from the reservation. The snow was coming down in torrents, making it difficult to see even a foot in front of me.
“Not a concern because tribal law is in effect on the reservation.”
“Okay.” I glanced at him briefly. “So we call it breaking and entering; what do you call it?”
“It’s not a concern,” he answered, sounding nonplussed as he glanced out the window and grew quiet. Truth was, ever since the night before when we’d had the conversation in the diner, he’d been different. I figured the news about Koko and Achak bothered him.
“Well, it’s a concern to me,” I argued, shaking my head. “I could lose my job if I go into anyone’s house without a warrant, whether or not it’s under the jurisdiction of the tribe.”
“Problem easily solved. You won’t go in. I will,” he responded in a bored tone as he turned to face me and I was suddenly struck by how handsome he was. But his obvious good looks were impaired by something else—sullenness. And why he was sullen, I wasn’t sure.
“If you really want to know, I might seem sullen because I’m convinced we’re wasting our time with this visit.”
“Get out of my head,” I grumbled back at him, my stomach a mess of nerves. “Why do you think this is a waste of time?”
Alex sighed, long and hard. “Because Achak is a wolf and that means he knows how to kill a wolf. If he’d wanted Donovan dead, he’d be dead.”
“Maybe he tried, but Donovan put up a good fight?”
He shook his head. “You saw Achak; he’s enormous. He’s easily twice the size of Donovan. Like I said, if he’d wanted Donovan dead, he’d be dead.”
“We still need to exhaust all possible leads,” I insisted, nodding. “And as far as I’m concerned, this is a good one.”
“Whatever you say, Chief,” he responded as he frowned at me and then immediately faced forward again as if he didn’t want to even look at me. When I glanced over at him, his eyes were trained on the snowfall in front of us.
“So we’re back to Chief?” I shook my head and started to get angry.
“We’re back to Chief.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t appreciate you coming to my home and researching my history without first telling me.”
“I didn’t and don’t owe you anything.”
“We’re working this case together.”
“No, we’re not. I’m working this case and you’re giving me information to aid in my investigation.”
“Fine.”
“Good.”
“Good,” he repeated.
I didn’t realize my palms were now fisted around the steering wheel. I was clenching them so tightly, my knuckles were turning white.
“Stop here and park just behind that barn,” Alex said as he pointed to a ramshackle, wooden structure that looked like it had seen much better days. The roof was missing and the walls, which were comprised of slats of wood that appeared to be nailed together, were rotting in places and completely gone in others. “We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
I didn’t argue but parked where he instructed and killed the engine. “What will happen to you if you get caught?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure because I’ve never done this before.”
That didn’t leave me feeling very secure. “Donovan got kicked off the reservation for the same thing?”
Alex shook his head. “That was after a long list of offenses. I’m the good seed, remember?” He faced me and smiled, but his smile wasn’t a warm one. It appeared acidic and laced with sarcasm. “It’s not like I’ll get an arm chopped off so no need to worry your pretty little head.”
“Good to know.”
“We have shit to do and the night isn’t getting any younger.”
He had a point. I took a deep breath and nodded as I took off my seat belt and then opened the door before jumping down onto the icy ground below.
“And you’re sure Achak won’t be around?” I asked again, once Alex was in earshot.
“I’m just as sure as I was the last time you asked that question twenty minutes ago.” He was obviously angry with me and it didn’t help that I wasn’t much of a talker.
The snow was still coming down at a steady clip and I had to wipe it out of my face more than once. I wasn’t sure how far it was to the reservation, but neither of us said a word to each other as we trudged through the snow. It was just the wind that made a sound as it whistled through the branches of the pine trees, bathing us both in