“MS. POLATKIN, MARIE, CAN you tell us something about John Smith?”
“He wasn’t the Indian Killer.”
“Why do you keep insisting on this? We have the murder weapon, we have Jack Wilson’s sworn testimony. John Smith was the Indian Killer. Case closed.”
“Jack Wilson is a liar.”
“Have you seen Wilson’s face? He looks like a car wreck. I hardly think he deserves to be called a liar. Have you even read his book about all of this?”
“No.”
“You should. It’s a very interesting portrait of John Smith. You’d like it. Wilson says that Indian children shouldn’t be adopted by white parents. He says that those kids commit suicide way too often. You ask me, John’s suicide was a good thing.”
“Wilson doesn’t know shit about Indians.”
“Have you read Dr. Mather’s book?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Really? You’re in it, you know? And it’s not too flattering, I must say.”
“So what.”
“Mather thinks your cousin Reggie is the Indian Killer. He thinks you might have been a part of it, too.”
“I hardly knew Reggie. And if I’d been a part of it, Mather wouldn’t have enough fingers left to write a book.”
“Are you threatening Dr. Mather?”
“No, I’m speaking metaphorically.”
“Did you have anything to do with the killings?”
“No.”
“Did you have anything to do with Reggie’s assault of Robert Harris?”
“No.”
“Do you know where Reggie is?”
“No.”
“Do you know Harley Tate or Ty Williams?”
“No.”
“Do you know where Harley Tate is?”
“No.”
“Besides Wilson, you were the last one to see John Smith alive.”
“Yeah. So?”
“What did you two talk about? Did you make plans for the future?”
“We didn’t talk much at all. We were busy fighting off those white assholes.”
“Barry Church and Aaron Rogers?”
“Yeah, why aren’t you hassling them?”
“Barry and Aaron have their own troubles.”
“Yeah, what did they get? Six months in county jail?”
“Weren’t you in a class with Aaron’s brother? The one who disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“Aaron Rogers has indicated that you and David had a romantic relationship.”
“That’s a lie.”
“My, my, Marie. Is every white man a liar?”
“Every one so far.”
“So, what was the nature of your relationship with David Rogers?”
“We were in a class together. I talked to him a couple of times. He asked me out. I turned him down. He disappeared. They found his body. That’s my relationship with David Rogers.”
“I see. And did you know about the camas field on the Rogers’s farm? Did you know about their land dispute with the Spokane Tribe?”
“The Spokanes have land disputes with most everybody. And no, I didn’t know about David and the camas field.”
“Did John Smith kill David Rogers?”
“No.”
“How would you know that?”
“John Smith didn’t kill anybody.”
“Did you kill David Rogers?”
“No way.”
“Did you and John Smith have a romantic relationship?”
“No. Listen to me. John Smith was screwed up. He was hurting. He didn’t know up from down. He got screwed at birth. He had no chance. I don’t care how nice his white parents were. John was dead from the start. And now you’re killing him all over again. Can’t you just leave him alone?”
“John Smith is all alone now. And he won’t be hurting anybody ever again. It’s all over.”
“John never hurt anybody. And this isn’t over.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I just know.”
“What else do you know?”
“I know that John Smith didn’t kill anybody except himself. And if some Indian is killing white guys, then it’s a credit to us that it took over five hundred years for it to happen. And there’s more.”
“Yes?”
“Indians are dancing now, and I don’t think they’re going to stop.”