Kiamichi Refuge (5 page)

Early May

Glancing up at the quarter moon perched above the oaks, Tanner settled back in his camp chair. Peace flowed through him as he breathed in the mingling scents of the forest and the smoke from the campfire.

His companion added a small log to the fire. An older man, he carried his age with dignity. Talako, whose name means ‘Gray Eagle’, grabbed a couple of bottles of beer out of a red cooler and handed one to his grandson.

“So you had a good trip? Did the seminars you presented go over well?”

Tanner took a long drink of his beer. “Yes, and there were thirty in attendance. From the comments when it was over, the officers felt that they got something worthwhile from it. We did a demonstration, too. There is something very satisfying about helping law enforcement officers.”

“You were gone for two weeks. How did the search go?”

“I found exactly what I was looking for in Florida, a female pup with fantastic bloodlines. She’s a beautiful little girl, and has already learned several simple commands. I am just glad I don’t have to go to Europe now. Something is telling me to stay close to home.”

“Speaking of home,
Hashuk malli
[1]
,
when will you marry and give me great-grandchildren? You need to find your
chunkash anli
[2]
and settle down.”

Tanner raised his face toward the stars. “Grandfather, I have already met her. She’s the one my soul loves. You’ll like her, I believe.”

“Who is she? Who are her people?”

Tanner smiled. “Her name is Erin Miller, niece of
Tali isht holissochi
[3]
. She’s the reason Ernie moved to Tulsa for several years. She lives out at his lodge now. I admit, I’ve been interested in her for a long time. Ernie talked about her so much, I feel as if I’ve known her forever, and then when he got that new picture of her, all grown up and beautiful, well, I think I started to fall for her a long time ago. Now that I’ve met her in person, I just know it’s right.”

“Bring her to meet us. Your grandmother is an
ohoyo
[4]
. She will want to see for herself if you’ve chosen well.”

“Soon, Grandfather. My heart is already hers, but I must make her heart mine. These things take time.”

***

Late the next afternoon, Erin arrived home from Tulsa, mentally tired and physically exhausted. It had rained almost the whole way to Kanichi Springs, causing the trip to take longer than usual. Tense from concentrating for so long, she was glad that the rain had finally stopped. She parked the Expedition in front of the lodge, got out, and breathed in the clean scent left behind by the recent rain. With her bag in hand, she started toward the door, but stopped abruptly. Several large shoeprints led around to the side of the house. She leaned down to examine them, noting that there were two different sets, both large, but with different tread patterns. Sliding her hand under her jacket, she drew her .45 and held it beside her leg as she straightened, her eyes quickly scanning the clearing. Nothing moved, and the birds sang in the forest, telling her that whoever had been there was gone.

***

Erin had lunch with Lydia the next day, and the subject of life in a small town and Erin’s isolated location at the lodge came up. They talked a bit about the prowlers who had snooped around Erin’s lodge.

“They couldn’t have been gone more than a few minutes before I drove in, because the rain would have washed the prints away. It only stopped raining about ten or fifteen minutes before I got home.”

“That’s scary, Erin. Do you want to come stay with me for a while? You know you’re welcome.”

“Thanks, but I have my guns. Do you think I should have called the sheriff?”

“You could have, but it would have been a waste of time. The deputy assigned to our area is worthless. On the other hand, he would probably at least file a report so there’d be a record of it. You know, you can’t stay awake all night. I hate the thought of your being alone out there.”

The discussion on the pros and cons of living so far out on a dirt road, led Erin to make a request of Lydia.

“I need to order several items online, but when companies use FedEx or UPS to deliver, the drivers can’t find me out there. It’s really the only major drawback to rural life. If I ordered some things, would you let me have them delivered to your shop? I could come pick them up, like we did when you ordered stuff for me before. Would it be an imposition? Some of the deliveries may be pretty big.”

“Of course you can. The delivery services all come to my shop frequently, anyway. I’d be happy to help, and I’ll just call you when you have a package.”

