¡Colores!; 2502; Interview with Anne Hillerman

Yeah, it's like the equivalent of one of those little clubs. Yes, that's what Tara's saying that it worked. Hi, Anne Hillerman. Welcome to Colores. Thank you for being with us today. Oh, thank you for asking me. I'm happy to be here. Well, I've got some questions for you. Julie Porn and Jim Chi are such beloved characters. Now we have Bernie. Could you tell us about her and also what did Bernie have for breakfast? Oh, that's a great question. Well, Bernie started out as a minor character that my dad had used. I think he used her in five or six novels. And through the course of the series, she started out, sort of badly, really, as a rookie cop. She has a big crush on Jim Chi.

She gets her car stuck in the mud. It doesn't look like she's going to be a round lawn. But she survives that. And in each book, she's getting a little stronger. She's becoming more of a professional police woman. And then in the second to the last book in Dad's series, Skeleton Man, Bernie goes with Jim Chi and his hoping friend, Cowboy Dushy, down to the Grand Canyon. And they're looking for a woman who's been kidnapped. They're looking for stolen diamonds. And the guys say to Bernie, oh, you stay here, honey. And we'll take care of this. But Bernie doesn't stay there. And in fact, she finds this woman who's in jeopardy. She finds the bad guys. Basically, she's wrapped up the whole story. But then because my dad loved Jim Chi and Julie Porn, in this case, there's a flash flood. And there's chaos all around. And Jim Chi comes to the rescue. And when I read that, I thought, this character has a lot of potential. And it's a shame that she wasn't able to actually solve a crime.

So after my dad died, and I thought that I wanted to continue the series. And I knew that I was not Tony Hillerman. I figured the only way this will work is if I can think of a way to kind of, to be true to the groundwork that he set. But give it a new twist. And so then I thought of Bernie. And I thought, even if nobody except me and my mother read this book, it's time for Bernie to be a strong woman of a professional police woman and a crime solver. So that was sort of the origin of Bernie. And that's where you identified this potential in her. How do you describe who she is? And let's also remember that she's got to eat breakfast or what it's she eat for breakfast. But yeah, if you could expound a little bit more about the woman, the character that is Bernie. Well, Bernie is very, very methodical. If she had not become a police woman, she probably would have been a botanist. And maybe she would have worked on restoring traditional

agriculture on the reservation, because she really has a strong affinity for the natural world. And also because of that scientific bent, she likes to take things from point A to point Z without missing any of the things in between. And that kind of scientific thinking also really comes in handy if you're trying to solve a crime. So she also is a very devoted daughter. She has a mother who, I think like a lot of our mothers, is full of loving advice, some of which may not be relevant to us as an adult. But, you know, mom kind of think of us always as sort of works in progress. So Bernie is very devoted and loving to her mom. And then she has a little sister who is facing a bunch of challenges. So I think like a lot of modern women, she's balancing professional life with her personal life. Oh, and then she's also fairly newly married, maybe two or three years to Jim Chi.

And I think as a lot of us know, any kind of a new relationship is fraught with communication issues that you didn't anticipate when you were in that sort of rosy glow of first falling in love. And then she has the challenge of being a woman in what is still basically a man's world. And, you know, trying to be professional, but at the same time still be feminine. And call on some of the qualities that I think women tend to maybe be a little more intuitive, maybe a little more patient with people who are having struggles than say a lot of men in law enforcement. And I don't mean to stereotype, but when you're asking me what it is that what's the engine that makes Bernie go, I would say that was part of it. I love the attributes you infuse in Bernie, the character, and the way you fluidly speak of her. So how do you make those decisions for Bernie? How do you make these plot decisions and these twists and turns? What is the decision making behind you as the writer?

Oh, that's a fascinating question. And I wish I could... If I had the same analytical mind as Bernie, I would be one of these writers who comes up with an outline and I could say, you know, you're here at point A, and you know, the story unfolds like this. But basically, I just, when I start writing, I tried... I have an idea of the setting because one thing when I took over the series, the stories are all set on the Navajo Nation. And I wanted... there are so many wonderful possibilities that I wanted to introduce readers to some places that perhaps they had never been to. So part of my thinking was I want to explore a little bit of what's on the reservation, but in addition to places that my dad wrote about, for instance, the book that I just finished is... No, the book, before the one I just finished, I gave up bones, involves the Raymond Navajo reservation. And dad had kind of mentioned it in passing, but he had never really used it in a book. So what was I talking about?

