Montana Midwife Read Online Free PDF Page B

you,” Tab said. “Do you live out here?”
    “It’s my right. I’m Indian, like you.” He cocked his head to one side. “You’re Maria Spotted Bear’s granddaughter.”
    “How do you know that?”
    “I know things. Lots of things.”
    “You’d better not be spying on my grandma,” she said. “I wouldn’t like that.”
    He dug the tips of his ski poles into the earth and planted his fists on his skinny hips. “I am not a Peeping Tom. I have my dignity. You can ask Aiden. Go on, ask him.”
    “Wally does work for me at the ranch. He’s a good handyman.”
    “Handy Wally, that’s my moniker.”
    Aiden watched Tab’s expression as her suspicion faded. It was her nature to be friendly. Her tribe had a tradition of welcoming strangers and sharing whatever they had. She took a step toward Wally and held out her hand as she offered a Crow greeting. “ Ka-hay. My name is Tab Willows.”
    He vigorously shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Tab.”
    “It must get lonely out here. If you’re hungry or want company, come to my grandma’s house.”
    “I don’t take charity.”
    “I wasn’t offering,” Tab said. “We’ll make a trade. My grandma can use the skills of a handyman.”
    His yellow smile split his wizened face. Peering through his tangled mop of hair, his eyes were alert and intelligent. “I would be honored to visit the home of Maria Spotted Bear.”
    Though Wally had never shared his prior occupation, Aiden believed he was an educated man. His use of language was usually correct, he had a decent vocabulary and he was smart enough to know how to survive in the wild. His antisocial weirdness came from a lack of interaction with other people. He chose to be a hermit. But that didn’t mean he was nuts.
    “I have a couple of questions for you,” Aiden said. “No doubt you noticed the commotion this afternoon.”
    “Gunfire. I heard it. And I saw Tab riding across the hills, coming from the east. And the chopper.” He looked up at the fading light of the afternoon. “I saw your chopper. You must have seen me, too. I waved.”
    Aiden nodded. “What about people? Did you see or hear any people on the ground?”
    Abruptly, Wally hunkered down on the ground. His voice lowered to a whisper. “After the gunfire, I thought I should take a look and see if anybody needed my help. Voices carry a long way out here.”
    “Could you hear what anyone was saying?”
    Wally pointed to Tab. “You. I heard you talking.”
    “What about earlier than that. Before Tab, did you hear voices?”
    He shook his head. “I was too far away. When I got close, I heard your baby sister.”
    “Misty,” said both Aiden and Tab.
    “She laughs a lot.” Wally gave a creaky chuckle of his own. “A pretty sound. Her laughter sounds like splashing water. Not like the other girls who come out here with their boyfriends. They squeal and shout and make a terrible ruckus with their parties.”
    Half-Moon Cave had always been a favorite gathering spot for high school parties and make-out sessions. The opening of the cave was a wide arch, similar to a band shell, and the interior provided shelter from the wind and rain. Aiden guessed that if they crossed the river and went to the cave, they’d find the remains of campfires and plenty of rusted beer cans.
    “The sheriff is going to be here soon,” Aiden said. “He’s going to want to talk to you about what you saw or heard.”
    “No, sir. This is reservation land. I don’t have to talk to the sheriff.”
    “Joseph Lefthand will be here, as well,” Tab said. “It’s important to help them. There’s been a murder.”
    “I know.” Wally popped up. “I got close enough to see the dead man, and then I turned around. None of my business.”
    “Did you know the man who was killed?” Aiden asked.
    “I might have seen him before. Once or twice. I see a lot of things. People don’t much notice me.” He looked directly at Tab. “Not that I go out of my way to spy