Jenna Kernan - Undercover Scout

Kee knew that voice. It was the clinic administrator, Betty Mills.

Hauser turned and smiled at the woman who kept the place running. Betty was in her middle years, with onyx eyes and hair to match. She dressed better than anyone Kee knew, with never a hair out of place. Her makeup was thick and meticulous from the liner to the bright unnatural pink of her lips. High heels and the jangling gold bracelets she always wore on her left arm announced her on each approach. Betty loved her bling. Even the chain that held her reading glasses on the bright purple blouse was gold with clear crystal beads.

“There’s my boss,” said Hauser to Kee and winked. “What’s up, Betty?”

“Waiting room is full and so we’ve set up lawn chairs outside. They’re full now, too. You both need to pick up the pace.” She snapped her fingers, the long acrylic nails painted purple to match her outfit.

Hauser winked at Kee and then scuttled down the corridor to the exam area where Dr. Day waited.

Betty gave Kee a critical stare. “I’ll tell Lori you’re ready for the next one.”

Down the corridor, Dr. Day stepped out of the examination area rubbing his neck. Hauser frowned after him and then drew the curtains closed behind him.

Hauser had not liked Day since the minute the tribal council had informed him that they had voted to get them extra help. It seemed Hector did not mind being bossed by Betty, but he did not like the tribal council interfering with his clinic.

Dr. Day reached Kee and gave him a defeated look. “All I did was ask if he’d speak in English when I’m there.”

“I can imagine how that went over,” said Kee, feeling sympathy for the doctor who was struggling to fit in with the local culture.

Kee glanced to the receiving station and the young mother carrying a crying toddler in his direction. He smiled and motioned them into the free exam area.

She spoke to him in Tonto Apache and Kee answered in kind. He could not believe how lucky he was to be able to stay here in the place he loved with the people he knew. A house. A car and a salary that was more money than he could even imagine. It seemed nearly too good to be true.

Chapter Three

Tuesday morning at the temporary clinic was crazy, made more so by the fact that Dr. Day did not appear at his usual time. Kee covered the women’s health clinic, now in the adjoining trailer, and Hauser took the urgent care center. Kee called Day several times but got no answer.

Hauser popped into Kee’s exam area.

“Anything?” he asked.

“No answer on his phone.”

“FEMA sent us a dud.”

Kee didn’t think Hauser was giving Day a chance. He almost seemed to be undercutting his efforts. Kee didn’t understand it because he’d never seen Hauser act like this.

Hauser waved a dismissive hand. “Social skills of a tortoise and just as much personality.”

Kee was now officially really worried. He knew Day had set out with his Subaru at seven, his mountain bike strapped onto the vehicle’s bike rack, and that he was always back by just after eight thirty, which was why he was usually late for their 9 a.m. opening. Still, he was never this late. Something felt off but he told himself to be patient.

Kee glanced at his watch. Day had been missing for hours.

When they reached noon and Kee still had no word, he called his brother Jake Redhorse.

“When did you see him last?” asked Jake.

“This morning. He was going for a ride before work.”

“On a horse?” asked Jake.

“He rides his bike. Mountain biking.”

“Okay, yup. I’ve seen him. Looks like a giant canary escaping a coal mine?”

Kee thought of the bright yellow exercise gear Dr. Day wore when biking and smiled.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

“I’ll put the word out, but I’m down at the worksite on the river. I’ll call FEMA. Meanwhile, you got a neighbor who could see if his car is there? Maybe check the house?”

Kee thought of Ava Hood. She lived just down the street.

“Yeah. I have someone.”

Kee gave Jake the details on Day’s vehicle.

“Let me know if the neighbor finds him.”

“Will do.”

Kee disconnected and held the phone to his chest a moment. He was going to call Ava. He hoped that she was at her sister’s trailer, right down the road from his. He had already put Ava’s number in his contacts. He blew out a breath and made the call.

He explained the situation. “Could you check if his car is in the drive?”

“Hold on. I’m walking out the door now.”

He heard a door open and close.

“He ever do this before?” she asked.

“He bikes every morning. And he’s late every morning. But not like this.”

“Does he have someone here, somewhere he might be?”

“He might have a girlfriend down on the flats somewhere and a brother in some kind of law enforcement. DEA or ICE? I can’t remember. Alphabet soup, you know? But I saw him this morning and it’s a work day.”

“Almost there,” said Ava. “Yeah. Okay. No Subaru. No other vehicle. You want me to look inside?”

“Door is locked.”

“I’m looking in the front door window now. Big hook on the wall in the entrance.”

“For his bike,” said Kee.

“It’s empty. I’m knocking.” He heard the pounding knock and the silence that followed. “No one here, Kee.”

Kee pressed his free hand to his forehead. “So he’s still out there.”

“Call Chief Tinnin. Report him missing. Do you know the route he takes?”

Kee squeezed his eyes shut thinking. “He has several.”

“What are they?”

He relayed the routes he knew and she said she’d drive them. Kee called Jake again. His brother assured him he’d report that Day was unaccounted for. Kee went back to work with a cold knot in his stomach. He just felt something was wrong.

He was just finishing a round of immunizations on an eighteen-month-old when the phone rang. He snatched it out of his pocket right there in the exam room. It was Ava. A glance at the clock showed that it was three in the afternoon. Kee punched the receive button and lifted the phone to his ear.

“I found Day’s car,” Ava said.

He pressed his hand to his forehead. “Where?”

She told him.

“That’s the trailhead to the ruins,” said Kee.

“Hard to know which way he went from there,” she said. “Lots of trails through the cliff dwellings. Right?”

“My brother Ty has a dog. She’s an excellent tracker.”

There was a long pause.

“Ava?”

“Yeah, call him. Meet me here.”

“Should I call the police?” he asked.

“Up to you. Would Ty want the police here?” she asked matter-of-factly.

He pressed his lips together. Ava was just a visitor on their rez and yet she knew about Ty. She likely knew about their father, as well. “I’ll wait.”

“We need something of Day’s,” said Ava. “Something he recently wore or frequently wears, to help the dog find his scent.”

Kee swallowed at this and then raked a hand through his black hair. “I’ll stop at the trailer and find something. Meet you there at the trailhead in ten.”

* * *

AVA LEANED AGAINST her Malibu in the bright golden light of the crisp late afternoon. The blue sky and bird sounds belied her mood. Day had parked in a parking area before the lower ruins. His pale blue Subaru was covered with a fine coating of red dust, so it had been here awhile. It did not make sense that he’d be here all day when he was supposed to be at work.

She checked her service weapon and then returned it to her holster beneath her suede russet-colored jacket. She wore her badge under her shirt. The jacket would cover her service weapon from sight and she just felt more comfortable with the weapon near at hand.