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."I'm just down today," she said, and laughed a shaky laugh."You too, I'llbet.You didn't look all that cheerful anyway when you walked in.""Yeah," Chee said."It hasn't been one of my better days.""Hand hurt?""A little.""You look down," Jacobs said."Troubles?"Page 65 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Not really," Chee said.He shrugged."I was hoping to meet a friend.She hadto go to Santa Fe." He considered that."At least she said she had to go toSanta Fe."Jacobs was frowning."She didn't go?""Oh, I guess she went.I meant maybe she didn't really have to go.""Oh," Jacobs said.She made a wry face."I know exactly what you mean.""I'm not sure I do," Chee said."I was just guessing.With me, I think it's more important for me to be withOdell than it is for Odell to be with me.""Okay," Chee said.He laughed."We're on the same wavelength.""You've got a bad hand.You fly all the way in from Farmington or wherever,and your girlfriend thinks going to Santa Fe is more important.""Maybe she couldn't get out of it.And she's not exactly my girlfriend.We'remore just friends.""Uh-huh," Jacobs said."Like Odell said."Chee wanted to get off this subject."You work for Tagert.Part-time anyway.Did you ever notice anything in thepaperwork that would give you any idea what he and Pinto were doing outthere?""I wasn't that interested, to tell the truth," she said."You know, it seemspretty mean to me that they still have you working on this when your hand'slike that.You should be on sick leave.""Actually, I am," Chee said."I'm doing this on my own time."Jacobs lowered her chin, peering at him over her reading glasses, her smooth,round face furrowed by a frown."Why? Why are you doing it?""I'm curious," Chee said."I just want to find out how Hosteen Pinto got outthere, and what he was doing.Things like that.It doesn't really need to bedone.Not for the trial.Pinto doesn't even deny he killed Delbert.I'm justdoing it because I don't have anything else to do.And nobody else gives adamn.""Somebody else is doing it, too," Jacobs said."What? Who?""I got a call a couple of days ago.From a Navajo tribal policeman in WindowRock.He wanted to talk to Tagert.Wanted to know where he could find him.""Who was it? You sure it was a Navajo tribal policeman? Not the FBI? Or maybean investigator from the Federal Public Defender's office.""It was from Window Rock.He said Navajo Tribal Police.""What was the name?"Page 66 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"A funny name.I don't remember.I remember he was a lieutenant.""Leaphorn!""That was it," Jacobs said."Lieutenant Leaphorn.Do you know him?"Chee was thinking.He came to the only possible conclusion."Thatson-of-a-bitch," he said.Jacobs looked startled at the bitterness.She looked away, picked up a pen.Put it down."Sorry," Chee said."It sounds like you know him.Is he your boss?""I know him.No, he's not my boss.""He just asked if Tagert was here.If I knew where to find him." She studiedChee."Is it bad?""No," Chee said."I don't know.It's just-"He sighed."You don't want to hear all this," he said."Yes," she said."I do.""It's more than curiosity with me," he began, and told her about his radioconversation with Nez, the fading in and out, the nut who painted basalt, thelaughter that led him to fail his friend.He told her of arresting Pinto.Hetold her about Janet Pete back from Washington taking the Federal PublicDefender's job and representing Pinto."I know she was assigned to do it.It's her job.But Janet lets me know shehalfway believes Pinto didn't do it.She sees a lot of unanswered questions.What's his motive, she says.He was drunk, and he'd killed someone before whenhe was drunk and served time for it.And he was caught red-handed and doesn'teven deny it.But for her, that's not enough." Chee shook his head."You think it would be kinda nice if it was enough just because you were theone who nabbed him," Jacobs said."But you've got to consider she's hisdefense attorney.And she's a woman in a field men have dominated.And so shefeels like she's got something to prove.At least I would.Maybe she feelslike she has to prove something to you, too." Jacobs made a wry face."Youknow, you've been a cop awhile.Into law enforcement.She's brand new at thegame." She shrugged."I don't know.I'm just talking.""You are missing the implication," Chee said.He stood up.His voice hadsounded stiff, but to hell with it.This woman felt like listening.He feltlike letting some of this anger out."You see, I screwed up on this.If Ihadn't screwed up, I would have been there when Nez was making this arrest-orwhatever he was doing-and he wouldn't have been killed.But I was over in RedRock drinking coffee, thinking all was good because I heard Delbert laughing."He was standing with his arms hanging by his side.That made his hand hurt.Hefolded his arms."But I did get there.Too late to help Delbert, but I got there in time tocatch the man who killed him.I was a good enough cop for that."Page 67 ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlJacobs was silent for a while, thinking about it, her face full of sympathy.She was a talented listener.He had noticed it before.When you talked to thiswoman, she attended.She had all her antennae out, focused on the speaker.Theworld was shut out.Nothing mattered but the words she was hearing.Listeningwas ingrained in the Navajo culture.One didn't interrupt.One waited untilthe speaker was finished, gave him a moment or two to consider additions, orfootnotes or amendments, before one responded.But even Navajos too oftenlistened impatiently.Not really listening, but framing their reply.JeanJacobs really listened.It was flattery, and Chee knew it, but it had itseffect."I can see why you'd want to find Tagert.I can see why you'd want to makesure.""Sure!" Chee said it louder than he intended."I am sure.How sure can I be?The killer at the scene, drunk, with the smoking gun.He doesn't even deny it.How goddamn sure can you be?""It sounds sure to me," Jacobs said."And the FBI is happy.They took it to the federal grand jury, and got theindictment.They're ready for trial.""This Lieutenant Leaphorn, is he-""A vote of no confidence," Chee said."The tribal police think you got the wrong man?""Maybe.More likely Leaphorn is freelancing.He does that some.He's sort ofour supercop.Old as the hills.Knows everybody.Remembers everything.Forgetsnothing.I worked with him a time or two before.Everybody does sooner orlater because he handles the tough investigations wherever they are
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