Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dark Winds season 3, episode 1, & Tony Hillerman's "The Sinister Pig."Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) was given a crude drawing of a pig in Dark Winds season 3, episode 1, Bernadette started one of her most confusing cases while working as a Border Patrol officer. She tracked down a woman and her daughter who both spoke Mixtec, a language group that combines Spanish with the languages of the indigenous people of Mexico. Though the language barrier proved quite a challenge, the most confusing part of the case was the pig drawing that the daughter gave Bernadette.

The pig drawing - which was more of a hastily-drawn circle than a pig - is clearly important to Dark Winds season 3. Bernadette took the drawing with her after the mother and daughter were deported at the end of the episode, and it's her only lead into what she believes is a human trafficking case. The pig drawing could even end up solving the problem of Bernadette being separated from Leaphorn and Chee in Dark Winds season 3 by tying into the disappearance of Ernesto Cata, and it could crack both cases wide open.

The Girl Gave Bernadette A "Pig" Symbol In Dark Winds Season 1's Premiere - What Could It Mean

The Pig Drawing Connects To Tony Hillerman's "The Sinister Pig" Novel In A Subtle Way

Dark Winds season 3 is based on two of Tony Hillerman's original novels: "Dancehall of the Dead" and "The Sinister Pig," and the latter of the two likely has a strong connection to the girl's pig drawing. In "The Sinister Pig," the novel's main villain was Rawley Winsor, a man who was trying to commit fraud using "pigs" in oil pipelines. In oil , a pig is something inserted into a section of pipe to clean or inspect oil lines, and Winsor likely used them to smuggle drugs. Depending upon how faithfully Dark Winds season 3 adapts the novel, the girl may have been hinting at the importance of the pigs.

Spenser could well be involved in the drug trade in the same way Winsor was, and the little girl may have been running from some of his men in Dark Winds season 3.

It does seem that Dark Winds season 3 will be following the plot of "The Sinister Pig" rather closely, though it has also already made some changes. One member of the cast of Dark Winds, Bruce Greenwood, is playing a character who seems very similar to Winsor: Tom Spenser has been described as an oil baron who turns to crime after his wells run dry. Spenser could well be involved in the drug trade in the same way Winsor was, and the little girl may have been running from some of his men.

Why Bernadette Thinks The Woman & Her Daughter Were Being Trafficked

The Woman & Daughter Were Trying To Escape From The U.S. & Were Being Pursued By A White Van

Before she was given the pig drawing, Bernadette thought that the mother and daughter were being trafficked, as she told Ivan Muños (Alex Meraz). Bernadette had a few reasons to believe they were trafficking victims. The mother and daughter were running away from something before they saw Bernadette, and they were running towards Mexico, which is unusual for undocumented immigrants. Bernadette also found a white van at the scene and had her gun stolen, which implies someone else was there, presumably looking for the mother and daughter. The whole situation was strange, which helped Bernadette conclude human trafficking was involved.

Bernadette even told her superior officer, Henry (Terry Serpico), that she thought there was more to the mother and daughter's story, though he dismissed her hunch. Luckily, Bernadette is a very good cop, so she won't let her suspicions of human trafficking go easily, and she'll likely continue to investigate the mother and daughter and the pig drawing throughout Dark Winds season 3. Whether she winds up exposing human trafficking or drug trafficking, as "The Sinister Pig" did, remains to be seen, and only Dark Winds can determine the truth.