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Authors: Aimee & David Thurlo

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Then, as several other people stood and spoke, the battle lines became fixed. It didn’t take long before the meeting became more of a shouting match than a discussion. Finally the committee president took the
floor again.
“Our prayer at the beginning of this meeting said that we’d come together to make things beautiful for each other. But look at what we’re doing. We’re dishonoring the land and the Plant People by arguing about them in this way.” The stern admonition brought an uneasy peace. “I vote that we close this meeting for tonight. Nothing good can come when everyone is angry.”
The meeting
adjourned promptly thereafter, and as everyone left the building, Rose saw Professor Hoff and Maria leaving together through the side door. Their body language suggested Maria was still upset with him; still, their obvious friendship made her uneasy.
Deciding that the time to speak with them together had come, Rose headed for the same exit, but the moment she stepped outside, Ellen came up to
her.
“For what it’s worth, I really do think you should take a close look at your own people. Even if you’re innocent, the Plant Watchers and the
hataaliis
are the obvious suspects. I heard recently that two girls—granddaughters of two Plant Watchers—were caught trying to dig up jimsonweed. There was a boy with them too, and I understand that he comes from a traditionalist family. My daughter
goes to Shiprock High School, and everyone’s talking about the incident. I believe you were the one who called it to the principal’s attention.”
Rose’s heart sank. She’d suspected as much after hearing
the boy say that he’d gotten the drawings from a book his mother kept at home. But she hadn’t wanted to believe it, and had shut the offending thought from her mind. Now, as Ellen confronted her
with it, she knew it was the truth.
“Children make their own choices,” Rose said sadly. “As parents, all we can do is our best. Traditionalist families face the same challenges as everyone else.”
“When the kids from traditionalist families get caught between what they’re taught at home and the real world, trouble is bound to follow. Look at the mess created by something as simple as a plant
book one of the parents kept,” Ellen replied.
“Modernist families face problems with their children too, such as drinking and drugs,” Rose reminded.
Ellen shook her head. “You’re just too stubborn about the old ways. You won’t even come to the church your own husband founded. You should, you know, if only out of respect for him. I go each Sunday and people still ask about you.”
“Do you go to
the Catholic church as well?” Rose asked.
“Why? I’m not Catholic,” Ellen replied.
“Nor do I belong to
your
church. So why can’t you understand that I chose a different path than my late husband?”
Ellen was about to reply when she glanced to the far end of the parking lot and suddenly scowled. “I have to get going. My cousin parked next to me and I
know
how she drives. I don’t have insurance
either … .” Ellen stormed away.
With a sigh, Rose looked around, trying to remember where she’d parked her truck, when elderly Linda Bidtah came up to her. Rose greeted her in Navajo.
“Do you really believe that someone is deliberately stealing our Plant People?” Linda asked.
“Yes, I do, and in fact one of the areas that has been disturbed is not far from where you live. Have you seen any strangers
hanging around or walking about?”
Linda thought about it, then shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.”
As Linda walked away, joining her family, Rose saw another traditionalist woman she knew and walked over to greet her. Arlene Allison lived in the area around Crystal, another of the ravaged sites.
“You held your own very well inside,” Arlene praised as Rose came up.
“Thank you,” Rose said. “I’m
glad to see you and I’d like to ask you a question. Have you seen anyone hanging around out by where you live? There are several collection sites near you.”
“I haven’t seen any strangers, and only a few of my neighbors,” she said, then lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Moments later, she spoke again. “Come to think of it, something a little unusual happened about a week ago. I saw a gas company
truck parked in the middle of a field near the area where I graze my sheep. I figured he was either lost or had run out of gas, but when I decided to walk over and ask him if he needed help, he drove off.”
“Did you see the driver’s face?”
“No, not clearly, I never got close, but he had one arm outside the driver’s-side window, and from the skin tone, I’m pretty sure he was Anglo.”
As someone
called out to Arlene, and the woman walked away, Rose looked around for Herman, but he was nowhere to be seen. Lost in thought, she began walking to her pickup. The appearance of a gas truck around Arlene’s house bothered her. She was almost certain that there were no gas lines around there. Everyone in that area used bottled gas or wood stoves. The gas truck shouldn’t have been there—unless the
gas company was planning on putting in new lines, or a new gas well had been drilled nearby. Or maybe the tribe was planning some kind of new development. She made a mental note to check into it.
