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.He was a mean drunk.Cranky.But no meaner than most.And he toldme he'd quit that drinking.Wonder what he had to burn up that officer for.What did he say about that?"Leaphorn noticed that Professor Bourebonette looked surprised and impressed.He was neither.McGinnis was shrewd.And why else would Leaphorn be cominghere to talk to him? Now McGinnis was pouring water from a five-gallon caninto his coffeepot.He struck a match to light his butane stove and put thepot on it."I understand he won't talk about it," Leaphorn said.McGinnis stopped adjusting the flame.He straightened and looked at Leaphorn.He looked surprised."Won't say why he did it?""Or whether he did it.Or didn't do it.He just won't talk about it at all.""Well, now," McGinnis said."That makes it interesting." He sorted through theodds and ends stacked on a shelf above the stove, extracted two cups anddusted them."Won't talk," McGinnis said."And old Ashie was always aforthcoming man.""That's what the FBI report says.He won't admit it, won't deny it, won'tdiscuss it," Leaphorn said.Professor Bourebonette stirred in her chair.Page 30ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"What was he doing way over there anyhow?" asked McGinnis."Didn't his folksknow? Mary Keeyani keeps a close eye on him.He don't get away with much thatshe don't know about.""Mary doesn't know," Bourebonette said."Somebody came and got him.Must havebeen that.""But Mary don't know who?" McGinnis chuckled."I know who then.Or, I'll bet Ido.""Who?" Leaphorn said.He tried to make it sound casual, resisted the impulseto lean forward.He remembered how McGinnis loved to drag things out and themore you wanted it, the longer he made you wait."If it was somebody he was working for, that is," McGinnis said."He'd beenworking for Professor Bourebonette here-" he nodded toward her "-and forsomebody from the University of New Mexico.I think his name was Tagert.Andfor a couple of others off and on.People who wanted his folk tales like theprofessor, or wanted to put down some of his memories."McGinnis stopped, tested the side of the coffeepot for temperature with theback of his finger and looked at Leaphorn.Waiting."Which one was it?"McGinnis ignored Leaphorn's question."You sure Mary didn't know?" he askedBourebonette."Absolutely sure.""Had to be Tagert then." He waited again."Why Tagert?" Leaphorn asked."Tagert used to give him whiskey.Mary found out about it.She wouldn't lethim work for Tagert any more."Leaphorn considered this.It fit with what Mrs.Keeyani had said.And it madea certain amount of sense, even though the way McGinnis told it, it seemednothing more than a guess.But McGinnis knew more than he'd told.Leaphorn wassure of that.He was also tired, with hours of driving ahead of him.He didn'twant to sit here while McGinnis amused himself."Did you write a letter for him? For Hosteen Pinto?"McGinnis tested the coffeepot again, found the heat adequate, filled one cup,handed it to Professor Bourebonette."If you like sugar in it, I can get you that.I'm all out of milk unless Ihave some condensed out in the store.""This is fine," she said."Thank you.""You known Lieutenant Leaphorn long? If I might ask such a question.""You may.We met just this morning.""Notice how he gets right to the point.That's unusual in a Navajo.Usuallythey're more polite about it." McGinnis glanced at Leaphorn."We got plenty oftime."Page 31ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html"Pinto got a letter from Tagert here," Leaphorn said."He happened to pick itup himself, didn't he? You read it to him and then you answered it for him.That about right?"McGinnis poured Leaphorn's coffee into a mug that bore the legend JUSTINBOOTS.It reminded Leaphorn that the boots Emma had bought him for hisbirthday after they were married were Justins.They couldn't afford them then.But he'd worn them almost twenty years.Emma.The sure knowledge that he wouldnever see her again sat suddenly on his shoulders, as it sometimes did.Heclosed his eyes.When he opened them, McGinnis was holding the mug out to him, expressionquizzical.Leaphorn took it, nodded."You had it about right," McGinnis said."He was in the store when the mailcame, as I remember it.Tagert wanted to interview him about something.Hewanted to know if he could come and get him on some date or other.He askedAshie to let him know if that date was all right or to name another if itwasn't.""Anything else?" Leaphorn asked.He sipped the coffee.Even by the relaxedstandards of the Window Rock Tribal Police headquarters it was bad coffee.Made this morning, Leaphorn guessed, and reheated all day."Just a short letter," McGinnis said."That was it.""What was the date?""I don't remember.Would have been early in August.""And Pinto agreed?""Yeah," McGinnis said.He frowned, remembering-the plump, round face Leaphornremembered from a decade ago shrunken now into a wilderness of lines andcreases.Then he shrugged."Anyway, the upshot was he asked me to write Tagertback and tell him he'd be ready in the afternoon."Professor Bourebonette, either politer or more starved for caffeine thanLeaphorn, was sipping her coffee with no apparent distaste.She put down thecup."So now we know how he got to Ship Rock," she said."Tagert came and got him."But Leaphorn was studying McGinnis."Pinto said something about it, orsomething like that? He didn't just immediately say write him back?""I'm trying to remember," McGinnis said, impatiently."I'm trying to get itall back in my mind.We was in this room, I remember that much.Ashie'sgetting too damn old to amount to much but I've known him for years and whenhe comes in we usually come back here for a talk.Find out what's going onover by the river, you know."He rocked forward in his chair, got up clumsily.He opened the cabinet abovethe stove and extracted a bottle.Old Crow."The lieutenant here don't drink," McGinnis said to Professor Bourebonette.Heglanced at Leaphorn."Unless he's changed his ways.But I will offer you a sipPage 32ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlof bourbon.""And I will accept it," the professor said.She handed McGinnis her emptycoffee cup and he poured the whiskey into it.Then he fumbled at thecountertop, came up with a Coca-Cola glass and filled it carefully up to thetrademark by the label.That done, he sat again, put the bottle on the floorbeside him, and rocked."I didn't offer Hosteen Pinto a drink.I remember that.Wouldn't be the thingto do, him being alcoholic.But I poured myself one, and sat here and sippedat it." McGinnis sipped his bourbon, thinking [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]