按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
at this。 As a policeman； he found it to be talent which saved him a great deal of labor。 It was a talent which； when it worked unusually well； caused him a faint subconscious uneasiness； grating on his ingrained Navajo conviction that any divergence from the human norm was unnatural and…therefore…unhealthy。 And it was a talent which caused him； when the facts refused to fall into the pattern demanded by nature and the Navajo Way； acute mental disfort。
He had felt that disfort ever since Horseman had turned up dead…contrary to nature and Leaphorn's logic…far from the place where nature and logic insisted he should be。 But as he led his borrowed horse the last steep yards to the crest of the Ceniza saddle the disfort was gone。 The top of the ridge was narrow。 In a very few moments he would find tire tracks and the tracks would match the tread pattern drawn for him by Billy Nez。 Of that Leaphorn was certain。 When he examined these tracks he would find the Land…Rover had driven up the saddle to the mesa top empty and had e down with a heavy weight on its rear tires。 And then the irritatingly chaotic affair of Luis Horseman would be basically orderly； with only a few minor puzzles to solve。
The narrow ridge offered few choices of paths； even for a four…wheel…drive vehicle； and Leaphorn found the tire tracks quickly。 There were four sets instead of the two he had expected to find； indicating two trips up and two trips down。 He made no attempt to find meaning in that。 He concentrated on the fresher tracks； establishing by the traction direction which of them had been made going up the slope。 In an area where the soil was soft he checked the depth of the tire marks。 Exactly as he had expected。 On the trip down； the rear tires had cut almost a half…inch deeper。
Behind him the horse snorted and stamped； fighting off the flies。
〃Horse；〃 Leaphorn said； 〃it es out just the way we figured it would。〃
Leaphorn rose from his squat and brushed a fly from the horse's back。 There was no trace left of the nagging sense of wrongness and urgency that had dogged him for days； none of that vague； undefined feeling that something unnatural and evil was afoot in his territory。 He understood now。 It was a good feeling。
And then Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn took two short steps across the small place of soft； loamy earth and looked down at the older tracks。 He recorded the fact that they had been dimmed by at least one rain shower。 He noticed that this set； too； varied in the depth the rear tires had cut。 It had taken； Leaphorn thought at first； two trips to haul down the remains of the shattered rocket。 A split second later his mind processed what his eyes were seeing。 On this round trip； the Land…Rover had carried its heavy load on the way up…not on the way down。
The Navajo language is too specific and precise to lend itself to effective profanity。 Leaphorn cursed in Spanish and then…at length…in English。
It took Leaphorn almost three hours to piece together as much as he could of what had happened on this ridge and on the mesa to which it led。 He worked methodically and carefully； resisting an urge to hurry。 And when he put it all together； he had nothing but another enigma which offered no possibility of solution。
To Leaphorn's surprise the Land…Rover had approached the saddle from the southeast； emerging from the Chinle Desert from the direction of the Lukachukai ramparts。 On the first trip up…perhaps as long as a month earlier…it had carried a heavy load over its rear axle。 At several places the driver had stopped to cut brush out of the way； sometimes using an ax and sometimes a power chain saw。 To traverse the steepest slope； where the saddle rose sharply to the lip of the mesa rim…rock； he had used a winch line in several places to help pull the vehicle up。 Once on top； the vehicle had driven fairly directly about a mile across the mesa。 There something heavy and metallic had been unloaded on a flat outcropping of sandstone； scoring the soft rock。 From this point； the Land…Rover had made a backing turn and driven directly back over the original track。
Even though the other tracks were weeks fresher； he had spent most of the time sorting out the second trip。 He finally concluded that on this trip the Land…Rover had driven directly to the sandstone outcropping。 Then it had returned to the rim where the saddle joined the mesa。 There several small trees had been cut and a score of boulders moved； apparently to clear a better roadway。 At the site of this heavy work； Leaphorn found the tracks of Billy Nez's rubber…soled sneakers； marks of the Big Navajo's flat…heeled boots； a bread wrapper； and an empty Vienna sausage can。 After Billy Nez had been here…and presumably after he had left with the Big Navajo's stolen hat…the Land…Rover had driven back over the rim and back to the sandstone。 There the heavy object had been reloaded and the Land…Rover had driven down off the mesa。 This much was clear。 Leaphorn had found three ponderosa poles used as a tripod； which must have supported the pulley used to lift whatever it was the Big Navajo had unloaded and then reloaded。
Leaphorn rubbed his fingertips over his forehead； trying to recreate exactly what the Big Navajo had done on that second visit to the Ceniza Mesa。
He had first driven to the heavy object。 And what then？ Looked at it？ Assured himself it was still there？ Adjusted it？ Fed it？ Put fuel in it？ Turned it off？ Or on？ No hope of guessing。 And then the Big Navajo had driven back to the rim to improve the steep approach。 Why？ If he could winch the loaded Land…Rover up the slope he could winch it down； given enough time。 Was that it？ Time？ Did he expect to be in a hurry ing down？ Maybe； Leaphorn thought。 Maybe that was it。 Time。 But Navajos didn't hurry。 In fact； there was no word in the Navajo language for time。
And then the Big Navajo had discovered his hat had been stolen； had found the tracks of Billy Nez； and knew someone had watched him。 Knowing this； he had driven back over the top； reloaded the heavy object； and hauled it down off the mesa。 Why？ Maybe because Billy Nez might find it。 But where had the big man taken it？ And what was it？
Leaphorn stood on the mesa rimrock and stared out across the Chinle at the Lukachukai slopes。 The sun was down now。 The tops of the evening thunderheads over the mountains were still a dazzling sunlit white； but below the fifteen thousand…foot level they turned abruptly dark blue with shadow of oning night。 The desert was streaked with pink； red； and purple now； the reflected afterglow from cloud formations to the west。 Normally Leaphorn would have been struck by the immensity of this beauty。 Now he hardly noticed it。 He stared at the darkening line of the Lukachukai ramparts； searching out the points of blackness； the open mouths of the canyons which drained it。 Since the Land…Rover had e from the southeast； across the Chinle； it must have e from one of these。 He could backtrack it。 Twenty miles； he guessed。 Maybe twenty…five； and a lot of it would be over bare slick rock。 Even in daylight he wouldn't average a mile an hour。 At night it would be impossible。
A burrowing owl； its wings stiff； planed up from the desert below him；