Well, we're in the process of how I make the decisions. So I start writing and then I come to a place, say the book I'm working on now, there's a body in a car and there's a young Navajo guy who's out hunting rabbits. And he sees this car parked. He thinks, well, this is odd. And then when he comes back a few hours later, the car's in the same place. And at that point, he looks in and he sees a guy in there. So now I'm thinking, so how did this guy die? You know, and is it suicide? Was it poison? Was it carbon monoxide? So at that point, there's like the road splits in three ways. And I think, okay, it's going to look like suicide, but it's really not suicide. So then I get to deal with all that stuff. So I don't, I mean, that's kind of the... I guess the root of that question is, where does creativity come from? And I don't know, but whenever I get a good idea, I just say thank you to the universe. And I think sometimes something may look like a good idea.

And then it kind of ends up in a cul-de-sac. And so I hope that as I was heading there, there was maybe a road off to the left or right that I could have taken. So then I back up and take that road and see where it leads. It's a very... My process is a very kind of circular and messy process, but it gets it done in the end. And I have more fun writing that way. And I think that I would starting out with the road map and then following everything exactly to the mileage marker. Well, it's fascinating that you're providing yourself with options in real time, that spark of creativity as, you know, the narrator to this world, to this new topography, but also to characters. So I have this question for you that I'd like, you know, you've been writing your whole life, and now you're taking on these characters. What do you love about them? And how do you see, how have they evolved for you? Well, I love Jim Chi. I love his sort of open-hearted embrace of the world. And the fact that he forgives himself from making mistakes

and he just kind of keeps on keeping on. And I love Bernie because she has, I mean, so much persistence and so much curiosity. And the third character, who was actually the first character my dad came up with, was Joe Leaporn. And Joe is kind of a curmudgeonly old guy. And he's critical of people. And he's, I would say, not a very good teacher. He, instead of saying to somebody, well, you did three things right and one thing wrong, he'll say, you really did this thing wrong. So, and in some ways, he was like my dad, not in that curmudgeonly way, but in the way that he would kind of go step by step by step to solving a problem. So, when I started the series of all of the characters, Joe Leaporn was the one that I had the hardest time with. So, in the first book in the series, Spider Woman's Daughter, I thought, well, Joe Leaporn has to be in this book. And the other thing I thought is since this is my first book, something exciting has to happen at the very beginning

because people are only going to give me like five minutes before they say, oh, who is this? This hillerman imposter and throw the book in the garbage. So, Joe Leaporn is in that book, but he's not a, what can I say? He was, he has kind of an incidental role almost. So, the book that I just finished, the tale teller, in that book, Joe Leaporn is back as a crime solver. So, this was the first time I actually worked with him as a character. And I found that underneath that sort of turtle shell exterior, there really was a very kind of compassionate, interested, devoted policeman who really wants the best for the Navajo people. And it was a fascinating process to work with that character and see that other side of him. So, yeah, so now, so, and I felt, I felt, I liked that book. And I feel, I guess a lot more at peace now with the whole,

the whole scope of the series, having done a book in which Joe Leaporn really gets to be the crime solver. And it seems that when you speak of Leaporn and placing Leaporn, especially in your first novel, that it was a type of bridge, not only for readership between your father and yourself, but you on maybe a personal level. Can you talk a little bit about Tony Hillerman, your father? Oh, sure. And one thing, and what you've learned from him, excuse me. Sure. Well, one thing that I have to give dad credit for was that he never said to me, okay, I may die someday, and so I want you to take on writing this series. I think if he had said that, I would still be working on spider woman's daughter. And every word I wrote, I would have felt his hot breath on my shoulder. Like, oh, is this right? Is this not right? So, no, we never talked about that. But I think what I learned from him was that when it's going well, writing can be pure joy. I mean, he really loved, he loved, he started out in journalism,

and he had so much passion for that. And then when he switched to fiction, I think he loved that even more. And I, he and my mom had a house, first we lived in the Northeast Heights, and then when us kids were all grown, mom and dad built a house down in the North Valley. And I would go down to see him maybe once a week or so. And sometimes I would come, and he would meet me at the door, and he would say, come into my office a minute. And I would go in there, and he would read me from his computer, something he had just finished. And it was just like the room lit up. He was so, it wasn't like he was proud of himself. It was like, look at what happened. I mean, it was kind of like magic. You know, I was here, and I got this idea. And whoa, it really works. I think he was sort of constantly amazed when things like that really really, and you know, as a writer yourself, you know how the creative process is. Sometimes you struggle and things do not work. But, and I think just seeing that joy in him was sort of,

