you’re right. I think I am not surprised. You heard about
his son? His first child? Who died the same hour he was
born, thanks be to God?” He crossed himself.
Dwight nodded. “Why did he blame Harris?”
“It was his farm. Maria was working there. Beyond
that I don’t know. I didn’t want to know. I gave him
work and a place to stay. I spoke for him in court and
as soon as I had done all that I pledged, I paid him his
money and told him to leave. He said he was going
home. The honor of my village required me to help him
when he asked for it. It did not require me to like him
or take him to my bosom.”
No, thought Dwight. Just my deputy. And how much
did she know? She had flushed bright red when Deborah
mentioned Diaz’s name.
“How much money did he leave with?”
“Fifteen hundred dollars. I gave him the flowers and
shrubs at our cost.”
“We’ll want to speak to your men who worked with
him.”
“Of course, Major, but they’ll only tell you the
same.”
“I bet they will,” Dwight said. He motioned to
Raeford McLamb, who had stood nearby listening.
288
HARD ROW
“Separate those men and get a statement from each of
them as to what they knew about Palmeiro.”
“Want me to translate for you?” asked Diaz with a
slight smile.
“No thanks,” Dwight said. “We brought our own
translator.”
It took less than an hour. Each man was separately
questioned, then allowed to go back to work.
Dwight did not wait to hear the predictable results.
Instead, he got in his truck and drove over to the old
Buckley place, Harris Farm #1, where Richards and
Jamison were bearing down on Felicia Sanaugustin and
Mercedes Santos, who swore separately and together
that they knew nothing about the Palmeiros or their
baby.
“I don’t understand why they keep saying that,” a
frustrated Richards told Dwight. “They know we know
that the baby was born here in the camp and that the
EMS truck responded to an emergency call here in
January. Why won’t they admit that the baby was still-
born and had serious birth defects?”
“Maybe for the same reason they didn’t tell you about
Mrs. Harris falling in the mud puddle till they knew she
had told you,” Dwight said. “Let me go see if she’s
