I know that, Kate, he said, angry now. You don‘t have to say it, I know what I should have done. I said so, in court. I testified against the other guys. I thanked Judge Singh for the short sentence and I promised her I‘d walk the straight and narrow when I got out. But I can‘t get a job, which doesn‘t matter because I don‘t have any way to get to it, and I don‘t have anywhere to go after the job‘s done for the day anyway. What the hell, I might as well go back to jail. At least I‘ll have a bed and three squares.

He flopped back on the cot and put his arm over his eyes.

You won‘t forget about those cookies, will you, Kate? Willard said, anxious. She turned and walked to the outer office. Maggie, could Willard have some of those— She was interrupted by the door opening.

Auntie Vi walked in—with something less than her usual bounce, Kate noticed— followed by another woman, a stranger to Kate. She was tall, at least five ten, and slender with a smooth fall of dark blond hair that cupped her chin in a controlled wave. Her forehead was high and narrow, her eyes were an indeterminate blue, her nose long and thin, and her mouth straight and firm. She wore a black Windbreaker with the Suulutaq sunburst embroidered on the breast.

Her eyes considered Kate, passed on to Maggie and took in the uniform shirt. Are you the trooper dispatcher?

Yes. Maggie Montgomery.

Holly Haynes. I work for Vern Truax out at the Suulutaq Mine.

Kate and Maggie exchanged glances. Superintendent Vernon Truax? Haynes smiled. That‘s my boss. I‘m the staff geologist, and Vern‘s number two. I understand you‘re also a notary public?

Maggie nodded. Yes, I am.

Great, Haynes said. Ms. Moonin and I have a bill of sale we‘d like to have notarized. She looked at Kate. Wouldn‘t hurt to have a witness, Ms.— Shugak, Maggie said. Kate Shugak.

Haynes‘s hand in Kate‘s was cool and smooth, her nails clean and clipped, her cuticles neat and under control. Kate Shugak, she said. The same Kate Shugak who is chair of the board of directors of the Niniltna Native Association? There‘s only one, Maggie said, and maybe only Kate heard the thank god that was implicit at the end of her sentence.

Good to meet you, Haynes said. I‘ve heard a lot about you, I‘ve been looking forward to it.

Kate released Haynes‘s hand and looked at Auntie Vi. What are you selling, Auntie? Auntie Vi‘s face was a sight to behold, the expression on her round, wrinkled face registering such a complex mix of emotions that Kate was hard put to identify them all. Fear, triumph, relief, defiance, and that was just for starters. Was it actually, physically possible for Auntie Vi to feel embarrassment? Kate would have bet large against it, and she would have lost.

I sell mine my boarding house, she said.