When the questioning was finished, she watched through the window as they cut away Ben's ruined clothes and began assessing the damage.
Dehydration, they told her eventually.Minor head trauma—a concussion, probably, but the scans showed no bleeding or swelling.Rope burns on his wrists and ankles, consistent with prolonged restraint.Bruised ribs, though none broken.Multiple contusions across his torso and face.Nothing life-threatening, but he would need time to recover.
Kari let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
True to his word, Paul delayed his report as long as possible.But by mid-morning, two FBI agents had arrived at the medical center, flashing credentials and demanding to speak with the victim.Kari recognized one of them—Agent Rivera, the same man who had frozen them out of the Naalnish investigation months ago.
"Detective Blackhorse."Rivera's expression was professionally neutral."I understand you found Detective Tsosie last night."
"That's right."
"And you didn't think to contact the Bureau immediately?"
"I contacted Agent Daniels.He's Bureau."
Rivera's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly."Agent Daniels is not the assigned liaison for matters involving tribal law enforcement in this region.You should have called the field office directly."
Kari held his gaze."My partner was injured and unconscious.My priority was getting him medical attention, not navigating your chain of command."
For a moment, she thought Rivera might push back.Then he seemed to decide it wasn't worth the effort."We need to speak with Detective Tsosie.Alone."
"He's still recovering.The doctors said—"
"The doctors have cleared him for a brief interview.I've already confirmed it with the attending physician."Rivera gestured toward Ben's room."You can wait out here.This won't take long."
Kari wanted to plant herself in that doorway and dare them to move her.But she knew how this worked—knew that any obstruction would be noted, documented, used as evidence that the tribal police weren't cooperating fully.And that would only make things worse for Ben.
Seething inwardly, she stepped aside.
The interview lasted forty-five minutes.Kari spent every one of them pacing the hallway, catching glimpses through the window of Ben propped up in his hospital bed, answering questions with the slow deliberation of a man choosing his words very carefully.
When Rivera and his partner finally emerged, their expressions gave nothing away.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Rivera said to Kari."We'll be in touch if we have follow-up questions."
They left.Kari waited until they were out of sight, then pushed into Ben's room.
He looked exhausted—more exhausted than when she'd found him on the ridge, if that was possible.The interview had drained whatever reserves he'd managed to build up overnight.But his eyes found hers as she entered, and something in them sharpened.
"Close the door."
She did.Then she crossed to his bedside and sat in the chair that Rivera had probably just vacated.
"What did you tell them?"she asked.
Ben was quiet for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ceiling."The truth.Part of it, anyway.I told them I was following up on the Naalnish case, that I was poking around near the old property line when someone knocked me out from behind.I woke up in the desert, disoriented, no idea where I was or how I got there.Took me three days to find my way back to civilization."
Kari stared at him."That doesn't match your injuries.The rope burns, the bruising—"
"I told them I don't remember.I was knocked out, I woke up in the desert.Everything between is a blank."He finally met her eyes."They didn't believe me.I could tell.But they can't prove I'm lying, and without proof, there's nothing they can do."
"Ben."Kari leaned forward, keeping her voice low."What happened to you out there?"
He held her gaze for a long moment.She could see him weighing something—trust against caution, truth against necessity.
"Not here," he said finally in a low voice."Not now.Too many ears, too many eyes.When I get out of here, I'll tell you everything.But for now..."He reached out and took her hand, his grip weak but insistent."For now, you have to trust me.Please.Can you do that?"
Kari thought about the past eighteen months.The cases they'd worked together, the dangers they'd faced.She thought about the man who had dragged himself across miles of desert rather than give up, who had called her from a payphone because she was the only person he trusted.
