Chapter 2 Summary

Joe Leaphorn recalls the August day when the mystery began. He was bored with retirement and had dropped by the Tribal Police Headquarters to jaw with Sam Pinto. They engaged in small talk about the prospect of Sergeant Chee, obviously one of the members of the old crowd, marrying Bernie, another law-enforcement regular. During the course of their chat, Sam Pinto gives Joe two files, expecting help from the old detective. The first file is old and local, but the other one is new and FBI. The new file concerns a robbery and homicide of a jeweler in the nearby town of Zuni. The only suspect is Billy Tuve, a young, somewhat dull Navajo boy who tried to hock a $10,000 diamond for $20. The police found Tuve's fingerprints in the store, and an eyewitness claims to have seen the boy. Tuve claims he got...