Delayed Justice Read online

  She called Shadow Dancer to let him know she was on her way.

  “Hello?” he answered.

  “Hello, Shadow Dancer, this is Sami. I just left the shelter and I should be at your house for dinner in about forty-five minutes.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  Sami hung up the phone and continued the drive home. She was tired and hungry, but was so glad that Shadow Dancer had asked her to come over for dinner. He didn’t celebrate Christmas, but he knew how hard this time of year was for her, so he’d planned a special dinner just for her.

  * * * *

  Sami pulled into his driveway and parked her car. The dogs ran out to greet her and Shadow Dancer was standing at the door waiting for her.

  “Sami! It’s great to see you, my friend.”

  She walked inside the house and gave Shadow Dancer a hug. “It’s good to see you too. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you fixing dinner and having me over to share it with you.”

  “Here, let me take your coat,” Shadow Dancer said. Sami took off her coat and handed it to him, and he hung it up in the coat closet by the door. “Dinner will be ready in five minutes.”

  Sami sat down in the living room, and the dogs were excited that she was there and were nudging her to pet them and play with them.

  “So, how did serving at the shelter go today?” Shadow Dancer asked.

  “It was very busy, but it went really well. The number of people who showed up this year was nearly double from last year.”

  “You do this every Christmas, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I used to do it in Milne City at the Interfaith Shelter, but after the bombing incident, I don’t go into Milne City except to get my mail and I always did that late at night.”

  Shadow Dancer fussed around in the kitchen and then said, “Dinner is ready. Come and have a seat.”

  Sami walked over to the dining room and pulled out a chair and sat down. This time Shadow Dancer had made a turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

  “This looks so yummy, Shadow Dancer.”

  Shadow Dancer smiled. “Let’s dig in and find out!”

  Sami took a slice of turkey, some dressing, mashed potatoes, and corn, and put it on her plate. She tasted it and murmured, “Hmm, this is wonderful.”

  “Thank you. I’m wondering what started this tradition of you going to the shelter to feed the homeless?”

  Sami took a sip of her iced tea then said, “When Steph was alive, Christmas was always special. We would go to church on Christmas Eve, and when I got up on Christmas morning, there were always a lot of presents under the tree for me, and then after we ate breakfast, we would go to the Interfaith Shelter and help serve food to the homeless, the poor, and the hungry. It was such a wonderful tradition that I just carried it on. After the bombing happened, and the people in town where treating me so horribly, I didn’t know what to do, because I didn’t think my help would be welcomed, so I decided I’d go to Billings and help there. It didn’t matter where I did it, just as long as I could do something in honor of Steph.”

  “It’s a wonderful gesture and a great way to honor her memory. I’m sure she would be very proud of you.”

  “It also helps me out. With Steph gone, I had no one to spend the holidays with, so doing something like this made me feel like I was doing something worthwhile and making someone else’s holiday a little brighter.” They continued to eat in silence for a bit then Sami remarked, “I got served my subpoena last week. The court date is set for the first week after New Year’s.”

  “Have you talked to the district attorney and gone over your testimony with her?”

  “Yeah, I met with her several times. I had my attorney with me each time I went to her office, and I was surprised that Makeeta wasn’t there to listen in.”

  “Why would he be present?” Shadow Dancer arched a eyebrow and took a mouthful of food.

  “I don’t know, maybe to see if I revealed anything else about the bombing incident that I hadn’t revealed before I guess.”

  Shadow Dancer didn’t say anything.

  “I’m sorry, I know he’s your grandson, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No, that’s okay. I see why you would wonder about that. You’re still suspicious of him, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I guess I am. I don’t really trust him. Have you seen him?”

  “I haven’t seen him since Thanksgiving,” Shadow Dancer answered.

  “Do you celebrate Thanksgiving?”

  “We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the way that you do, but we do get together at my son’s home and have a hearty meal, and yes, Makeeta was there,” Shadow Dancer said with a smile.

  After they finished eating, Sami helped Shadow Dancer clean up and put the dishes in the dishwasher, and then they sat down in the living room to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace.

  “Are you nervous about the trial?” Shadow Dancer asked.

