chee mini-mystery - wikispaces · use the skin of their victim which bears the unique imprint of...
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TALI<ING
MYSTERIES
ACONVERSATION
WITH
TONY
HILLERMAN
TonyHillerman
and
E"rnieBulow
Illustrations
byErnestFranklin
UNIVERSITY
OFNEW
MEXICO
PRESS
ALBUQUERQUE
sOi§VOP'W
Mi'sW
ryPar
'"Socorro,N.M.87801
~
THE
~WITCH,YAZZIE,~.
! IAND
THE
.ININE
OFCLUBS
i I
A
JIMCHEE
MINI-MYSTERY
1I
I I, I II
I I I I 1 f i !TonyHillerman
II. A11summerthewitchhadbeenatworkontheRainbow
li.Plateau.
Itbegan-although
CorporalJimmyChee
wouldlearnofitonlynow,attheverylast-with
the
mutilationofthecorpse.Therestofitfellprettymuchinto
thepatternofwitchcraftgossiponeexpectedinthislonely
corneroftheNavajoReservation.AdelineEtcitty'smare
hadfoaledatwo-headedcolt.RudolphBisti'sboyslosttheir
bestramwhiledrivingtheirflocksintothehighcountry,
andwhentheyfoundthebodywerewolftrackswereall
around
it.Theoldwoman
theycallKicks-Her-Horsehad
actuallyseentheskinwalker.AmanwalkingdownBurnt
WaterWashinthetwilighthaddisappearedintoagroveof
cottonwoodsandwhentheoldwomangotthere,heturned
himselfintoanowlandflewaway.ThedaughterofRose-
maryNakaihadseenthewitch,too.Sheshother.22rifle
atabigdogbotheringherhorsesandthedogturnedintoa
manwearingawolfskinandshe'd
runawaywithoutsee-
ingwhathedid.
CorporalCheeheardofthewitchnowandthen
and
remembereditasherememberedalmosteverything.But
Cheeheardlessthan
mostbecauseCheehadbeen
as-
signed
totheTubaCitysub-agency
andgiventheShort
Mountainterritoryonlysixmonthsago.Hecamefrom
the
ChuskaMountains
ontheArizona-New
Mexicoborder
threehundredmilesaway.Hisborn-to
clanwastheSlow
TalkingPeople,andhispaternalclanwastheMudDinee.
HereamongthebarrencanyonsalongtheUtahborderthe
clansweretheStanding
RockPeople,theManyGoats,the
TangleDinee,theRedForehead
Dinee,theBitterWaters
andtheMonsterPeople.HereCheewasstillastranger.To
astranger,Navajostalkcautiouslyofwitches.
94 •••
WhichisperhapswhyJimCheehadlearnedonlynow,
atthisverymoment,ofthemutilation.
Orperhapsitwas
becausehe
hadapreoccupationofhisown-the
odd,
frustratingquestionofwhereTaylorYazziehadgone,and
whatYazziehaddonewith
thelootfrom
theBurntWater
TradingPost.Whateverthereasonhewaslateinlearning,
itwastheCowboywhofinallytoldhim.
"Everybodyknew
therewasaskinwalkerworking
way
lastspring,"theCowboysaid."Assoonastheyfoundout
thewitchkilledthatguy."
Cheehadbeen
leaningagainsttheCowboy'spickup
truck.HewaslookingpasttheEmersonNezhogan,
throughthethinbluehazeofpinonsmokewhich
came
from
itssmokehole,watchingahalf-dozenNezkinfolks
stackingwoodfortheGirlDancefire.Hewasaskinghim-
selfforthethousandth
timewhatTaylorYazziecouldhave
donewith
$40,000worthofpawn-rings,
beltbuckles,
bracelets,bulkysilverconcho
belts
which
mustweigh,
altogether,fivehundredpounds.AndwhathadTaylor
Yazziedonewithhimself-another
180poundsorso,with
theblandroundfacemorecommon
amongEasternNa-
vajosthan
ontheRainbow
Plateau,with
histhinmous-
tache,with
hiswire-rimmed
sunglasses.Cheehadseen
TaylorYazzieonlyonce,thedaybeforehehaddone
the
burglary,butsincethenhehadlearnedhimwell.Yazzie's
worldwassmall,andYazziehadvanished
from
it,and
sincehecouldhardlyspeakEnglishtherewashardlyany
placehecouldgo.Andjustasthoroughly,thesilverpawn
hadvanishedfrom
thelivesofahundredfamilieswhohad
turneditovertoEdYost'stradingposttosecuretheircredit
untiltheysoldtheirwool.Throughallthesethoughtsit
tookamomentfortheCowboy'smessage
topenetrate.
