Hillerman, Tony - [Leaphorn & Chee 17] by Skeleton Man (v4) [html]

people, and a layered, sophisticated ruling class.
    Janet smiled at him now out of the photograph, dark eyes, dark hair beautifully framing a perfect face, slender, an image of grace. Chee dropped both photographs back into the drawer and closed it, remembering how long it had taken him to understand Janet, to realize how smart she was, to realize how he fitted into her plans. Like Mary, she had (more or less) said yes. He had obtained a videotape of a traditional Navajo wedding and took it to her apartment to explain it to her. Instead he learned the nuptials would be in a Washington cathedral with full pomp and ceremony. She had arranged to have the proper strings pulled to have herself transferred to a Justice Department job in Maryland. She had learned the U.S. Marshals Service had an opening there that exactly fit him. She was surprised that he was surprised.
    The telephone rang.
    Bernie, Chee thought. He picked it up. “Bernie,” he said, “I’ve been—”
    “It’s Joe Leaphorn,” the voice said. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”
    Chee exhaled. Said, “Oh, okay. I got your message. I was just going to call you. Tell me what McGinnis told you about the diamond.”
    “I will,” Leaphorn said. “If you’re still interested in that charge against Billy Tuve, I guess it’s sort of good news. But now I’ve also got some bad news. I’ll give you that first.”
    “Sure,” Chee said.
    “Sheriff Tomas Perez—you remember him, retired now. Anyway, I saw him down at the Navajo Inn at lunch. He told me he heard from his old undersheriff that they’ve got some more evidence against Tuve. Seems a former employee at that Zuni store reported that the manager there actually did have a big, valuable diamond in his stock. He said the boss had shown it to him several times. Was very proud of it.”
    “Oh,” Chee said, thinking, Good-bye, Tuve.
    Leaphorn awaited further comment. Got none.
    “So it won’t surprise you to hear that the victim’s widow is claiming the diamond. The D.A. said she’d have to wait until after the trial and he’d need her to testify about it.”
    “Did she say she’d seen it, too?”
    “Perez seemed to have that impression. But you know how it is. He’s been out of the sheriff’s job for three years now. Passing along third-hand stuff.”
    “Yeah,” Chee said. “Do you know if Dashee knows about this?”
    “Probably,” Leaphorn said. “You know how that is, too. Bad news travels fast.”
    “Yep. It does.”
    “However, what Shorty told me makes it sound like Billy Tuve might actually have gotten that diamond down in the canyon. Shorty told me he got his own diamond—”
    “Wait,” Chee said. “Pardon the interruption. His own diamond? What does that mean?”
    “Remember that Short Mountain burglary? Years ago? Shorty listed the diamond as part of the loss. He says he got it from a cowboy, a guy named Reno, who drifted through, gave it to him in exchange for some groceries and a ride into Page. This Reno told Shorty he’d traded one of those scabbard knives for it to an old man down in the Grand Canyon.”
    “About where in the canyon?”
    “He said just down from the Little Colorado confluence.”
    “Well, now,” Chee said. “That’s interesting. That’s the right general area.”
    “Must be very close to the place Tuve claims to have swapped off his folding shovel, right?”
    “Right,” Chee said. “I’ll tell Dashee about this. Thanks.”
    “The even better news is you finally got wise enough to ask Bernadette to marry you. That correct?”
    “It is.”
    Leaphorn chuckled. “They say third time’s the charm. It is the third time, isn’t it? First we heard you and that pretty blond girl teaching over at Crownpoint were getting married. And then we heard it was going to be the U.S. lawyer, Janet Pete. Both of those deals fellthrough. I hope you’re not going to let Bernadette back out.”
    “Not if I can prevent it,” Chee said.
    “Well, I’m