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Livingston had broken down during questioning, admitting to a gambling problem that had left him deeply in debt.He’d been selling artifacts on the black market to collectors who didn’t ask questions about provenance.When he discovered some items missing during inventory, he saw an opportunity to take additional pieces and blame their disappearance on the initial theft.

It was a separate case that would wind its way through a different court system, but Kari took satisfaction in knowing her original suspicions about Livingston hadn’t been entirely misplaced.Sometimes a detective’s instincts pointed in the right direction, even if they led to an unexpected destination.

Captain Yazzie passed her open door, pausing to look in.“Finishing up?”

“Just about,” Kari said.“Everything will be ready for the prosecutors by end of day.”

“Good work, Detective.”Yazzie hesitated, then added, “The Tribal Council asked me to convey their appreciation.This could have been much worse for community relations if handled differently.”

Kari understood what remained unsaid.If they had pursued Daniels’s original profile, focusing suspicion on traditional Navajo practitioners, there would have been substantial, perhaps permanent damage to the trust between community and law enforcement.

“Just doing my job,” she said.

“Doing it well,” Yazzie corrected.“There’ll be other cases that require your particular… perspective.”

“I’ll be here,” Kari said, surprised to realize how much she meant it.Three weeks ago, she’d viewed her return to the reservation as temporary—a reluctant obligation to care for her grandmother while processing her mother’s death.Ruth had made it clear, however, that she didn’t need looking after.And besides that, Kari was beginning to see the res differently.As a place where her divided heritage wasn’t a weakness but a strength.

After Yazzie left, Kari finished her report and sent it to the department server.She was gathering her things to leave when Tsosie appeared in her doorway, two cups of coffee in hand.

“Thought you might need this,” he said, offering her one.“You’ve been at that report all day.”

“Thanks.”She accepted the coffee gratefully, the gesture another sign of their evolving relationship.When she’d first arrived, Tsosie had viewed her with thinly veiled skepticism—the half-Navajo detective returning from the big city, bringing her outsider methods and perspectives.Now, he seemed to view her differently.

To value her.

“Redford’s initial psychiatric evaluation came in,” he said, taking the seat Daniels had vacated.“Diagnosis suggests psychotic disorder with delusional features, exacerbated by stress and personal loss.”

“The divorce,” Kari said with a nod.“She mentioned it during our interview.”

“Classic trigger point,” Tsosie agreed.“But there’s something that still bothers me.”

“The strength,” Kari said, knowing exactly what he meant.“The physical capabilities she displayed during the attacks.”

Tsosie nodded.“The psychiatrists are attributing it to hysterical strength—adrenaline overriding normal physical limitations during psychotic episodes.It’s a documented phenomenon.”

“But you’re not convinced.”

“Are you?”He met her gaze directly.

Kari thought about the medicine pouch, still in her jacket pocket.How it had affected Redford when nothing else could.How Ruth had insisted she carry it.How her mother’s message—You have everything you need—had proven unexpectedly literal.

“I think some realities exist beyond our usual frameworks,” she said carefully.“Beyond what can be explained in reports or diagnoses.”

Tsosie regarded her with new respect.“That’s not what you would have said three weeks ago.”

“No,” Kari admitted.“It’s not.”

A comfortable silence settled between them, filled with unspoken understanding.Finally, Tsosie cleared his throat.“I was wrong, you know.”

“About?”

“About you coming back.When you first transferred, I thought you were just doing your obligation to family.That you’d leave as soon as you could.”He looked down at his coffee.“I didn’t think you could bridge both worlds.”

The admission surprised her.“What changed your mind?”

“Watching you work this case.You didn’t choose between worlds—you used both.Your police training and your cultural understanding.Your father’s methodology and your mother’s intuition.”He looked up, his expression open in a way she hadn’t seen before.“It’s what this department needs.What the community needs.”

Kari felt something shift between them—the last barriers of distrust falling away, replaced by the beginnings of genuine partnership.Perhaps even friendship.

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