Whenitdid,CorporalCheebecameveryattentive.
"Killedwhatguy?"Cheeasked.TaylorYazzie,you're
dead,hethought.Nomoremystery.
TheCowboywassprawledacrossthefrontseatofhis
95 •••
truck,fishing
atransistorradiooutoftheglovebox."You
remember,"
hesaid."BacklastApril.Thatguyyoucol-
lectedonPiuteMesa."
"Oh,"Cheesaid.Heremembered.
Ithadbeenamiser-
ableday'sworkandthesmellofdeathhadlingeredinhis
carryallforweeks.ButthathadbeeninMay,notApril,and
ithadn'tlookedlikeahomicide.Justtoomuchbooze,too
muchhigh-altitude
cold.AnoldstoryontheReservation.
AndJohn
Doewasn'tTaylorYazzie.Thecoronerhadput
thedeathtwomonthsbeforethebodywasrecovered.Tay-
lorYazziewasalive,andwell,andwalkingoutofEdYost's
tradingpostalotlaterthanthat.Cheehadbeenthereand
seenhim."Youseethatson-of-a-bitch,"EdYosthadsaid.
"Ijustfiredhisass.Nevercomestowork,andIthinkhe's
been
stealingfrom
me."No,Yostdidn'twanttofilea
complaint.Nothing
hecouldprove.Butthenextmorning
ithadbeendifferent.Someonewithakeyhadcomeinthe
night,andopenedthesaferoom
wherethepawnwaskept,
andtookit.OnlyYostandYazziehadaccesstothekeys,
andYazziehadvanished.
"Whyyousayawitchkilledthatguy?"Cheeasked.
TheCowboybacked
outofthepickup
cab.Theradio
didn'twork.Heshookit,glancing
atChee.Hisexpression
wascautious.ThebumperstickersplasteringtheFord
declared
himamemberoftheNativeAmerican
Rodeo
Cowboys'Assn.,andproclaimed
thatCowboysMakeBet-
terLovers,andthatCowgirls
HaveMoreFun,andre-
corded
theCowboy'soutdated
permittoparkontheAri-
zona
StateUniversity
campus.ButCowboywasstilla
ManyGoatsDinee,andCheehadbeenhisfriendforjusta
fewmonths.Uneasinesswarredwithmodem
macho.
"Theysaidalltheskinwascutoffhishands,"
theCow-
boysaid.Buthesaiditinalowvoice.
"Ah,"Cheesaid.Heneeded
nomoreexplanation.The
ingredientsofanti'l,the"corpse-powder"whichskinwalk-
ersmaketospreadsickness,wasknowntoeveryNavajo.
Theyusetheskinoftheirvictimwhichbearstheunique
imprintoftheindividual
human
identity-the
skinof
palm,andfinger-pads,andtheballs
ofthefeet.Dried
andpulverized
with
properritual,itbecamethedreaded
reverse-negativeofthepollenusedforcuringandbless-
ing.Cheerememberedthecorpseashehadseenit.Preda-
torsandscavengerbirdshadleftaraggedsackofbones
andbitsofdesiccated
flesh.Noidentificationandnothing
toshow
itwasanything
butroutine.Andthat'showithad
goneintothebooks."Unidentified
male.Aboutforty.Prob-
abledeathbyexposure."
"Ifsomebodysawhispalmshadbeen
skinned,
then
somebodysawhimahellofalongtimebeforeanybody
calledusabouthim,'!Cheesaid.Nothing
unusualinthat,
either.
"Somebodyfoundhimfresh,"theCowboysaid."That's
whatIheard.OneofthePintooutfit."Cowboyremovedthe
batteryfrom
theradio.Bytrade,Cowboywastheassistant
countyagriculturalagent.Heinspectedthebattery,which
lookedexactlylikeallotherbatteries,withgreatcare.The
Cowboydidnot,wanttotalkaboutwitchbusiness.
"AnyofthePintooutfithere?"Cheeasked.
"Sure,"Cowboysaid.Hemadeasweeping
gesture,in-
cludingthescoresofpickups,wagons,oldsedansoccupy-
ingthesagebrushflatsaroundtheNezhogans,thedozens
ofcookingfiressmokingintheautumntwilight,thepeople
everywhere."Allthekinfolks
cometothis.Everybody
comestothis."
ThiswasanEnemyWay.ThisparticularEnemyWay
hadbeenprescribed,asCheeunderstood
it,tocureEmer-
sonNezofwhateverailedhimsohecouldwalkagainwith
beautyallaround
himasChangingWomanhadtaught
whensheformed
thefirstNavajos.Family
dutywould
require
allkinsmen,andclansmen,ofNeztobehere,as
Cowboyhadsaid,toshareinthecuringandtheblessing.
