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.AboutOdell Redd.""All right," Chee said."You want something to eat?""Maybe some coffee." She signaled the waitress."How did you figure Redd out?""You mean about him shooting Delbert Nez? How did I get that wrong, too?"She noticed his tone.She was serious now."You didn't get it wrong.You arrested Ashie Pinto.Hurt as you were, youarrested him.It was me.I thought he didn't do it.""Yeah," Chee said."Okay.""I was wrong about something else, too," she said."Like what?""Like about you," she said."You made me think for a while that all you caredabout was proving you were right.""What do you mean?" Chee asked."Oh, forget it," she said.And to his amazement Janet Pete hugged him again,even harder this time.Chapter 24Leaphorn had spent all morning in his office.By a little after ten, he'dleaned back in his chair and spent a long moment just enjoying the scene-hisin-basket was empty, his out-basket full but neat, the surface of the deskbare.Wood visible.Nothing cluttering the blotter except a ballpoint pen.He picked up the pen, dropped it in the top drawer, and looked at the deskPage 132ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlagain.Even better.Then he worked through the Nez homicide again.He fished the GallupIndependent out of the wastebasket where it had landed in this paroxysm ofhousecleaning.He reread the story of Ashie Pinto's confession and hisindictment of alcohol.Leaphorn agreed with every word of it.Death in abottle, Pinto had called it.Exactly.Death, sorrow, and misery.The storysaid Judge Downey had delayed his sentencing pending a medical and psychiatricexamination of Pinto.The worst the law allowed under the circumstances wouldbe life in prison.Downey would probably give him something less.But itwouldn't matter, life or ten years.The story said he was "about eighty."Satisfaction from the clean desk waned.Leaphorn considered Officer Jim Chee.A screwup, but an interesting young man.Intelligent, the way he had made theconnections to tie everything in.But he'd never make a good administrator.Never.Nor a team player, and law enforcement often required that.Maybe hewould work better in criminal investigations.Like Leaphorn.He smiled at thethought.Where screwing up didn't matter much if you had a creative thoughtnow and then.He would talk to Captain Largo about it.Largo knew Chee betterthan he did.He considered everything about the affair of Delbert Nez.His mother would have said Coyote was waiting for Nez.Bad luck.For thatmatter for Redd as well.All he seemed to have wanted was some decent pay forhis skills as a linguist.And he ended his game killing the wrong person forthe wrong reason.Anyway, Coyote ate Redd.They'd found the old Bronco in a ditch and got him tothe hospital, another Dead on Arrival.He turned to his map and pulled out the few pins this business had inspired.They hadn't helped much this time.Even a pin for Professor Bourebonette.The question of her motive.He smiledto himself, thinking of that.Emma had always accused him of being toocynical.She was right this time, as she often was.He had checked onBourebonette.He'd called an old friend in the anthropology department atArizona State.Did he know someone at Northern Arizona who would knowBourebonette, the mythologist in American Studies there? Could this persondetermine how she was coming on her new book? She could.The manuscript wasoff to the publishers.It should be out early next year.So much for that.Hewould get a copy.He'd like to read it.They'd talked of mythology on their way back from Short Mountain Trading Postthat night.She had talked a little, and slept a bit, and when she awoke shewas full of conversation.She'd questioned him about his own knowledge ofNavajo myth and where he had learned it.And then they had covered the natureof imagination.How the human intelligence works.The difference between mindand brain.It had been a pleasant ride.She had talked, too, of the time she'dspent in Cambodia and Thailand collecting animism myths and working with theshamans who select the exact place where the bones of one's crucial ancestormust be kept to ensure good family fortune.From his window, Leaphorn could see four cattle semitrailers in a convoyrolling to a stop at the tribal barns across Navajo Route 3.That would berodeo livestock for the Tribal Fair.He made a face.The fair was an annualproblem for every cop on the Reservation.Then, too, it meant winter wascoming.This year he dreaded winter.Page 133ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlHe would go to lunch.Alone.He picked up his cap, put it on.Took it offagain.Picked up the telephone.Dialed information.She answered the telephone on the second ring."Hello.""This is Joe Leaphorn," he said."How are you?""Very well," she said."Are you here in Flag?""Window Rock," he said."My office.""Oh? By the way, I found out you did some checking up on me.About my book.""I was skeptical about your motives," Leaphorn said."It's one of my flaws.Cynicism.Emma used to fuss at me about it.""Well, I guess that's reasonable.For a policeman.""Professor Bourebonette, I think I'm going to China," Leaphorn said."Wouldyou like to go along?"Tony hillerman is past president of the Mystery Writers of America and hasreceived their Edgar and Grand Master Awards.Among his other honors are theCenter for the American Indian's Ambassador Award, the Silver Spur Award forbest novel set in the West, and the Navajo Tribe's Special Friend Award.Hismany novels include Finding Moon, Sacred Clowns, Coyote Waits, Talking God, AThief of Time, and Dance Hall of the Dead.He is also the author of The GreatTaos Bank Robbery.He lives with his wife, Marie, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.The EndAbout this TitleThis eBook was created using ReaderWorks®Publisher 2.0, produced byOverDrive, Inc.For more information about ReaderWorks, please visit us on the Webatwww.overdrive.com/readerworksPage 134 [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]