Neal stood up to leave. “If I decide I need a lawyer, I already know someone,” he responded. Lin stood up to face him. His face was troubled and he seemed withdrawn. Lin couldn’t entirely read his feelings.
Ignoring the fact that there were other people around, Neal put his arms around her and drew her close to him in a hard embrace. He tilted her chin toward him and gazed deeply into her eyes.
“I hear what you are saying Lin, and I want to do the right thing but I want it to be the right thing for everyone involved—including me—and I’m not sure that I am ready to put everything I’ve worked for all my career on the line. I’m not sure that this case is not already nearly solved without my information, anyway. Perhaps I really don’t need to say anything.” He released his grip on her and stepped back.
“Lin, I truly care for you and I hope you care for me. I know what you are asking of me and…” his anguish seemed quite real, “All I can say, right now, is give me some time, some time to work things out….”
Lin reached out and took Neal’s hand. “Please, believe me when I say that I know how hard this is for you and what a difficult spot you’re in; somehow, I believe you will find a way to make this right. I just hope it’s sooner, rather than later.” Lin wanted to believe what she was saying but she had to admit she wasn’t certain of herself.
“I have to go now,” Neal said. “I’ll call you—soon. And, I promise I’m thinking about all this and I’ll try to work things out, somehow.”
He turned and walked quickly away, leaving Lin to wonder if approaching him had been the right thing to do. Maybe she should have simply given him more time and space to make his decision.
Lin fought against the tears that threatened her composure at this point. Why am I still pushing this man, she thought. Is it because I think he can help resolve this case or am I just concerned about my own relationship with him? She couldn’t be sure of her own motives; she just knew she had felt compelled to speak to him once more. Lin couldn’t put her finger on it, but she still felt the events of a year ago were somehow linked to those of today.
Realizing that it was nearing time for her appointment with Deputy Taylor, Lin took a deep breath and pulled herself together as she headed to her car. Soon she was pulling into the parking area at the law enforcement complex.
Billy Taylor was waiting for her and quickly offered her a cup of coffee, which she welcomed. She was beginning to understand why he and Danielle seemed to have hit it off. Perhaps she had misjudged him when Cullen’s body had been found. Then she thought he was making a rush to judgment—and maybe he was, but now he seemed much more open to rethinking his initial conclusions—at least in the case currently before him. Lin realized that his position in law enforcement required that he consider evidence; he couldn’t afford to ignore this in any case.
Taylor was smiling as he told her of the decision to release Michael and Teddy. “The boys have certainly participated in illegal activity,” he commented, “and they may have to pay for that but I think the position they were in with Tso might earn them some concessions for mitigating circumstances. Did David tell you that the tribal authorities have Tso in custody?”
“Yes, he did,” Lin responded, “ but he also said that you need more evidence to tie him directly to the murders—the weapons, for example.”
“That’s right,” Billy responded, “We are still looking and I hope to find them—especially the gun used on Darren Steele—but, meanwhile, we’re putting together all the other bits and pieces of evidence, hoping to be able to make a charge of murder stick. One of the victims was Tso’s cousin and one of Tso’s men has told us that he was hired to follow Darren—that Tso was upset with him over some sort of art deal maybe—but he swears he only followed him, that he didn’t kill him. That may not be true, but it would help if we can get a confession. Evidence, evidence—that’s the name of the game. We do have a strong case on the assaults; however, and don’t forget the fact that he was using minors to do illegal things, plus making them work off debts—the tribal child welfare authorities are investigating that area. We have a lot of ways to prosecute Mr. Tso”
“Well, I do have some additional information to share with you that might help,” Lin responded. She proceeded to outline some of the facts and connections she and Sue had collected, particularly emphasizing the possible connection to Lee Chou.
“I’m sure that Michael told you about Tso’s meeting with a Chinese man and other evidence indicates Tso was into the art black market—at least on a limited basis. It appears he may have been trying to break into the larger market and connected with Chou somehow. Maybe he viewed Darren as trying to undercut his efforts.”
Billy was thoughtful as he jotted down notes, “That may well be true, and from what your friend Sue has shared with you, it appears that Lee Chou is a major player in this art black market. Maybe this will be the case that opens up what he has been doing for years. I will certainly call the Santa Fe police and see what else I can learn about this man. Hopefully, that can lead to something. If I can get a photo of him, Michael could probably identify him—if he was the person who talked to Tso. Thanks Lin, this is very helpful information.”
Lin smiled at Billy, she was happy to have helped the case, and she hadn’t revealed any of the information that Neal had shared with her. She decided to push a bit further.
“ You know there are so many connections which seem to link this murder case to the art trade. One of the victims, Darren Steele, used to work for a gallery here in town. He worked for John Sessions. He was also talking about searching for pottery hidden in the park—perhaps the same stuff Tso was looking for—could there be a link there?” Lin asked.
“Perhaps,” Billy admitted, “but I would need more solid evidence to prove it. Steele was related to Tso. However, Sessions has been pretty clear that he has had no dealings with Steele since he disappeared last year and I can’t find any evidence to the contrary. What we do know is certainly not enough to link him to Steele’s death in any way. On the subject of dealing in the art black market, we may have more to go on, but that takes us into a whole new case. That may have to wait until we pin down the loose ends in this investigation.”
