Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery

by Sharon Canipe

  When she connected and asked to speak to the editor, she was put through quickly.

  “Hello, this is Ben Burton, how may I help you,” the voice was smooth and professional.

  Sue explained who she was, noting her background as a reporter and then turned to the purpose of her call. She told him that she was doing research for a book and was looking into unsolved cases that had occurred along the Blue Ridge Parkway. “I’d welcome the opportunity to talk to someone who might remember these cases, someone who might have reported on them at the time. I’ve already read most of the stories in your archives.”

  Ben Burton seemed immediately interested in what she had to say. “It’s funny you should ask me that today, Ms. Gray,” he responded. “Just yesterday, our most senior reporter was talking about some of these same cases. He was considering doing a feature article about some of them—you know, maybe bringing these stories to the public’s attention once again, maybe producing some new information. I have only been here for about a year so I have no first hand information to share, but I’m sure, Ted Whitley would be interested in talking with you. He’s been working at the paper for about seven years and is actually in charge of our online edition. In fact, he probably wrote most of those stories you’ve read. I think he’s out working on a story for our next edition right now, but let me give you his cell phone number. When you reach him, just tell him you’ve already talked to me. I’ll be interested in what the two of you can come up with,” he added.

  Sue immediately dialed the number he gave her, but the call went straight to voicemail. She left a message briefly indicating what she was interested in and asking that Ted Whitley return her call. Having done that, she really had nothing else to do at that point. She didn’t want to go home; it was still two hours before she expected Lin to arrive. Needing to keep her mind off her anger and frustration with the sheriff’s office, she decided to swing by the house to change and then head for the Wellness Center.

  Exercise was just the ticket. Sue worked out on the machines for an hour and then decided to cool down in the pool. By the time she headed home, she had cleared her head and was feeling much more positive.

  She’d just pulled into the driveway when her cell rang. It was Ted Whitley. Sue grabbed her phone as she parked the car in the garage, seeing that Lin’s car was already there. She answered the call as she headed inside.

  Sue briefly introduced herself and told Ted why she was calling. She related some of her earlier conversation with Ben Burton. “I was hoping you might be willing to talk with me about these cases. I’m trying to gather information from people who were around at the time—their thoughts and impressions.”

  “I am most definitely willing to talk with you,” Whitley responded. “I was working at the paper during those years, and I was deeply involved in reporting the cases you mention. In fact I’m considering doing a feature on them soon. Maybe stir up some renewed interest.”

  Before ending the conversation, Sue and Ted had made arrangements to meet for breakfast the following morning. “ I’d like to bring my housemate, Lin Hanna along to meet you,” Sue said. “She’s been helping me look into these cases and she has good ideas where investigation is concerned.”

  “It’ll be a pleasure,” Ted replied. “How about eight o’clock at Troy’s Diner? I would suggest Melanie’s, but they have very little inside seating, and, with this weather, their patio is not too enticing.”

  “We’ll be there, and thanks for returning my call,” Sue was smiling when she put her phone down. At least something good came of this day she thought. She explained to Lin who Ted Whitley was and why they were meeting him. “That’s the most positive thing that’s happened today,” she remarked, “just wait till I tell you about my visit with Deputy Winkler.”

  “I just got home and I see you’ve been swimming,” Lin said. “Let’s get comfortable and fix some drinks and then you can tell me all about it. I had a conversation with Mark Scott today myself so I’ll share that.”

  “I’m fine,” Sue replied, “You go up and get changed and I’ll get out some wine and snacks.”

  ***

  Sue brought Lin up to date on her visit with Dave Winkler. Lin was equally disturbed by the deputy’s attitude, fully understanding how frustrated Sue must’ve felt. The news about Ted Whitley, however, was more welcomed.

  “That’s great,” Lin said, “I hope he is going to follow through and write more about these cases. A little publicity might be just the ticket to get things moving forward again. I’ll look forward to meeting him.”

  “What about your talk with Mark Scott?” Sue asked.

  “We mostly talked about our upcoming meeting with the FBI agent on Sunday. I gave him a copy of the list we compiled and he thought that was a good basis for discussion. I also told him we wanted to visit the place where Sandy Hill died again. I’m not so sure he thought that was a good idea, but all he said was to be careful,” Lin reported, “He said he would offer to go with us, but he has to work tomorrow and is supposed to be down near Linn Cove. I told him we wouldn’t do anything reckless.”

  “The best news is that he has been looking into some of Bryan Lee’s files. Bryan was looking into these cases, it seems. Mark found some notes he’d taken in interviews and some observations he’d made. He hasn’t had time to read all of them yet, but he’ll bring them on Sunday.”