Rose was about to get into her truck when Herman came over. “My nephews came to the meeting and have asked me to join them for some pie at the Totah Café. Why don’t you come with us?”
Rose shook her
head. “Thanks, but no. My daughter and granddaughter should be home soon and I want to see them both. I’ve missed them.”
After saying good-bye to Herman, she got into her truck, glanced into the rearview mirror ready to back out, and saw Maria Poyer getting into Willie’s fancy SUV. On impulse, she decided to make another attempt to talk to them and maybe learn exactly what their relationship
was.
Rose waved, trying to get Professor Hoff’s attention, but he was focused on maneuvering past another vehicle and apparently didn’t see her. They sped off. Making up her mind to find out more about them, Rose started the truck and drove out of the parking lot.
Maybe, after she got a chance to visit with her granddaughter, Ella would be able to give her some pointers on what to do next.
W
hen Rose stepped inside the living room, Dawn leaped off the sofa and launched herself into her arms. Rose held her tightly, smelling the baby powder from Dawn’s recent bath and suddenly remembering how she’d done the same for Ella at that age. “I’m so glad to see you back home!”
“
Shimasání,
come with us next time!”
Ella looked at her daughter. “Hey, we did all right by ourselves,
didn’t we?”
Dawn nodded but said nothing.
Ella smiled at her mother. “She really did miss you.”
“I missed her, and even you, daughter.” Rose smiled at Ella, and gave her a hug as well.
Dawn had to tell her all about the trip, and chattered on almost nonstop until it was time for her to go to bed. Tonight, Rose insisted on reading her bedtime story. Truth was, she’d really missed her granddaughter,
and she wanted to spend just a little more time with her.
Rose heard the phone ring as Dawn finally started getting sleepy. Rose was thankful that Ella picked it up quickly. Dawn fell asleep halfway through the story, and Rose tiptoed out. As
she stepped into the kitchen, Ella was waiting there for her, leaning against the counter, arms crossed.
“Mother, how could you
not
call me?”
“I’m capable
of reading her a bedtime story by myself, daughter.”
“Don’t play innocent. I know you heard the phone. I just spoke to Justine and you know darned well what I’m talking about.”
Rose exhaled loudly. “It was my fault, I forgot to lock the back door, and someone got inside. But Two ran him off. That’s all there was to it. You know, there was a time when locks weren’t needed here.”
“Mother, quit
avoiding the real issue. Just about anything could have happened to you. Don’t you see that?”
“But it didn’t, and that’s what we have to focus on.”
“When did our roles switch?” Ella asked, exasperated. “You used to worry about
me
. Now here I am, worrying about
you
.”
“Balance. That’s something that will help us both walk in beauty.”
Ella shook her head. “Mom, all I wanted was for you to live
a nice settled life. Is that too much to ask?”
Hearing Ella saying the same thing she’d told her daughter countless times, Rose glanced up quickly and, seeing the twinkle in Ella’s eyes, burst out laughing.
The following morning, after Dawn had gone off to day-school and Ella had left for work, Rose sat outside in the porch with Two. She needed time to think, so she was going to spend a quiet
morning at home.
She’d only been sitting there for five minutes when she saw a vehicle coming up the road. A moment later a young woman pulled up in a green pickup. Rose invited her in, recognizing Ben Tso’s granddaughter, Mae.
“Granddad asked me to stop by today and give you a message,” Mae said. “He spoke to a patient of his about the Plant Watcher who used to live over past Teec Nos Pos.”
Rose knew she meant Charlie Dodge, and her heart began to beat faster.
“Apparently he was seen with a tall man, maybe an Anglo. That’s not much of a description, but that’s all he was able to get from his patient. The woman lives out by Beclabito, and had spoken to the Watcher on the same day his body was found at the bottom of Rabbit Bluff. She told granddad that, as she was leaving, she glanced
back and saw a truck drive up. Then a tall light-skinned man got out and joined the Plant Watcher.”
“Did the Watcher and the Anglo stay there, or did they leave?” Rose asked quickly.
