Reserved For Murder Read online

  After a long pause, Penner finally spoke. ‘It must be frustrating. But don’t you think the truth would be better?’

  ‘And say what? Someone killed a young man on the reserve, made it look like a suicide and we don’t know who did it, or why?’ the Chief asked, looking at Penner like she was the crazy one. ‘What would that get us? We don’t get a lot of sympathy from people in the first place. And if we announce a murder covered up as a suicide, a lot of people will just think it’s another death on the reserve and go on about their day. At least this way, until we figure out what really happened, maybe some good will come out of Jonny’s death.’

  As much as Penner didn’t like it, she realized the Chief made a valid point. She had seen the news about missing and murdered Indigenous people. There was never as much coverage as there should be, and way too many cases were left to go cold. Out of sight, out of mind. ‘I’m sorry, I should have kept my opinion to myself. The things you have to deal with on a daily basis are so foreign to me. I have to realize you’re just doing what you feel is best for the community.’

  ‘I wish it wasn’t like this, but unfortunately, it’s one of the realities of life,’ the Chief said. ‘So, we’ll give the media a couple of minutes to leave, then we’ll head into the woods to see if we can see anything. If you’re still up for going.’

  ‘If it helps solve this case,’ Penner said, ‘I’m up for anything.’

  ***

  From her post at the window, Penner watched the reporters begin to disperse. ‘Should be good to go in a minute or so,’ she said. She could see Millar and Grant standing together talking at Grant’s front door, when a girl suddenly ran up to them. ‘Looks like something’s going on.’

  ‘Like what?’ the Chief asked, moving to the window next to Penner. ‘That’s Sarah Greycrow. She looks pretty upset.’

  ‘Yeah, she does,’ Penner said. ‘I’m going to see what’s going on. Come out and join us when you feel enough of the reporters have left.’

  Penner hurried out of the office and over to where Millar and Grant were talking to Sarah.

  ‘Okay, Sarah, calm down,’ Grant said. ‘What happened to Sammy?’

  ‘He never came home last night,’ Sarah said. ‘Mom said she didn’t see him when she left the feast last night, and this morning, it didn’t look like his bed had been slept in.’

  ‘When was the last time you or your mom saw him?’ Grant asked, as Penner joined their group. ‘Sammy seems to be missing,’ he told her.

  ‘We all went to the feast together. Before the dessert was served, he said he was going to go and shoot some hoops,’ Sarah said. ‘He doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth.’

  ‘So, after the feast, did you and your mom just head home?’ Grant asked.

  ‘First, I went over to the drop-in centre to get Sammy, but he wasn’t there,’ Sarah said. ‘I figured he had headed home. When we got there, he wasn’t around. But at that time, mom wasn’t too worried—it was still pretty early. We just figured he went for a bike ride with one of his friends, or went down to the pond for a swim. I had to work the late shift at the restaurant last night, so I got changed and headed out. I got home around two this morning, I think, and went right to bed. Mom just woke me up and told me Sammy never came home.’

  ‘Could he have stayed over at a friend’s house?’ Penner asked.

  ‘Not without calling to let mom know,’ Sarah said. ‘He always makes sure she knows where he is. If he wasn’t going to come home, he would have either called or sent her a text.’

  ‘We should probably check with them anyway,’ Grant said. ‘Can you write down a list of his friends? We’ll give them to Barry to start calling around.’

  ‘Yeah, I can do that,’ Sarah said.

  ‘Good,’ Grant said. ‘Go into the station and get some paper from Barry. Let him know what’s going on.’ Sarah ran over to the station.

  ‘So, we should probably start a search while he’s making the calls,’ Millar said.

  ‘Agreed, but where do we start?’ Grant said.

  ‘I guess we can head to the drop-in centre and see if there’s evidence he was even there last night,’ Penner said. ‘Do you know where the pond is that Sammy likes going to?’

  ‘I know where it is,’ the Chief said as he walked up behind her. ‘Something wrong with Sammy?’

