very end of the building, she leaned back against the wall, trying to look nonchalant. If anyone saw her, Connie wanted them to think she was just resting rather than spying.
“Be there at midnight,” the first man instructed.
She heard whiskey mentioned again but didn’t know if it had anything to do with their meeting. He might have just been offering to share what he had with his friends, but there was also a possibility they were discussing a contraband shipment. Of course, one of the other men spoke of dancing. She strained to hear more, but the men moved off toward the road.
Not entirely sure what the men had planned, Connie decided not to say anything to her father or Tom. She’d slip out that evening and go to the location they had described. With any luck, she’d learn something valuable. Of course, it could just be that the men wanted to gather and do some sort of power dance. The tribes here believed in the powers that certain spirits could give a person. Some claimed the power of the coyote, which made a man mean and deadly, while others claimed the power of being able to talk to the dead. Some powers entailed mimicking animals or insects for varying purposes. Even the Indians who had accepted Jesus as their Savior still respected the powers that people claimed. They had seen too many things over the years and felt it was important to respect the traditions of their ancestors, so Connie knew it was very possible these men could simply be gathering to do a power dance.
“You ready to head home?” her father asked when they returned with a few things in hand for the house.
“I am.” Connie smiled. “I was just enjoying the shade and letting the horses get some water.”
Papa nodded and Tom untied their mounts. Once again, he helped Connie mount. “Today would be perfect for a picnic down by the river,” Tom said with a grin.
“And a swim,” Papa added. “But I know we’re all too busy for that. Maybe in a few days.”
A swim sounded quite enjoyable, but for the moment, the men’s meeting at midnight was all Connie could think of. She prayed her spying would further their cause and help her clear her mother and father of wrongdoing. The sooner they could do that, the sooner she could refocus her attention on the job at hand.
Chapter 10
Connie waited until she was certain everyone was asleep before sneaking out of the house to head down to the river. There was a full moon out, which would hamper her plans for secrecy, but she remembered numerous secluded spots along the way, places she had used as a child during games of hide-and-seek.
She knew the reservation like the back of her hand, and years of playing with the Native children had taught her various tricks for sneaking unnoticed through the brush. Connie was quite good at disappearing and staying silent.
Cloud cover was moving in from the west, and with any luck at all, it might eventually hide the full moon. She contemplated waiting a little longer but knew the men had talked about coming together at midnight. Believing it was best to move on, Connie kept to the darkest shadows and heavy brush.
As she drew near the river, the brush grew heavier and the ground less even. There was a steep bank to navigate in this particular spot, and Connie contemplated moving farther downriver to where it was lower. If the men were receiving a delivery, however, they wouldn’t be near this steeper bank, and it might give her high ground from which to observe them. She stopped and listened for voices but heard nothing but the river. If the men were there, they were working in silence. She slipped farther down the bank as it narrowed and lowered to meet the water. Hearing voices, she waited in the brush—barely daring to draw breath.
“Keep low,” she heard someone say from below.
There were murmurs, and then someone said, “There’s the boat. Signal with the lantern.”
For just a moment there was light filtering through the bushes. Connie flattened herself against the ground until the light was hidden again.
“They see us now.”
There were several hushed replies and the sound of a boat nudging up against the bank. She heard several men exchange greetings and decided to see if she could get closer. She hadn’t gone far, however, when someone grabbed her from behind. A hand closed over her mouth