“They each got into their own pickup and drove up a dirt trail toward Rabbit Bluff.”
“Your grandfather’s patient has to tell the police. It’s very important.”
“Grandfather knows that, and tried to convince her,
but she refused. She doesn’t like to talk to people she doesn’t know, especially about dead people.”
“Can you tell me who she is? I may be able to talk to her and make her understand.”
“No. Granddad said to tell you that he’ll talk to her again, but he can’t say anything more unless his patient allows it. He also asked that you not try to find out who it is because this has to be her decision.”
Rose bit back her frustration. It shouldn’t have surprised her. This was the way things usually worked on the reservation. Traditionalists, particularly the older ones, seldom trusted the police department, an institution they saw as an invention created to uphold
bilagáana
laws.
“Ask him to insist, if he can. It’s possible that Anglo man was the last person to see our friend alive. It’s also
possible he’s the one who’s been taking our plants.” As Mae nodded, she continued. “By any chance did his patient happen to mention seeing a gas company truck?”
Her eyes grew wide. “No. Don’t tell me that they’re going to put up housing in that beautiful spot!”
“I don’t know if they are. I’ve just heard reports of a gas company truck appearing at some very unlikely places.”
“She didn’t mention
it as far as I know. But traditionalists who choose to live way out there between Beclabito and the state line don’t like the way the towns are encroaching on old reservation communities. If Granddad’s patient had seen a gas service truck, I’m sure it would have bothered her enough to tell him about it.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ve got to go now.”
“Thank you for stopping by.”
Rose went inside
the house and called a friend of hers at the gas company. “Susan, I’ve been hearing about a gas service truck driving around in places where there aren’t any utilities,” She said, giving her the general locations. “Do you have any idea what it might have been doing there?”
“We have no new developments we’re working on, so that’s not it. My guess is someone was taking a lunch break.”
“Thanks.
I appreciate it.”
“Anytime. That ointment you made when my daughter had that terrible rash really took care of things for her. I’m glad I was finally able to do something for you in return.”
As Rose hung up, frustration rippled through her. She still wasn’t sure what part—if any—the gas company truck played. For all she knew, the employee was trying to scout out a secluded spot to be with a
girlfriend or boyfriend.
Rose went out to work in her garden. Sometimes it was the only thing that cleared her mind. She was busy pulling newly
sprouted weeds in one section while the hose soaked another when she heard the phone ring.
Rose went back into the kitchen, promising herself that the next time Ella offered to buy a cordless, she’d say yes.
Before she even picked up the receiver, her
stomach tightened. The news the caller would bring would upset her.
Rose forced herself to pick up the receiver anyway.
“It’s Kevin,” he said.
“Good morning.”
“I have some news for you. You know that I still serve as a tribal attorney?”
“Yes.”
“In that capacity, I’m now taking care of some business associated with your friend—the Plant Watcher who passed away.”
Rose scarcely breathed. She
wondered if he was about to tell her that Charlie’s killer had been found—or, at the very least, that the police had accepted the fact that he had been murdered.
“The deceased left a letter asking that when he died, his body should be buried in a particular spot just north of the old Hogback trading post, at least where it used to be, but we haven’t been able to find any surviving family members
who can carry this out. The tribe buries all unclaimed bodies in a tribal cemetery.” He paused, then added, “I thought you’d want to know.”
Burials … the dead … She wasn’t sure she could handle any of this. “Isn’t there any way for the tribe to honor his request? He was a military veteran, and did so much for the tribe by working with the Plant People.”
“We’ll never be able to go through the
paperwork necessary in time to get it done. Later on, though, his body could be moved, I suppose. I wouldn’t have said anything to you, but you were mentioned in his letter, and his modest savings account is now yours.”
The news surprised her, and made her miss Charlie even more. “Give me a while to think about how to take care of this. Is his body in Arizona? I thought that they might do a
medical workup just to make sure it wasn’t murder.”
“The official making the final decision has read the patrolman’s report and concluded that it was an accident.”
“They’re wrong, you know,” she said quietly.
“It
was
their call,” he said firmly.
“All right. Give me a few hours to figure out a few things, then I’ll be in touch with you,” Rose said.