  “Yes, I am. You know, everyone in the town turned on me and didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t have anything to do with the bombing. I wonder if they’re going to believe me now. Plus, with all the publicity surrounding the trial, I’m nervous that the press will be hounding me and splashing my name all over the front page of the newspapers and television, and I end up reliving all the painful memories again.”

  “I can see that it would make you feel intimidated and scared.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the fire in the fireplace. Sami looked around Shadow Dancer’s home, admiring the artifacts he had on display. They looked really old. She wasn’t sure what some of them were, and she wondered if they were items used in rituals and if Native Americans still performed them. “Shadow Dancer, does your native tribe still perform ceremonies or rituals?”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “What are the ceremonies you perform?”

  “Well, we have the Sun Dance, the Sacred Arrow Renewal Dance, the Sacred Buffalo Hat Dance, and the Animal Dance. All ceremonies are carried out for specific reasons.”

  “What do they mean and what do you do?” Sami asked.

  “It’s pretty complex to explain about the ceremonies, and they’re actually religious ceremonies. The Sun Dance last for several days, sometimes even a week, and it includes dancing, singing, drumming, and other things. We give thanks to our Creator and ask for protection for love ones and the tribe in general.”

  “What about the Sacred Arrow Dance?” Sami asked.

  “The Sacred Arrow Renewal Dance is a four-day ceremony that’s performed to give strength to the tribe. We set up tipis in a large circle with three ceremonial lodges in the middle, and then we do rituals in and around the lodges. During the rituals, the sacred arrows are brought forth to be renewed. There are four arrows—two arrows for warfare and two for hunting.”

  “And what’s the Sacred Buffalo Hat Dance for?” Sami asked.

  “When we renew the Sacred Buffalo Hat, the keeper of the hat offers prayers for those seeking a blessing. And the last one, the Animal Dance, is a hunting ceremony asking to bring success to the hunters.”

  “Are these rituals open to the public?”

  “These are very religious ceremonies and white men have been known to make fun or mock us, so we don’t encourage the public to come to the rituals.”

  “I see. It’s so sad that some white people felt the need to do that.”

  Shadow Dancer smiled.

  Sami looked up at the clock and noted the time. “I’m really tired, so I guess I’d better get home, it’s getting late,” Sami said as she tried to stifle a yarn.

  She said her goodbye to Shadow Dancer and went home. When she arrived at her cabin, she stripped off her clothes and crashed in the bed from exhaustion.

  Chapter 8

  Montana winters could be harsh, and this year proved to be no exception to that. Snow fell the whole day, adding to the two feet of snow already on the ground, and the roads were slick and snow covered. Late in the
evening, Sami went into town to get her mail. On her way back home, out of nowhere, a deer ran across the road in front of her. She slammed on her brakes, but the truck slid on the road and she couldn’t stop in enough time to keep from hitting it. The impact forced the vehicle into the ditch.

  “That’s great. Now I’m stuck.” She got out of the truck and walked gingerly to the front of it. She looked over at the deer and saw that it was dead.

  The deer had totally smashed up the front end of her truck and it wasn’t running anymore. Fortunately, she wasn’t hurt, but now she was in a pickle, and she wondered how she would get home. She punched in 911 on her cellphone and reported the accident and the need for assistance.

  * * * *

  Dani Spencer dropped off some subpoenas to be served on another case that she was working on. While she was there, she asked Makeeta if he was available for dinner and a rendezvous, and he agreed to meet up with her. The trial in the bombing case was scheduled to begin tomorrow, and Makeeta knew that she was always antsy before a trial and loved a night of good sex the day before to release some tension. Makeeta and Dani’s relationship had no strings attached to it, and both were happy with the arrangement.

  Later that night, Makeeta and Dani were naked on her bed, and as he entered her from behind—just the way she liked it—he asked, “Do you want it nice and slow, or fast and hard?”

  “Oh, definitely fast and hard. Oh yeah, like that, only faster.” She exhaled.

  Makeeta stepped up the movements.

  Dani moaned. “That’s great, keep it going.”

  In the midst of the mind-boggling sex came a shrill ringing.

  “Oh, for pete’s sake,” Dani gasped. “Is that your phone or mine?”

  “I think it’s mine.” Makeeta stopped and started fumbling for his pants in the dark room.