  ‘He didn’t come home last night after the feast,’ Grant explained. ‘His mom’s worried—it’s not like him not to come home without letting her know. Sarah’s giving Barry a list of names to call, see if any of his friends know where he is.’

  ‘Do you think he was upset enough about Jonny that he did something to himself?’ the Chief asked.

  ‘It’s possible, I guess,’ Grant said. ‘He seemed fine when I talked to him yesterday, but maybe it was an act.’

  ‘He seemed pretty genuine to me,’ Millar said. ‘He really didn’t seem too bothered by death at all.’

  ‘A lot of young guys aren’t keen on showing their emotions, but losing his best friend had to have shaken him up,’ the Chief said. ‘Maybe he thought he was doing okay, then started to think more about Jonny during the day. Then it hit him hard during the feast and he couldn’t deal with his feelings anymore.’

  ‘Let’s hope that’s not the case,’ Penner said. ‘Should we get going?’

  ‘Why don’t you guys head over to the centre, start having a look around the basketball nets,’ Grant said. ‘I’ll just go in and talk to Barry. Hopefully he doesn’t mind making the phone calls before he heads home for the day.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ Millar said. ‘We’ll wait there for you.’

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ‘Do you know Sammy very well?’ Penner asked the Chief as they started making their way to the drop-in centre.

  ‘Well enough,’ the Chief said. ‘I’m not sure if you’re aware, but my step-daughter, Amanda, killed herself last year. She had been dating Jonny Two Bears, and sometimes the three of them would hang out at our home.’ The Chief paused before continuing, ‘Jonny’s death brought so many memories of grief back for Sooleawa—that’s why she didn’t attend the powwow yesterday. But to go back to your question, yes, I know Sammy a little. As Chief, I also try to make a point of visiting with everyone at least once a month. Not always the easiest thing to do, but I make an effort. The role of Chief is an elected position, so if the people aren’t happy, you’re not going to last long. Getting to know the people in the band and ensuring I listen to their needs and wants is very important to me. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have a job. And without the Chief and the rest of the band council, things wouldn’t run as efficiently as they do,’ he said as they turned a corner, the drop-in centre becoming visible at the end of the street.

  ‘So, do you go to everyone’s house each month then?’ Millar asked. ‘That would never happen in the city. To be honest with you, I’m not really sure I would want it to. I can’t imagine the mayor or my city councillor stopping in for a coffee to chat every month.’

  The Chief laughed. ‘Things are different here. But, yeah. Sometimes I just stop in for a quick chat or a coffee. I usually invite the Elders over for dinner. Or, if they can’t get out, Sooleawa and I will make some food and bring it over to their house. I also stop in at the school and sit in on each class. A lot of times when I visit their houses, the kids aren’t home, so I want to make sure they get a chance to express their concerns, too.’

  ‘Even the kids? That’s surprising,’ Penner said as they arrived at the drop-in centre.

  ‘Why?’ the Chief asked. ‘Children can be rather insightful, when they’re given the opportunity to talk. Plus, what we are building today is for their use tomorrow. Why shouldn’t they get the chance to tell us what they think?’

  ‘I guess,’ Penner replied. ‘I’m just thinking of my nephews. I’m sure they would say they need more ice cream and cookies and less homework.’

  ‘Trust me, I get answers like that, too,’ the Chief said. ‘But, we also o
pened the drop-in centre because some of the teens had mentioned that there was nowhere they could gather and talk. If we hadn’t listened to them, this would never have been built.’

  ‘I think there’s a lot we could learn from how you operate here,’ Penner said, as they walked around the side of the building to where the basketball court was.

  ‘We’re definitely not perfect,’ the Chief said. ‘But we try to do what we can to make everyone’s lives a little better, while respecting each other and Mother Earth.’

  ‘In the city, seems like everyone is more interested in making their own lives better. Doesn’t really matter what happens to anyone else along the way,’ Millar said.

  ‘Change can begin with one person’s attitude,’ the Chief said. ‘Remember that for when you get back home. Alright, how do we begin, Detectives? I can track an animal through the densest forest, but looking for clues in an urban setting is definitely not my forte.’

