Val Houlihan, met her daughter and granddaughter out on the front porch.
"Claira slept on the drive here, but she's still tired," Isabel said as a way of greeting her mother as she got out of her police car.
Isabel popped the trunk after she unbuckled the car seat and handed a very sleepy Claira to her mother, then grabbed the bags from the trunk of her police car and followed her mother into the house after closing the trunk.
Isabel used her foot to shut the front door before setting the bags down on the floor. Val followed Isabel as she carried Claira to the spare bedroom that once belonged to her daughter, and leaned against the bedroom doorframe of the bedroom at the end of the hall while watching Isabel tuck Claira back into bed. Claira must have woke up, because Val heard Claira's soft voice.
"Mommy, where are we?"
"Grandma's, sweetheart. Mommy's going to be gone for work, but mommy will be back after a week. Grandma will watch you while I'm gone, and whatever grandma says, goes, okay?"
"Okay." Claira reached up for a hug as she replied, and Isabel leaned further down so Claira could wrap her tiny arms around her mother's neck. "I love you sweetheart." Isabel planted a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
"What about Tass, mommy?" Claira wasn't reluctant to let go just yet. Her deep brown eyes held Isabel's while waiting for her mother's reply.
Isabel knew at once that Claira was asking about Mathias, the chief police of the Cheyenne natives. Isabel's friend. Claira loved Mathias, but couldn't quite pronounce his first name just yet. So Claira had decided to call Mathias: Tass. Isabel smiled. "Mathias will come by to say hi later today. I don't know when, but he will be here."
Seeming satisfied by the answer, Claira snuggled further down below the blankets after muttering an okay along with her I love yous, and fell fast asleep; mother and daughter not knowing that would be the last that they see of each other for a while.
Isabel closed the bedroom door and retreated back down the hallway with her mother by her side. "I've also requested Mathias to help from time to time when he's able." Isabel and her mother stepped back into the living room and walked up to the front door.
Concern painted Val's face. "You know what I'm about to say."
"Náhko'e." Isabel said that word as a way of begging her not too.
"It's not your affair, sweetheart."
"I'm the only one that's caught suspicion of what's going on. I know no one else would believe me if I tried telling about what's going on."
"Mathias would. That man would move heaven and earth for you; break bones for you."
"I can't tell Mathias either, Náhko'e. After the situation with Claira's sperm donor; relationships are too much of a sensitive thing right now. It's safer for both of us."
"Yet, the way you look at that man says differently." Val pointed out, "that man has it bad for you, too - especially with the way he jumps into protective mode whenever he sees you; from the day he came to your rescue when your daughter's sperm donor followed you all the way to Cady Longmire's Legal Aid center. Thankfully she and Henry Standingbear were there to help until Mathias got there."
Isabel remembered that day so clearly. That day had been the sole reason why she moved onto the res. "Maybe, when my heart's done throbbing with pain, will I think about even pursuing a relationship. Until then, it's safer for both of us if we have nothing going on between us, and if I also don't drag Mathias into this either. The last thing I want is for the Cheyenne to worry about their Police Chief." Isabel hugged and kissed her mother.
"Please be careful, sweetheart."
"I'll try, Náhko'e." Isabel assured, "that's the best that I can do right now." Isabel gave her mother one final hug goodbye, walked back to her police car and headed Northwest for the backwoods of Absaroka County for Lake McArthur and the abandoned house.
Isabel, just as she stopped at the end of the road that branched off the highway, caught 'Deputy Jameson' just as he drove past the road that branched off the highway. Isabel slid down in her seat just a hair shy of a second that it took for 'Deputy Jameson' to glance over and see the police car.
Isabel slid back up in the seat and followed behind the deputy; keeping the distance to ten feet.
Only a minute and a half passed before Isabel reached the winding road, and then set the cruise control and followed the road through the backwoods of Absaroka County.