Everybodywouldbehere,especiallytonight.Tonightwas
96 -97 -
thesixthnightoftheceremonialwhentheritualcalledfor
theGirlDancetobeheld.Itsoriginalpurposewasmeta-
physical-part
oftheprescribed
re-enactmentofthedeeds
oftheHolyPeople.Butitwasalsosocial.Cowboycalledit
theNavajosubstituteforthesinglesbar,andcametoseeif
hecouldconnectwith
anewgirlfriend.Anthropologists
cametostudyprimitive
behavior.WhitesandUtesand
even
haughtyHopiscameoutofcuriosity.Bootleggers
cametosellillegalwhisky.JimCheecame,intheory,to
catchbootleggers.Infact,theelusive,invisible,missing
Yazziedrew
him.Yazzieandtheloot.Sometime,some-
wheresomeofitwouldhavetosurface.Andwhenitdid,
someone
wouldknow
it.ButnowtohellwithYazzieand
pawnjewelry.Hemight
have
anoldhomicideon
his
hands.With
anunidentifiedvictim
andthewholething
sixmonthscolditpromised
tobeasfrustratingasthe
burglary.ButhewouldfindsomePintofamily
members
andbegintheprocess.
Cowboy'sradiosquawkedintosuddenlifeandproduced
thevoiceofWillieNelson,singingofabandonmentand
sorrow.Cowboyturned
upthevolume.
"Speciallyeveryone
wouldcometothisone,"Cowboy
saidtowardChee's
departing
back."Nezwasn'ttheonly
onebotheredbythatwitch.Onewayoranotheritbothered
justabouteverybodyontheplateau."
Cheestoppedandwalkedbacktothepickup."Youmean
Nezwaswitched?"
"That'swhattheysay,"Cowboysaid."Gotsick.They
tookhimtotheclinicinTubaCityandwhenthatdidn'tdo
anygoodtheygotthemselves
aListenertofindoutwhat
waswrongwiththeoldman,andhefoundoutNezhadthe
corpsesickness.Hesaidthewitchgotontheroof-"
(Cow-
boypausedtopointwithhislips-a
peculiarly
Navajoges-
ture-toward
theNezhogan)-"and
droppedanti'[down
thesmokehole."
"Samewitch?Sameonethatdidthekilling?"
98 ••••
"That'swhattheListenersaid,"Cowboyagreed.
Cowboywasfullofinformationtonight,Cheethought.
Butwasituseful?ThefirefortheGirlDancehadbeen
startednow.Itcastared,waveringlightwhichreflectedoff
windshields,facesandthemovingformsofpeople.The
potdrumsbeganahalting
pattern
ofsounds
which
re-
flected,likethefirelight,offthecliffsofthegreatmesa
whichshelteredtheNezplace.Thiswastheritualpartof
theevening.Ashaman
named
Dillon
Keeyaniwasthe
singerinchargeofcuringNez.Cheecouldseehim,atall,
gauntmanstanding
beyondthefire,chantingtherepeti-
tivepoetryofthispartofthecure.Nezstoodbesidehim,
nakedtothewaist,hisfaceblackenedtomakehiminvis-
iblefrom
the.ghostswhichhauntthenight.Whywould
theListenerhaveprescribed
anEnemyWay?Itpuzzled
Chee.UsuallyawitchvictimwascuredwithaProstitution
Way,ortheproperchantsfrom
theMountainWaywere
used.TheEnemyWaywasorderedforwitchcasesat
times,butitwasabroad-spectrum
antibiotic-used
for
thatmultitudeofillscausedbyexposuretoalienwaysand
aliencultures.Chee'sfamilyhadheldanEnemyWayfor
himwhenhehadreturned
from
theUniversity
ofNew
Mexico,andinthoseyearswhenNavajoswerecoming
homefrom
theVietNam
waritwascommoneverywinter.
ButwhyuseittocureEmersonNezofthecorpsesick-
ness?Therewasonlyoneanswer.Becausethewitchwas
analien-a
Ute,awhite,aHopiperhaps.Cheethought
abouthowtheListenerwouldhaveworked.Longconver-
sationswith
Nezandthosewhoknew
him,huntingfor
causes
ofthemalaise,forbroken
taboos,forcauses
ofdepression.Andthen
theListener
wouldhave
founda
quietplace,andlistenedtowhatthesilencetaughthim.
HowwouldtheListenerhaveknownthewitchwasalien?
Therewasonlyoneway.Cheewassuddenly
excited.
