that.” He wanted to call him a bastard, a liar, but held back. “I have to go home. At least I can see my family’s graves.”
“It’s too dangerous, Jack. Zeller gave me direct orders to hide you until things are safe. We’ve got to protect you, all of us do. We’re the good guys.”
“Then why doesn’t it feel like it?” A vein in his neck pulsated; he swung around, looking menacingly at Lori. “You’ve been flat-ass lying to me from the get-go. The nice little dinner you showed up with. How did you know where to find me?”
“I told Doctor Newman we were engaged. That I wanted to surprise you.” Her speech dropped to a bare whisper. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over.
“I understand you want to strike out at someone, at both of us,” Bill said. “But you’ve got to understand one helluva a lot of people are working for you.”
“Working for me?” His mind couldn’t grasp what Bill was saying. His entire family had been wiped out. A singularly horrendous fact. “Bill, I know Chicago, I can take care of myself. I can handle anything that comes my way.”
“I’m sure you think you can, but...”
“I said I can, didn’t you hear me? I’m going home, end of discussion. I need to honor them.” He started for the door.
“You shall do as you are ordered, or I will...”
“You’ll what? There’s not much you can do to hurt me.”
“I will have you locked up for disobeying a direct order.”
“You think so?”
Bill called out, “Gentlemen, come in.”
Stan and two tribal policemen entered the office. “Don’t make me do it, Jack,” said Bill. “Whoever is after you must be big time, very big time. Let the professionals do their job.”
“Well now, just what do you have planned for me?”
Bill explained how people could disappear in the pueblo. He had gone to Louis Paul. “He didn’t hesitate. He feels completely indebted to you for saving his son, Tito.”
His back to everyone, Jack stared at the surface of his desk. A stack of charts waited for his signature. Beside them was the envelope Gabriel D’Amico had handed to him before he left home. HOME. Too fatigued from the overwhelming drain, he acquiesced. “What’s next?”
Lori wiped her eyes. Bill took a deep breath. Both of them were fighting to contain their own emotions, knowing there was space for only one broken person in the room.
“The tribal police will drive you to the Middle Village. They will escort you to Mr. Jahata,” said Bill. “I’ll watch your back.”
“Me, too,” Lori said in a whisper.
Dressed in a short-sleeved plaid shirt, jeans with a leather belt and large silver buckle, Tito greeted Jack. “Welcome to our home, Doctor.” No cast, no bandage, nothing but residual redness on his arm. He knew what Jack was thinking. Flexed his bicep. “Almost well.”
“ Keshi, welcome, Doctor D’Amico, to Halona Idiwan’a, home of the A:shiwi ,” said Louis Paul. He took a step back, smoothing his shoulder-length hair. “Your actions saved him.”
“His arm...”
“I’ll tell you what I’ve planned for you. First, eat.”
Eating was the last thing Jack cared about, but he followed them to a table prepared for one. Bowl. Spoon. Hesitation.
Louis Paul noticed. “ Chuleya:we , Zuni stew—it will help.”
A short woman wearing a needlepoint turquoise necklace over a purple blouse appeared. Long hair pulled into a knot. High cheekbones, slanted eyes. She placed a black iron kettle, wooden ladle in front of him. Even without the pork pie hat, she knew he recognized her.
“My wife, Linda.”
“We’ve met.” She liked to wash Dr. Bill’s dishes with a hose.
“Her primary clan is Bear, her secondary clan is Dogwood. From the Crow,” said Louis Paul. “I am from the Tobacco clan, secondary is Badger. I tell you this, Doctor, because all Zuni children are schooled in their heritage. No intermarriage of bloodlines.”
Zuni bloodlines were not intermixed. Not within
“It’s too dangerous, Jack. Zeller gave me direct orders to hide you until things are safe. We’ve got to protect you, all of us do. We’re the good guys.”
“Then why doesn’t it feel like it?” A vein in his neck pulsated; he swung around, looking menacingly at Lori. “You’ve been flat-ass lying to me from the get-go. The nice little dinner you showed up with. How did you know where to find me?”
“I told Doctor Newman we were engaged. That I wanted to surprise you.” Her speech dropped to a bare whisper. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over.
“I understand you want to strike out at someone, at both of us,” Bill said. “But you’ve got to understand one helluva a lot of people are working for you.”
“Working for me?” His mind couldn’t grasp what Bill was saying. His entire family had been wiped out. A singularly horrendous fact. “Bill, I know Chicago, I can take care of myself. I can handle anything that comes my way.”
“I’m sure you think you can, but...”
“I said I can, didn’t you hear me? I’m going home, end of discussion. I need to honor them.” He started for the door.
“You shall do as you are ordered, or I will...”
“You’ll what? There’s not much you can do to hurt me.”
“I will have you locked up for disobeying a direct order.”
“You think so?”
Bill called out, “Gentlemen, come in.”
Stan and two tribal policemen entered the office. “Don’t make me do it, Jack,” said Bill. “Whoever is after you must be big time, very big time. Let the professionals do their job.”
“Well now, just what do you have planned for me?”
Bill explained how people could disappear in the pueblo. He had gone to Louis Paul. “He didn’t hesitate. He feels completely indebted to you for saving his son, Tito.”
His back to everyone, Jack stared at the surface of his desk. A stack of charts waited for his signature. Beside them was the envelope Gabriel D’Amico had handed to him before he left home. HOME. Too fatigued from the overwhelming drain, he acquiesced. “What’s next?”
Lori wiped her eyes. Bill took a deep breath. Both of them were fighting to contain their own emotions, knowing there was space for only one broken person in the room.
“The tribal police will drive you to the Middle Village. They will escort you to Mr. Jahata,” said Bill. “I’ll watch your back.”
“Me, too,” Lori said in a whisper.
Dressed in a short-sleeved plaid shirt, jeans with a leather belt and large silver buckle, Tito greeted Jack. “Welcome to our home, Doctor.” No cast, no bandage, nothing but residual redness on his arm. He knew what Jack was thinking. Flexed his bicep. “Almost well.”
“ Keshi, welcome, Doctor D’Amico, to Halona Idiwan’a, home of the A:shiwi ,” said Louis Paul. He took a step back, smoothing his shoulder-length hair. “Your actions saved him.”
“His arm...”
“I’ll tell you what I’ve planned for you. First, eat.”
Eating was the last thing Jack cared about, but he followed them to a table prepared for one. Bowl. Spoon. Hesitation.
Louis Paul noticed. “ Chuleya:we , Zuni stew—it will help.”
A short woman wearing a needlepoint turquoise necklace over a purple blouse appeared. Long hair pulled into a knot. High cheekbones, slanted eyes. She placed a black iron kettle, wooden ladle in front of him. Even without the pork pie hat, she knew he recognized her.
“My wife, Linda.”
“We’ve met.” She liked to wash Dr. Bill’s dishes with a hose.
“Her primary clan is Bear, her secondary clan is Dogwood. From the Crow,” said Louis Paul. “I am from the Tobacco clan, secondary is Badger. I tell you this, Doctor, because all Zuni children are schooled in their heritage. No intermarriage of bloodlines.”
Zuni bloodlines were not intermixed. Not within
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