Whispering Spirits Read Free Page B

you’re smarter than Ali.”
    “What are these documents for?” Summer closed
her eyes and pressed her fingertips into her forehead.
    “Don’t play stupid with me, Summer. I’ll be
in touch.”
    “Wait!” A steady beep answered. Summer stared
at the phone.
    “Who was that? What documents did they want?”
Her mother’s expression revealed more curiosity than concern.
    “I don’t know and…none of your business. I’ll
take care of it myself.”
    “I’ve had enough lip from you. I’ll be back
tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
    Summer closed her eyes and didn’t respond. “I
need to talk to you, Nah’ah ,” she whispered. Questions
swarmed her mind. What if Jordan had been cheating with Ali? It
really didn’t matter to her. What documents? How strange, the man
on the phone kept calling her Summer as though he knew her. Could
it have been Joshua?
    The door clicked shut…she jumped and snapped
her eyes open.

Chapter Two
     
    Summer scanned the dimly lit room, but saw no
one. Her head pounded as her heart raced. What had she gotten
herself into? Had her mother been right about Jordan all along? No,
Summer couldn’t believe…she swallowed hard. Her lids grew heavy as
she struggled to bring his image to her mind’s eye.
    She woke to darkness and an empty room. What
caused her to wake? Was that sweetgrass she smelled? Summer quickly
glanced around hoping to see Nah’ah …her gaze rested on a
white envelop on the bed table. She tore it open and found a small,
folded paper.
    Opening it, she read, “Go back to your
people…it might be the only safe place for you. Trust no one.” She
refolded the paper in half, then noticed in tiny print, “The devil
can corner you in a house, but not in a tipi.”
    Summer stared at the note. She recalled using
Herman Yellow Old Woman’s quote in her Native history thesis on the
Blackfeet in Sitsikaa . Who would know that? Was this a
warning or an attempt to scare her?
    Inching the blankets to her chin, Summer
pulled her knees up and wished Nah’ah was there to make her
feel safe.
    A nurse pushed through the door. “Looks like
you had a good night’s sleep. I’m sorry to wake you, but I must
take your temp and blood pressure. If you’re lucky, Doctor Wheat
will release you today. How’s that headache?”
    Summer wanted to tell her she’d barely slept
a couple of hours. “I’d like nothing more than to go…home.” The
doctor wouldn’t release her if he knew she’d barely slept and her
head still pounded. There was no way she was spending another night
in this hospital room.
    “I’m feeling so much better.” The lie rolled
off her tongue too easily. “What time will Doctor Wheat be coming
to see me?”
    “You have time to eat some breakfast and take
a shower. He’s usually doing rounds on our floor around ten. No
temp but I see your blood pressure is still a bit high. Do you
usually have an elevated blood pressure?”
    “No, but I’ve been under a lot of stress
lately.”
    “Oh, your boyfriend was murdered, wasn’t he?
I’m sorry, dear.”
    Summer nodded and looked away. Her
relationship with Jordan was over, but she never wanted him
dead.
    “Did anyone tell you that you had a late male
visitor last night?”
    “No. Did you let him come to my room?” Summer
suddenly clung to every word the nurse said.
    “It was way after visiting hours. We never
let visitors disturb patients and certainly not around midnight. We
sent him packing.”
    “What’d he look like?”
    “He was a man around thirtyish, tall, thin,
and very handsome. He wore a nice black suit with a white shirt and
tie. Strangest thing though.”
    “What?”
    “He wore white Nike Air Force One sneakers. I
know because my son keeps hounding me for a pair and they’re too
expensive for my salary. Both Doris and I noticed. Maybe that’s the
style now days, but it still looked odd. Doris thinks he snuck back
up the stairs and into your room anyway. I really don’t think
so.”
    Summer looked