Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery (11 page)

“Not too old to have fun,” Toby
responded, “besides Sue Gray is coming.
 
You may have met her, she is volunteering at Walnut Canyon and she is a
retiree also.”

“I think I remember that name.
 
I may have met her at our general
orientation but that was a few weeks ago now.
 
It will be nice to meet her again.”

“Well, I’ll be leaving about 45 minutes
from now.
 
I’m driving.
 
Gotta pick up a couple of folks at
Sunset Crater on the way.
 
The
Walnut Canyon crowd will meet us there.”

“I’ll be ready, thanks again for
including me,” Lin responded.

She went back to the apartment and
decided to take a quick shower and change before dinner.
 
That seemed just what she needed to
shake off her worrisome thoughts about the police report.
 

Lin decided on a blue and turquoise print
skirt and turquoise top.
 
It would
do her good to get out of her uniform and to wear something besides jeans or
shorts for a change.
 
She decided to
add the earrings she had purchased the week before at the gallery and then
slipped her feet into some comfortable sandals that were also blue and set off
her outfit.
 
Looking in the mirror
she was pleased with the results—not bad for a retired schoolmarm, she
thought.
 

“Wow,” Toby complimented her when she
appeared beside his car, “you look pretty terrific!”

“For an old lady!” Lin added, smiling.

“Not at all,” Toby opened the door for
her, “ it’s nice to see you out of uniform for a change.”

“You look pretty neat yourself,” Lin
noted Toby’s khaki’s and polo shirt.
 
He had also decided to “dress” for dinner it seems.

They drove over to the housing area of
Sunset Crater where they met a couple who were regular seasonal employees and
friends of Toby from previous summers.
 
Soon they were chatting about the park and their work as they drove into
town.

The Horseman’s Lodge was a typical
western steakhouse.
 
Housed in a log
structure with dark wooden paneling and lantern light on the tables.
 
The menu had an assortment of steak and
barbeque entrees but Lin opted for the salad bar for her meal, as did Sue
Gray.
 
The two of them left the
others to fill their plates.

Lin was glad to have the opportunity to
chat with the other volunteer.
 
Sue
was retired as a news reporter from a Denver paper and said she was
volunteering, in part, to get away from her busy life in the city and have some
quiet time to work on some writing, which she had always been planning to do.
 
The two of them had indeed met at the
orientation for volunteers held earlier.
 
It was nice to have a chance to get to know each other better.

“What kind of writing are you working on?”
 
Lin inquired.

Sue laughed, “ You may think I’m crazy
but, over the years, I’ve collected information about old criminal cases which
were never solved.
 
I would like to
write mystery fiction using some of this information as background and filling
in the stories with my own imagination regarding what might have happened.”

“That’s not crazy at all,” Lin offered, “
I’ve always been intrigued by unsolved mysteries myself.
 
After all, something happened to these
people and for a reason.
 
It is good
to find the truth, but sometimes we can’t.
 
We can only imagine what might have happened.”

“Well, we have had something of a mystery
here recently, over at your place,” Sue said,
 
“but I understand the police have
wrapped that incident up.”

“They ruled it an accidental death, but I’m
not so sure,” Lin finished filling her plate and headed for the table as Sue
followed.

“Why do you say that?” Sue asked, seating
herself across from Lin at one end of the table.

Lin found herself telling Sue all about
the discovery of the body the week before and the questions she had about the
overall investigation.
 
Soon the two
women were engrossed in examining what had happened and what information seemed
to be missing in the case.
 
The
younger folks were engrossed in their own conversations and seemed to show
little interest in this discussion, but Sue seemed to understand why Lin felt
that there was more to the story.

As they parted company in the parking lot
after their meal, Sue smiled at Lin.

“I enjoyed our conversation and I do
agree with you that there are questions yet to be answered in this case,” Sue
remarked, “I would love to talk more about it with you sometime.
 
We should get together anyway, when we
have some time off.”

The two ladies exchanged cell phone
numbers and left with a promise to get together soon.
 
Lin felt better as she rode back to the
park.
 
Here was someone who was
knowledgeable about crime stories and she didn’t think Lin’s questions were
silly or crazy at all.
 
They are
real questions that need answers Lin thought.
  
I’m going to try to find a way to
get some of those answers, she resolved.

The next morning dawned brightly with a
promise of a nice day ahead.
 
Lin
was feeling energetic as she made her way to the visitor center shortly after
opening.
 
Neal Smith was coming out
this morning to introduce his graduate assistants to the park staff and orient
them to the work they would be doing this summer.
 
Lin was eager to see Neal again.
 
She wondered if he had already learned
about the police report on the incident of the previous week.
  
Thinking about the report reminded
her of his earlier apparent reluctance to discuss the incident.
 
Of course, he had seemed more his old
self when they were together on Sunday, still the subject of the grisly
discovery hadn’t come up.

