Free Hillerman, Tony - [Leaphorn & Chee 04] by jpg] People Of Darkness (v1) [html Page B

tension. The eyes shifted to Chee now, quickly past him, and back again. Becenti had said he was half crazy, a fanatic. The small black eyes had the look of those who see visions. Getting Tomas Charley to talk, Chee thought, would take a lot of care and a lot of luck.
    As it developed, it was no trouble at all. They talked a bit about the rug auction, and about the drought. Chee leaned against the wall beside the man, guiding the conversation. The auctioneer was on the stage now, a florid white man explaining the rules in a West Texas voice. Chee talked of Sheriff Gordo Sena, of jurisdiction problems between Navajo police and white sheriffs. The first rug was auctioned for $65. Bidding on the second one stuck at $110. The auctioneer put it aside and joked with the crowd about its stinginess. He moved the offer up to $155, and sold it.
    Chee talked of Mrs. Vines' job offer, of what she'd said of the burglary, of his decision not to get involved in it, and of Vines' withdrawing the offer. Tomas Charley said less and less.
    "It's no business of mine," Chee said. "I don't care about the burglar." He grinned at Charley. "I know who went in Vines' house and got that box. You know who went in. And Gordo Sena never is going to know. What I'd like to know is what was in that box."
    Charley said nothing. Chee waited. On the fifth rug, bidding was spirited. The auctioneer sold it for $240.
    "I've got a curious mind," Chee said. "Lots of things funny about Vines. Lots of things funny about Gordo Sena. Mrs. Vines, too."
    Tomas Charley glanced at him, then glanced away. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him. The fingers of his left hand, Chee noticed, tapped nervously against his right wrist.
    "Why did Vines bury your grandfather there at his house?" Chee asked. "I wonder about that. And why did somebody try to kill your father? And why did Mrs. Vines want me to find Vines' old box? And then not want me to find it? And why did Gordo Sena warn me to mind my own business?"
    Chee asked the last question directly to Charley. The drumming fingers stopped. Charley pursed his lips.
    "I don't give a damn if you got into Vines' house and took something," Chee said. "None of my business. But what was in that box?"
    "Rocks," Tomas Charley said. "Chunks of black rocks."
    It occurred to Chee that he hadn't really thought about what the box might hold. But he hadn't expected this. He considered it. "No papers?" he asked. "Nothing with anything written on it?"
    "Mostly rocks," Charley said.
    "Nothing else?"
    "Some medals," Charley said. "Stuff from the war. Stuff like that." He shrugged.
    "Tell me everything that was in it."
    Charley looked surprised. "Well," he said. "There's a little card glued inside the lid. Got Vines' name and address on it. Then there was three medals. One was the Purple Heart and the other two were like stars. One out of some kind of brown metal and the other one looked about the same, but it had a little silver star in the middle of it. And there was a set of wings like paratroopers wear, and a shoulder patch with an eagle head on it and silver bars like lieutenants wear in the army." Charley thought. "Photographs. A picture of a girl, and a picture of a man and woman standing by an old car, and then a whole bunch of black rocks." Charley stopped. The catalog was complete.
    "Nothing else?" Chee asked. "What did you expect to find?"
    Charley shrugged.
    "Luck?" Chee asked.
    Charley's face tightened. "Vines was a witch," he said. He didn't use the Navajo word, which meant witch, or skinwalker, or Navajo Wolf. He used a Keresan expression—the word the people of Laguna and Acoma used to mean sorcerer.
    "I heard that, too," Chee said. "You think you'd find his medicine bundle?"
    Charley glanced at Chee, then looked away. Time ticked past. The auctioneer began the rhythmic litany of another transaction.
    "He was killing my father," Charley said. "I wanted to turn the witching around. I wanted to find something for that."
    Chee