“That would be great. I really appreciate it, Lydia. Thanks.”

***

After lunch, Erin decided to stop by the church office to see if Kenneth and Terri Abbott were around. Terri sometimes helped out as a volunteer secretary when their four older children were in school. The youngest, Kristen, was only four, and often went with her mother to work at the church building, which was right next door to their home.

Terri saw Erin coming through the door, and with a big smile, the petite brunette hugged her. Terri’s brown eyes sparkled when she led Erin into Ken’s office. Ken stood and shook Erin’s hand, his white teeth gleaming through a well-groomed beard.

“Well, Erin, what brings you to town this fine day?” Ken inquired in his smooth baritone voice.

“I need some advice. It’s not a spiritual problem, though. I just got home from Tulsa yesterday, a while before dark, and found shoeprints in the mud around the house. At least two men evidently scoped the place out while I was away.”

Ken ran a hand through his thinning dark blond hair. “You should report it to the sheriff’s office. And be extra vigilant. Keep the doors and windows locked, too.”

“This makes me a bit anxious about you being out there by yourself,” Terri interjected. “Is there anyone who could come stay with you?”

“Not really. Not at this time, anyway. Maybe I need to get a dog. Do you know anyone who might have one for sale?”

Ken glanced at Terri, and grinned. “As a matter of fact, our friend Tanner raises and trains police dogs. He’s quite good, too. Several county sheriffs and police departments come to him to train both dogs and handlers, and he sells personal protection dogs, too. I don’t know if he has any available right now, but we can ask. And we can also pray for your safety.”

***

Tanner did indeed have a suitable dog. The young male German shepherd was one that Tanner had picked out to keep when the pup was only a few weeks old. The biggest of the litter, this dog was special. He was not only intelligent, he was also eager to learn. Tanner started training him early, and at almost a year old, the pup was way ahead of several older dogs. Not yet fully grown, he was a large, formidable dog already, and Tanner had no intention of selling him.

When Tanner found out that it was Erin who needed a dog, he told Ken that he had the perfect dog for her. He didn’t mention that Erin was the only one he would even consider as a new owner of his favorite pup.

***

“His name is Blitz. It means ‘lightning’ and it suits him. He’s both mentally and physically quick. You will need to spend some time here learning how to handle him, because he has learned some very specific commands, both verbal and using hand signals. I’ll also need to observe the two of you together to be sure he’s bonding well with you, and that he is willing to take commands from you as his new alpha.”

Erin laughed. “I edit books from home, so my time is flexible. When can we start?”

Third Week of May

“Blitz, strike!” Erin commanded, watching with satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment as the shepherd lunged toward Ian McClure’s heavily padded legs, taking him to the ground. Ian, who owned a furniture store in McAlester, wore a bite-suit for his role as agitator. He was a childhood friend of Tanner’s and enjoyed helping occasionally.

Erin told Blitz to release and the dog immediately obeyed. “Good boy, good dog, Blitz!”

Next, Tanner had Erin run Blitz through a series of commands using only hand signals. The pup had a laser-like focus on her and obeyed without hesitation. It was obvious that a close and loving connection was growing between Erin and her new protector.

Ian ran a hand through his wavy black hair and commented, “He’s doing well. He’s the smartest dog I’ve ever seen. He catches on quick, and so do you, Erin.”

“Thanks for helping out today. It’s nice of you to make yourself into a target for those sharp teeth,” Erin joked.

“You’re very welcome. Sorry to hurry off, but I need to get out of this hot suit and get to the store. We have a truck with a load of recliners coming in today. Tanner, catch you later, buddy. Erin, it’s been a pleasure.”

As Ian climbed into his pickup, Tanner turned to Erin and teased, “You kinda like sending this big boy to take down and tear up old Ian, don’t you?”

