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The next day Dani went to meet her principal, wearing a new red and white outfit, and flashing her new engagement ring. The principal walked her down the hall, showing her the way to the gym and the cafeteria, and introducing her to teachers on the way. And then after they turned a corner, they walked into the first room on the left.
“This is your domain. You’re free to arrange seating, begin decorating your classroom and the bulletin board outside your door…all the usual beginning-of-school activities. Don’t hesitate to ask for help, and if you start moving desks, get on the intercom and ask for Mr. Henry. He’s the custodian and all-around handyman here,” Mrs. Lowrey said. “We’re so glad to have you. Poke around the school all you want, and don’t forget to meet up at my office about fifteen minutes to twelve. We’ll bunch up in cars to go to the Hotel Devon for lunch. See you then,” she said, and handed Dani a key.
Dani added it to her key ring, then set her purse on a windowsill and dug out a tape measure. Within seconds, she was seeing the possibilities of the room, counting the cubbies, and planning the way she’d move the desks to allow for learning centers. By the time they met up at the office, she was in total teacher mode.
Life was about as perfect as it could be.
Two days later, Cameron was on the back porch giving Ghost a bath when his phone rang.
“Rusty! Will you get that, honey? My phone’s on the counter. I’m up to my elbows in soap and wet dog.”
Rusty went inside and grabbed it. “Hello, this is Rusty. Cameron can’t come to the phone right now.”
“Is this Mrs. Pope?” a man asked.
“Yes, I am. Can I take a message?”
“Yes. This is Peter Church, the forensic pathologist confirming the remains he found. Will you please let him know that the identity has been confirmed, and the age of the remains confirmed as well? The remains have been released and can be picked up from the morgue in Bowling Green at any time now.”
“Yes, I’ll tell him. This is great news for the family. Thank you for helping verify her identity.”
“You’re most welcome,” Church said, and disconnected.
Rusty hurried out. “That was Peter Church. They’ve verified and released Meg’s remains. She can be picked up at any time now.”
“That’s great news,” Cameron said. “As soon as I get the whiny baby rinsed off here, I’ll call the funeral home in Jubilee and have them pick up the remains.”
Rusty eyed Ghost and then Cameron, careful to stay far enough away from the pair of them not to getsplashed. “You’d think he would be used to baths by now. I don’t know who is wetter, you or Ghost.”
Cameron grinned. “Getting wet in this heat is fine with me. But Ghost has worked himself up into a state. As you well know, he’ll pout all night.”
Rusty laughed at the despondent look on the big dog’s face. “Poor baby. It’s what you get for rolling in that dead possum on the road.”
Cameron laughed.
Ghost just stood there, water dripping, waiting for it to be over.
That night, Cameron began making calls regarding Meg’s funeral service. He knew they needed to honor her, and he knew just how to make that happen.
Pope Mountain—One week later
Families came in droves, using up all the parking spaces at the church, then parking on the side of the blacktop road and walking the rest of the way, carrying babies in their arms and toddlers on their hips, approaching the cemetery in reverent silence.
A kilted piper stood just beyond the graveyard, the plaintive wail of the bagpipes filling the air around themourners’ approach, then echoing within the surrounding hilltops and into the valley below.
The pipes were for Brendan, welcoming his beloved home.
When the crowd was finally gathered, the piper ended, letting the last notes of the pipes fade into the air.
In those passing moments, a tall, brown-skinned man dressed in traditional Chickasaw clothing walked into their midst. His hair was white and long, hanging straight behind his back. His shoulders had yielded to the weight of life, his face a reflection of the years he carried with him.
Johnson Strong as Bear, a tribal elder honored and revered for his guidance and wisdom by his people, had already done his part in preparing the bones for reburial in the ways of their people.
Where once Brendan’s Meg had laid alone in the dirt and dark, her little bones now rested upon a soft Chickasaw blanket in the colors of red, blue, and gold, spread inside a satin-lined casket. The front of her skull had been painted red, and the treasures representing her past had been placed around her—the bear claw necklace Brendan made for her. The buckle B.J. had placed upon her body when he found her. A bound copy of Brendan’s journal that had led them to her. A braid of sweet grass. A bundle of sage. A pouch of tobacco. A red feather from a cardinal. A seashell. And a blue rock.All things that had come from the mountain were going home with her.
Her grave had been dug beside the rock marking Brendan Pope’s final resting place, with the casket lowered into the grave with her head facing west. Off to the side sat a little wooden house, three feet in height and five feet in length, that would be placed over her grave when all was done.
Johnson Strong as Bear looked down into the open grave and at the small wooden casket within, then lifted his arms above his head.