I mean, not anything that he really went out of his way to teach me, but something that just kind of came through to me by, I think the love that we, and the respect that we shared for each other. So how do you bring characters to life? You're talking about these shared experiences with your father and writing in these magical moments. What happens for Anne Hillerman as you move forward in your writing? A lot of it is the details. I mean, so going back to that scene that I mentioned with the guy, with the dead guy in the car. So as I'm writing that, I'm thinking, well, what time of the air is it? What, you know, what does the air smell like? And who is this boy who finds this dead guy? You know, what's he wearing? What's the temperature of the air? And as all of those kind of sensory details come through, the scene comes to life. And a lot of it is just, well, I also go to the places. I write about real places.

And I try to go there and just kind of spend some time there and just see what ideas come to me or see what I hear. You know, are there birds, are there bugs? Is there wind in the grass? Is there highway noise? Maybe there's a train track far away. So, you know, all of that stuff. It just, those sensory details, everybody says that. And it's really true. They kind of round out the story. And the more, I'm immersed in it, the more ideas come to me. You have that answer your question. Absolutely. And then some and then some. And thank you so much for sharing that. It's so wonderful to have this conversation through this writerly lens. And to see how you paint your world, especially based on observation and sensory and being there in place and time. And building these characters that, you know, create action and therefore create a story for the readership. So, I'm sure an emotion is the other thing. An emotion. Okay. Can you talk a little bit more about emotion and how does that inform your writing?

What of the emotion? I think working in law enforcement would be enormously stressful. And I think part of the, what makes successful officers is that you're able to put all of that aside and just do your job. And then you go home and you remember what it was. And I think it's that kind of contrast. I think that really brings fiction that I write. I write crime fiction to life and also brings characters to life. It removes them from just being stereotype. I'm going to get the job done. To being real people who are affected by what they see and by who they meet. Right? These fleshed out characters in these situations. So, how has being a journalist for 20 years plus bridged over or connected you to fiction writing? You know, I never, a lot of people who write fiction are journalists. And, I mean, that was true for my dad.

Well, my dad was a journalist in his desk yard. He had all these novels and he would read them when things were slow at work. He would read them and he would like underlying parts that were really, really good writing. But I never had the dream of writing fiction. I was always really delighted to be a journalist and happy to be writing nonfiction books. But then when dad died, like I said, I thought, well, maybe I could try writing a novel. And I realized that all of those school board meetings, city council meetings, planning committee meetings, arts commission meetings, all those meetings I sat through listening to people talk. And often people talk with passion. That somehow that had ingrained itself into me. So, when I was writing dialogue, I sort of had a sense of how that would work. And I think the other thing in journalism, you learn how to be edited and not take it personally. And you kind of learn how to be a team player.

And it seems odd to think of that in fiction. But first in fiction, you have to do research. You have to talk to people who know more about whatever you're writing about than you do. Because you know there are readers out there who also will know more about it than you do. So there's that kind of collaboration. And then you have an editor. I mean, I have an agent. All of these people who have something to say, hopefully something that makes the product better. But anyway, an opinion on it that I can take or leave. And often I find when people say something, they say, you know, this didn't quite make sense. What's going on here? And then that's really helpful. If they say, this didn't make sense. And why don't you do it this way? That is usually not so helpful. Because I need to find my own way to fix the problem. But just having people point out the problem is helpful. And sometimes I'll say maybe the problem was, you had too much else going on while you were reading this. And you just weren't, you just didn't catch it.

And sometimes I will ignore those suggestions. But usually I don't. Usually I'll take them to heart. And I think a lot of that came from my background in journalism, where you can't be too sensitive. You have to figure this is just one story of 10 stories I'm writing today. And I'm moving on. And in a way, the same thing is true with fiction. And particularly if you have a deadline to get a book done. You know, you do your best. And then you just say, well, this is the best it can be for now depending on, you know, the level that I'm working on. And the next one will be better. So what's your favorite part of a story? Oh, my favorite part is after I've done the first draft, where I can go back and fine tune it. And say this, oh, I did a book called Cave of Bones, which was set out in the Mall Pice. And the Mall Pice, of course, is a volcanic lava flow, but kind of between Granson Gallup, beautiful, beautiful place. So I did a lot of research on volcanoes.

