They couldn’t hold him forever without charging him with something, but they could keep him for twenty-four hours at least, and they didn’t have to make his stay comfortable. And they had the right to question him every time a new addition to his file came in. He could have shut up and demanded an attorney, but he figured that would only make things worse. They knew he was an activist by now, and for all he knew, Oklahoma had a “stalker” law he could be charged under. Or they could try and hold him on suspicion in the Calligan sabotage.

So he chose the appearance of cooperation. His story, made up out of desperation, was that he was trying to see if the foreman was the source of the anti-Indian stories in some of the papers. He knew what Jennie would have done to him if he had dared to drag her name in. Finally they let him go with a warning that any more incidents would leave him open to harassment charges, and that Oklahoma did indeed have a “stalker” law he could be prosecuted under. But now he was “red-flagged,” and he was pretty sure they had that full file on him just waiting for the moment he did something else stupid.

He hadn’t told Jennie about the incident. He knew what she’d say, and he wasn’t in the mood for “I told you so.” He hadn’t tried anything that might get him the attention of the Tulsa cops again.

Whenever he suggested she might act along the lines of working Medicine, she just gave him an opaque look. He hadn’t dared follow his own suggestions along those lines; for one thing, he didn’t even know where to begin, and for another, even if he did, after his one and only experience with the Little People, he wasn’t too eager to have anything more to do with the Spirits.

This list she had given him now—it was all perfectly ordinary stuff. Finding out if any Osage artifacts had been offered to any of the local galleries, antique stores, or collectors in the last six months. Tracking down everyone who was licensed to handle explosives in this area. Finding out everyone in the area who could be considered an expert on Osage culture who wasn’t Osage. Interviewing all the men on Calligan’s construction crew to find out if they had seen any person or vehicle hanging around the site a great deal, either before or after the explosion.

It looked like make-work, or something to keep him occupied while Jennie did all the important things. He resented that, but he didn’t dare make the accusation that she was sloughing him off.

Why?

Because she had scared him, that was why! He had to admit that as well, and he resented both the fact and having to admit it.