Ella waited, too, to see if he would show himself. Her throat tightened, her mouth went dry, her eyes burned as she stared out at the abyss before her.
Though she saw nothing, she felt sharp edges poke at her, try to get inside her, try to invade her mind.
Ella mentally backed away from the presence. She tried to get away, but it followed. Surrounded her. Threatened to smother her.
“No!”
Eyes whipping open, Ella tried to orient herself. The moon had gone under a cloud and the night was as black as could be. The mustangs squealed and she heard their hooves dig into the earth as they wheeled away from her, trying to escape whatever was out there, stalking them all.
The low, spine-tingling roar of a mountain lion sent her scrambling from the pasture fence.
Ella ran, headed back toward the house, moved as fast as her legs would carry her. The earth trembled with every step, and the presence seemed to surround her.
Someone or something was following her…after her…
She pushed herself until her limbs flew and her muscles screamed from the strain. She didn’t stop until she reached the front door, still open a crack, the people inside unaware, probably sleeping.
Thinking of screaming for Tiernan and Kate—surely, they could do something with their McKenna abilities—Ella couldn’t get enough breath to make a sound.
She practically fell into the reception area where she firmly closed the door against her unseen stalker. Just as quickly as he’d presented himself, he was gone.
Shaking now, Ella stumbled to the kitchen. Instead of taking refuge in her bedroom, she went directly to the porch door where soft snores told her that Tiernan was fast asleep.
There she sank to the floor, her back against the wall, and waited for the sun to rise.
***
Tiernan woke with a start. Something was wrong—he could feel it. But when he sat up and looked around, he was alone, nothing amiss.
The house was silent. He was the first up. As such, he put on a pot of coffee, then while it dripped, wandered into the reception area and found himself at the computer. He sat before it and used Google to search for “Joseph Thunder.”
There were few references to Ella’s father, nothing significant. An article in the Custer County Examiner reported how Joseph worked with the sick and the poor on Bitter Creek Reservation. It was accompanied by a photo of the man with tribal elders, including Bear Heart, whom he’d met on the set.
Hearing footfalls on the stairs, Tiernan printed the article, then quickly folded it and slipped it into his pocket. He would read it later, maybe get some information that would help with the investigation.
Perhaps his being able to prove who the killer was would ease his own past just a little.
Chapter Twelve
Ella threw herself into her work the next morning in hopes of putting Tiernan—and whoever was trying to get into her head—out of mind. With only three hours of sleep to her credit—half on the porch floor, the other half in Tiernan’s bed—she was running on empty.
“What do you think?” Jane asked, her words staccato. She seemed unusually uptight this morning.
“Everything looks good.” Though Ella was having a difficult time focusing on the details, she forced herself back into the moment. “Just make sure you instruct the dancers they’re not to cross the eastern line of the circle.”
“What are you talking about now!”
Startled by Jane’s prickliness, Ella took a big breath and forced a smile. “According to Lakota beliefs, all energy enters the Sacred Circle through the east. Therefore, the east must not be breached by the dancers.”
“No one watching this movie is going to know that…or which direction is east, for that matter!”
“But the Lakota dancers will. If you have them go against their beliefs, they will be insulted. Ceremonies are meant to be performed in a specific way.” Not wanting to say some of the dancers might walk off the set if the Ghost Dance wasn’t done according to that tradition, Ella said instead, “I can’t predict what they will or won’t do.”
“Oh, good grief, is there no end of the problems I have to deal with today?”
What in the world was wrong with the producer? Ella wondered. Jane was usually so laid back, so accommodating. It was as if she’d become a stranger overnight.
Then she spotted Doug Holloway. The first assistant director stalked toward them, stopped before Jane and punched at his glasses.
“We got a problem and Max said to field it to you. Little Fawn hasn’t reported to makeup and we’re scheduled to start shooting within the hour. Calling her cell takes me directly to voice mail.”
“What?” Jane cried. “Have someone go get her!”
“I can do that,” Ella quickly offered, knowing they meant Marisala Saldana. And she could use a little downtime away from Jane Grant this morning. Everyone seemed to be off today, herself included. “I know where she lives.”
“Fine. Call me as soon as you find her. Then get her here as soon as you can!”
“Sure,” Ella said, already running for the parking lot, her calf-length skirt swirling around her legs.
Not that she could know whether Marisala was home—remembering the request for the love potion, Ella thought the young woman might be with her mystery lover.
Still, it was worth a shot, so she drove back to the rez, all the while keeping an eye out for trouble. But whoever had been after her the other night seemed to be lying low. Because he thought she and Tiernan had been frightened into giving up their investigation?
Perhaps they had.
That is, perhaps Tiernan had.
Odd since it seemed that this was a sacred mission to him, a way for him to make up for the past. How horrible that a seven-year-old had felt responsible for a death, even more so since he hadn’t been able to get anyone to believe the poor woman had been murdered. She wondered what would happen if they were able to get justice for Harold and her father.
Would Tiernan feel as if he’d made up for what he couldn’t do for his aunt?
Not that he’d mentioned anything about looking further into the deaths since the kiss….
Ella hadn’t told him about what had happened to her the night before. She’d dozed a bit and then awakened before sunrise and sought her own bed. Even if she’d wanted to tell Tiernan, there hadn’t been the opportunity. Over breakfast, he’d avoided talking about their investigation.
Ella couldn’t stop thinking about it, though, couldn’t stop wondering what exactly had triggered someone to kill them. Had she and Tiernan gotten too close? Questioned the wrong person? Leonard Hawkins?
She might be on her own now, but Ella wasn’t ready to let go of the past until it was resolved. Staring at the road ahead, she felt her head go a bit light.
What do I need to do?
You know what to do. You are my daughter. It is time.
Her father’s voice—he came to her unbidden yet again. Ella’s heart thumped and her mouth went dry. She gripped the steering wheel as she crossed the narrow expanse between refuge and rez where she’d almost been forced off the road the other night.
I’m not like you, Father.
You are more like me than you will ever know. I am proud of you, Ella. Fear is good, but do not let it stop you from facing your destiny.