Christine Barber - The Replacement Child

The Spanish words used in this book reflect New Mexicos unique Spanish dialect and, as such, do not share all the characteristics of the better-known, modern-day Spanish. For instance, most Spanish-speakers today would say mi hijo when referring to their son, while Spanish-speakers from Northern New Mexico would say mi hito.

Additionally in the book, the term Hispanic is used instead of Latino when referring to someone from Northern New Mexico who is of Spanish descent. While Latino is the term most used in the rest of the country, Hispanic is the preferred local term.

The moment I saw the brilliant, proud morning shine high up over the deserts of Santa Fe, something stood still in my soul, and I started to attend.

D. H. Lawrence

L ucy Newroe hated the word supererogation. It was one of those ridiculous words youd see in a Readers Digest Word Power quiz. Like quidnunc or sesquipedalianwords whose only purpose was to make the user look smart and the listener feel stupid.

Lucy had no clue what supererogation meant, and she didnt know how to spell it. Obviously, neither did the reporter who had written the story she was editinghe had spelled it superaregation. The spell check on Lucys computer wanted her to change it to super are nation, as if that made more sense.

Normally, she would have taken the word out, but it was in a direct quote: The constant superaregation by the director bordered on the absurd, said audience member Jake Plumber. There was no changing of quotes in news stories. Either she took the word out and paraphrased the quote or kept the word in and figured out how to spell it.

Oh, hell, Lucy said to her computer. No one even turned to look. It was about 11:30 P.M. Her side of the newsroom was empty except for her and a lone reporter, while the copy-desk side was full of people working quietly. The story deadline had come and gone, but the page deadline still was an hour away. The dance-company review she was editing didnt need to be done until tomorrow. As the night city editor, she had to wait until the copy desk finished its pages before she could go home.

Lucy got up to look for a dictionary as her phone rang. She picked it up and rambled off her phone introduction without even thinkingCapital Tribune newsroom. This is Lucy Newroe. How can I help you?as she tried to make the phone cord reach to the dictionary on the shelf.

Is Harold there?

Lucy recognized the voice. It was old and female. Its just me in charge tonight, Lucy said as she grabbed the dictionary.

How about Steve?

Lucy smiled. Scanner Lady always wanted to talk to the male editors, never to her. Im it. Youre stuck with me, I guess. Whats going on?

Scanner Lady hesitated. Lucy thought she was going to hang up.

Well, I dont know, said the voice.

Did you hear something on the police scanner? Lucy asked, as she paged through the Ss in the dictionarywas it supere or supera?

I think I did. Scanner Lady hesitated again. I think I heard two Santa Fe police officers talking about calling in the OMI and the state police.

Lucy tossed down the dictionary and started taking notes. Calling in the Office of the Medical Investigator meant a dead body, and calling in the New Mexico State Police to investigate meant that whatever had happened, it might involve a cop. The state police automatically took over any case that concerned a law enforcement officer.

Lucy snapped her fingers at Tommy Martinez, the night cops reporter. He turned and looked at her as she pointed to her phone. He knew what it meant. He grabbed his notepad and ran over to Lucys desk.

So you heard the Santa Fe cops call out the OMI and state police? She was repeating it for confirmation and so that Tommy could hear. He guessed who it was on the phone. Thank God for Scanner Lady, he whispered, and started taking notes.

Lucy ignored him and said into the phone, When was this?

Just a few minutes ago, Scanner Lady said. I dont want to say any more. Just listen to your scanner.

But Lucy had been listening to the scannerit sat on a shelf right above her deskand she hadnt heard anything. It wasnt unusual for police scanners to pick up different traffic. There were two scanners in the newsroomone on her desk and one in the photo department, twenty feet away. The one in photo picked up more calls from the city police, while hers picked up more county calls and an occasional cell-phone call.

But both scanners were quiet. The last call had been something about a truck full of teenagers skidding into an icy arroyo.

Are you sure? Lucy asked. I havent heard anything. Can you tell me anything more? What exactly did they say?

Just listen. Im sure youll hear it.

Lucy heard the finality in her voice, but she still had so many questions. Were the voices male or female? What made her think it involved the Santa Fe city police and not the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Department? Had they said whether the killing was in the line of duty or something else?

Scanner Lady always played it like thisnever giving out all the information, not even her name. She called about once a week. It had become a sort of game for Lucy to figure out who she was. Scanner Ladys voice was old, raspy. Maybe a smoker? She was definitely Anglo. Once, Lucy almost got her to inadvertently mention what side of town she lived on, but Scanner Lady went into a coughing fit and hung up before revealing anything. She never mentioned having children or a husband. And she never gave her reason for calling in with her tips. Did she just need someone to talk to?

Most of the time, her calls amounted to nothing. But a few times, what she had heard had turned into a story. That was enough that Lucy never ignored her.

Lucy hung up and looked down at her notes. All she had written was:

OMI
Statecops
Santa Fe
Dead body???

S he looked at her watch11:34 P.M. This was going to be tough. Tommy was already on the phone, trying to get hold of the night supervisor at the state police. He looked up at her and shook his head.

Just give it your best shot, Tommy. Weve gotten stories later than this, she said.

And they had. Just last week theyd had a stabbing at 11:45 P.M. and managed to get a ten-inch story in the paper by the 12:30 P.M. page deadline. But a story involving the possible investigation of a police officer and a dead body was something else. Getting that story during working hours was a chore; this late at night, it was next to impossible.

Lucy was too anxious to sit. She walked over to the copy-desk side of the newsroom and watched the editors design the pages for tomorrows paper. Across the office, she heard Tommy unleashing his phone charm. He must have been talking to a female police dispatcher: he was laughing a lota teasing, swinging laugh. Lucy heard him say, A la ve and then, No s He slipped between the local Spanish and English, busting out his best Northern New Mexico accent for the English. His vowels were twice the normal length, stretching out the words into a singsong lullaby. His English had no hard consonant edges and his Spanish was not quick-step Mexican Spanish, but the slow, taffy-pulling colonial Spanish still spoken in Santa Fe.