Hillerman, Anne - The Sacred Bridge by Hillerman Anne

Author:Hillerman, Anne [Hillerman, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

He wanted the details, but the news confirmed what his intuition had told him. And in terms of the questions he planned to ask, really nothing had changed.

A young woman was energetically sweeping the chapter house porch. She looked up as he rolled down Omar’s window.

“That must be an endless job.”

“I don’t mind. I like to stay busy. May I help you, sir?”

“I’m trying to find a person named Wanda Nakai.”

“You’re in luck. That’s me.”

Chee turned off the engine and climbed out of the truck. Wanda looked considerably younger than he’d expected, maybe in her late teens. She had onyx eyes and lovely clear skin, with a dimple in her chin. No wonder Curtis was attracted to her.

He’d thought about how to say what came next, but that didn’t make it easier.

“I’m Sergeant Jim Chee. I have some bad news about a man you know, Curtis Walker.”

“Bad news?”

“I regret to tell you that his body was found in Lake Powell. I’m working with the police on the investigation.”

“Body? You mean he’s dead?” He watched her joy drain away. She stood in stunned silence.

“I’d like to talk to you about him for a moment, as part of the case.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“Is there a place we can sit for a moment?”

“Ah, yeah. Sure. OK.” She opened the door, and Chee followed her into a large room, noticing the slump in her posture. She motioned him toward a well-worn couch against the north wall, the direction for death. Was it a coincidence, he wondered, or did this young one understand something of the old ways?

He sat a respectful distance away from her. Although he wanted to ask her directly about her relationship with Curtis, and whether she knew anyone who might try to harm him, he started with a safe question.

“Tell me the story of you and the one who died. How did you know each other?”

“Curtis came here looking for me, kind of like you. It was late in the spring. I’d just graduated from high school, and I felt so lucky to get this job, full-time and everything. He came in and asked for me. I’m glad I was here that day.”

Chee noticed that unlike traditional Navajos, she had no hesitation in speaking the name of the dead man. Her story surprised him. “Why did he ask for you?”

“He said he had been a friend of my mom’s. He told me he was sorry she had passed, and that he would have come sooner to pay his respects, but he had just learned the news. He told me he hated to bother me at work, but he didn’t have my phone number.”

“Did he tell you how he knew your mom?”

“He said they went to school together. When we got to know each other, he showed me the yearbook with their pictures, and he said that I reminded him a lot of her. Curtis told me some stories about her that, I don’t know, made me happy.”

“What was he like?”

“Nice. Quiet. Sincere.” She stopped.

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