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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