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“I think you do.I think you arranged those bodies according to traditions you learned from your grandfather.Maybe twisted a bit—your own personal touch—but still recognizable.”

Thomas looked directly at Daniels.“Anyone who truly understands our ceremonies would know that a traditional practitioner would never make the mistakes present in those arrangements.”

Daniels blinked, momentarily thrown by the counter.Then his eyes narrowed.“So youdoknow about the crime scenes.”

“Detective Blackhorse mentioned ceremonial elements with errors,” Thomas replied evenly.“I simply observed that no one raised in our traditions would make such mistakes.”

“Unless they were deliberately changing things to throw off investigators,” Daniels countered.“Creating reasonable doubt by making ‘mistakes’ you could later point to as evidence of your innocence.”

Through the glass, Kari shook her head at the circular logic.No matter what Thomas said, Daniels had a way to twist it.

“You were angry when the Council granted Harrington permission despite your objections, weren’t you?”Daniels pressed.“Angry that once again, white academics were given access to sacred knowledge while ignoring traditional concerns.”

“I respected the Council’s decision,” Thomas replied, his composure remarkable despite the pressure.

“Respected it?”Daniels scoffed.“You called Harrington a grave robber.That’s not someone who respected the decision.”

“I disagreed with their choice.That is not the same as disrespecting their authority to make it.”

Daniels changed tactics.“You know what I don’t get?Rachel Delgado.What was her sin?Supporting the same environmental cause you claim to care about?Or did she discover something that implicated you in Harrington’s death?”

Thomas remained silent, his jaw tightening.

“Your silence speaks volumes,” Daniels said.

“My silence acknowledges that you have already decided what you believe,” Thomas replied finally.“Nothing I say will change that.”

Kari watched with increasing discomfort, recognizing the tactics from her training but finding them particularly disturbing when applied to someone she believed was innocent.Beside her, Agent Keller continued typing, occasionally nodding at particularly aggressive lines of questioning.

Captain Yazzie entered the observation room, his expression troubled as he watched the interrogation.

“Any results from the search warrant?”Kari asked quietly.

“Nothing significant so far.No blood evidence, no trophies, nothing connecting him to either scene.”Yazzie shook his head.“But Daniels won’t let this go easily.He’s invested now.”

“He’s wrong,” Kari said with quiet conviction.

“I tend to agree,” Yazzie surprised her by saying.“But he has jurisdiction and circumstantial connections that look convincing on paper.We need to find something concrete that points elsewhere.”

Kari watched Daniels continue his relentless questioning, frustration building with each passing minute.Something about this entire scenario felt wrong—the convenient timing, the perfect match to Daniels’s profile, the ceremonial elements that any knowledgeable practitioner would recognize as incorrect.

“Captain,” she whispered to Yazzie, “this isn’t right.The killer intentionally left these ceremonial elements to point investigators toward someone like Thomas.”

Yazzie’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes showed he was listening.

“Someone with academic knowledge but not cultural understanding,” she continued.“We need to figure out how such a person would learn enough to imitate such rituals.”

Kari paused, thinking.Her mind drifted to the ceremonies she’d witnessed growing up—weekends with Ruth when she’d been allowed to observe from a respectful distance.The memory of a Blessing Way ceremony surfaced: her grandmother’s careful preparation, the specific clothing worn, the meticulous arrangement of ceremonial items, everything placed with intention and purpose.

“The herbs and body positioning aren’t the only elements,” she murmured, almost to herself.“When healers conduct these ceremonies, they wear specific items—medicine pouches, particular jewelry, sometimes ceremonial masks for certain rituals.”

She straightened.“If our killer is committed enough to arrange the bodies and use herbs, they might be using ceremonial items as well—things they’d need to acquire somehow.”

“That’s thin,” Yazzie cautioned, his eyes still on the interrogation.

“It’s all we have,” Kari replied.“And those items would be hard to come by unless you’re part of the community.”

She pulled out her phone and dialed the Museum of Northern Arizona, putting it on speaker so Yazzie could hear.

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