“ Sessions’ assistant, Isaac Tsosie, did confirm to me that he is selling art illegally through the Internet,” Lin revealed, “but I doubt he would talk to any authorities about that. He is afraid to anger his employer—he needs his job.”
“I will probably talk to him anyway,” Billy reported, “ and I would like to talk to Sue Gray about what she has learned in her contacts with the gallery, especially if she decides to meet with Sessions again. There is a good bit of ‘smoke’ here regarding this art business and we cannot ignore it even if Sessions is not directly linked to this case. Maybe that will be my next big one!” Billy smiled at the thought.
“By the way,” he added. “We have told Danielle that Lomaki can be reopened by Saturday. We’ve scoured the area pretty well and I think we have collected all the evidence we’re going to garner from that site. I’ll keep the twice daily patrols in that area through Friday but then we’ll go back to normal.”
Lin rose to leave. She had shared all of the information that she felt she could. This case seemed to be moving toward a conclusion, especially with Tso in custody and Billy Taylor pursuing any links to Lee Chou. Maybe it was time for her to get back to work at Wupatki. Danielle had said she could take the week but she really didn’t know what else she could contribute at this point. Sophie and her family seemed to be taken care of. She could check on that but, otherwise, she thought it was time for her to get back to her normal routine.
Lin thanked Billy for his attention to her findings and asked him to call her if any questions arose that she might be able to help answer. Then she took her leave. It was close to five and she still needed to pick up dinner at Wildflowers.
Lin realized that she might never learn exactly how Cullen Honeyestewa died. She felt strongly that his de
ath was related somehow to the recent murders but there was a missing link somewhere. He was supposed to meet Darren Steele and Darren was a cousin of Raymond Tso, as well as an employee of John Sessions. Darren had disappeared, after he reported that Cullen failed to show up, and had turned up as a victim in this case. Perhaps somewhere there was a connection to Tso’s activities there also but she could see no way that she could do any more to uncover evidence of that.
Lin could only hope that, when the current case was brought to a conclusion, the connection that she felt existed would become evident. Meanwhile, she could focus on the fact that she had been able to help the family learn what Cullen was trying to do for Michael at the time he met his death. That was better than not knowing anything, she guessed. In spite of all her efforts, she wouldn’t really have learned that had it not been for Neal revealing his role in helping Cullen.
No matter how hard she tried, Lin couldn’t help but feel frustrated that her efforts hadn’t produced more knowledge for the family. She was also troubled about Neal Smith, concerned about what he was going to do about his own part in all of this and how that might affect their relationship.
As she pulled into the parking space in front of Wildflowers, she found herself fighting back tears. She knew that she was tired and had been under a lot of stress recently. In spite of all that, she felt like a schoolgirl agonizing over her first crush.
“This is ridiculous,” she told herself. “I am a mature woman and I have certainly faced much worse than this. I need to get over it—whatever happens will happen and life will go on!” She grabbed her purse and headed for the store. She wasn’t going to let worrying about Neal Smith make her an emotional basket case. Tonight she and Sue could finish organizing their information and wrap things up for now; tomorrow she would head back to Wupatki and things would start getting back to normal. To solidify her decision, she flipped out her cell phone and called Danielle to say that she would be back by noon the following day and to tell her to put her name back on the schedule.
***
It was almost five-thirty when Lin arrived in front of Sue’s apartment at Walnut Canyon. The first thing she noticed was that Sue’s car wasn’t parked in its usual spot. Sue must have had to work late, she thought. Maybe she had to close up and they had visitors right up until five. She will be in shortly, Lin said to herself. I can get our meal organized and maybe make a pitcher of iced tea. She had two bags of food from Wildflowers plus her files of notes but she managed to balance everything for one trip in.
Approaching the front door to the apartment, Lin realized she hadn’t retrieved the key Sue had given her before picking up all the stuff she had to carry. That was smart! She mentally chastised herself as she leaned down to place the bags of food on the stoop and reached for her purse with her right hand to locate the key. Suddenly, she sensed a presence behind her; she thought she heard a step. Expecting Sue, she had begun to turn around when a heavy arm grabbed hers yanking it behind her back while pushing her forcibly into the locked door.
Searing pain coursed through her arm as she felt her right shoulder separate and her face was shoved into the metal numbers on the front door. She couldn’t see her assailant but felt a rough, hairy face shoved against her right ear.
A deep voice whispered, “You need to mind your own business, bitch—this is nothing—things could get much worse.” At that moment—the heavy arm wrenching hers seemed to loosen and she felt a searing pain above her ear. Lin felt herself collapsing against the door, falling into the bags of food. Then everything went black.
Chapter 27
Lin felt herself trying to grope through a dense fog—she could hear a mixture of voices and there was a bright light in her eyes. Her head was pounding. What had happened? Where was she? Gradually a memory returned—rough hands, a deep voice, pain—she became aware of a searing pain shooting through her right arm.
