She brought out the knife, plates, and more napkins. Chee sliced off the end of the watermelon and then a thick round that he cut into thirds. He put a wedge on each plate. Bigman picked up the melon and took a bite. “A good one.”
Chee tried his. “This is the taste of summer. I’m glad you brought it.”
Bernie’s was untouched, and he noticed the look on her face, one side of her mouth a bit higher than the other. “That was Johnson, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. We’re meeting tomorrow. I’m glad. It will be nice to share what I saw, even though it doesn’t seem like much. If she knows the dead guy, that should make the case easier to solve. I want to talk to her about staying involved in the investigation.”
They ate for a few minutes, and then Chee reached for her hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. “See that guy sitting there, the man who brought the watermelon, a cop who confronts gangbangers high on meth or a maniac with a knife on a regular basis?”
“I do.”
“Well, he needs some reassurance as he prepares to face his own little bundle of joy.”
Bigman cleared his throat. “The situation is totally different. I got training to become a cop, but what do I know about diaper rash, bottles, putting a Little Someone in a car seat? I’ve never been around a tiny new person. It makes me nervous, I admit it, to think this little soul will be dependent on me and his mom.”
Bernie said, “You’ll learn. Our parents did.”
“I hope so. I feel more comfortable at a traffic stop than in charge of a newborn.”
“You’ll be a fine father. Don’t worry.” She took a bite of the watermelon, juicy, delicious, and the color of a brilliant sunset. “Did you get this at the flea market?”
“No. My neighbor’s boy grew it at his grandmother’s place.”
“They had a few at the flea. Hey, do you remember Mr. Natachi?”
Bigman nodded. “He’s the gentleman who lived near your mother, right? I think he was kind of sweet on her.”
“That’s the one. I ran into him this morning at the market. He’s living in Chinle now with his granddaughter, Ryana. They came to visit his sister, and he found his stolen bolo tie here in somebody’s booth.”
“That was fortunate.”
Chee wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Not so much for the guy who had it for sale. Bernie got a description of him.”
Bernie said, “He left after he returned the old man’s bolo. A few hours later, Ryana called and implied that her grandfather didn’t remember things very well and that the bolo hadn’t been stolen. Mr. Natachi seemed sharp to me.”
Bigman pursed his lips. “That sure gets my attention. It makes me think someone in the family took it. Maybe a relative on drugs, something like that. Something to follow up.”
He finished his melon and put the rind down on the plate. “Sergeant, I, ah . . . this is awkward. I need to ask you a favor. I know I’m supposed to go to Chinle tomorrow to work with Lieutenant Black there on those stolen-property cases. But Melody believes that the baby will decide it wants to get born while I’m out, you know. Or while I’m driving where there’s no cell service for her to call me.”
They watched Bigman collecting his thoughts.
“You and Largo get along great. I was wondering if you could ask him if he’d send the rookie to Chinle? The experience would do him good.”
Chee said, “Did you hear what happened to him?”
“Don’t tell me.” Bigman smiled. “He tried to bust that tough gal from Newcomb who always has the weed in the back of her car.”
“No, no.” Chee exhaled. “He placed himself in the middle of an argument about some rotten hay and got a broken nose and a puffy eye for his troubles.”
“How bad is he?”
“He has to breathe through his mouth. His eye has swollen into a tiny slit.” Chee narrowed his own in sympathy.
“That explains why I got the call to back up Bernie even though I was out in the middle of nowhere.”
“I was glad to see you. When is the baby due?”
Bigman made a tent with his fingers. “Any day. Next week? Tomorrow? The official arrival date is ten days from now, but Melody doesn’t think she’ll last that long. It’s my fault she’s anxious. I told her I’d attend the classes with her about labor and delivery and all that, but I got called in to work those nights.”
Bernie wrinkled her forehead. “Every week?”
“Actually, I volunteered for duty so I could miss the classes. I didn’t want to be there for that female stuff. Now, this is the last week, and Melody told me there’s a film about the whole birth process tomorrow night and then intensive coaching for both of us the next three nights. She said she really needs me to go with her. She never said that before. Then she started to cry.” Bigman turned his hands palms up. “I’d rather go to Chinle, but I might get stuck working where I couldn’t get back in time for the movie or the last three classes. You know that a case can get dicey, even one that seems simple like this burglary stuff.”
They knew. Drug use and burglaries went together like weft and warp, and they’d heard rumors of mafia types hanging around Chinle. Bernie and Chee had both been on more than one call where something that should have been simple grew complicated and violent, and took a long time to resolve.
Bernie wiped the watermelon juice off her hands with a napkin. “I’ll go to Chinle for you. Chee can get Largo to OK that.”
“No, I’ll handle the Chinle burglary stuff.” Chee saw Bernie frown. “You have to stay here to deal with Johnson and the body, and to figure out if the Shiprock guy selling Mr. Natachi’s bolo has ties to Chinle and the rest of the crimes there. I’ve worked well with the Chinle commander before, so that ought to make things go a little smoother. It’s all up to the captain, of course, but I think he’ll agree.”
“Thanks.” Bigman sighed. “I appreciate whatever you can do for me, man. Melody is really on my case about this darn movie. I hope the rookie gets back to full steam soon.”
“We all do. He’ll need to pull his weight so you can be with the new mom and help with that little one when it gets here. Your wife will need a break and some extra attention, too.”
Bernie nudged him with her elbow. “Sergeant Chee, how did you get so smart about family dynamics?”
“Oh, it’s another of my superpowers.”
Country music that sounded like Loretta Lynn on a bad day intruded on the night. Bigman looked startled, then pulled his phone from his pocket. “It’s my wife. Do you mind?”
“Go ahead.” They listened to him say “Yes” and “Of course” and “It’s all set” and then “Don’t worry, I’m leaving now.”
He turned to them both. “She has bad leg cramps. I’ve got to go. Thanks for talking to Largo about this, Sergeant.”
“That movie might come in handy when you’re on patrol and a baby is about to get born. Think of it that way.”
Bernie smiled. “I get any calls involving pregnant women, I’m referring them to you. You’ll be the department’s specialist.”