Someone
musthave
seen
thewitch.Actually
seen
the
man-not
inthedoubtfulmoonlight,oramistyevening
99 ••••
whenamovingshapecouldbedogorman-but
under
circumstancesthattoldthewitnessthatthemanwasnota
Navajo.
TheSwayDancehadstartednow.A
doublelineoffig-.
urescircledtheburningpyre,oldmenandyoung-even
boystooyoungtohavebeeninitiatedintothesecretsofthe
HolyPeople.AmongChee'sclansintheChuskasritualism
wasmoreorthodox
andtheseyoungsters
wouldnotbe
allowedtodanceuntilaYeibichaiwasheldforthem,and
theireyeshadseenthroughthemasksofBlackGodand
TalkingGod.Thefireflaredhigherasaburninglogcol-
lapsedwithanexplosionofsparks.Cheewovethroughthe
spectators,askingforPintos.Hefoundanelderly
woman
joking
with
twoyoungerones.Yes,shewasAnnaPinto.
Yes,hersonhadfoundthebodylastspring.Hisnamewas
WalkerPinto.He'd
besomewhere
playingstick-dice.He
waswearingasweatband.Red.
Cheefoundthegamebehind
EdYost'spickup
truck.A
lanternonthetailgateprovidedthelight,asaddleblanket
spreadonthegroundwastheplayingsurface.EdYostwas
playingwith
anelderly
round~facedHopiandfourNa-
vajos.Cheerecognized
Pintoamongthewatchersbythe
redsweatbandandhismother's
description.
"Skinny,"
she'd
said."Bony-faced.Sortofugly-looking."Althoughhis
motherhadn'tsaidit,WalkerPintowasalsodrunk.
"That'sright,man,"Pintosaid."Ifoundhim.Upthere
getting
theoldwoman'shorsestogether,andIfoundhim."
WinehadslurredPinto'sspeech
anddrownedwhatever
inhibitions
hemighthavefeltabouttalkingofwitchbusi-
nesstoaman
hedidn'tknow.Heputhishand
onthe
pickup
fendertosteadyhimselfandbegan-Navajo
fash-
ion-at
theverybeginning.He'd
marriedawomaninthe
PolesTogetherclanandgoneovertoRoughRocktolive
with
her,butshewasnogood,sothiswinterhe'dcome
backtohismother'soutfit,andhismotherhadwantedhim
togoup
onPiuteMesatoseeaboutherhorses.Pinto
described
thejourneyupthemesawithhisson,hisagile
handsactingoutthejourney.Cheewatched
thestick-dice
game.Yostwasgoodatit.Heslammed
thefourpainted
woodenpiecesdownonthebasestoneinthecenterofthe
blanket.Theybouncedtwofeetintotheairandfellina
neatpattern.Hetallied
theexposedcolors,moved
the
matchsticks
beingused
asscoremarkers,collected
the
sticksandpassed
them
totheHopiinmaybethreesec-
onds.Yosthadbeenamagicianonce,Cheeremembered.
Withacarnival,andhiscustomershadcalledhimThree-
Hands."Bets,"Yostsaid.TheHopilookedatthesticksin
hishand,smilingslightly.Hethrewacrumpleddollaronto
theblanket.Amiddle-aged
Navajowearingwire-rimmed
glassesputafoldedbillbesideit.Twomorebillshitthe
blanket.ThelanternlightreflectedoffWireRims'slenses
andoffYost'sbaldhead.
"AboutthenIheardthetruck,waybackovertheridge,"
Pintowassaying.Hishandscreatedtheridge
andthe
valleybeyondit."Thenthetruckithitsomething,yousee.
Bang."Pinto'srighthand
slammed
intohisleft."Yousee,
thattruck'ithitagainstarockthere.Itwasturningaround
inthewash,andthewashisnarrow
thereanditbangedup
againstthisrock."Pinto'shandsrecreatedtheaccident."I
startedoverthere,yousee.Iwalkedonovertherethen
toseewhoitwas."
Thestick-dice
playerswerelistening
now;theHopi's
facepatient,waitingforthegametoresume.Thebutane
lanternmadeawhitelightthatmadeYost'smoisteyes
sparkleashelookedupatPinto.Therewasapileofbills
besideYost'shand.Hetookadollarfromitandputitonthe
blanketwithouttakinghiseyesfrom
Pinto.
"But,yousee,bythetimeIgotuptothetopoftherise,
thattruckitwasdrivingaway.SoIwentondownthere,
yousee,tofindoutwhathadbeengoingon."Pinto'shands
re-enacted
thejourney.
"Whatkindoftruckwasit?"Cheeasked.
