Dance of the Bones

One day, when Shining Falls took the children up to play among the rocks, she slipped and fell. Shining Falls was badly hurt and could not walk. The children were frightened. When they saw the black cloud that was the hair of the Evil Giantess approaching, they began to scream.

Just then, Shining Falls saw a turtle, Large Old Turtle—-Ge’echu Komikch’ed. Shining Falls called Turtle and asked him to take the children back to the village, but first Turtle needed to find someone else to send a message because he would have to go ever so slowly with the little children. Turtle called to the children and started with them down an easy way to the village.

AFTER BEING AWAKE MUCH OF the night, Ava Richland was still sleeping when her phone rang late that morning. “Did you catch the kid?”

“Yes.”

“And the shipment?”

“Got it,” Henry said, “but it wasn’t easy.”

“As much as I pay you, it doesn’t have to be easy. Where was it?”

“The kid had passed it along to a friend of his. I’ve got both of them stashed in a safe place. I won’t be able to take care of them until later tonight.”

“That is not okay, Henry. Tim José for sure knows who you are, and the other kid can probably identify you as well. They need to be gone.”

“I didn’t have time. I was working. I had to grab the second kid right in the middle of my shift, and I didn’t want to finish off the first one until I was sure he wasn’t lying to me about where he had ditched the diamonds. I’ll unload the two boys tonight.”

“Where are they? What if they get loose? How do you know someone won’t find them before you can take care of them?”

“They’re bottled up in the bottom of my truck, which is locked up tight in my garage out at the airport. Even if they managed to get loose from their restraints, they won’t be able to open the box. It’s padlocked shut.”

“But what if someone stops by the building? Won’t they be able to hear them?”

“Nope, no way.”

Ava wasn’t pleased with Henry’s answer, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. “All right,” she agreed reluctantly. “What about the shipment?”

“Drop it off at the usual place?”

“That’s probably best,” she said. “As long as the kids are safe where they are, come by as soon as you finish your shift. You probably want to be paid, and I’m feeling generous today. You’ve cleaned up what could have been a huge mess for me last night and today. You can expect a substantial bonus.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Henry said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. But what about Max? I’m worried about him. Once he hears about Carlos and Paul . . .”

“I already told you. Don’t worry about Max José. He’s handled. He’ll be gone tonight, too.”

“Okay,” Henry said. “The usual place, then. I’ll be there.”

That’s the wonderful power of greed, Ava thought as the call ended. It was the one constant in life. It worked like a charm, and it made -people do stupid things.

Ava got out of bed and put on her robe. Then she went in search of Harold. She found him where she expected to, sitting in the sun on the back patio with his walker parked nearby. An untouched copy of the Wall Street Journal lay on the table next to him. They still subscribed to it. The paper came every day and Harold made sure that it went with him wherever he was, but he had long since stopped maintaining the fiction of pretending to read it.

It saddened Ava to realize that Harold was a doddering old man now, little more than a husk of the man he had been even as short a time as two years ago. His decline in the past few months had been surprisingly swift. Once she had supposed that she’d have to deal with him before she exited stage left, but that was no longer necessary. Even had he known something, he’d be of little use to any investigators. Besides, having him alive and unwell would give her flexibility in making good her departure with as little hue and cry as possible.

She walked over to the table, kissed Harold on the top of his bald head, and then poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the cup--laden tray the housekeeper had left on the patio table. Then she sat down across from him.