And then I did more research on volcanoes. And then I went out there and hiked around. And anyway, in the end, it was more than anybody ever wanted to know about volcanoes. So then I created this character who shared my passion for volcanoes. So he and Bernie are hiking in the lava, looking for this guy, this guy who's missing. And he's telling Bernie all this stuff that I thought was so fascinating about volcanoes. Well, when I was rereading it after the first draft, I thought, nobody wants to know this. People just want to know what happened to the missing guy. So I took out all of that lovely stuff about volcanoes. But I'm glad that I learned it. And I think I sort of had to put it in that first draft just to kind of get it out of my system. So it sounds like you really enjoyed the research portion of it. But going back to the idea of the story, what's your favorite part of a story? I think the end where I have the characters kind of wrapping things up.

And they're saying, oh, yeah, there was this happened, and this happened, and this happened. And I thought this was a good guy, but turned out to be a bad guy. And I thought this was a bad guy, but he turned out to be a good guy. I think that kind of sense of completion that all the loose ins are tied up, or at least as many of them as I can think of, are tied up, and then I can just kind of take a deep breath. You know, as a reader, when I'm done with a book that I just love and joy, and it's just so sumptuous, I always do a clap with the end of the book, and then hold on to it, and sit with the ending. Because, of course, you want to know how things end, or how things are going to continue if it's a series, but that ending is just so juicy. And so I relate to that as a reader. So thank you for sharing that. And I think my other favorite part is when I finally figure out where the story starts. You know, what is a scene that has some action, that has some intrigue, that has some mystery to it, that's going to, when the reader reads this, they're going to say, oh yeah, I need to read the next chapter in the next chapter,

and they're up to midnight, and I don't even feel bad about it. Well, good, you shouldn't. And thank you. I love that you love the beginning, where the story starts, where the ending, where the story is going to end, at least for that moment in the end. Oh, and I love the middle, too. So you like it all. I just feel so enormously lucky to be able to sit in my office and come up with these stories. And day after day, I almost always look forward to going to work. Once in a while, if I've left it in kind of a tricky part, I think what am I going to do? The only way I'll figure it out is if I just keep moving forward with it. So in that sense, what is most important to you writing? What is most important to you about writing? Oh, that's a hard question, such a vast question. I mean, I'm sure that you probably have various interpretations, but what do you want people to think about when you talk about

the importance of writing, the importance of writing for you? What do you want to leave them with? I would say a sense that the time they've spent with my book has been time well spent. That they've learned something about the Navajo Nation, that they've learned something about law enforcement, that they've learned something about New Mexico, and the place that I write about. And maybe that they've learned through the struggles that the characters have come up with, that maybe it's given them a little insight into something that relates to their own lives. Wonderful. Thank you so much. That is awesome. Oh, but I have another question for you. Okay, ready for it? I heard so. It's one of the first questions I asked you. Oh, what does she have for breakfast? So, yeah. So what does Bernie have for breakfast? What does Bernie have for breakfast today? She had a cup of coffee and a peanut butter sandwich that she ate in the car on the way to work. She sounds like a multitasking woman.

Who knows how to get her caffeine and her protein in together on one morning? Right. Yeah. Okay, that's like a no fuss breakfast. Right. Well, she's a no fuss girl. Yeah. Wonderful. Okay. Now we know what Bernie had for breakfast. Yes. Okay. Thank you. Sure. Is there anything else that you need, Ms. Tara? Okay. Yeah. Cool. Would you like some water? I think I got some. Salud. I like this one. It's easy. Okay. E.V. No. Is it? And is there another part in time to enjoy it? Time to enjoy it like this. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. Oh, those are great questions. Okay so, I'm going to ask you two more questions. And this is that whole social media thing that we're talking about. Okay, so this will find its way on the PBS Facebook and Facebook. Okay, cool. The Instagrams and the Twitter's. So, okay, all right. So Tara, would you repeat the first one?

