Coyote's Song: A Native American Tales, Myths and Legends Mystery

by

RENEE BENZAIM

Table of Contents

Title Page

Introduction

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Epilogue

Cast of Characters

Cause of Death Synopsis

Damage Control Synopsis

Southern Secrets Synopsis

Green Witch, Dead Witch Synopsis

Renee's Story

Did you Enjoy Coyote's Song?

Dedication

Copyright

Introduction

There was a legend among the Sierra Band of Miwok Indians. It said that a female would someday become the Shaman of the band and she would reunite the Miwok Indians and make them strong again. Many people believed in the legend at first but, throughout the years, fewer Miwoks remembered the legend, and it wasn't passed down to the newer generations. At least, not to all of them.

A few, however, still remembered, and waited. The old Shaman was one of the believers, but one day he walked into the mountains and no one saw him again. Everyone thought he had gone to join his ancestors.

The band dwindled after that. They had a chief who was strong, but the young people left, especially those who lived in the isolated mountain town of West Point, California. There was nothing there for them.

Then, one day in 1989, a little Miwok girl disappeared from her front yard on the reservation.

Prologue

Evangeline's Front Yard

West Point, California

August 6, 1989

Evangeline sat under the Black Oak tree and played with her cornhusk doll, Nina. She tucked Nina under a frayed scrap of woven blanket, leaned against the rough tree trunk, and sighed. It was so hot and dry this summer. The slightest breeze raised dust devils that danced over the bare ground in front of her house. But even breezes were rare. In her five short years, she could not remember a summer that was so hot, so dry.

She wiggled deeper into the shade of the tree and wished she had something more comfortable to sit on than this old piece of blanket, so threadbare that the sharp leaves and twigs poked through, scratching her bare legs.

She flipped her long braid over her shoulder and absentmindedly rubbed her finger over the beaded barrette at the end of her braid. Her mama bought the barrette for her when they went to a Pow Wow in Jackson. Like her family, many of the other Miwok Indians in the area also attended the Pow Wows, the biggest events of the year. Evangeline always enjoyed dancing and meeting friends, eating fry bread, and following the Elders around like a little puppy. Now, however, she didn't even have the energy to think about that last Pow Wow, she was too tired from the heat.

She looked wistfully towards her house as she slapped at the fly that kept buzzing around her face. Maybe there was something interesting to do inside, she thought. But it wouldn't be much cooler than out here in the yard. It was too much trouble to move.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a movement in the Manzanita bushes on the slope behind her house. Her curiosity aroused, she started to get up, but sighed and sat back down. Her mama checked on her from time to time and would fuss if Evangeline left the yard.

Evangeline looked towards Bald Mountain Road and saw her friend, the big Indian they called Bennie, coming up the hill. Bennie came over and squatted beside her. She could smell his sweat and the scent of the crushed Mountain Misery plants he tromped through coming up the hill. Dust covered his boots. He wore a pair of old jeans and a leather vest - no shirt - with a red print bandana tied around his forehead. His long, dark brown hair hung in a braid down his back. Bennie reached across Evangeline and picked up Nina. He smiled at Evangeline as he studied the doll.

Evangeline watched him. Even though he was a grown up, Evangeline felt a bond with Bennie that she didn't feel with other adults. The words 'simple-minded' were not in her vocabulary, so she didn't realize that Bennie hadn't developed much beyond the 12-year old level. He smiled again at Evangeline. Not many words passed between them, but words weren't necessary. Evangeline didn't care whether he spoke or not. She was always glad to see him when he made the long walk up from the town of West Point.

She saw her mama come to the front door and shade her eyes against the glare of the sun to check on her. Mama waved and called out to Bennie, She okay? When he nodded yes, she disappeared back into the dark confines of the house.

Bennie, look, Evangeline said as she pointed beyond the house. Something's there, can't you see it? Bennie turned to look in the direction she pointed, then turned back, shaking his head.

Bennie grinned, gave Nina a big hug, and handed her back to Evangeline. Evangeline laughed at Bennie's exaggerated gesture as she watched him rise and continue on up the road towards Government land.

When she could no longer see Bennie, she sighed and settled back down to watch two lizards playing on a nearby rock.

)O(

A few minutes later, a flash of gray again caught her eye. It seemed to be on the slope behind her house. Curiosity finally won out over lethargy and mama's warnings to stay put. She stood up, tucked Nina under her arm, and headed up the slope.

As the animal, for now she was sure it was an animal, moved further into the forest it eluded her. She caught a glimpse now and then and kept following. On and on she went, deeper into the pine and oak trees, never quite catching up. Sometimes she felt her quarry was around the next rock or tree but always, when she got there, she saw nothing. She stumbled a few times as she hurried faster and faster, not paying any attention to her direction of travel. The thick, twenty-foot tall Manzanita bushes snagged her clothes and scratched her skin. The path was faint, and she often lost track of it. Sometimes, when she paused, wondering which way to go, she heard a sound in the brush - a stepped-on twig or the skittering of birds that rise at the approach of an animal - and she would follow on. Several times she stopped to catch her breath, but only for a moment. Finally, she could go on no longer. It was getting late. She was worn out and the animal was nowhere in sight.

Exhausted, she plopped down on a log to rest. She looked down at Nina, clutched in her hands, and took a deep breath. When her breathing eased a bit, she sensed the silence. She listened carefully, waiting for a sound to indicate where to go next, but there were no animal sounds in the underbrush. She looked around, turning in every direction. She saw no familiar landmarks. The late afternoon sun painted the tops of the trees orange and she knew night was coming and she was in trouble.

