The Girl with Braided Hair (A Wind River Reservation Myste) by Margaret Coel Read Free Book Online Page A

myself, which one of the Indians we picked up this week are you here about?” The detective had to turn sideways to work his way to the swivel chair behind the desk. “Got two or three DUIs, and Les Willows in again for loitering and public drunkenness. My opinion, old Les likes to pay us a visit from time to time and get sobered up. So who’s your client? I thought Hurst was taking on the small potatoes cases.”
    Vicky took the chair next to the door. “I’m here about the woman found murdered in the Gas Hills,” she said.
    The detective pulled a blank face. He let a couple of beats pass before he said, “You mean the skeleton. Under investigation, Vicky. You know I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation.”
    “That’s what I’m here about,” she said. “The investigation. People on the reservation want to know that the woman’s murder is being investigated.”
    “Well, what the hell do they think we’re doing here? Playing monopoly?”
    “Two articles in the paper, Gary. One asking for information on any woman who might be missing.”
    “It’s not like my phone’s been ringing off the hook with responses.”
    Vicky sat back in the chair, taking a moment before she said, “That’s it? Two weeks since the bones were found, and that’s it?” But that wasn’t it, Vicky realized. Coughlin was looking at the corner of the ceiling, avoiding her eyes, running the palm of his hand across his mouth.
    “Come on, Gary,” Vicky said. “There must be something you’re working on. I’d like to go back to the reservation and tell the women…”
    “Women?”
    “They’re very upset. They identify with that woman murdered in the Gas Hills. They think it could have been them or someone close, maybe a daughter.” It could have been Susan. “And the thing is, it doesn’t look like the sheriff’s office is placing a lot of importance on the murder.”
    The man waved a hand between them, fingers outstretched. “We both know that’s a damn lie. It doesn’t matter when the murder took place. We’re investigating it the same as if it happened yesterday.”
    “Then give me something to take back. Anything yet from forensics?”
    Coughlin leaned back and, lacing his fingers over his shirt, swiveled from side to side a moment. Finally, he said, “We got the report a couple of days ago. These things take time. It’s not like the lab had a lot to go on. Skeleton wasn’t even intact. Some bones were missing.”
    “What else?” Vicky felt the small office begin to blur around her. There was more! All of her attention narrowed on the man seated on the other side of the desk. When the detective didn’t respond, she said, “It’s a public record, you know.”
    “It’s an ongoing investigation, Vicky.” Coughlin took a moment, then he swiveled around, got to his feet and yanked open the top drawer of the file cabinet. He ran his fingers over the files crammed inside, extracted a thin folder, and slammed the drawer shut. Dropping back onto his chair, he slapped the folder onto the desk. “She was shot in the back of the head. Twenty-two slug found inside the skull.” He went on, eyes fixed on the top page. “Beaten before death. Several teeth missing; evidence of bleeding into the jaw bones. We gave all that to the Gazette . I’m not gonna give you anything that we won’t be releasing in the course of the investigation. Nothing that only the killer knows. You know the drill.”
    “What can you give me?” Vicky said.
    He shrugged, opened the file folder and started thumbing through the white sheets. “Trouble is, what we know so far is just enough to get people all agitated, bring up a lot of stuff from the past, and none of it’s gonna help our investigation. Just the opposite. Could throw up obstacles that’ll keep us from identifying the dead woman and figuring out what happened to her.
    “What are you talking about?”
    “Date of death.” He pulled out a sheet and stared at the lines of black