100 •••
101 •••
"Alreadygone,"Pintosaid."Bunch
ofdusthangingin
theair,butIdidn'tseethetruck.ButwhenIgotdown
theretothewash,yousee,Ilookedaround."Pinto'shands
flewhereandthere,lookingaround."Therehewas,you
see,rightthereshovedundertherabbitbrush."Theagile
handsdisposedofthebody.Thestick-dicegameremained
inrecess.TheHopistillheldthesticks,buthewatched
Pinto.Sodidthefatmanwhosatcross-leggedbesidehim.
Thelanternlightmadeapointofwhiteinthecenterof
Yost'sblackpupils.ThefacesoftheNavajoplayerswere
rapt,buttheHopi'sexpression
waspolitedisinterest.The
Two-Heartwitchesofhisculturedidtheirevilwithmore
sophistication.
Pintodescribed
whathe
hadseen
undertherabbit-
brush,hisvoicewaveringwiththewinebuttellingastory
oftenrepeated.Hisagilehandsweresurer.Theyshowed
howtheflayedhandsofthecorpsehadlain,wherethe
victim'shathadrolled,howPintohadsearched
fortraces
ofthewitch,howhehadstudiedthetracks.Behindthe
stick-diceplayersthechantingchorusoftheSwayDanc-
ersroseandfell.Thefaintnightbreezemovedtheper-
fumeofburningpinonandthearomaofcedartoChee's
nostrils.Thelanternlightshonethroughtherearwindow
ofYost'struck,reflectingfrom
thebarrelsoftheriflesinthe
gunrackacrossit.Along-barreled30.06andashortsaddle
carbine,Cheenoticed.
"Yousee,thatskinwalkerwasinabighurrywhenhegot
finishedwith
thatbody,"Pintowassaying."Hebacked
rightoverabigchamisabushandbanged
thattruckall
around
onthebrushandrocksgettingitoutofthere."The
handsflew,demonstratingpanic.
"Butyoudidn'tactuallyseethetruck?"Cheeasked.
"Gone,"Pintosaid.Hishands'demonstratedthestateof
goneness.
"Orthewitch,either?"
Pintoshookhishead.Hishandsapologized.
Ontheflatbeside
theNezhoganthechantingofthe
SwayDanceendedwithachorusofshouting.NowtheGirl
Dancebegan.Differentsongs.Differentdrumbeat.Laugh-
ternow,andshouting.
Thegamebrokeup.Wire
Rims
foldedhisblanket.Yostcountedhiswinnings.
"TellyouwhatI'lldo,"YostsaidtoWireRims."I'llshow
youhowIcancontrolyourmind."
WireRimsgrinned.
"Yes,Iwill,"Yostsaid."I'llplantathoughtinyourmind
andgetyoutosayit."
WireRims'sgrinbroadened."Likewhat?"
Yostputhishand
ontheNavajo'sshoulder."Letyour
mindgoblanknow,"hesaid."Don'tthinkaboutnothing."
Yostlettensecondstickaway.Heremoved
thehand.
"Now,"hesaid."It'sdone.It'sinthere."
"What?"WireRimsasked.
"Imadeyouthinkofacertaincard,"Yostsaid.Heturned
tothespectators,totheHopi,toChee."Ialwaysusethe
samecard.Bum
itintomymindandkeepitthereand
alwaysusethatverysameimage.ThatwayIcanmakea
strongerimpression
withitontheotherfeller'smind."He
tappedWireRimsonthechestwithafinger."Hecloseshis
eyes,heseesthatcertaincard."
"Bullshit,"WireRimssaid.
"I'llbetyou,then,"Yostsaid."Butyougottoplayfair.
Yougottonamethecardyouactuallysee.Allright?"
WireRimsshrugged."Bullshit .Idon'tseenothing."
Yostwavedhishandfulofcurrency."Yes,youdo,"Yost
insisted."Igotmoneythatsaysyoudo.Youseetheone
cardIputinyourmind.Igot$108hereI'llbetyouagainst
thatbeltyou'rewearing.What'sthatworth?"Itwasabelt
ofheavyconchashammered
outofthicksilver.Despiteits
ageandaheavylayeroftarnishitwasabeautifulpieceof
work.Cheeguesseditwouldbring$100atpawnandsell
formaybe$200.Butwiththeskyrocketingpriceofsilver,it
mightbeworthtwicethatmelteddown.
102 •••
103 •••
"Let'ssayitwouldpawnfor$300,"Yostsaid."Thatgives
methreetooneoddsonthemoney.ButifI'm
lyingtoyou,
there'sjustonechanceinfifty-twothatyou'lllose."
