Chapter 6

The next few days were busy, but boring. First off, Wolf’s doctor came over. Looked at me, asked how I felt. A little better, thanks. He asked if I could sleep or if I needed something. I could sleep. He gave me some pain pills and promised to come back in a few days. He never got the chance to come back, because I cut country. Well ... if Texas counts as a country.

I went down to the US DA’s office, courtesy of Crying Wolf’s Range Rover. There was another new face: the United States Assistant Attorney. She was very impressed with herself. Ms Telemachus was a very put-together woman. She was wearing a dark blue suit, cream colored blouse – probably silk – a string of pearls and had a US flag pin on her lapel. Two inch heels. Brown hair cut short. She gave me her card, when she introduced herself. Also present was Detective Martin, Fort Worth ADA Thornton, Mrs. Delworth, and of course, my guard Wolf.

“Nice to see you again, David,” Ms Telemachus said, as we were all getting seated. “It’s been a long time.”

“Good to see you, Barbara. Glad to see the government isn’t trying to take any more tribal lands. I hope we won’t meet again in Federal Court.” His smile needed a microwave to get it to room temperature. I was astonished that he fit into the standard conference room chair.

She got right to business, passing a yellow legal pad over to me with her pen. “Now, Miss White Snow,” she started.

I interrupted. “Officially it’s Alexis White. Lexi. My Indian name is White Snow.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t used to being interrupted. “Which do you prefer?”

“Lexi White Snow.”

“May I call you Lexi?” I nodded. “Would you just write out, in your own words, what happened, and what your mother planned to do. And try and concentrate on anyone she spoke to about it.”

“If I may...” That was ADA Thornton. “I don’t want to keep Ms White Snow any longer than we have to. I’ll use this document as well. So if you could include all the details of any physical abuse, we can make things as short as possible.”

It took me almost an hour to write the story down.

[Lexi, you have an amazing ability to invent details. This is well crafted.]

Red, it was easy. I didn’t have to invent a fuckin’ thing. Except she never hit me with a pipe. It’s all true, from my former life. I just had to move things up a couple of weeks.

[I never realized that about your history. You have my sympathy.]

Easier to tell the story with real facts. Even if they are future facts from my life #1. That way there’s nothing to memorize.

The hand-written story filled six pages, and Ms Telemachus read it all over carefully. She only asked one question. “When you overheard your mother telling the man what her plans for you were ... You can’t identify him further?”

“They were in her bedroom, and the door was only open a bit. I didn’t ask any of them for an ID, you know?”

“Tall? Short? White? Brown?”

I tried to remember the first guy who fed me his sausage. “White, on the heavy side. Everybody looks tall to me. Oh. He had a Fu Manchu mustache. He had a hairy ass, if that helps.”

She noted it down on her pad of paper. The pad with my story was passed back to me. “Read it over, Lexi. See if there’s anything you want to add or change. Then sign it – with your full name ‘Lexi White Snow’ – and write today’s date. Initial each page. Then I think we’re done ... Mr. Thornton?”

He’d been reading the story, while I spoke with Ms Telemachus. “We’re fine, I think. Thank you for cooperating, Lexi. Thank you so much.”

While I was rereading it, Wolf spoke up. “Is she going to be needed at the trial – or trials?”

Thornton said, “I don’t think so. We have the hospital records, the photographs, and the testimony of the doctors. If the woman is smart, she’ll cop a plea.”

I had to stifle a sarcastic grin. Carla, smart? Cue the laugh track. She might be holding out for an innocent verdict, though – remember that she didn’t actually hit me with anything.

Ms Telemachus just shook her head. “I don’t think we’ll need her, for the Federal Case. We’re going to try her for conspiracy for selling a minor, an American Indian, for sexual purposes. There’s more, but I haven’t figured it all out yet.”

“Well, just let me know,” Wolf said. “Mrs. Delworth, you said there were some formalities?”

“We’ll have to appear before Judge Sullivan. That’ll be early next week, I believe.” Mrs. D was looking pretty pale at having heard all the sordid details.

Wolf said, “The tribal council wants to meet with her. That’s the Navajo council. So that’s in Northern Arizona, and I have some business to take care of in Las Vegas. But I will be with her every second. My wife is coming also, and will be in her room at night. If that’s okay?” Wow. That was the most I’d heard him say all at once. It was like Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ speech.

“Well, that is irregular,” Mrs. D wavered. “But I guess it’s all right. I want to see her when she gets back, and you’ll let me know when that is, y’hear?”

“Thank you ... Ma’am.” The Wolf was not showing his fangs today. “By the way, we met with the doctor. She is doing well. Another follow-up in a few days.”

...

The next day was spent with Mrs. D and her papers. Mostly it was about school. She wanted me to attend; I wanted to test out of everything up to and including high school. Wolf, of course, supported me, but – as Mrs. D pointed out – neither he nor Mrs. D had any real experience with my schooling.

We agreed to take a series of tests for eighth grade. I wasn’t worried. Red could guide me through all of that. And he did. We retreated to Wolf’s Lair for the day; that was Friday.

Then Wolf said he needed to take our trip. Mrs. D agreed, if he promised to have me back on Monday morning. That would give us only an overnight in Sin City. Wolf agreed.

We flew to Las Vegas that night. First class, since we were going to make a successful bet. His faith in my ‘word from the Spirits’ story touched me. From McCarran field, the three of us (don’t forget we were traveling with Flower) took a taxi direct to Caesar’s Palace, and went straight to the manager’s office. He explained to them – and me – that he wanted to place a bet on the NCAA tournament, and had a legal restriction that required him to keep me with him at all times.