Murder in the Melting Pot by Jane Isenberg

Author:Jane Isenberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oconee Spirit Press

CHAPTER 14

Guest book: “Out here for some face-time with client and pleased with this new B&B. Good wi-fi and coffee. Nice room and client didn’t balk at the tab.” C.S. Nikaimak, Attorney at Law

Joseph Wright was honored and buried so soon after he died that his funeral luncheon was over before Miranda saw the obit and realized that neither Colestah nor Michael had invited her. Colestah had been so busy in the days after Joseph’s death that Miranda saw little of her. The day she finally checked out, she was early for breakfast, and Miranda greeted her with a question. “Colestah, I take it you persuaded the tribal and county cops that your brother and your grandfather had nothing to do with Isaac Markowitz’s murder?

Colestah nodded.

“How did you manage that?”

Sipping coffee and helping herself to a slab of warm zucchini bread, Colestah gave a simple answer. “I told them they didn’t do it.”

“Come on, Colestah. Michael already told them that and they still kept after him.”

“You’re right. I phrased my message a little differently.” She smirked. ”I told them to stop their racial profiling and to stop harassing my brother if they wanted to avoid a lawsuit. And I reminded them that Michael has a solid alibi for Isaac’s time of death, had no reason to kill him, was not in possession of the alleged murder weapon when it was allegedly used, and has no criminal record. I also reminded them that they had no evidence against him. Then I explained that our grandfather also had an alibi for that morning. He was out at MaryFrances’s place preparing for his journey. Easy peasy.” She rubbed her palms together as if washing her hands of this matter once and for all. “Now can I eat?” She grinned, so pleased with herself that she hardly needed Miranda’s approval. But Miranda, somewhat recovered from what she’d come to think of as their ride on the wild side, gave her a thumbs up anyway.

“And, so you know, Miranda, the luncheon went very well. State Law doesn’t allow corpses in longhouses, but they never come down on us about that, so there he lay, wrapped in his father’s Pendleton blanket. The whole longhouse smelled of grilled salmon.” She shook her head. “Some of those folks hadn’t sat down to a salmon meal ever. After that there was drumming, a lot of drumming… and we carried him out and laid him in Michael’s truck. Then the vets came wearing their feathered headdresses and folded the flag and played taps and gave him a 21-gun salute. Finally Michael and I took him away and buried him.” Clearly the details of Joseph Wright’s private burial would remain private. Colestah drank her last few swallows of coffee and put her mug down. “Gotta pack. I’m due in court tomorrow in Seattle.”

An hour later, Miranda was watering her spider plant when Colestah returned, dressed in her black pants and jersey, with her hair off her face and flowing down her back.

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