  ‘Well,’ Millar said, looking around. ‘First thing we want to see is if there’s any sign of Sammy here, which, there doesn’t seem to be. I thought maybe he may have left his basketball, or a hoodie, or something.’

  ‘Nothing that obvious,’ the Chief said. ‘Do we know if he had his bike with him last night?’

  ‘He did,’ Sarah said as she walked up to them with Grant. ‘He biked over to the feast last night and I didn’t see his bike at home this morning.’

  ‘Any luck with the phone calls?’ Penner asked.

  ‘Barry was just starting when we came over,’ Grant said. ‘Sarah gave him ten names, so once he’s done calling around, he’ll give me a shout—let me know if he found out anything.’

  ‘Is your mom still at home, in case Sammy goes back there this morning?’ the Chief asked Sarah.

  ‘She is. She has my number, so she’ll call if he shows up. I sent her a text to let her know we’re looking for him,’ Sarah said.

  ‘It might be best if you go home and wait with her,’ the Chief said. ‘She’s probably worried sick. You can help keep her calm.’

  ‘I think I’d be more help out here,’ Sarah said. ‘No point in everyone sitting around. Besides, she called my Auntie. She’s going to head over this morning.’

  ‘Well, make sure to check in with her from time to time. Make sure she’s okay,’ the Chief advised.

  ‘So, if Sammy was here last night playing basketball and didn’t go to one of his friends or back home, you said you think he may have gone to the pond?’ Grant asked.

  ‘That’d be my bet,’ said Sarah. ‘Either went for a swim or to do some fishing. Not sure if his rod was still at home or not—I didn’t think to look. Should I call my mom?’

  ‘We can just head over and check the area. See if he’s there,’ Grant said. ‘Maybe he was fishing, had some good luck, got tired and fell asleep.’

  ‘It’s possible,’ said Sarah, doubtfully. ‘He has done that before, but he usually lets mom know he’s going to be late.’

  ‘Anywhere else we should be checking?’ Penner asked. ‘We can split up, save some time.’

  ‘Honestly, if he’s not with one of his friends or out at the pond, I really don’t know where he would be,’ Sarah said. ‘He likes riding his bike through the woods, so maybe he fell and got hurt.’

  ‘Well, we have to head into the woods to get to the pond,’ the Chief said. ‘So we can all head in together and fan out to search. If he was in there biking, there’s only really three paths he could have taken, and they all lead to the pond. I assume he would have stuck to the paths?’

  ‘Depends on how many logs he could see to jump,’ Sarah said. ‘He’s a bit of a dare devil when it comes to biking.’

  ‘Well, let’s see what we can find,’ the Chief said, and with that, the group started walking towards the forest entrance.

  ***

  ‘Definitely some bike tracks here,’ Grant said, looking down at the first path leading into the woods.

  The Chief squatted down on one knee, looking at the track in the dirt. ‘Looks pretty fresh. Within the last twenty-four hours,’ he said.

  ‘How can you tell?’ Penner asked, leaning down next to the Chief to have a better look.

  ‘Well, it’s hard to tell exactly how old it is, but it was made between now and the last rain, which was two nights ago,’ the Chief said. ‘If it had rained since this track was made, the edges wouldn’t be quite as crisp. With age and weather, the edges start to fall in on themselves, so you would see some dirt on the bottom of the track and the edges would be rougher.’

  ‘So you can narrow down the window, but not to an exact time?’ Penner asked.

  ‘Not exact, no,’ the Chief said. ‘It’s a bit easier at different times of year, especially later in the fall or early spring when we get a good dew cover in the morning. Then the track itself and the ground around it may be different colours because of the water content, but this time of year, with the humidity that we’ve been having, it’s not so straight forward. Oh, but look at this,’ he said, pointing a bit further in front of himself. ‘The bike rode over this foot print, so we can tell the bike came in after the person who walked here did.’

  ‘And that helps how?’ Millar asked, looking at the print.

  ‘Doesn’t really,’ the Chief said. ‘Just making an observation, I guess.’