As she placed the phone down, her hand began
to tremble, then her body. Charlie Dodge’s final request
had
to be honored, and if there was no one else, it fell onto her to see that it was done.
Rose took a deep breath, and then looked up Dr. Carolyn Roanhorse-Lavery’s office number. If anyone could help her now, it would be the tribe’s medical examiner.
Rose dialed the number and Carolyn answered after the second ring.
Rose explained why
she was calling, though she couldn’t bring herself to mention Charlie’s name out loud, even knowing Carolyn wouldn’t have been concerned. “I follow traditional ways. Can you help me find anyone who would be willing to dig the grave and bring the coffin?”
“There’s an Anglo man who often works for me. I think he’d be happy to help you.”
“I have another favor to ask,” Rose said in a heavy voice.
“I believe my friend was murdered—probably pushed off that cliff, a place called Rabbit Bluff, over by Teec Nos Pos and just on the Arizona side of the reservation. My friend wouldn’t have jumped or gone so close to the edge willingly because he was so afraid of heights, so you might be able to tell if he put up a fight. I asked the police to look into it, but the investigating officer
apparently
just looked at the position of the body and wrote it down as an accident. I’m sure that if
you
examine the body, you’ll be able to find some evidence that will make them investigate a little further.”
Carolyn remained silent for several moments. “All right. I’m not busy right now, which is a good thing, I suppose, so I’ll do it for you. But, just so you know, I would have said no to anyone else
who’d asked me the same thing. The paperwork on this is going to be tricky.”
“You’ll be doing the tribe a great service,” Rose said.
“But if you’re wrong, all this is going to cost the tribe some money.” She took a deep breath. “No, never mind. I’ll cover the expense in my budget somehow.”
“You won’t have to do that once you find something. I’m right about this,” Rose said firmly.
Carolyn
said nothing for what seemed an eternity. “I believe you,” she said at last. “Over the years, I’ve learned that the intuitions the women in your family have are as reliable as the next sunrise. I know the numbers to call, so I’d better get to it. I’ll be in touch with you later.”
Rose placed the phone down, tension gripping her body. She wasn’t wrong—and, now, everyone would know—including the
killer, who’d thought his crime wouldn’t be discovered.
The following afternoon, Rose got the call she’d been waiting for.
“I’ve finished the autopsy,” Carolyn said. “Tissue and fluid samples will have to be analyzed, but I have preliminary results. Your friend didn’t die from the fall.”
“I knew it,” Rose said quietly.
“But it wasn’t murder. Not exactly, anyway. He died of a heart attack.
He may have fallen as a result—or it’s possible the heart attack was caused when someone threatened to push him
off the cliff. But your instincts were right. There’s more to this case than meets the eye. I’ve sent the results to the homicide investigator at the Chinle Police Station, and after he checked with his superiors, he called back and told me that the case will be reopened.”
Rose exhaled
softly. “It’s a beginning.”
“I’ve also found someone who will take the body from our morgue to where he wanted to be buried, behind that old trading post. It’s the Anglo man I told you about. The burial will take place in about two hours.”
“I’ve got to visit my son first for a special medicine bundle, then I’ll go straight there. But I won’t come all the way to the grave site. My friend knew
me too well to have expected that.”
As Rose hung up, she thought about Charlie. She’d said good-bye to too many people she’d loved throughout her life, and it never got any easier. Time passed, and the memories robbed pain of its sting somewhat, but there was never any way to recover what was lost.
As she grieved alone, she remembered the story her mother had told her once to help her understand
the things that defied explanation. It was part of the teachings of the Navajo Way, and the story was one she’d committed to heart.
Rose closed her eyes and thought back to those days. She could almost see her mother’s gentle face and hear her soft voice as she told the story:
In the beginning, the hero twins, Monster Slayer and Child-of-the-Water, the sons of Sun, were sent to conquer the monsters
that preyed upon man. Just when they’d thought that they’d freed the earth of all the evils there, they met four strangers—Cold, Hunger, Poverty, and Death. Cold told the heroes that they could kill her, but if they did, there would be no snow and no water to give the crops in the spring. Realizing that she was needed, the hero twins let Cold live.

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