Read Hillerman, Tony for Free Online

with her,” Moon said. “Mostly letters, I think. She wouldn’t have brought business papers. In fact, I doubt if she would have received his business stuff. Whoever is running the business would need them. They would still be in his office, I’d think.”
    Mr. Lee looked at Moon, examining his face. He made a deprecatory gesture. “I think not necessarily so,” he said. “Too bad, I think, but some business in some places must be kept very confidential.”
    Mr. Lee’s expression said that he knew Moon, a sophisticated man, would have already known this, but he explained.
    “It is not just in deference to the interests of his clients who don’t want their privacy invaded, but in the interests of your brother. He wouldn’t want too much unneeded information written down in files. Almost everybody can open files.”
    “Oh,” Moon said, digesting this. “You’re saying some of the things Ricky was doing were illegal?”
    Mr. Lee looked startled. “Oh, no. No,” he said. “Mr. Mathias was an honorable business person. But—” He paused, shrugged. “The helicopters, for example,” he said, voice patient. “One of the assets of Mr. Mathias’s company is control of helicopters of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. And sometimes RVN helicopters. His people fix them and test-fly them, and then he notifies the army, and ARVN pilots come to fly them back to Saigon. Or sometimes pilots of R. M. Air return them to their bases.”
    “And who is to say where the copter was flown on the test flight?” Moon said. “Or how long it took to repair it?”
    “Exactly,” Mr. Lee said. “And who is to care? And, of course, a helicopter of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam can fly to places where flying other aircraft would be-” Mr. Lee searched for the right explanation.
    “Not be allowed?” Moon suggested. “Or raise questions? Or provoke curiosity?”
    “Exactly,” Mr. Lee said again. “There would be much filling in of forms, and getting permits, and waiting, and—” Mr. Lee grimaced and rubbed thumb and fingers together, the universal symbol for bribery.
    Moon nodded. Ricky was not the sort to overlook an opportunity.
    “So one would not look for a file on the business he did with me in the business office of R. M. Air,” Mr. Lee said. “One would expect more discretion.”
    “What was the merchandise?” Moon asked. It wouldn’t be drugs. Ricky wouldn’t deal with that. Not that Mr. Lee would tell him if it was. Some sort of contraband, though. Something that would require a bit of smuggling. But not something that would make you ashamed.
    “An urn,” Mr. Lee said. “Antique. Very old. Not very valuable to others, but priceless to our family.”
    For the first time the big man, whom Moon had come to think of as the bodyguard, spoke. “Yes,” he said. “It holds our luck.”
    “Worth how much?” Moon asked, trying to understand all this.
    “Beyond price,” Mr. Lee said.
    “And my brother seems to have lost it?”
    “No, no,” Mr. Lee said, agitated that Moon would read such an implication into this situation. “No. Mr. Mathias was a most efficient man. Most dependable. Worthy of complete trust. He would have placed it somewhere safe until he could complete the delivery. But then—” Mr. Lee shrugged, not wanting to mention Ricky’s death. “Some things cannot be predicted.”
    “I’ll go through all the papers my mother was sent,” Moon said. “If I find anything, where can I reach you?”
    Mr. Lee did not react to that. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and extracted a flat case of well-worn silver. He opened it and held it out to Moon, displaying six thin black cigars.
    “If you smoke tobacco you will find these excellent,” he said.
    “I’ve finally managed to quit,” Moon said. “But thank you.”
    Mr. Lee reluctantly closed the case and returned it to its pocket. “You were wise,” he said. “It is known to be bad for one’s health.”
    “But