Fresh back from Washington, D.C., Janet Pete is working as a public defender, representing Ashie Pinto in the murder case mounting against him.

Actress Alex Rice, a member of the Mohawk tribe from Kahnawake in Quebec, Canada, made her feature film debut opposite James Duval and Kevin Anderson in the independent film The Doe Boy, which won the 2001 Sundance NHK screenwriting award as well as best first feature at the 2001 Taos Film Festival and the 2001 Wine Country Film Festival. She has also appeared as a guest star on Spin City, Strong Medicine, CSI, The Sopranos, and the ABC miniseries Dreamkeeper. She can also be seen in the IMAX® feature, Lewis & Clark: Into the Great Unknown.

In Hillerman's words:
Jim Chee came slouching out of the Burn Doctor's examining room at the University of New Mexico Hospital Burn and Trauma Center feeling distinctly down. Predictions concerning his hand had been ambiguous. Then he noticed the woman sitting against the wall in the waiting room. Something about her reminded him of Janet Pete. She was immersed in a Newsweek, her sleek, dark hair visible above the cover and her very nice legs neatly crossed. He stared. She turned the page of the magazine, giving him a look at more than her forehead. Depression vanished, replaced by delight. It was Janet Pete.

Coyote Waits, Chapter 4