Eliza Morningstar — Point of View
The FBI arrived fast. Too fast. Two black SUVs rolled up the dirt road toward the blue house, tires crunching over frost‑stiffened gravel. Eliza stood at the edge of the clearing with Elijah, Evan, and Marianne; the winter wind cut across her face.
A tall man in a dark coat stepped out first, badge already in hand. “Special Agent Carter Hayes, FBI. We’re taking over this scene.”
Eliza didn’t move. “This is Red Rock Flats land.”
Hayes didn’t blink. “A deceased juvenile found under suspicious circumstances makes up federal jurisdiction.”
Marianne stepped forward. “They discovered the body on a structure that straddles the border. Half of this house sits on Boundary Ridge land. Half on Red Rock Flats. And I am here under RCMP authority for cross-border coordination.”
Hayes gave her a thin smile. “Canada doesn’t have jurisdiction here.”
Marianne returned the smile, colder. “Neither do you, Gimoozaabi. Not without tribal consent.”
Eliza felt the tension coil between them like a wire. Hayes turned back to her. “We’re not here to argue. We’re here to secure evidence.”
Eliza held his gaze. “Evidence we found. Evidence on our land. The evidence that links to our children who are missing.
Hayes exhaled, the sigh meant to sound patient but appearing condescending. “Officer Morningstar, I respect your position, but this is a federal crime scene now.”
Elijah stepped forward. “You don’t get to decide that.”
Hayes looked at him. “I just did.”
Evan’s jaw tightened. “You’re late.”
Hayes ignored him. Eliza didn’t.
“You can assist,” she said, voice steady. “But you don’t get to take over.”
Hayes opened his mouth to argue — but his radio crackled.
“Agent Hayes, we’ve got something inside. You need to see this.”
He hesitated, then turned toward the house. Eliza watched him go, her pulse steady but sharp. This wasn’t over. Not even close.
###
Leah Gagnon — Point of View
Leah sat in the clinic office, laptop open, fingers trembling slightly as she decrypted the next file. The first symbol — the distorted compass — had been bad enough.
This one was worse. The folder labeled “Symbols” contained nine images. She’d only opened the first one. Now she clicked the second. The second symbol file was a circle divided into four uneven quadrants. A different geometric shape marks each quadrant. A dot in the center. She checked the metadata:
Tag: Q‑4
Location code: RR‑2 and a set of numbers that could be coordinates
Timestamp: Two months ago
RR‑2. Red Rock Flats.
She didn’t know what it meant yet — only that it differed from the compass symbol. Different purpose. Different site.
She scribbled notes:
● Quadrant symbol
● Q‑4
● RR‑2
● map coordinates
● Timestamp two months ago
● Painted, not stamped
● Likely a different type of site
It has not yet been cross‑referenced by her. She didn’t have time. She called Marianne immediately.
\###
Marianne Keeshig — Point of View
Her phone buzzed as she stood outside the blue house, watching the FBI swarm the yard as if it were their own. Marianne stepped away from the FBI cluster to take the call.
Leah’s voice was tight. “I found the second symbol. It’s a quadrant. Tag Q‑4. Location code RR‑2.”
Marianne’s pulse quickened. “Red Rock Flats.”
“Yes,” Leah said. “And someone painted the symbol this time. Not industrial. Not metal. This is a different site.”
Marianne nodded slowly. “A second site. A different role.”
Leah exhaled. “I don’t know what kind yet.”
“That’s enough,” Marianne said. “We’ll take it from here.”
She hung up and returned to the group.
\###
Agent Carter Hayes—Point of View
Hayes approached, irritated. “What was that about?”
Marianne didn’t answer him. She looked at Eliza instead. “Leah found a second site,” she said. “RR‑2. Quadrant symbol.”
Elijah stiffened. “Red Rock Flats.”
Hayes frowned. “What site? What symbol?”
Eliza didn’t look at him. “We’re following a lead.”
Hayes felt the shift — the realization that they knew more than he did.
Leah Gagnon — Point of View
The clinic office was too quiet. Leah finally had time to dig deeper. She opened Samantha’s missing‑persons database and cross‑referenced the RR‑2 timestamp. A name surfaced.
Talia Runningdeer — Age 17
Missing: Two months ago
Last seen: Red Rock Flats
Leah’s breath caught. She overlaid the metadata coordinates. The radius matched the area where Talia disappeared. RR‑2 wasn’t just a site. It connected to a missing girl. She called Marianne again.
###\
Marianne Keeshig — Point of View
Marianne stepped away from the FBI cluster as her phone buzzed.
“Marianne,” Leah said, “RR‑2 matches Talia Runningdeer’s disappearance. The timestamp lines up exactly.”
Marianne closed her eyes. Eliza, Elijah, and Evan watched her return; her expression changed.
“What is it?” Eliza asked.
Marianne took a breath. “RR-2 links to Talia Runningdeer.”
Elijah swore softly. Evan’s jaw tightened. “Then we go now.”
Hayes stepped forward. “What are you talking about?”
Eliza ignored him. “We’re moving.”
Agent Carter Hayes — Point of View
Hayes watched them: the certainty, the unity, the shared understanding. They weren’t following him and certainly weren’t waiting for him. They were leaving him behind. And he hated it.