Shaman - the Awakening by Vr McCoy

could feel the tension in the air. Then she said something from out of nowhere, perhaps attempting to ease it.
    “So, Sands; is that any relation to Max Sands?” she inquired with a smile.
    Neither Dianna nor the other FBI agents got the pun but I did, and laughed. You didn't really have to be of Native American heritage to get it; just an old movie buff or vintage reader. Max Sands was the lead character in the Harold Robbins novel `Carpetbaggers' which was released as two movie films; the `Carpetbaggers' and `Nevada Smith'. Nina was referring to the later movie with Steve McQueen. Then I responded, “You know, not until recently have I wondered about it myself.” Then we both laughed. The others remained oblivious to what we were talking about.
    The reservation was huge and not at all what I expected it to be. The Navajo Nation extended from northwest New Mexico into northeast Arizona with most of it in the latter state. The land was untouched and beautiful. They had modern buildings and urban sections as well as rural locations like any other city, but instead of skyscrapers filling the cityscape, they had the incredible beauty of nature. They had the illustrious canyon cliffs and mountain ranges for their skyline!
    We made our way to the Navajo Nation Council Chamber building, and introduced ourselves. They had been informed of our arrival in advance. Nina led the way as our liaison. She was versed in the Athabaskan language, in particular the Southern Athabaskan dialect spoken by the Native Americans of New Mexico, but she was of Cherokee heritage like I was. Not only was Nina beautiful, she was extremely intelligent. She made navigating the turbulent waters a little easier for all of us. The reservation police were at the meeting also. They would be included in the investigations conducted on the reservation.
    We were escorted around like cattle being corralled before branding. They took us to all the places they wanted us to go and see. It was staged for our benefit. We interviewed some of the local miscreants, but didn't receive any of the answers we were looking for. Some were on our list of felons and persons of interest, but most weren't. We decided the best course of action was for us to head out on our own against the advice of the Council and Reservation Police.
    There was much opposition met, even with Nina as a spokesperson. We weren't getting anywhere and spent most of the day running in circles until Dianna, who was the lead agent in our group, decided to go about our questioning in a different manner. She chose to look in the places where most notable criminals would be associated in one way or another; the casinos. The reservations weren't unlike any other place in regards to this; if you wanted to find the really bad guys, you followed the money, and around here the money makers were the casinos.
    We split up and did recon at the bars and on the floors of the casino. The good thing about casinos was that there were a wide variety of activities, which meant they brought in a dichotomy of people. With a diverse crowd we had a good chance of getting some actual information. This would make our job a lot easier.
    It was Friday night and like most casinos, it was packed. I could feel the excitement in the air, with people having fun in every corner. Everything was sparkling and illuminated. The employees made customers feel like a king or queen as soon as they stepped through the door, offering free refreshments and appetizers for the players. The only thing that wasn't invited to the party was the outer environment; night, day, the sky, the sun and the moon weren't allowed into the casino. It was a black hole in time and space. Once you entered, there was no way to determine how long you had stayed. They accomplished this by providing everything you needed right there.
    There were night clubs, bars, gambling and restaurants all under one roof. The crowd was as diverse as we had thought it would be, with