Whispering Spirits by Rita Karnopp Page A

whispering to me.”
    “Your nah’ah is trying to show you the
way. Don’t be so quick to disbelieve. Again, I want to tell you to
beware, you are in great danger.”
    Again the Meadowlark sang her warning song
and Summer quickly looked up. She glanced back to the young
maiden…and she was gone. Summer searched the wooded edges…was she
real?
    Her heart pounded. Summer opened her eyes and
looked around. The dream had seemed so real.

Chapter Four
     
    Running Crane took his bag and headed for his
tipi. Summer had become more opinionated over the years. Her beauty
hadn’t diminished, if nothing else she had become even more
attractive.
    He wanted to be honest and upfront with her,
but he couldn’t. She most likely knew he worked for the Bureau of
Indian Affairs. Once she found out he worked in alliance with the
FBI, she would surely run in the other direction. He’d always found
her attractive, but kept his feelings to himself since she was his
brother’s girlfriend…until that day at the dance. Now he understood
it more than ever. She never wanted to make a commitment to
Terry… so she used…me . How could she? Until today…he believed
what her kiss said.
    The taste of her had lingered with him all
these years. Since then he’d compared every woman he’d kissed to
her soft, inviting lips. None had compared to the passion she
shared with him. He always believed they had something special
between them. How could he have allowed himself to be so completely
fooled?
    He entered his tipi and gave the area a quick
glance, making sure nothing had been disturbed. He’d talked Nah’ah into hiring him as their protector and hunter. She’d
only planned on staying a short time, yet he managed to convince
her to take her time and complete her duty.
    Should he have told her Summer’s life might
be in danger? It seemed impossible the killer would find her
here…but stranger things have happened.
    There was always a slight chance that Summer
knew what was going on. If that was the case, she could be guilty
of murder. The FBI had been casing her apartment for over a month.
Joshua and his friends were doing drugs, but they weren’t dealing.
They had higher stakes that crossed at least twenty states. Stolen
Native artifacts brought major dollars. Had they moved on to
something even more illegal?
    The Summer he thought he knew wouldn’t have
involved herself in—
    Cracking branches and rustling leaves
betrayed the intruder. Running Crane unsnapped the strap to his
pistol.
    “Knock…knock!” Summer shouted. “Mind if I
come in?”
    He released a deep breath. “Come on in. What
do you need?”
    “Um…I…wondered if we could talk.”
    “Sure. You want to talk in here or outside
under the cottonwood. We have a history with trees, you know.” He
laughed and glanced her way. Her nervous reaction surprised him.
“Come on, Summer, I was joking.”
    “I know…it’s just…I haven’t been in a
humorous mood lately. Did you know that my friend, Jordan Perkins,
was murdered about a month ago?”
    “Yes, and I’m sorry for your loss. I actually
heard all about it from your father. It must have been hard to
believe you killed Derek Wallace with a fry pan. I think they
should have done an autopsy to see if he had more than one bump on
his head.” He watched her reaction.
    “I don’t believe I killed him. Thing is, who
did? That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I can’t take a
chance… Nah’ah needs your protection. Before I left Missoula
I received several threats.”
    “What kind of threats?” He noticed she
hesitated.
    “I don’t have a clue why Jordan was killed. I
do believe his brother, Joshua, is involved somehow. Father told me
Joshua was at my apartment when he came to visit me.”
    “Was that odd?” Running Crane knew she didn’t
get along with the man.
    “Joshua and Jordan were opposites. They
didn’t get along at all. I’ve only had Joshua at my apartment once,
and that was because of