Sorry, I get carried away. That's right, thank you, I remember. You need to get carried away. I remember, okay. And what inspires you about the Southwest? Oh my goodness. I would say the landscape, the just the places where you can stand and it looks like you can see forever. There's the mountains on the horizon that are framing the view and the clouds that are building. And secondly, the people, the wonderful diversity of people that we have here. I think there are two different Apache groups, the Navajo Nation, 19 Pueblos, and then the Hispanics who came, what, 16th century whose families are still here, and then the new wave of energy that's come from Mexico and South America, and then the whole tradition of railroads, you know, that brought in Eastern Europeans, all, I mean, just, all kinds of wonderful people. I mean, my family that came here from Oklahoma, it's just, I mean, it sounds so corny,

but it's just like such a juicy salad, with a little bit of everything in it. And I think it really drives me crazy when you see these reports about New Mexico, and here we are always 50 or 50 or 50. But they never say, how does your heart feel when you get up in the morning? You know, what does it mean to live in a place that so has so much beauty and so much diversity? I mean, I think that's one thing I love about New Mexico. And then the wonderful history that has so, so much diversity and so many people coming here to start over, people who didn't quite fit in elsewhere, who come here and they're, they shine forth. So, and what would you say, what kind of advice would you give to a young writer or a fledgling writer? Keep working at it. Believe in yourself, learn as much as you can from people who've been down that road before. Listen to criticism, but don't take it too seriously,

and don't take yourself too seriously. I mean, writing like any of the arts should come from a, you should really come from a position of joy and a position that my story is unique and I'm the only one who can tell it and nobody can take that away from me. Lovely. And who are them and just said that to me, guys? That was me. She said that too. Yeah. Sorry. I can't, darling. I realized like this was like such a profound moment. Thank you, Anne. One more question coming from the voice of goddess. What's up, Tara? I'm like, all right. Thank you. You're awesome, thank you. OK, sorry, Tara. What? Can you hear me? Oops, I might have lost her. Maybe that was it. Oh, maybe that was it? I don't know. I can't hear anymore. Maybe it was just, maybe she just wants to. Oh, there she is. OK. OK. OK.

Mm-hmm. OK. Cool. That's a nice question. OK. One last question. Another last question? Another last question. I think this is the real one I promised. OK. How does your heart feel being in New Mexico? You spoke of the importance of the Southwest and writing about it and being in it. But what about your heart? Where is your heart at? Physicianed in the Southwest. Absolutely jubilant. And I mean, I've been in Santa Fe most of my life, so I love Northern New Mexico. But as I've been doing the research for the Navajo series, I've really come to love Gallup and Farmington and that beautiful drive from Cuba to Farmington. And even the interstate from Santa Fe going through Gallup and then, I mean, going through grants and then you end up in Gallup. Yeah, and I don't know. I love the Coral and the Lin.

I love the very large array out there on the San Aguistin Plains. And Silver City with, I mean, the mining and then that wonderful college there and the Hila Clift Wellings. Yeah. And Las Cruces and this beautiful mountains. I mean, I sound like I work for the Chamber of Commerce. But you know, you're driving through this topography and through these communities. And you know, you're jubilant and it's very, as a reader, you're very aware of that in your writing. And again, just if you had to emphasize, how does your heart feel? Just focusing on both, I guess, those emotions that you have here about New Mexico. And I would say blessed, I would say blessed too. I mean, I think I was three when my mom and dad moved to Santa Fe. And it was because my dad had been working as a journalist in Oklahoma. And he basically got a promotion to come and be the bureau chief of United

Prisoner National in Santa Fe. And I often think, what if instead he'd been offered a job in Omaha or Miami or Sacramento? You know, my whole life would have been different. And I mean, I think he probably still would have been a writer. And probably I still would have been a writer too, because that just seems to be part of my makeup. But I think of all places to have ended up in New Mexico with such a rich heritage of the arts and history and geography, I mean. Yeah, it was just kind of serendipity, but it was such a wonderful gift. Serendipity. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, it's such a wonderful gift that God and the universe gave us. Wonderful, cool. Thank you so much, Anne. We appreciate you so much. Well, thank you. Thank you. This has been delightful. I really have enjoyed it. Thank you. Cool. Cool. I think that's it. OK. OK. Tell me how you're enjoying it. I'm going to go. Go.

