working for the Breedlove family now.
14
THE QUESTION NAGGING AT JIM CHEE
wasn’t the sort he wanted to explore on the Tribal Police radio band. He stopped at the Hogback trading post, dropped a quarter in the pay phone, and called the number Leaphorn had left. It proved to be the Anasazi Inn in Farmington, but the front desk said Leaphorn had checked out. Chee dropped in another quarter and called his own office. Jenifer answered. Yes, Leaphorn had called again. He said he was on his way back from Farmington to Window Rock and he would drop by and try to catch Chee at his office.
Chee got there about five minutes faster than the speed limit allowed. Leaphorn’s car was in the parking lot. The man himself was perched, ramrod straight, on a chair in the waiting room, reading yesterday’s copy of
“If you have a couple of minutes, I want to pass on some information,” Leaphorn said. “Otherwise, I can catch you when you have some time.”
“I have time,” Chee said, and ushered him into his office.
Leaphorn sat. “I’ll be brief. I’ve taken a retainer from the Breedlove Corporation. Actually, it’s really the family, I guess. They want me to sort of reinvestigate the disappearance of Hal Breedlove.” He paused, awaited a reaction. If he was reading Chee’s studiously blank expression properly, the young man didn’t like the arrangement.
“So it’s official business for you now,” Chee said. “At least unofficially official.”
“Right,” Leaphorn said. “I wanted you to know that because I may be bothering you now and then. With questions.” He paused again.
“Is that it?” Chee asked. If it was, he had some questions of his own.
“There’s something else I wanted to tell you. I think it’s pretty clear the family thinks Hal was murdered. If they have any evidence of that they’re not telling me. Maybe it’s just that they want it to be murder. And they want to be able to prove it. They want to regain title to the ranch.”
“Oh,” Chee said. “Did they tell you that?”
Leaphorn hesitated, his expression quizzical. What the devil was bothering Chee? “I was thinking that would be the most likely motive,” he said. “What do you think?”
Chee nodded noncommittally.
“Can you tell me who you made the deal with?” he asked.
“You mean the individual?” Leaphorn said. “I think private detectives are supposed to have a thing about client confidentiality, but I haven’t learned to think like a private eye. Never will. This is my one and only venture. George Shaw handed me my check.” He laughed, and told Chee how he’d outsmarted himself, trying to learn how big a deal this was for the Breedlove Corporation.
“So Hal’s cousin signed the check, but the lawyer with him, you remember his name?” 43 of 102
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“McDermott,” Leaphorn said. “John McDermott. He’s the lawyer handling it. He called me and arranged the meeting. Works for a Washington firm, but I think he used to have an office in Albuquerque. And—” He stopped, aware of Chee’s expression. “You know this guy?”
“Indirectly,” Chee said. “He was sort of an Indian affairs specialist for an Albuquerque firm. I think he represented Peabody Coal when they were negotiating one of the coal contracts with us, and a couple of pipeline companies dealing with the Jicarillas. Then he moved to Washington and is doing the same thing on that level. I think it’s with the same law firm.” Leaphorn looked surprised. “You know a lot more about him than I do,” he said. “How’s his reputation? It okay?”
“As a lawyer? I guess so. He used to be a professor.”
“He struck me as arrogant. Is that your impression?”
Chee shrugged. “I don’t know him. I just know a little about him.”
“Well, he didn’t make a good first impression.”
“Could you tell me when he called you? I mean made the first contact.” The question obviously surprised Leaphorn. “Let’s see,” he said. “Two or three days ago.”
“Was it last Tuesday?”
“Tuesday? Let’s see. Yeah. It was a call on my answering machine. I returned it.”
“Morning or afternoon?”
“I don’t know. It could have been either one. But it’s still on the recording. I think I could find out.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Chee said.
“Will do,” Leaphorn said, and paused. “I’m trying to place the date. That would have been about the day after you got the skeleton identified. Right?”
Chee sighed. “Lieutenant Leaphorn,” he said, “you already know just what I’m thinking, don’t you?”
“Well, I’d guess you’re wondering how that lawyer found out so quickly that the skeleton had turned out to be somebody so important to his client. No announcement had been made. Nothing in the papers until a day or so later and I don’t think it ever made the national news. Just a little story around here, and about three paragraphs in the
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Chee said.