"How
yougoingtotell?"Wire
Rimsasked."Youtell
somebodythecardinadvance?"
"Betterthan
that,"Yostsaid."Igothimhereinmy
pocketsealedupinanenvelope.Ialwaysusethatsame
cardsoIkeepitsealedupandready."
"Sealedupinanenvelope?"WireRimsasked.
"That'sright,"Yostsaid.Hetappedhisforefingertothe
chestofhiskhakibushjacket.
Wire
Rimsunbuckledthebeltandhanded
ittoChee.
"Youholdthemoney,"he
said.Yosthanded
Cheethe
currency.
"Igettorefreshyourmemory,"Yostsaid.Heputhis
hand
ontheNavajo'sshoulder."Youseeawholedeckof
cardsfacedownonthetable.Now,Iturnthisoneonthe
endhereover."Yost'srighthand
turned
overaninvisible
cardandslappeditemphaticallyonaninvisibletable."You
seeit.Yougotitinyourmind.Now
playfair.Tellmethe
nameofthecard."
WireRimshesitated."Idon'tseenothing,"hesaid.
"Comeon.Playfair,"Yostsaid."Nameit."
"Nineofclubs,"WireRimssaid.
"Hereisanhonestman,"YostsaidtoCheeandtheHopi
andtherestofthem."Henamed
thenineofclubs."While
hesaidit,Yost'slefthandhaddippedintotheleftpocketof
thebushjacket.Now
itfishedoutanenvelopeanddeliv-
eredittoChee."J;teaditandweep,"Yostsaid.
Cheehanded
theenvelopetoWireRims.Itwasasmall
envelope,justabitbiggerthan
apokercard.Wire
Rims
toreitopenandextractedthecard.Itwasthenineofclubs.
WireRimslookedfrom
cardtoYost,disappointmentmixed
withadmiration.
"Howyoudothat?"
''I'm
amagician,"Yostsaid.Hetookthebeltandthe
moneyfrom
Chee."Anyluckonthatburglary?"heasked.
"Youfindthatson-of-a-bitchYazzieyet?"
"Nothing,"Cheesaid.
Andthentherewasahandonhisarmandaprettyface
lookingupathim."I'vegotyou,"thegirlsaid.Shetugged
himtowardthefire."You'remypartner.Comeon,police-
man."''I'dsureliketocatchthatson-of-a-bitch,"Yostsaid.
Thegirldanced
gracefully.ShetoldCheeshewasborn
totheStanding
RockDineeandherfatherwasaBitter
Water.With
noclanoverlap,noneofthecomplexincest
taboosofThePeoplepreventedtheirdancing,orwhatever
elsemightcometomind.Cheerememberedhaving
seen
herworking
behind
theregistrationdeskattheHoliday
InnatShiprock.Shewaspretty.Shewasfriendly.Shewas
witty.Thedancewasgood.Thepotdrumstuggedathim,
andthevoicesroseinaslightlyribaldsongaboutwhatthe
oldwomanandtheyoungmandidonthesheepskins
away
from
thefirelight.ButthingsnaggedatChee'smemory.He
wantedtothink.
"Youdon'ttalkmuch,"thegirlsaid.
"Sorry.Thinking,"Cheesaid.
"Butnotaboutme."Shefrownedathim."Youthinking
aboutarrestingsomebody?"
"I'mthinking
thattomorrowmorning
whentheyfinish
thissing-offwiththeScalpShootingceremony,they'vegot
tohavesomething
touseasthescalp."
Thegirlshrugged.
"Imean,ithastobesomething
thatbelonged
tothe
witch.How
cantheydothatunlesstheyknow
whothe
witchis?Whatcoulditbe?"
Thegirlshrugged
again.Shewasnotinterested
inthe
subjectnor,now,inJimChee."Whyn'tyougoandask?"
shesaid."BigHatoverthereisthescalpcarrier."
Cheepaidhisransom-handing
thegirltwodollarsand
then
adding
twomorewhenthefirstpaymentdrew
ascornfulfrown.BigHatwasalsopaying
offhispartner,
104 •••
105 •••
with
theapparent
intentionofbeingimmediately
recap-
turedbyaplumpyoungwomanwearingawealthofsilver
necklaceswhowaswaitingatthefringeofthedance.Chee
captured
himjustbeforethewomandid.
"Thescalp?"BigHatasked."Well,Idon'tknow
what
youcallit.It'sastrip
ofredplastic
aboutthiswide,"(Big
Hatindicatedaninch
with
hisfingers)"andmaybehalf
thatthickandafootandahalflong."
"What'sthatgottodowiththewitch?"Cheeasked.