Lin tried to open her eyes and managed briefly, only to have them shut against the bright light above. She stirred trying to get up. She tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come. Firm but gentle hands pressed her back down.
“Be still,” it was Sue’s voice, “you’re at the hospital in the ER. Now that you are awake they’ll give you something for the pain. They need to do X-rays but they are sure you have a dislocated shoulder and a nasty cut above your right ear—plus a nasty scrape on your cheek—maybe a concussion. Just try to be quiet.”
Lin tried again to speak but simply couldn’t overcome the fogginess in her head. She gave up and tried to relax against the hard table on which she lay. She opened her eyes briefly when a nurse touched her arm. The nurse held the biggest needle Lin thought she had ever seen. Before she could protest, she felt it plunge deeply into her thigh. Finding her voice briefly she managed to murmur—“That hurt!” before she slipped into a blissful void.
The next time she awoke, Lin was in a dimly lit room and it was quiet. She managed to move her aching head enough to look around. It was dark outside and the clock on the wall said it was after ten. She was lying on an elevated hospital bed and her right arm was secured to her right side and across her middle with what seemed like miles of tape. There was an IV line in her left arm so she couldn’t probe her head, but there was a pounding that seemed centered above her right ear. Now that painkillers dulled the pain in her shoulder and arm, she could tell that her face also felt funny when she tried to move her lips.
Looking further about the room, she noticed that Sue Gray was curled up asleep in a reclining chair that looked stiff and uncomfortable. No one else was on the scene.
Lin managed to move her left hand enough to find the call button and rang for a nurse. Shortly a young woman arrived. “I see you’re awake,” she said, “ how do you feel?”
“Like I was hit by a train,” Lin murmured.
The nurse smiled as she turned on the light over the bed, “Not quite, but you did have a nasty encounter with a door. Your cheek was scraped. You also took a nasty blow to the head and someone managed to dislocate your shoulder. Your head has been stitched and your shoulder is back in place. You also probably have a mild concussion—oh, and there is a sheriff’s deputy in the hall who wants to talk to you.”
By this time Sue was stirring in her chair. “It’s Deputy Taylor, I’ll go tell him you’re awake.”
The nurse checked Lin’s vitals and indicated that she was ok in that department. She elevated the bed a bit which made Lin’s head throb more. She groaned as she tried to sit up more in the bed.
The nurse looked at the clock, “You can have more pain meds at midnight but the doctor didn’t want to overdo that because of your concussion. You should be able to sleep more after that.” As she turned to go, Billy Taylor entered the room followed by Sue and Danielle who had, evidently, been waiting with Billy.
Lin tried to focus her thoughts; she tried to remember exactly what she had experienced. She knew Billy was there to find out, but her thoughts were still fuzzy. Still, she did her best to describe what had happened—she felt sure she must be missing some details though.
“Don’t worry,” Billy said, “ the doc told us you might not recall anything, because of the concussion, so you are doing great to remember as much as you did. You can call me later if you recall any more details.”
Sue broke in, “ I already told him about the blue SUV you suspected was following you earlier in the day.”
“Yeah, but he disappeared, that may have been a coincidence,” Lin managed to say.
“I don’t think so,” Billy interjected, “ You told Sue you first saw the car at Walnut Canyon early that morning. We think whoever it was decided to go back there, knowing you would turn up eventually. Apparently the man hid behind some junipers, then followed you up to the door where he attacked.”
Danielle spoke up, “ Billy and I were out to dinner when the call came—left a good steak on the table at Horseman’s Lodge. You owe us one.”
“I’ll make good on that,” Lin tried to
joke, “when they let me out of here.”
“That won’t be before tomorrow afternoon—maybe not until Friday—depends,” Sue said. “ You’re going back to my house for a few days until you are ready to return to Wupatki,”
Lin started to protest but did not. She realized that, with her arm taped to her body, as well as her other injuries, she wouldn’t be able to drive. In fact, she wouldn’t be able to do much at all like this.
Danielle quickly reassured Lin that staying at Walnut Canyon with Sue was the right thing to do. The doctor would release her to come back to Wupatki when she was ready.
Billy spoke up, “ If it is any comfort, we think we know who did this—at least who was behind it. Raymond Tso is in custody—has been for a couple of days—but he has a wide network of men who do his dirty work for his loan sharking business. We think he turned them loose on everyone he wanted to intimidate before he was arrested. Your guy just hadn’t caught up with you yet. We’ll work with the tribal cops and probably have him picked up in no time. You call me if you remember anything else.”
Lin could only nod her assent. Danielle and Billy left and Sue settled back in her chair.
“You need to go home,” Lin said, “ get some sleep. I’m OK.”
“Never, happen,” Sue said, “ I’m staying right here until I know you’re going to be ok. The doctor comes in tomorrow to check on you. He’ll know more then about your condition and how long you have to stay. The folks at Walnut Canyon are ok with my staying—besides, you can’t even feed yourself!”
“Not hungry,” Lin managed to say.
“Well, I am,” Sue tried unsuccessfully to sound annoyed, “you managed to fall right in the middle of that beautiful meal you brought. A royal mess it was!”
Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 30