The Blessing Way

In the morning, McKee calls Leaphorn at a gas station, and they meet up to drive into Chinle. McKee reads Horseman’s autopsy report, which lists cause of death as suffocation by sand. Horseman had no alcohol in his system. Leaphorn doesn’t think Horseman died in a cave-in, so he wonders if someone thought he was the witch and killed him. He feels responsible for Horseman’s death because he didn’t look hard enough, like in another Navajo Wolf case he didn’t take seriously which led to five deaths. They arrive at Billy Nez’s family hogan, but the boy hasn’t been home for days. Billy is actually Horseman’s younger brother, not his cousin, and knew where Horseman was hiding out, though Horseman wasn’t there when Billy looked for him.

Leaphorn and McKee meet Sergeant Sam George Takes at a diner. Takes tells Leaphorn not to fret about Billy, but Leaphorn worries the boy is hunting for whoever killed Horseman. Takes eases these fears, since Charley Tsosie is conducting an Evil Way ceremony to get rid of the witchcraft. McKee recalls that an Enemy Way is usually meant to rid someone of outside influence, which further leads him to trust Old Woman Gray Rocks’ information about the Wolf being a stranger.