"Brokeoffthebumperofhistruck,"BigHatsaid."You
know.Thatstrip
ofrubberystufftheyputontokeepfrom
dentingthings.Itgotbrittleandsomeofitbrokeoff."
"Attheplacewheretheyfoundthebody?"
BigHatnodded.
"Whereyoukeepingit?"Cheeasked."Afteryou'refin-
ishedwithittomorrowI'm
goingtoneedit."Tomorrowat
thefinalritualthisscalpofthewitchwouldbeplacednear
theNezhogan.There,aftertheproperchantsweresung,
EmersonNezwouldattackitwithaceremonialweapon-
probablythebeakofaravenattached
toastick.Then
itwouldbesprinkled
withashesandshot-probably
witha
rifle.Ifallthiswasproperlydone,ifthemindsofallcon-
cernedwereproperlyfreeoflust,anger,avarice-then
the
witchcraftwouldbereversed.EmersonNezwouldlive.
Thewitchwoulddie.
"Igotitwith
mystuffinthetent,"BigHatsaid.He
pointedpasttheNezbrusharbor.Aftertheceremonyhe
guessedCheecouldhaveit.Usuallyanything
likethat-
things
touchedwith
witchcraft-would
beburied.
But
he'daskDillonKeeyani.Keeyaniwasthesinger.Keeyani
wasincharge.
AndthenJimCheewalkedoutintothedarkness,past
thebrusharborandpastthelittlebluenylontentwhere
BigHatkepthisbedrollandhismedicinebundleandwhat
heneeded
forhisroleinthisseven-daysing.Hewalked
beyondthecorralwheretheNezoutfitkeptitshorses,out
intothesagebrushandthenight.Hefoundarockandsat
onitandthought.
WhilehewasdancinghehadworkedouthowEdYost
hadwonWireRims'sbelt.Asimplematterofillusionand
distraction.
Theeasywayithadfooledhimmadehim
awarethathemustbeoverlookingotherthingsbecauseof
otherillusions.Butwhat?
HereviewedwhatPintohadtoldhim.Nothingthere.He
skippedtohisownexperiencewith
thebody.Thesmell.
Checkingwhatwasleftoftheclothing
foridentification.
Movingwhatwasleftintothebodybag.Hearingthecloth
tear.Feelingthebarebone,therough,driedleatherofthe
bootsashe...
Theboots!Cheeslappedbothpalmsagainsthisthighs.
Themanhadhisbootson.Whywouldthewitch,themad-
man,taketheskinforcorpsepowderfrom
thehandsand
leavetheequally
essentialskinfrom
thefeet?Hewould
not,certainly,havereplacedtheboots.Wasthekillingnota
witch-killing,then?Butwhytheflayedhands?Toremove
thefingerprints?
'\Yazzie.Yazziehadapolicerecord.Onesimpleassault.
Onedrivingwhileintoxicated.
Printedtwice.Identifica-
tionwouldhavebeenimmediate.ButYazziewaslarger
than
theskinnedman,andstillalivewhentheskinned
manwasdead.John
DoeremainedJohn
Doe.Thisonly
changedJohnDoefrom
arandom
victim
toamanwhose
killerneeded
toconcealhisidentity.
Theairmoved
againstChee's
faceandwith
thefaint
breezecamethesoundofthepotdrumsandoflaughter.
Muchcloserheheardtheflutingcryofahuntingowl.He
sawtheowlnow,agrayshapeglidinginthestarlightjust
abovethesage,hunting,
asChee's
mindhunted,some-
thingwhich
eluded
it.Something,Chee's
instinct
told
him,asobviousasthenineofclubs.
Butwhat?CheethoughtofhowadroitlyYosthadmanip-
ulatedWireRimsintothebet,andintotheillusion.Over-
106 -
107 -
estimatingthevalueoftheman'sbelt.Causing
them
allto
thinkofasinglespecificcard,sealedinasinglespecific
envelope,waitingtobe
specifically
named.Hesmiled
slightly,appreciatingthecleverness.
Thesmile
lingered,
abruptlydisappeared,
reappeared
andsuddenly
converteditselfintoanexultant
shoutof
laughter.JimCheehadfoundanotherillusion.Inthisone,
hehadbeenYost'starget.He'd
beentotallyfooled.Yazzie
wasJohn
Doe.Yosthad
killedhim,removed
thefinger-
prints,putthebodywhereitwouldbefound.Thenhehad
performedhismagic.Cleverly.Takingadvantageofthecir-
cumstances-a
newpoliceman
who'dneverseenYazzie.