Mark it. Thank you. Say hello to the mics. So this is from the opening of my first book, Spider Woman's Daughter, and the setup is that Bernadette Manmelito, who is the main character in my series, has been invited to attend a brainstorming session for the Navajo Police, and Joe Lee

Porn, who is a legendary lieutenant and also her mentor, is also there. Bernie felt herself on vibrate. Jim Chi, fellow cop and husband who'd been annoyed with her that morning, calling from his office in Shiprock. Gotta take this, I'll be right back. She stood all five foot two of her and headed into the lobby. Lee Porn scooted his chair back. You guys have boring bureaucracy to attend to. I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for breakfast. Lee Porn strolled into the lobby, nodding to Bernie, cell phone at her ear. Say hi to Chi for me, he said. She watched him head toward the parking lot, noticing he was limping a bit. She knew he had a touch of arthritis. She should have asked him about that. Hello, beautiful, she said. Done with the meeting? Not quite. The lieutenant had some good stories. Now the humdrum stuff looms on the horizon. Your timing was

perfect. Through the lobby window, she saw someone climb out of the blue sedan backed in next to Lee Porn's white truck. She watched Lee Porn walk toward the truck, extracting the keys from his pants pocket. You still grumpy, Chi asked. I got off to a bad start this morning. The person extended an arm toward the lieutenant. Bernie saw a gun, heard the unmistakable crack of the shot. Saw Lee Porn stagger back, falling against his pickup, crumpled to the asphalt. She dropped her phone as if it were on fire. She's still talking and ran. Pushing the restaurants heavy glass doors open, she raced towards Lee Porn, reaching for her gun. She watched the shooters scramble into the car and heard the sedan tires on the asphalt as it sped away. Keeping the car in her peripheral vision as

she reached the lieutenant. Squatting down, Bernie pressed her fingertips beneath his jaw, feeling for the threat of a pulse. His beautiful dark eyes stared at her through her. Blood flowed down his face from the hole in his forehead, onto her hands. Stay with me, she whispered. She spoke to him in Navajo, the language of her heart. Don't die. Please don't die. Okay. There were a couple, a couple little blurbs, but I think they were okay. Okay. You really loosened up to and the way you were, it was really nice. Okay. And it was wonderful. Okay. Do you like, do you want me to introduce it like that or should I just start reading? Let's just, let's just give the title of

the book. This is an excerpt from Spiderman's. Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Standing by, you need another margin. Any time you're ready. This is an excerpt from Spiderman's daughter. Bernie felt herself on vibrate. Jim Chi, fellow cop and husband who'd been annoyed with her that morning, calling from his office in

Shiprock. Got to take this. I'll be right back. She stood all five foot two of her and headed into the lobby. Lee porn scooted his chair back. You guys have boring bureaucracy to deal with. I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for breakfast. Lee porn strolled into the lobby nodding to Bernie, cell phone at her ear. Say hi to Chi for me, he said. She watched him head toward the parking lot, noticing he was limping a bit. She knew we had a touch of arthritis in his knee. She should have asked him about that. Hello, beautiful. Chi said. Done with the meeting? Not quite. The lieutenant had some good stories. Now the humdrum stuff looms on the horizon. Your timing was perfect. Through the lobby window, she saw someone climb out of the blue sedan, backed in next to Lee porn's white truck. She watched Lee porn walk toward the truck, extract the keys from his pants pocket. You still grumpy.

She asked, I got off to a bad start this morning. The person extracted the person extended an arm toward the lieutenant. Bernie saw a gun, heard the unmistakable crack of the shot. Saw Lee porn stagger back, fall against his pickup, crumpled to the asphalt. She dropped her phone as if it were on fire. She's still talking and ran. Pushing the restaurant's heavy glass doors open, she raced toward the parking lot, reaching for her gun. She watched the shooters scramble into the car and heard the sedan's tires on the asphalt as it sped away, keeping the car and her peripheral vision as she reached the lieutenant. Squatting down, Bernie pressed her fingers beneath his jaw, feeling for the thread of a pulse with her fingertips. His beautiful dark eyes stared at her through her. Blood flowed down his face from the hole in his forehead onto her hands. Stay with me, she whispered.

She spoke to him in Navajo, the language of her heart. Don't die. Please don't die. So just like this. Okay, okay. The person extended an arm toward the lieutenant. Bernie saw a gun, heard the unmistakable crack of the shot. Saw Lee porn stagger back, falling against his pickup, crumpled to the asphalt. She dropped her phone as if it were on fire. She's still talking and ran. Pushing the restaurant's heavy glass doors open, she raced toward the lieutenant, reaching for her gun. She watched the shooters scramble into the car and heard the sedan's tires on the asphalt as it

sped away. Keeping the car and her peripheral vision, she reached the lieutenant. Squatting down, Bernie pressed her fingers beneath his jaw, feeling for the thread of a pulse with her fingertips. His beautiful dark eyes stared at her through her. Blood flowed down his face from the hole in his forehead onto her hands. Stay with me, she whispered. She spoke to him in Navajo, the language of her heart. Don't die. Please don't die.