 
Lin was convinced that Neal’s work in the
park was not simply for purposes of instructing students.
 
Her reading had convinced her that he
was possibly hoping to find something that might provide information to support
a grant application for a dig or some type of archeological work in the park.
 
The research reported in the articles
had convinced her that something of that sort could indeed be a realistic
possibility.
 
There was certainly
nothing wrong with that, Lin thought.
 
She planned to ask Neal about these possibilities and what evidence his
students might be looking for.

Lin was ready to greet Dr. Smith (she had
already reminded herself that first names were off limits today) and the
students when they arrived.
  
Neal raised his eyebrows slightly when she welcomed him as Dr. Smith but
he seemed to understand her message.

 
Lin had hoped that they might get down to
business right away; however, Smith wanted her to first orient the students to
the main park ruin there at Wupatki.
 
Meanwhile, he indicated he had plans to talk with Danielle.
 
About what Lin wondered.
 
Maybe the police report?

There were two students, a young man
named Mark, who was half way through his program and who had worked in the park
the previous two summers, and a newcomer, Ginger, a girl who was just
completing her first year in the program.
 
She had never been in the park before.

“Mark, I am sure you have seen the ruin
many times,” Lin acknowledged, “you could probably orient Ginger better than I
can, I have only been here a few weeks.”

“Oh, no,” Mark said politely, “I learn
something new every time I come, please proceed.”

The three of them did the full tour of
the ruin with Lin explaining the various locations and trying to give as much
information about the life of the people as she could.
 
All the while, in the back of her mind,
she was wondering what Neal Smith was discussing with Danielle.

As the three of them approached the
center, upon returning from the tour of the ruin, Lin saw that Smith and
Danielle were seated on the back patio.
 
As Lin and the students joined them, Smith greeted Lin with a warm
smile.

“So good to see you again and so nice
that you will be serving as the student’s liaison this summer.
 
It will be a pleasure to work with you.”

“I’m looking forward to it Dr. Smith,”
Lin responded, “ Shall we go to the staff office and discuss our plans?
 
I don’t think anyone is working back
there at the moment and there is room for all of us to sit.”

Smith turned to Danielle, “ Thank you for
sharing information with me.”
 
Turning to Lin he said, “ That will be fine, let’s go to the office.”

Once seated, Smith slipped comfortably
into his professional role and began outlining what he hoped the students might
learn and where he hoped that they might work.
 
He had a large topographical map of the
park and Lin noticed that the areas he was marking formed a sort of semi-circle
surrounding the part of the park where Lomaki ruin and the box canyon were
located.
 
In fact, there seemed to
be several semi-circles moving outward into the park and the surrounding
ranchland from the ruin.

“Why the special interest in this area?”
 
Lin asked, “ That’s the area where your
students were working last week and the surrounding environs.”
 
She was careful not to mention the
incident directly.

Smith shrugged, “ That area is easily
reached for the most part and, in fact, there have been some interesting finds
there in the past.
 
Perhaps there is
evidence of more material yet to be found.”

“But, under your agreement with the park
authorities, you can’t actually do any digging,” Lin reminded him, “You may
simply examine and photograph the terrain and check it for indications that
further work might be conducted there.” She decided to be direct, “ What future
plans might you have?”

Smith looked surprised but quickly
recovered. “ Should we locate evidence that further work would produce results,
I plan to apply for a grant to conduct such work.
 
I would, of course, also apply for
permission from the park service and the owner of the ranchland as part of the
grant application process.
 
One can
always hope that new discoveries are possible.”

“ I see,” Lin smiled. “I’m sure that
would be exciting for all of us.
 
Who knows,” she nodded toward the students, “maybe we can all be part of
some exciting discovery.”

“We’ll be back next week to begin our
field experiences,” Smith said as he rose from his chair, “meanwhile, I ‘d like
to show these students the box canyon area.
 
May we ride out there?”

“Let me get my hat,” Lin responded, “ I ‘ll
be with you shortly.”

The drive out to the Lomaki area was
uneventful.
 
Smith talked about his
plans and the student’s chatted about other things they would be doing that
summer.
 
Smith seemed relaxed and
happy but he made no reference to what had happened the week before.
 
Lin wondered if these students even
knew.
 

When the four of them arrived at the
area, the students set off to visit the ruin, leaving Lin and Smith near the
box canyon area.
 
Lin decided to
take advantage of the student’s temporary absence.

“I assume, you heard about the police
report,” she inquired.
 
Smith’s
visage seemed to change.
 
His
earlier cheerful demeanor was gone and he, once again, seemed withdrawn and
nervous.

“Yes, Deputy Taylor had called me
yesterday as a courtesy and Danielle was kind enough to share more information
with me this morning.
 
As I thought,
it seems the poor fellow had an unfortunate accident.
 
I’m afraid these things happen all too
often.”

“I suppose so,” Lin responded, “I just
hope that the authorities did a thorough investigation.
 
