Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery

by Sharon Canipe

  “Yes,” Lin replied, “I know firsthand how hard it can be to lose someone you are close to.” She turned and left the center, heading to her apartment and lunch.

  ***

  The afternoon passed in routine fashion following Lin’s return to the center after lunch. Toby took his break and returned just as his group of French tourists was arriving. Lin manned the desk, taking admissions, ringing up sales from the shop, and answering routine visitor questions. The early afternoon was rather busy but later when things slowed a bit she began once more to think about the incident that had occurred just one week previously.

  These had been human remains that were found. No evidence other than a bloody rock had been there; yet, there seemed to be an entire story that had now arisen around this man, one that labeled him as, at best, careless and possibly even reckless and wanton. Just another drunk Indian wandering around who fell and killed himself. Lin found it hard to accept these conclusions; of course, she did not know this person and was not really familiar with life on the reservations. She just found it hard to accept that someone with a responsible position in his community would be guilty of such reckless behavior. Well, bad things did happen to good people so maybe she was just being overly curious about this. Still, she really thought she would like to read more of the details in the report—but Danielle had not offered to share.

  Shortly before time for closing, Toby returned to the desk and suggested that Lin take a break. She decided to go back to the staff office and try to read more of the archeological material. After all, her first meeting with Neal Smith and his graduate students would be tomorrow morning and she did want to appear knowledgeable about the park. She noted that Danielle’s office door had been left open even though she was patrolling in the field; however, the file containing the police report was no longer on her desk. Resisting the impulse to look for it, Lin continued on to the staff office and settled in to read for a while. She had the room to herself and the quiet helped her to concentrate on what she was doing. Shoving her curiosity about the police report to the background, she was soon absorbed in reading about archeological fieldwork in the park over the years and the treasure trove of pottery and artifacts that it had yielded. This was how we knew about the lifestyle of these people—through the things that they left behind. She was reminded of the slope behind Wupatki ruin that was thought to have been the village trash dump when it was occupied. In fact, that was where many artifacts had been found. The broken remains of our everyday lives tell much about us!

  Lin became so absorbed in her reading that she didn’t realize that Toby had entered the room and was standing nearby.

  “You going home or are you going to stay and work some more?” Toby asked.

  Lin jumped, “I didn’t hear you come in, you startled me! Guess I was really absorbed. This is interesting stuff but I think I am ready to call it a day. She gathered her articles and replaced them in the file, “ Maybe I will read some more tonight.”

  “You’re beginning to sound like a workaholic,” Toby grinned, “ time to relax a bit and have some fun. What are you doing for dinner?”

  “No plans,” Lin replied, “ what did you have in mind?”

  “Well, a couple of us are going down to the Horseman’s Lodge. It’s on the east side of Flag—not too far—and they have great steaks and ribs and stuff. Salad bar is pretty good too, if you want lighter fare. Why don’t you join us?”

  “Sure, thanks for asking this ‘old lady’ to go along,” Lin smiled.

  “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 stor
ies 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.

  Chapter 7

  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 t
enure 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.