She knew she’d made a bad decision when she turned left out of the overlook.

Dusk was starting, spreading wide shadows down into the southeastern section of Canyon de Chelly. Spider Woman Rock had grown dark. One last slice of the sun lay over the distant mesas to the far west.

Laura had spent much more time in contemplation of the Canyon than she should have planned. She’d promised Sally Tom she’d get back to Window Rock by six. Sally had said she’d got some sort of surprise for Laura. She hoped it was a good one.

Anything would be welcome after the events of the last six months. She’d tried hard to fit in at the resort, but there’d been no one to accept her. Laura still didn’t understand the dynamics. She’d worked hard these last five years, trying to use her college degree to carve out a good position in the hospitality industry. Her two jobs in Phoenix had gone well.

Slowly she eased her Subaru onto the unpaved road that wove past Three Turkey Ruins. She’d been planning to stop in thee, but the light was fading too fast. By rights, she should have turned around and taken the long, paved route—Highway 161 from Chinle and then left and east to Window Rock on 264. But that was a bit more than seventy miles of driving. If she took the unpaved County Road 7 she could be in Fort Defiance and paved road in under twenty-five miles.

When she hit the mud, her stomach clenched. She’d never been good in mud, even as she’d grown up with it. It had rained overnight, a good hard male rain. That wouldn’t have made conditions difficult now, except that a wayward thunderstorm with drenching rain had raced through the area about four hours ago. She’d sat it out in the Thunderbird café. How, however, the storm seemed to have reanimated the slippery goo that clung to her tires.