There seem to be so many inconsistencies
on the surface of things.”

“I’m sure they did,” Smith replied
somewhat curtly, “I have every confidence in Deputy Taylor and his
department.
 
Here come the students,
let’s show them the canyon.” Smith was already moving up the path to join the
pair as they returned from the ruin.

For the next half hour, Lin simply
followed along and watched and listened as Smith explained to the students how
to examine the lay of the land for evidence that there might be dwelling
foundations buried beneath the surface.
 
He also pointed out cracks and cleft areas where humans might have, at
some point, stored corn in pots or baskets.
 
She had to admit that the man was
interesting and a good teacher.
 
He
was lively and engaging with the students but he had certainly cut her off when
she brought up the topic of the remains found right here last week.
 
He was no longer the genial companion of
Sunday afternoon.
 
Lin wondered why
he seemed so reluctant to talk about the incident and so ready to dismiss her
own questions—at least it seemed that way to her.

As Smith finished up his instructions to
the students and they all began walking back to the parking lot, Lin fell in
beside the rather handsome professor, “I am very impressed by your knowledge of
this area, the lay of the land and where evidence of past habitation might be
found.
 
I have always been
interested in archeology and history but I’m afraid my own knowledge is very
limited.
 
I’ve been doing some
readings about the archeology of the park recently and they are very
interesting.”

“Perhaps you could take my class next fall,”
Smith smiled, “I often have special non-degree students enrolled.
 
I think you would enjoy it.”

“I’m afraid my volunteer tenure here is
just for the summer.
 
I ‘ll most
likely be back home in North Carolina by then but I hope to learn more as I
work with you and your students this summer.”

“ There are others in this area who could
probably teach you even more about the park and its history than I can,” Smith
offered, “ Have you met Sarah Chee yet?”

“ Is she the Navajo lady who lives
here?
 
I’ve heard about her and her
family but I have not had the opportunity to meet her yet.”
 
Lin knew that Sarah Chee’s family had
always lived in the park area and had been allowed to remain in their home when
the place became a national monument.
 
She had lifetime rights here but, when she passed away, the property
would convey to the park, as she had no children to take over the
homestead.
 
The grandfathered rights
were only for the family so long as a direct descendant lived in the home.

“That’s her, she has a wealth of
knowledge about this area and the people who lived here—both Navajo, in
recent times, and the Hisatsinom, the ancient Puebloan people who first built
this place.
 
She can probably even
tell you about some of the earlier archeologists who worked here, if not from
first hand knowledge, from knowledge passed on by her father.
 
He often worked as a helper on some of
the early digs.
 
Sarah is getting on
in years but her mind is still sharp!”
  
Smith was enthusiastic about this
lady.

“ I would love to talk to her,” Lin
responded, “Maybe I’ll have the opportunity soon.”

By this time they were back to their cars
and soon they were headed in to the visitor center.
 
The ride back was rather quiet—everyone
was pretty warm and probably getting hungry as lunchtime was approaching.

 
Smith and the students did not go back
into the center.
 
Nor did Neal seek
to speak to Lin personally before his departure.
 
“We’ll see you next week,” the students
called as they pulled out.
 
Lin
headed back inside for a few minutes, as it was not quite time for her lunch
break.
 
She couldn’t help but wonder
why Smith had become so distant.
 
After all, just two days ago they had enjoyed an afternoon
together.
 
Certainly, she wanted to
keep business and pleasure separated but she had felt somewhat put off by his
behavior and this feeling had begun when the topic of the police report had
arisen.
 
Why did this bother him so
much—even now when the initial shock had certainly had time to abate a
bit?
 
Lin began to wonder if there
was some reason why this incident had had such an effect on the handsome
professor.
 
This was just one more
question to add to her curiosity about the entire incident.

There were only a few visitors in the
center.
 
Most were browsing through
the exhibits or the shop.
 
Toby was
on the desk but did not seem too busy so Lin headed back to the staff office
area.
 
After all, she would be on
the desk most of the afternoon so she might have a bit more time to read in the
next half hour before her break.
 
In
the back of her mind were Smith’s words about Sarah Chee.
 
She would have to meet that lady soon,
she thought.
 
She was enjoying the
learning aspects of her position a lot.
 
It was an opportunity for her to expand her own knowledge in a most
enjoyable way.
 

Soon Lin became so absorbed in the
article she was reading that she lost track of time.
 
Toby poked his head in the door, “Time
for your lunch break and you better hurry.
 
You take over the desk from me in 45 minutes.
 
I’m off this afternoon so you need to be
on time!”
 
He teased.

“Indeed, I do!” Lin grinned as she
returned her reading to the folders.
 
She hurried back to her apartment to eat and relax a bit before her busy
afternoon.
 
Most days she didn’t
work a full day, but she had volunteered to add working with Smith and the
students to her weekly schedule so this meant a full shift today.