  A call had came in from the sheriff in the neighboring county who asked if Makeeta could spare a deputy to respond to a car-deer accident on highway 47 at the border of Yellowstone and Big Horn counties. All Makeeta’s deputies were out addressing other traffic accidents, and he was the only one who was occupied but available. Great, he thought.

  * * * *

  It seemed like hours before Sami finally saw a vehicle heading toward her. When it got close to her, the siren lights came on. The cruiser pulled up behind her and the officer got out at the same time Sami got out of her truck. She walked toward him, and when she saw that it was Makeeta she rolled her eyes. Wonderful. Just what I needed, Makeeta of all people.

  “Are you all right, Sami?” Makeeta asked, his voice smooth but concerned.

  “Yes, I’m fine, just cold and upset.”

  He walked to the front of her truck and saw the carcass lying on the ground. “You hit him pretty hard,” he commented.

  “I couldn’t stop in time, the roads are slick. Are you going to arrest me for not being able to stop?” she asked, mildly agitated at his comment.

  “No, why would I do that?” He looked at her, his eyes dark and his expression unreadable.

  “Come on, let’s get you in the cruiser to get warm and we’ll write a report.” As they got in the car, Makeeta pulled up his clipboard to write up the accident report.

  “I don’t know why that deer had to just be here right at this time. Gee whiz, I’m only a mile away from home,” Sami muttered, trying to shake off the feelings of being in an accident.

  “We’ve sent out a warning to everyone to stay off the roads. What were you doing out here anyway?” Makeeta asked, his eyebrows raised.

  “I went into town to get my mail.”

  “On this particular night, at this specific time, you had to get your mail?” Makeeta stared at her, his voice still low and smooth, his eyebrows still raised.

  “Yes,” Sami uttered, thrusting her chin forward in defiance.

  “Okay, I’m going to call for a wrecker, but it may be a while before they can get here. Is there any particular place you want your truck towed to?”

  Sami thought for a few minutes. The truck was old and on its last legs. For a while now she’d been babying it to keep it going. She was going to have to figure out a way to get another vehicle. She doubted that the truck was worth towing anyplace. She let out a sigh. “I guess we could have it towed to my cabin, or even to a junkyard—it won’t be worth fixing.”

  After he arranged for a wrecker to tow her truck to the junkyard, Makeeta looked at her and said, “Let’s get you home.”

  Sami was so grateful she could only nod.

  Makeeta drove with ease down the snowy road toward the side road that led to her cabin. When he pulled up to her house, he looked surprise when he saw her driveway had been plowed already. “Do you have someone come all the way out here to plow your driveway?” he asked.

  “No, I use a snowblower,” she answered. “Thank you for driving me home.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  As she started to open the door, she paused. “I do have a problem though. I don’t know how I’m going to get to town tomorrow for the trial and to get myself a rental car.”

  Makeeta sat quietly for a few minutes. Thinking he wasn’t going to say anything, she opened the door.

  “I’ll be by in the morning about seven-thirty to pick you up. After the court session I’ll take you to get a rental vehicle.”

  Sami considered his offer and realized that him picking her up seemed like the only logical solution, and she nodded. “Okay, see you then.” She got out and went inside the cabin, then heard the cruiser as it backed out of her driveway and drove down the road.

  * * * *

  The next morning Sami heard the cruiser pull up and a horn toot. She locked the front door of her cabin, walked to the cruiser, and got in the passenger side.

  “Hi, Makeeta.” Sami was dreading the day already.

  “G’morning,” he said in his low soft voice, looking her over.

  They rode in silence part of the way, and then Sami asked, “Do you still think I’m a suspect in this case?”

  Makeeta threw her a side glance then went back to watching the road as he drove. “No, unless you’ve got something to say that would make you a suspect or co-conspirator in this. I never thought you were really a suspect,” he said as he kept his eyes on the road. She caught the note of sarcasm in his voice.

  “I’m not a co-conspirator or involved in this case in any way except I walked into that pharmacy at the wrong time.”

  “I didn’t think you were a co-conspirator or involved in the case,” he emphasized in his usual deep tone.

  “So, why do you still think I’m a suspect or co-conspirator in this?” she asked him.

  “Sami, I said I don’t think you’re a suspect or co-conspirator. Remember, I cleared you.” He exhaled impatiently.

