Joe Leaphorn Quotes

“Leaphorn sat on a slab of sandstone and considered what these tracks told him. It wasn’t much.

He could guess that the killing hadn’t been premeditated — at least not completely. One who plans to carry a body a long distance uphill over rough ground does not wear moccasins if he has any respect for his feet.”
― Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall of the Dead

“It had occurred to Leaphorn earlier that Baker was not, in fact, an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He didn’t look like one. He had bad teeth, irregular and discolored, and an air of casual sloppiness, and something about him which suggested a quick, inquisitive, impatient intelligence. Leaphorn’s extensive experience with the FBI suggested that any of these three characteristics would prevent employment. The FBI people always seemed to be O’Malleys — trimmed, scrubbed, tidy, able to work untroubled by any special measure of intelligence. O’Malley was still talking. Leaphorn looked at him, wondering about this FBI policy. Where did they find so many O’Malleys? He had a sudden vision of an office in the Department of Justice building in Washington, a clerk sending out draft notices to all the male cheerleaders and drum majors at USC, Brigham Young, Arizona State, and Notre Dame, ordering them to get their hair cut and report for duty.”
― Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall of the Dead

“But would the man who hunted him still be here? Leaphorn considered this. The man would have known he had flushed his bird. He needed to be a fairly competent tracker to find George’s kill site. But once George was running, covering his tracks, he would have to be much better than that. He would have to be as good as Joe Leaphorn — and perhaps better than Leaphorn. As far as Leaphorn knew, there were no better trackers than himself. Certainly no Zuni, or white man.”
― Tony Hillerman, Dance Hall of the Dead

“Not much,’ Chee said, looking embarrassed.

It wasn’t much. Leaphorn couldn’t imagine how it would be useful. In fact, it seemed to symbolize just how little they had to work on in any of these cases. ‘But it’s something,’ he said. His imagination made the figure squatting behind the juniper, watching the Chee trailer, a small figure holding a pump shotgun in his right hand, reaching into his shirt pocket with his left hand, fishing out a packet of gum. No furious emotion here. Calm. A man doing a job, being careful, taking his time. And, as an accidental by-product, giving the cat crouched under the juniper a case of nerves, eroding its instinct to stay human until this human left, sending it into a panicky dash for a safer place. Leaphorn smiled slightly, enjoying the irony.

‘We know he chews gum. Or she does,’ Chee said. ‘And what kind he sometimes chews. And that he’s…’ Chee searched for the right word. ‘Cool.’

And I know, Leaphorn thought, that Jim Chee is smart enough to think about what might have spooked the cat.”
― Tony Hillerman, Skinwalkers

“Not much,’ Chee said, looking embarrassed.

It wasn’t much. Leaphorn couldn’t imagine how it would be useful. In fact, it seemed to symbolize just how little they had to work on in any of these cases. ‘But it’s something,’ he said. His imagination made the figure squatting behind the juniper, watching the Chee trailer, a small figure holding a pump shotgun in his right hand, reaching into his shirt pocket with his left hand, fishing out a packet of gum. No furious emotion here. Calm. A man doing a job, being careful, taking his time. And, as an accidental by-product, giving the cat crouched under the juniper a case of nerves, eroding its instinct to stay hidden until this human left, sending it into a panicky dash for a safer place. Leaphorn smiled slightly, enjoying the irony.

‘We know he chews gum. Or she does,’ Chee said. ‘And what kind he sometimes chews. And that he’s…’ Chee searched for the right word. ‘Cool.’

And I know, Leaphorn thought, that Jim Chee is smart enough to think about what might have spooked the cat.”
― Tony Hillerman, Skinwalkers