Isabel kept the back end of 'Deputy Jameson's car in view, but hung back whenever the deputy rounded a corner and waited a minute before following him each time. When Isabel wasn't even a quarter way through the deep, thick backwoods of Absaroka County, she pulled over to park on the shoulder of the winding road, put her car in park, and took out a pen and two pieces of paper to leave a note just in case something bad happened and people started looking for her; last words:
If you guys are reading this, I'm already dead or I'm going to be dead soon. For a while now, I have noticed that Deputy Jameson hasn't been acting like himself. At first I thought he had decided to just go from talking a lot to being quiet and reserved. But the more I watched Deputy Jameson and studied him, I noticed that he was acting secretive and suspicious. Whenever I would ask Deputy Jameson what's up or what's going on or even what's wrong, he would shy away or act all jumpy and talk really low. It's hard to explain, but I knew something was off with Deputy Jameson whenever I got a bad feeling in my gut. Today, I'm following Deputy Jameson Northwest through the backwoods of Absaroka County towards Lake McArthur and the abandoned house located between the borders of the Cheyanne reservation and Absaroka County and I have a very bad feeling I know why Deputy Jameson is driving to the lake and the abandoned house: Deputy Jameson isn't Deputy Jameson anymore. Right now I'm parked on the shoulder of the winding road not even a quarter way through the deep, thick backwoods of Absaroka County, and I'm finishing this letter before driving up to Lake McArthur and the abandoned house…
A light tap sounded on the front passenger side window and Isabel looked up to see Deputy Jameson standing near the front passenger side door. Isabel thought it weird, since she was following Deputy Jameson in her car, unless for some reason, Deputy Jameson's car died down and he decided to walk back to town to get some help; no cell service in the backwoods to call for help.
Isabel continued:
because while writing this, 'Deputy Jameson' appeared next to my front passenger side door and came around to my front driver's side door…
Isabel paused to watch 'Deputy Jameson' walk around to the front driver's side door of her police car. There was no denying 'Deputy Jameson' wasn't the real Deputy Jameson. Isabel finished:
and I know it wasn't Deputy Jameson, because the real Deputy Jameson never failed to give me a hard time about the cross decal sticker on the hood of my trunk. I now know something happened to the real Deputy Jameson while he was on vacation and I'm going to find out what exactly happened to Deputy Jameson when I take this 'Deputy Jameson' to the abandoned house. If I don't make it back, and if I don't survive what is to come my direction, please help náhko'éehe: my mother take care of nâhtona: my daughter Claira, and to take care of Claira as if she were your own daughter. Claira is going to need all the love she can get, even though she will act like she can handle things on her own; such a tough little gal just like her mom. Please tell Claira that her mother loves her and that I'll always be with her. I love you guys.
Sincerely,
Deputy Isabel Houlihan.
P.S. Mathias, there is something I need to tell you if I survive. Until then, Néméhotatséme.
Isabel folded the piece of paper, put the letter down on the middle console between the driver's seat and passenger seat after writing: To Sheriff's Station From Deputy Isabel Houlihan, then popped her driver's side door open after jotting a note down on the second piece of paper for Mathias; setting the note down on the console after writing:
To Mathias With Love From Isabel Houlihan and jotting a note down in the Notes app on her phone before setting her phone down on the console next to the two notes.
"Is something the matter?" Isabel asked as she cautiously got out of her police car.
"I need a ride." 'Deputy Jameson' took a couple steps back so Isabel could get out of her police car.
"Okay, well how about I drive you to town?" Isabel asked as a way of a suggestion; grabbing the door handle on the back driver's side door too pull it open.
"I'm going to the lake." 'Deputy Jameson' pointed in the direction of Lake McArthur.
Isabel followed 'Deputy Jameson's' line of sight to have her gaze rest on the abandoned house standing on a hill in the distance; overlooking the lake. Isabel nodded her understanding and turned her attention back to her police car so she could open the back driver's side door.
"Why are you going to the lake?" Isabel managed to get the door open far enough for 'Deputy Jameson' to get in as she asked that.
Before Isabel could turn to face 'Deputy Jameson', a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind and both she and her abductor vanished into thin air, leaving an abandoned police car sitting on the shoulder of the winding road with both the front driver's side door and back driver's side door left open.
Cheyenna Translation
Náhko'e: Mother
náhko'éehe: my mother
nâhtona: my daughter
Néméhotatséme: I love you