Chapter 1 Summary

Joe Leaphorn, aging and restless after his retirement as a detective for the Navajo Tribal Police, sits in the Navajo Inn with his coffee cronies—law enforcement types and other colorful locals—discussing the recently solved case of the Skeleton Man. Joe is attempting to articulate his deeply held and ancient native beliefs about how things work in the universe. Describing what some might now call Systems Theory, Joe tells how all events and things in the universe are ultimately connected; such as more than 150 people dying in an airline collision over the Grand Canyon in 1956, and Billy Tuve appearing 50 years later to hock a rare and valuable diamond for $20. According to Joe, the cosmos is "like some infinitely complex machine," with all of the parts working together in harmony.

Sam Pinto proves he understands Joes's notion by citing a tale in which...