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his belt and placed it on the countertop.
    Have there been any rubberneckers around the vicinity this morning, Mr. Garnet? Anderton asked. Has anyone driven out to view the murder scene by your gate? Spectators of the crime scene?
    Just you, Mr. Anderton. Coffee?
    I have water in my vehicle, Anderton said.
    The AZDPS cop opened the folder and extracted a single sheet of color photocopy paper on which was a set of photographs. He stood and moved forward to place the set of images on the kitchen table.
    Can you identify any of the objects pictured here, sir?
    Why are you asking?
    I understand your caution, Mr. Garnet. But this is not part of any official inquiry.
    That makes it less likely not more likely that I’ll discuss this evidence, said Rodeo. If this is crime scene evidence you’re showing me, Mr. Anderton?
    Anderton tapped one of the photocopied images with a buffed fingertip. This is the object we discovered under the body of the man who was murdered near your property line, the cop said. You’ll remember Sheriff Molina was asking whether it was wood or metal. Actually it’s ironwood. Tourist trinkets are made of this material and sold by the Seri Indians, who traditionally inhabit areas around Kino Bay on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. Seri are typically diminutive people, as was the vic by your gates.
    Rodeo drank his coffee. The traffic cop tapped the page again.
    This is a comb, he said. Probably something the Navajo would use making wool. The policeman pointed at another image. And this is a fragment of a water jar, probably an antique one. Virtually all Native American tribes have made water jars over the centuries, so it would take an expert to identify the specific mud used in order to verify the production site. He touched another image. And then this one is a small gourd rattle. Again, a wide variety of Native American tribes have and use these for ceremonial purposes like the sweat lodge ceremony or traditional dances, though mostly they are produced for the tourist trade currently.
    Were these objects found at the current murder scenes in Los Jarros? asked Rodeo.
    I can’t say, said the policeman. I was just wondering if you had any ideas, Mr. Garnet, about any of these artifacts? Do any of them seem familiar to you?
    Why are you bothering me with this? Rodeo asked.
    The cop slid the photocopy back into the manila folder.
    This is off the record, Mr. Garnet. But sometimes people who apprehend and … The policeman hesitated. Prosecute violent offenders are themselves traumatized by that violence and it … Their violent actions, even if done for good and even legal causes, as in war or law enforcement, may affect them …
    Rodeo interrupted. Affect them how?
    In negative psychological ways. The policeman delivered this education with due seriousness but he was sweating under his tan.
    What’s your point, Mr. Anderton?
    On occasion men who are forced to perform violent acts as part of their job, say like law enforcement officers or soldiers, turn to violence themselves as some sort of compensatory psychological mechanism, said Anderton. If you understand what I mean?
    You got a degree in criminal psychology or something? asked Rodeo.
    No, sir. But my associate’s degree is in criminal justice.
    So I guess you have studied up on the Constance Case I was involved in, Officer Anderton? So you know about how I apprehended Charlie Constance and what I did to him and what the case was against him?
    Yes, the cop said. And I admire your detection work on that case, sir. But I also know that no one was ever certain how many vics Charles Constance murdered or whether he had an accomplice or not and once you … killed Mr. Constance … whether justified or not … such information could probably never be fully known. The state cop wiped sweat from his upper lip with the back of his hand. What you did to Mr. Constance egregiously breached standard protocol for apprehending criminals.
    Rodeo drank coffee and