Page 169 of Chaos has a Name
History repeated itself, and anytime she had a case on this particular reservation, it had been incredibly dangerous.
Elizabeth asked her something else.
“So you’ve never recalled people disappearing from here every year on the same day? Or your father has never mentioned it to you?”
She considered the questions.
Then, she shook her head.
“I was a cop for a few years before coming here last year. I haven’t even been Chief of Police here for a full year yet. When the last chief left, there was nothing left here to make me askaround. Lots of people vacate the rez on a yearly mass exodus. Hell! I left for college and a life, and didn’t plan on coming back.”
She wasn’t saying anything Ethan or Callen hadn’t said to her. Honestly, Elizabeth’s bullshit meter wasn’t going off, so she had no reason to believe that Rayna was lying.
“I’m going to give you the same out,” she said. “Whenever we wade into a case like this, it’s dangerous. By working this, by being the one who pulled us into it, you might be in danger. Are you one-hundred-percent sure you want to do this? If you want to go back to your office and forget I’m here…”
She stopped her.
“I’m in. I’m all the way in. This is my home, and the people here areMYduty to protect. I’m not some pussy who is going to dump and run. I’m going to be wading into the deep end of this with you. I might not have as many years of experience solving shit, but I do have one thing.”
Elizabeth waited.
“I’ve run these woods for thirty-plus years. I hunted them, and I played in them. If this person is hiding here, you need someone who can lead you through here. While your husbands grew up here, Ethan left young, and Callen was busy being the police chief. I’m in, Elizabeth. I’m all the way in.”
That was what she needed to hear.
“Welcome aboard theS.S. Crazy. She’s leaving port, and we’re likely getting rammed by an iceberg before sinking.”
Rayna was positive.
“Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.”
EVERYONEbegan laughing.
Elizabeth let her in on one thing.
“Rayna, I’ve been doing this a very long time. One of the perks of dancing with this particular devil is I can feel how the case is going to go. I have over a thousand of them under my belt. We’re about to get fucked sideways, and it’s not going to be fun.”
Well, she was in for the long hall.
“I mean, it’s been a while. Is that with lube or without?” she joked.
It broke the ice.
And made Elizabeth laugh.
“Without.”
She shrugged.
“Good. I like it rough.”
That was all she had to hear. Glancing over at Gene, she needed more.
“See what you can find. I’m sure it’s not going to be much, but we can’t risk it. Search for lore in all Native tribes. This might not just be indicative of this one. We might have something that crosses tribes and is deeply cultural. Any hints might give us a lead.”
Gene could do that.
“On it, Honey.”