Cheerecreatedtheday.ThenotetocallYost.Yostwanting
toseehim,suggestingtwointheafternoon.Cheehadbeen
afewminutes
late.Thebig,round-facedNavajostalking
outofYost'soffice.Yost'scharadeofindignantanger.Who
wasthisersatz"Yazzie"?Theonlyrequirementwouldbea
Navajofrom
anotherpartoftheReservation,whomChee
wouldn'tbelikelytoseeagainsoon.Clever!
Thatremindedhimthathehadnotimeforthisnow.He
stoppedathisownvehicleforhisflashlight
andthen
checkedYost'struck.Typicaloftruckswhichliveouttheir
livesontherockytracksoftheReservation,itwasbattered,
scrapedanddented.Theentireplasticpaddingstrip
was
missingfrom
thefrontbumper.From
thebackone,apiece
wasmissing.Abouteighteen
incheslong.Whatwasleft
fitBigHat'sdescriptionofthescalp.Hisdeductioncon-
firmed,Cheestoodbehind
thetruck,thinking.
HadYostdisposedofYazzietocoverupthefakedbur-
glary?OrhadYazziebeenkilledforsomeunknownmotive
andtheillusionofburglarycreatedtoexplainhisdisap-
pearance?Cheedecidedhepreferredthefirsttheory.For
monthsbeforethecrimethepriceofsilverhadbeensky-.
rocketing,movingfrom
aboutfivedollarsanouncetoat
leastfortydollars.ItbotheredYosttoknow
thatassoonas
theysoldtheirwool,hiscustomerswouldbepaying
off
theirdebtsandwalkingawaywiththatsudden
wealth.
TheGirlDancehadendednow.Thedrumswerequiet.
Thefirehadburned
down.Peopleweredriftingpasthim
throughthedarknessontheirwaybacktotheirbedrolls.
Tomorrowatdawntherewouldbethefinalsand-painting
ontheflooroftheNezhogan;Nezwoulddrinktheritual
emeticandjustasthesunrosewouldvomitoutthesick-
ness.ThentheScalpShootingwouldbeheld.Astripofred
plastic
molding
wouldbeshotandawitchwould,even-
tually,die.W
ouldYoststayforthefinish?Andhowwould
hereactwhenhesawtheplasticmolding?
Asplitsecondintothatthought,itwasfollowedbyan-
other.YosthadheardwhatPintohadsaid.Yostwould
know
thisform
oftheEnemyWayrequiredaceremonial
scalp.Yostwouldn'twaittofindoutwhatitwas.
Cheesnappedontheflashlight.Throughthebackwin-
dowofYost'spickup
hesawthattherifleracknowheld
onlythe30.06.Thecarbinewasgone.
Cheeranasfastasthedarknessallowed,dodgingtrucks,
wagons,peopleandcamping
paraphernalia,towardthe
tentofBigHat.Justpastthebrusharborhestopped.Alight
wasvisiblethroughthetautbluenylon.Itmoved.
Cheewalkedtowardthetent,quietly
now,bringing
his
laboredbreathingundercontrol.Throughtheopeninghe
couldseeBigHat'sbedrollandthemotionlessoutflung
armofsomeone
wearingaflannelshirt.Cheemoveddi-
rectlyinfrontofthetentdoor.Hehadhispistolcocked
now.Yostwassquatting
againstthebackwallofthetent,
illuminated
byabatterylantern,sortingthroughthecon-
tentsofablue
clothzipperbag.BigHatsprawledface
downjustinside
thetent,hishatbeside
hisshoulder.
Yost'scarbinewasacrosshislegs...
"Yost,"Cheesaid."Dropthecarbineand..."
Yostturnedonhisheels,swinging
thecarbine.
JimChee,whohadnevershotanyone,whothoughthe
wouldnevershootanotherhuman,shotYostthrough
the
chest.
108 -
109 -
BigHatwasdead,thesideofhisskulldented.Yosthad
neither
pulsenoranysignofbreath.Cheefishedinthe
pocketsofhisbushjacketandretrieved
theconcho
belt.
He'd
return
ittoWire
Rims.Inthepocketwith
itwere
smallsealed
envelopes.Thirteenofthem.Cheeopened
thefirstone.TheAceofHearts.HadWireRimsguessed
thefiveofhearts,Yostwouldhavehanded
himthefifth
envelopefrom
hispocket.Chee'sbullethadgonethrough
theleftbreastpocketofYost'sjacket-puncturing
dia-
mondsorspades.
BehindhimCheecouldhearthesoundsofshouting,of
runningfeet,peoplegatheringatthetentflap.Cowboywas
there,staringinathim."Whathappened?"
Cowboysaid.
110 •••
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