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“Kari,” he said, removing his reading glasses.“I didn’t think I’d see you.”

“Hello, Dad,” she replied, closing the door behind her.Their first face-to-face encounter since Anna’s funeral held all the awkwardness she’d anticipated.

“About your mother,” he said, standing with the military posture he’d never abandoned.“I’ve been meaning to call to see how you’re settling in at her place.”

“It’s not about Mom,” Kari said, maintaining formal distance.“It’s about Mark Harrington.”

He nodded.“Paul Daniels mentioned he’s working the case with you.”

The casual reference to his former partner created an immediate tension.“You’ve spoken with Paul?”

“He called yesterday,” her father said, gesturing for her to take a seat.“We’ve stayed in touch since my retirement.Old Bureau habits.”

Kari sat, noting how her father returned to his chair only after she’d settled—a courteous gesture that exaggerated the emotional distance between them.“Harrington consulted with you about his research.I assume that’s what your text referred to.”

“Yes, about three months ago.”He turned to his computer, typing briefly.“I have the correspondence here.He was documenting geological formations that corresponded with sacred sites—specifically, places mentioned in some of the more obscure emergence stories.”

“What exactly was he looking for?”Kari asked, slipping into investigative mode.

“Patterns,” her father replied, scanning his screen.“He believed certain geological features marked important boundaries in Navajo cosmology—places where the physical world supposedly intersected with other realms.His theory was that early Diné recognized these natural formations as spiritually significant because of their unusual mineral composition.”

“Science explaining spirituality,” Kari observed.

A hint of a smile.“You say that like your mother would.”

The tone, not the comparison itself, stung.“Harrington went to a specific formation during the full moon, against explicit warnings from his guide.Why was that location so important to him?”

Her father typed again, then turned the monitor so she could see.On screen was a map marked with red dots, each labeled with a geological designation and a Navajo name.“He was documenting sites along what he called the ‘emergence path’—locations mentioned in traditional stories about the Diné’s journey through the four worlds.”

“And Monster’s Hand was one of these sites?”

“Yé’iitsoh Bitsilí,” her father corrected automatically, using the Navajo name.“Yes.According to some versions of the stories—the ones not typically shared with outsiders—it marks a boundary where ancient beings were confined during the transition between worlds.Your grandmother would call them the enemies of the Holy People—creatures that existed before humans, some of which were imprisoned rather than destroyed.”

He leaned back, studying her reaction.“I’m surprised you’re asking me about this.Ruth would know these stories better than any academic source.”

“Ruth’s business card wasn’t found in the victim’s pocket,” Kari said.“Yours was.And you did text me.”

He nodded thoughtfully.“Well, all I can tell you is what I’ve already shared.”

“I thought you said you had ‘important’ info.”Maybe all he really wanted was to see her, she reflected.“Did you share this with Paul?”

He blinked.“No.When Paul and I talked, he didn’t have many specifics about the case.”

That tracked.Daniels had joined the investigation only this morning.

Kari redirected the conversation.“I need to understand how someone could know enough about Navajo ceremonies to attempt them, but not enough to get them right.”

Her father considered this, his analyst’s mind visibly shifting gears.“Are we talking about Harrington’s killer?”

“There’s been a second murder,” Kari said, knowing the information would spread soon anyway.“Similar ceremonial elements, similarly incorrect.”

“I see.”Her father steepled his fingers, a gesture so familiar it sent Kari back to childhood dinner tables, where cases were discussed in careful euphemisms.“There are several possibilities.Museums and universities hold considerable documentation of ceremonies—some published, some restricted.Then there are amateur anthropologists, New Age spiritual seekers, even well-meaning cultural appreciation groups.”

“I need something more specific,” Kari pressed.“Harrington died during the full moon at a site associated with ancient beings.A second victim died near the same area early this morning.Both were arranged with ceremonial elements that suggest someone trying to contain something dangerous.”

Her father’s eyebrows rose.“Contain something?”

“That’s how Natoni Begay described it—the guide who refused to take Harrington to the site.”

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