  “Your voice betrays you, Makeeta.”

  “Oh, what are you now, a language linguistic?” Makeeta replied sarcastically.

  “No, I… Oh, never mind,” she answered dejectedly.

  When they got close to town, Sami called her insurance agent to report her accident, and then she called the car rental place to arrange to have a rental car available. She hung up and told Makeeta, “All set, they’ll have a car ready for me to pick up after court today.”

  He didn’t reply. She looked at him sideways and knew by the lines on his face that he was deep in thought, so she left him to them. Her mind wandered back to when they’d had an affair. Sometimes he became brooding and silent when he had things on his mind that were bothering him. She knew it was pointless to try and get him to talk because a lot of times it was work related and he couldn’t talk about it, so she would try to smooth out those deep thought lines on his face by kissing him and massaging him. That usually led them to the bedroom to enjoying the afterglow from the pleasure of sex.

  She felt a pang of jealously as she thought about the fact that he loved Carol and their plans to get married. Sami became just a fling, an amusement to him until he made his decision and acted on wha
t he wanted to do in his life. Life has a way of coming back at you, Sami thought. She too could be very brooding and unforgiving. It was one thing that he broke up with her, but quite another that he thought her capable of harming another person. It just proved that he didn’t know her at all.

  They rode in silence the rest of the trip. Makeeta pulled into a parking spot in front of the courthouse and they got out of the car. “I’ll drive you to the car rental place after court is dismissed.”

  “Okay, I’d appreciate it,” Sami replied as they entered the building and rode the elevator to the fifth floor.

  Chapter 9

  When Sami and Makeeta walked into the courtroom they were immediately surrounded by dark wood with windows all along the west side. Folks were slowly starting to file into the room. The district attorney Dani Spencer was already there, and the defense attorney came in and sat at his table. Sami and Makeeta sat down by the aisle four rolls behind the prosecutor. Carol’s parents and Cathy, Carol’s sister, entered the courtroom. They walked by and sat behind the prosecutor. Sami felt bad for Carol’s parents, having to sit there and go through the trial, reliving the pain of their daughter’s death all over again.

  Court time started at nine in the morning. The prisoner, Tom Wilkes, wore a jail uniform as he shuffled in chains and handcuffs. He sat down beside his attorney and they were talking between themselves. People continued to filter in until finally the bailiff stood up and said, “All rise, the Circuit Court for the District of Big Horn County is in session, the Honorable Judge Steven Harding presiding.” Everyone stood up as the jury came in, and the judge followed and sat down at the bench. The bailiff said, “You may be seated.”

  Judge Harding was an older, white-haired man who was well-known in the community and respected as a fair judge. He asked Dani, “Do you wish to give your introduction to the jury?”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” Dani replied.

  “You may proceed.”

  Dani stood and stepped up to the jury box. “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is my responsibility to present to you the evidence and facts that will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, Mr. Thomas Wilkes, planted a bomb in the Glacier Pharmacy with the intent to kill another individual, Carol Shields, who was pregnant, and planned to end the pregnancy. I will be presenting to you the series of events that took place on July 11th, 2008. A bomb exploded at Glacier Pharmacy on that day, injuring several people and killing one individual, Carol Shields. I will start with the forensic evidence. You will hear from the forensic technician about evidence found at the site—the type of bomb, what it did, and so on—along with evidence that will indicate the defendant planted the bomb, and a partial fingerprint that will link the defendant to the bomb site. Then I will be introducing Dr. Murray, Chief County Medical Examiner, and he will share with you the autopsy report on Ms. Carol Shields. We will hear from family members about the medical condition of Ms. Shields and her frame of mind. I will bring in expert witnesses from the Family Planning Clinic who will testify to Ms. Shield’s medical condition and her intended plans. We will see how these plans affect the defendant. Then I will introduce one of the victims of this bombing incident who will testify to what they saw and remember from that day. I will be bringing in the sheriff to tell you about what he did after the crime occurred, regarding the crime scene and the witnesses. He will tie the defendant to the crime scene for us. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I will present to you our main witness, who not only saw the perpetrator, but she became his victim of the bomb explosion as well.” Dani made eye contact with each jury member as she spoke. “Your Honor.” Dani stepped back at her table.