“I confess that it’s exciting to watch a magnificent animal work, doing what he has been trained to do. He’s sleek and strong. I’m glad he’s on my side”

Nodding, Tanner agreed. “That’s the main reason I do this. These dogs are destined to be heroes. Raising them from tiny, helpless pups and watching them become police dogs or personal protection dogs gives me a great sense of accomplishment”.

“You have a wonderful facility here. I like the way you have it set up. What’s in that building over there?”

“Half of that building is my living quarters. The other half is the office and a grooming facility for the dogs.” He cleared his throat. “Say, do you have plans for this afternoon?”

“Nothing important. Why?”

“I need to take Blitz’s litter-mate, Karma, to the sheriff over in Fort Smith, and wondered if you’d like to go with me. I’ll buy your lunch.”

“Sure, I’d like that. By the way, Karma is a great name for a police dog.”

“Yes. It’s a Hindu concept, and to paraphrase what I read about it, karma refers to the forces generated by one’s actions, which determine the nature of one’s existence after reincarnation. Most people think it just means ‘what goes around, comes around’, but that’s only partially right.”

“There is something that I need to do, if you don’t mind making two extra stops today. I need to go to a couple of places in Fort Smith, since we’re going to be there anyway. That is, if you don’t mind.”

“Where do you need to go in Fort Smith?”

“I need to buy some junk silver, and maybe some gold. I have too much money in the bank, and I want hard money, just in case. Uncle Ernie advised me to put most of my money in precious metals, so that’s what I want to do.” She gave him a conspiratorial look. “He also told me that I could trust people with the last name McNeil.”

Tanner waggled his eyebrows at her and smoothed an imaginary mustache, trying to look like the villain in a melodrama, and succeeded in making her laugh. Then he checked his watch and nodded. “Yeah, we have plenty of time to do that. But remember, keep the amount for each transaction below ten thousand dollars. If it’s over that, they have to report it to the federal government. You don’t want them looking into your business too closely.”

“That’s true, and that’s why I have been going by the bank occasionally and getting out random amounts of cash.  So, when do you think I can take Blitz home with me? We’ve been through eight or nine sessions.”

“He’s ready. You’re almost ready. If the next session goes as well as this one did, you can take him. I want him out there as soon as possible, before any more prowlers come around. I don’t like it that you’re alone.”

“You never have told me how much I owe you for him.”

“We’ll worry about that later. Spend some time together, see how it works out. Then we’ll talk about it.”

***

The afternoon was sunny and warm, and Tanner proved to be good company. Their conversation was lively, as they argued over who was the best band of the 90s, and discussed politics, finding that they agreed on most issues, but not all. They dropped Karma off at the sheriff’s office, to the obvious delight of her eager new handler. Erin took care of purchasing silver rounds and old silver coins. At both gold exchange stores, Erin handed Tanner a wad of money. Then she and Tanner went in and each made a sizable purchase, so Erin was able to buy silver with all the cash she had, and still stay under the transaction limit. The seafood buffet at Catfish Cove was excellent, just as Tanner promised. Erin could not remember having a better time.

On the drive back, Tanner had the radio on, turned down low so they could still talk. Erin was laughing at Tanner as he related some of his boyhood antics, when they heard the radio beep for a news alert. Tanner turned the volume up.

“We interrupt this program with breaking news from Afghanistan. Taliban forces have attacked US and British forces at Bagram Air Base, following the apparent poisoning of hundreds of airmen by Afghan food workers at the base.”

More reports are coming in as we speak. Kandahar International Airport is also under attack. The airport, which is under NATO control, is sixteen kilometers from Kandahar City. It is believed that a passenger plane landed, then exploded near the main terminal. Members of the Taliban have breached the perimeter fences and are engaged in a gun battle with NATO forces.”

Stay tuned to this station. We will update continuously as more information becomes available.”

Silence filled the cab of the truck after Tanner punched the off button on the radio. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as the shock of the disaster permeated their minds. Tanner reached over and clasped Erin’s slender hand in his.

“Oh, dear Lord, have mercy on us all,” Erin whispered.