  ‘What type of bike does Sammy have?’ Grant asked Sarah.

  ‘Mountain bike. I don’t know what the make is or anything, though,’ Sarah answered.

  ‘So, his bike could have made this track,’ said Grant. ‘The tread pattern looks like a mountain bike tread. It’s wide enough, too.’

  ‘A lot of kids on the reserve have mountain bikes,’ the Chief said. ‘But it’s somewhere to start.’

  ‘Well, let’s see where it goes,’ Millar said, starting to walk in front of the others. ‘Keep your eyes peeled for anything.’

  ‘Like what?’ Sarah asked, catching up to Millar.

  ‘Look to see if it seems like a bike rode off of the trail, or someone walked off the path,’ Millar said. ‘Broken branches or turned over moss. Anything that doesn’t fit in.’

  ‘Gotcha,’ Sarah said. ‘Little less scary in here during the day, eh, City Boy?’ she said over her shoulder to Grant.

  ‘It was fine the other night,’ Grant protested. ‘Just a new experience was all.’

  ‘Right,’ Sarah said, looking back at the ground, following the tire tracks.

  ‘They’re getting harder to follow the further in we get. A lot more ground cover here, covering the dirt,’ Millar said.

  ‘Don’t look right at your feet,’ the Chief advised. ‘Look about six to ten feet in front of where you’re walking.’

  Millar looked further along the path. Like magic, the impression of the tire tracks began to appear on top of the leaves covering the ground. ‘Would ya look at that.’

  ‘The light has to be at the right angle to see the tracks on this type of covering,’ the Chief said.

  ‘It’s like the other night when I was out here,’ Grant said. ‘I tried looking around for tracks and couldn’t see them until I squatted down and used my flashlight at just the right angle.’

  ‘Exactly the same,’ the Chief said. ‘Different times of day you have to track differently. Sometimes it’s easier than others, but it’s almost always possible.’

  As they continued along the path, the canopy got thicker, changing the way the light hit the ground. The sun was getting higher in the sky, too, making it harder to see the tracks.

  ‘I’m not too sure, but it almost looks like there are foot prints crossing over the tire tracks here,’ Sarah said, leaning down, moving side to side trying to make out what she thought she was seeing.

  The Chief walked over beside her, training his eyes to where she was looking. ‘I think you’re right,’ he said. ‘Seems like someone was walking back towards the way we came in after the bike came through here.’

  ‘I guess you can’t tell how long ago, eh?’ Penner ask
ed, knowing the answer.

  ‘Nope. I’m good, but not that good,’ the Chief said, scanning the ground for more tracks. ‘It looks like the tire tracks went off the path just up ahead. See there, just beside that large maple,’ he said pointing. ‘There are scuff marks on the moss covering the tree roots. Seems like they went off to the left of it.’ He walked up to the base of the tree, squatted down and surveyed the ground ahead of him. ‘I can definitely make out the tire tracks still. I don’t see the foot prints though.’

  ‘They had to have come from somewhere,’ Grant said, looking around the ground to see if he could see anything. He wasn’t even sure he could see the tire tracks where the Chief was looking. He leaned over, trying to see what the Chief had seen, moving up and down slightly, hoping to catch the light just right. At one point, he thought he saw the track going off in the near distance, but as soon as he saw it, it disappeared again. ‘Don’t know if I’d ever make it if I had to rely on my tracking skills to eat.’

  ‘It takes years of practice to train your eyes to see what wants to be hidden,’ the Chief said. ‘You saw tracks the other night, which is pretty impressive. Tracking at night is much harder than tracking during the day.’

  ‘Well, I think I’ll keep buying my food at the grocery store, otherwise I’d starve,’ Grant said, looking at the ground around the base of the tree. A glint of light caught his eye. ‘A quarter,’ he said, bending down to pick up the coin. Laying beside it was a wooden match. ‘Guess some kids were probably out here smoking,’ he said, pocketing the quarter.

  ‘You can put that towards your next grocery bill, City Boy,’ Sarah said. ‘Come on, let’s follow the bike tracks.’