"You don't," I said. "You just learn to deal with them. The brain is great at doing things like that. Eventually what you saw will be a foggy memory. It'll take time, but it will happen."
I left Sam to ponder my words and re-entered hell. At the rear of the barn, above several closed barrels, was a tomahawk axe imbedded in one of the barn's wooden posts. Blue feathers hung from the bottom of the deep brown, wooden handle, blond hair stuck to the blood-slick blade. I pulled the axe free, and found more remains inside the cut on the wood.
I moved the barrels and found Mrs Warren's scalp on the floor. It had probably slipped off the axe and fallen onto the floor. I left it where it was and sighed.
"What the hell are you doing?" someone shouted from the front of the barn.
I turned to discover a beautiful young woman stepping into the barn, a rifle aimed directly at me.
"I asked you a question." She glanced at the dead body, and her eyes focused on me once more. They were hard and cold, a dark brown that matched her long hair.
"You're also pointing a gun at me," I said. "I’ve just gotten here, too. So how about you lower the rifle? Or we at least go have this conversation somewhere that doesn't smell like blood and shit."
The woman stepped away and waved for me to come out of the barn. I did as she asked, and walked round to the side of the large building, where Sam was still sitting.
"Sit," the woman said.
"No," I replied.
"Mapiya?" Sam asked, getting back to his feet. "What's happening?"
"You know her?" I asked.
"She was staying here the same time as me." He glanced over at Mapiya. "Where is everyone? What happened to Missus Warren?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said.
"Lower the gun and we'll talk," I told her once again.
"You should," Sam told her, agreeing. "I tried pointing a gun at him and I didn't get anywhere."
"You're a child," Mapiya said, and I noticed Sam flinch at her words. "I would have no qualms about killing this gentleman."
"Nathan," I said, introducing myself. "And you're what, a dozen feet away? I'm pretty certain that you'll only get to fire one bullet. Better make sure it counts."
Mapiya steeled her gaze. "It will."
"Or we could talk." I tossed the tomahawk at her feet. "That was used on Missus Warren."
She stared at the axe with obvious hatred, but the gun stayed pointed at me. "None of the tribes did this."
"Of course they didn't," I said. "There's almost no evidence at the house that anything even happened here. And then they leave a bloody axe next to a dead body? No killer who takes the time to be as meticulous as whoever attacked this place was would be stupid enough to leave such an obvious piece of evidence behind."
The rifle wavered for a moment, and then lowered. "I heard something in the woods last night. But it got the jump on me and knocked me out. I ran back here after waking up."
"Any idea what attacked you?"
Mapiya shook her head and winced slightly from the movement. "Still stiff," she said, and rubbed her neck. "I never even saw them coming. They were fast, and could have killed me."
"So why didn't they?"
There was a pause before Mapiya spoke. "I've been wondering the same thing. Any idea what did all of this?"
I shook my head. "From what you've told me, it happened at night. It would have been a concerted effort to get everyone at once. Otherwise, there'd be evidence of at least some resistance. And the only blood is either from horses or Missus Warren. She was a message. But that leaves the question, where are all of the other dead bodies.
"
"And the horses?" Mapiya asked.
I glanced down at Sam and hoped the memories of the horses wouldn't make him sick again. "They were the celebratory meal."
"There's a fort about three hours ride north of here," Mapiya said. "They're friendly with the local Crow tribe. If we can get there before it's too late, they should let us stay."
"So, you trust us now?"
Mapiya shook her head. "Not really, but you didn't kill anyone here. And I know Sam. If he trusts you, I'm willing to extend the same courtesy. For the moment, anyway. We both seem to want the same thing, so let's at least travel to the fort together. If whatever took these people hasn't quite finished yet, I'd rather have the extra eyes and weapons."
We rode in silence, me and Sam on Valour and Mapiya on her own dark brown horse. I couldn't help but watch Mapiya ride with confidence. She was a natural.
"She's beautiful," Sam said from behind me.
"Yes, she is," I said and looked down at the glint of a knife which I could see strapped to her ankle. I smiled.
After a long ride, Mapiya stopped her horse at the top of a slight hill. She pointed toward a large fort in the distance. "Fort Pennywise," she said. "Named after some General, although can't say I ever learnt why."
"There are no lights," I said. "And no one on the walls."
She didn't wait a heartbeat, just went from standing to galloping toward the open front gates. "Hold on," I said to Sam and set off after Mapiya, reaching the gates only a few lengths behind her.
She practically jumped down off her horse and removed a Winchester rifle from its holster, before tentatively entering the dark fort.
"Wait a few minutes. If you hear shooting, get on Valour and get out of here," I said to Sam as he dropped down to the ground. I followed suit and grabbed my own rifle, ensuring it was loaded before following Mapiya once again.
"See anything?" I asked when I caught her up.
She shook her head. "Can't see a damn thing."
There was movement from up ahead, past two cannons that lay dormant at the far end of the yard. I raised my rifle. Light flickered on inside the huge main building, and several large men walked out to join us. "And you would be?" I asked.
The men didn't answer as they lit several torches around the yard, illuminating everything. One man hadn't moved. He was a head taller than I was, with a bare chest and long dark hair that was tied back and stretched down to his waist. He wore a feathered headdress, although the light didn't allow me to tell their colour.
"I am Chief Blacktail of the Crows," he said, his voice was a low rumble that commanded respect.
"Nathan Garrett," I said.
"And you are?" Chief Blacktail asked Mapiya.
"My name is Mapiya."
Chief Blacktail smiled. "A Sioux name."
"My father was Chief of the Sioux."
I pushed aside my surprise at Mapiya’s revelation. “Why are you all here? What happened to the soldiers who should be here?”
The Chief turned his gaze from Mapiya to me. “I don’t think you’re in any position to ask questions.”
I walked toward him and handed over the bloody tomahawk. "Someone tried to frame one of the tribes for the murder of a ranch owner not far from here. I think we need to have a talk before anyone else dies.
Chief Blacktail glared at the tomahawk. "I'm afraid it might be too late for that."
Chapter 11
New Forrest, England. Now.
I hadn't been sitting long, maybe a minute at most. Enough to recline the black leather chair, before Olivia had almost thrown the living room door open in her haste to find me.
"Are you going to explain why you think Amber Moore was the killer's first victim?" Olivia demanded. She would have probably questioned me earlier, but her phone had gone off, giving me time to leave the kitchen.
"I will, but I need to see the body first," I said.
"If you have information-"
"He's not hiding anything from you," Tommy interrupted. "Are you?"
I shook my head. "I don't want to tell you something if I'm wrong, thus wasting your time and mine."
Olivia set her jaw. "Tommy, give us a minute, will you?"