Evangeline looked around again, wildly, as her mama's warning not to stray out of the yard came to mind. Which way was home? Why hadn't she listened to her mama? What was she going to do?

As fear rose, the lessons she'd learned all her life begin to surface. Evangeline lived in a wilderness area, surrounded by thousands of acres of forest. All the children were raised with that knowledge and what to do if they ever became lost. With tears streaming down her face, she forced herself to sit still on her log. Her breathing was once again coarse and rapid, so she focused on taking deep, evenly spaced breaths.

After a few minutes, she calmed her breathing and her thinking became clearer. She sat still, closed her eyes, and pictured her mama in her mind. She listened quietly to the voice deep within her and heard her mama say, It'll be all right, Evie, it'll be all right. She stayed within the stillness of her inner self until she felt peace come over her.

Evangeline realized she was hungry and needed to find something to eat. She walked in an ever-widening circle looking for familiar plants, but never let the log where she settled out of her sight. The log was her 'rock', her comfort, where she felt most centered and safe. After about twenty minutes, she found a thicket of berries. She picked berries from the various bushes, but never took all the berries from any one bush. She only gathered as many as she needed to satisfy her thirst and hunger. This is how she was taught. Who knew when someone else would be there and need to find these berries? She even remembered to politely ask the bushes for permission to pick their fruit and to thank them afterward.

After she ate, she returned to her log. Darkness had almost fallen. She knew the only thing to do was to find a place to sleep and wait for her mama to find her in the morning.

While Evangeline had been hunting for food, she noticed an outcrop of granite several yards from her log. She went there now and spread pine needles and oak leaves on the ground to make herself a little nest. She lie down, but positioned herself in such a way so she could peer out from under the lip of the overhang. The stars were magnificent and she felt safe. She prayed and thanked the stars for being so bright and the air for being so soft. Holding Nina close to her heart, she fell asleep. She didn't notice Brother Coyote, who watched her from behind the Manzanita bushes.

When he was sure Evangeline was fast asleep, an old man came out from behind the bushes next to where Brother Coyote waited. He bent over the sleeping form of the little girl and the doll and smiled. He rose and pulled out pinches of tobacco from the deerskin pouch that hung around his neck, giving thanks and offerings to the spirits who watched over all things. For a long time he sat by Evangeline's side, to think and meditate. After a while, he arose, gently picked Evangeline up, and wrapped her in a soft deerskin hide. He looked over at Brother Coyote, who now sat on top of a huge granite boulder, and silently thanked him for the little girl's safe journey.

Then, he left the area to climb even higher into the mountains.

Chapter One

Wilseyville, California

Hannah's Home

Friday Morning

September 3, 1999

Hannah rolled over and looked at the clock. 6 a.m. She flopped onto her back and sighed. I really should get up, she thought. She closed her eyes for a minute, stretched from head to toe, and climbed out of bed.

Hannah was a writer, and her last few books had topped the best-seller charts. She felt fortunate and grateful to be able to support herself by writing. Hannah lived in the small town of Wilseyville, in Calaveras County, on twenty secluded acres adjacent to Blue Mountain Road. In 1998, a year after her husband Robin's death, she built a 'rammed earth' house. The location was remote and she had no electricity. Her house was 'U' shaped, with an herb garden and patio between the arms of the 'U'.

Hannah poured a freshly brewed pot of coffee into a stainless steel thermos and wandered out to her patio. The sky was sunny and clear, with barely a hint of a breeze. Butterflies flitted in the herb garden. The lavender was in bloom and the air was soft. Hannah sat for a few minutes and enjoyed her peace and solitude while she sipped her coffee. Finally, she picked up her pen and legal pad and reviewed her notes from yesterday.

Restless, she soon put her writing aside, got into her Dodge Raider, and drove to the Wilseyville General Store. The simple wood-frame building, with broad steps leading to the entrance, housed not only the store, but the Post Office as well. Mary Beth Jenkins and her husband, Dale, owned the store. Mary Beth also served as the Postmistress and Dale delivered the route mail. While not large inside, the store sold everything from kerosene lanterns to yogurt to back scratchers.

)O(

Hannah had known Mary Beth for a long time. Mary Beth had been a fixture at the Wilseyville General Store for as long as anyone could remember and was one of those jolly souls who loved people. She knew everybody's birthdays and everybody's business and made you feel like you were her one and only best friend when you walked into her store. This was probably part of the secret to the success of their little Mom and Pop operation, as well as the fact that it was the only place around to buy this and that or get gasoline unless you wanted to drive all the way into West Point.

Not only did Mary Beth know everybody else's business, she was free with her advice on how everyone should run his or her life. However, she did it good-naturedly and no one seemed to mind. As she always said, with a hearty chuckle, You have a choice. Take my advice or leave it. But in my store, you have to listen.

When her husband, Dale, left to deliver the route mail, Mary Beth had someone else working in the store to wait on the customers. Since she was Postmistress, either she or Dale had to be in the building during business hours. Between the store and the post office, she pretty much knew everything that went on in Wilseyville.

Hannah sighed. And I'm going to count on her nosiness to give me some information so I'll know what to do next, Hannah thought.

Chapter Two

Wilseyville General Store

Friday Afternoon

September 3, 1999

Hannah entered the store and picked up a few essentials for lunch. Since she was the only cusomer, she decided to talk to Mary Beth about her latest book project.

Hannah, where've you been? Mary Beth said, as she greeted Hannah with a broad smile when Hannah went up to the counter.

"Working, Mary Beth, working. I'm starting research for a new book and can't quite get a handle on it. I'm sure you remember Evangeline Mason, the little girl who disappeared ten years ago? You had