“I assume it’s because I was supposed to be Dr.Harrington’s guide before I refused,” Natoni said.“And now he’s dead.”
“Why did you refuse?”Kari asked, keeping her tone neutral.
Natoni’s gaze was steady.“Because he wanted to go somewhere he shouldn’t.At a time he especially shouldn’t.”
“The formation called Monster’s Hand,” Kari said.“During the full moon.”
Something flickered in Natoni’s eyes—surprise, perhaps, that she knew the specifics.“Yes.”
“Why was that a problem?”Tsosie asked.
Natoni looked between them, seeming to weigh how much to say.“That site is sacred.It’s not for tourists, not for academics, not for photography.”
“Dr.Harrington had a research permit,” Kari pointed out.
“Permits are issued by people who don’t know what they’re permitting,” Natoni said sharply.“Or care.”He leaned forward.“Every year, more sacred sites are vandalized.Pictographs defaced with spray paint.Ceremonial spaces turned into picnic grounds.Ancient burials disturbed for their pottery.”His voice had taken on an edge.“Dr.Harrington saw Monster’s Hand as geology.As a photo opportunity.He didn’t understand what it was.”
“What was it, then?”Kari asked.
Natoni sat back, his expression closing.“That’s not for me to explain to outsiders.”
“I’m Diné,” Kari reminded him.
“Are you?”Natoni’s gaze was challenging.“Your badge says Navajo Nation, but from what I hear, you’ve been living out in Phoenix.”
This surprised Kari.Then again, people talked, and word spread quickly on the res.
“When was the last time you attended a ceremony, Detective?”Natoni continued.“Do you even know the stories of your own people?”
The questions stung more than Kari wanted to admit, but she kept her expression professional.“This isn’t about me, Mr.Begay.It’s about a man who was murdered at the site you warned him not to visit.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Natoni said flatly.
“You argued with him,” Tsosie said.“Witnesses at the ranger station described it as heated.”
“Of course it was heated.He was arrogant, dismissive.Called our traditions ‘superstitious nonsense.’”Natoni’s jaw tightened at the memory.“I told him the site was dangerous during Náhásdzáán Yee Adees’eelígíí.He laughed.”
“The Walking Earth,” Kari translated.“What does that mean, exactly?”
Natoni studied her for a long moment.“It’s a time when the boundary between worlds thins.When things that normally can’t cross over can.”He paused.“My grandfather would say it’s when the older beings stir in their sleep.”
“Older beings,” Kari repeated carefully.
“The ones that were here before the Holy People brought the Diné into this world.”Natoni’s voice had lowered.“The ones the emergence stories warn about.”
Tsosie shifted in his chair—the smallest tell, but Kari caught it.These were stories he knew, perhaps even believed.
“Where were you two nights ago, during the full moon?”Kari asked, changing direction.
Natoni’s answer came without hesitation.“At home, with my family.My mother, my two younger sisters.We live near the south rim.”
“What were you doing?”
“Preparing for my sister’s Kinaaldá ceremony.Many people saw me there.”
“All night?”Tsosie asked.
“Until about midnight.Then I slept.My mother will confirm this.”
