Dance of the Bones

For the design work, I had enlisted the help of Jim Hunt. There had been permits to obtain, contractors to juggle, materials to be purchased, to say nothing of endless days of design decisions. I didn’t care if I ever set foot in a lighting or plumbing fixture store again. Then, once work started, I was in charge of overseeing construction.

The hurry--up remodeling project had come in on time but slightly over budget. Weeks earlier, Harry had finally been released from rehab. He had gone home under the supervision of a capable but nightmare--inducing retired RN named Marge Herndon, whom many regard as a clone of Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. She had been my grim--faced, overly bossy drill instructor/taskmaster during my stint of rehab following bilateral knee replacement, but she’d gotten the job done. I had suggested that Harry look into hiring her to help him once he was sent home. I never anticipated what happened once those two tough--minded individuals were thrown together. I had expected they’d initially lock horns and only gradually come to some kind of understanding. Instead, they’d gotten along like gangbusters from the outset, their shared addiction to tobacco having helped seal the deal. And if Harry thought, as I had, that Marge was bossy as all hell, he had so far failed to mention it.

Lost in thought, I had no conscious recollection of sinking down on the side of the bed, but that’s where I was when the phone rang.

“Hey,” Cherisse announced. “We’re here.”

There was still a lump in my throat, one I had to swallow before I could reply. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll be right down.”

On the ride down in the elevator, I attempted to compose myself. I realized that Scott and Cherisse were right to insist that I go to the gala. After all, there have been far too many fallen officers in my life for me to take a pass on Behind the Badge, and that’s what the evening would be about—-remembering those folks and honoring them.

As the elevator descended, I enumerated them one by one, starting, of course, with the most recent—-Delilah Ainsworth. Before Delilah came Sue Danielson; before Sue came the big guy, Benjamin Harrison “Gentle Ben” Weston; and before Gentle Ben there was my very first partner in Homicide, Milton “Pickles” Gurkey. Pickles had been on duty when he suffered a fatal heart attack during a shoot--out in the parking lot outside the Doghouse restaurant.

By the time I reached the lobby, I finally had my head screwed on straight. I stepped outside and climbed into the backseat of Scott’s Acura. Fortunately for me, Cherisse is a little bit of a thing. Once she moved her seat forward, I had plenty of leg room.

“How’s it going?” Scott asked from the driver’s seat.

“Fine,” I answered. “Just fine.”

It was a Mel Soames “fine”—-a two--raised--eyebrows “fine.” What I meant but didn’t say was that I may have been fine now, but I sure as hell hadn’t been fine a few minutes ago.

“I’m so glad you decided to come along after all,” Cherisse said. “It’ll be great fun.”

“I’m sure it will,” I said.

I doubted it would be any kind of fun, but since I was going anyway, I screwed my courage to the sticking place and decided to enjoy it.





CHAPTER 6




THE -PEOPLE OF RATTLESNAKE SKULL village were angry with the Apache for stealing their food, but they were even angrier at Young Girl. Even though she had tried to warn them of the attack, they thought she had betrayed them. And so the council changed her name and said that from that time on she would be called Betraying Woman—-Gagdathag O’oks.

Young Man had been badly hurt when the women beat him. They carried Young Man back to the cave. Then they brought Betraying Woman there as well along with everything she owned—-her pots and baskets, her blankets and awl. Then, leaving Young Man and Betraying Woman inside to die, they asked I’itoi to bring down the mountain and close the entrance to the cave.

Betraying Woman stayed with Young Man until he died, caring for him as best she could. And even to this day, nawoj, my friend, when you hear the wind whispering through the manzanita—-the bush for which Ioligam is named—-you will know it is only Betraying Woman singing a song to Young Man.