  “That is good news,” Sue smiled. “I was hoping that Ranger Lee had been investigating these things. I suspect that’s what got him killed.”

  Sue’s remark gave Lin pause. If Bryan Lee had been killed because he was looking into these murders…she decided it was best not to pursue that line of reasoning just now.

  Sue had gone to the kitchen to start dinner when Lin’s phone began to ring. It was Neal. They’d been trying to talk every day—only missing a couple of times, but generally he didn’t call until later. Lin answered quickly, hoping for positive news about his move.

  “Hi, there,” there was a smile in Neal’s voice, “I’m glad I caught you. I wasn’t sure you’d be home. I have good news.”

  “Let’s hear it,” Lin said, “I’m all ears.”

  “Well, I’ve managed to sell almost all of the furniture that I’m not moving. The rest is already in storage. I’m giving it a few more days, and then I’ll have them pick up anything that’s left. I’m basically done packing—right now I’m living among boxes. Tomorrow my bedroom furniture is going out; then I’ll have to go to a hotel if I don’t want to sleep on the floor. The bottom line is, I expect to be totally out of the house by next Friday. I’m going to fly to North Carolina on Saturday, the same flight I took before. Will you be able to meet me?” he asked, as if he didn’t know the answer.

  “With bells on,” Lin said, excited by this news. “I will definitely be there, and I am delighted you’re coming…home,” she added.

  “Me too,” Neal replied, “it’s time to quit all this traveling back and forth. My realtor has already said she’ll send the final closing papers to North Carolina, and I can sign them there so I won’t have to come back to Arizona until I start work—that’s over a month from now. I need to get the address of that house you’re living in there in Boone so she’ll know where to send them.” Lin gave him the needed information.

  “ I wish you didn’t have to go back to work before the wedding in September. I had hoped maybe you could stay here. I know some of my friends will want to meet you—they’ve talked about having a party and the Clark’s are definitely planning something for the week before the ceremony,” Lin wished that Neal might be able to postpone reporting to work until later.

  “I know,” Neal commiserated, “but I really must be there for the initial stages. We have to lay out the grids and make sure all the necessary paperwork has been done to keep the state happy. Chris and I talked about it though. He says that I can definitely be off by Labor Day, maybe even earlier, and I won’t have to come back until the first of October. He wants to postp
one the heaviest work until then anyway—it’ll be getting cooler by then and the work can move more rapidly. They just decided on that calendar last week. That means almost a month off. I should be in North Carolina in plenty of time for any pre-wedding festivities and we should have at least ten days for a honeymoon.”

  That schedule was better than she’d thought it might be, “That sounds pretty good. At least it’s better than I thought. I’ll let everyone know the dates you’ll be here.”

  They continued talking for a few more minutes. Lin had already updated him earlier on their pending talk with the FBI agent. Now she told him about the meeting with Ted Whitley.

  “Sounds like you’re finding some new avenues to explore regarding those unsolved cases,” Neal replied. “Just be careful—both of you.” Lin decided not to mention tomorrow’s planned visit to the site of Sandy Hill’s death. She’d tell him about that tomorrow night.

  Chapter 21

  When Lin and Sue arrived at Troy’s the next morning, Ted Whitley was already seated and waiting for them. A buxom blonde waitress approached to take their orders with a pot of fresh, hot coffee and a ready smile.

  Introductions were quickly dispensed with and Whitley turned eagerly to Sue. “I’m exited that you’re interested in these cases. I’ve always felt that something was amiss with them—that the investigations never seemed to go anywhere. I keep thinking that, if we try to stir up community interest, we might also stir up some additional information. Someone out there must know something about what happened to these people.”

  Sue explained that she had begun looking into the death of Sara Fletcher, noting its parallels with the historic Tom Dula case and thinking it might make a good story. “Then I uncovered all these other cases. That’s when I began to think there was something else going on here, something bigger than the death of two pregnant girlfriends more than a century apart.”

  “I think you’re right about that,” Ted responded. The historical similarities make a good story, but the pattern of death here goes beyond that.”

  Ted was a surprisingly attractive man, tall with salt and pepper hair and deep brown eyes. He appeared to be in his late fifties, perhaps early sixties. He had a journalist’s knack of getting to the heart of a story. Lin was fascinated listening to him recount some of the information he’d gathered at the time of these murders. While much of this had been contained in the news articles Sue had researched earlier, Ted did share some questions his own research had raised.

  “I’ve never been convinced that Sandy Hill was killed by the man that killed that hiker and fled to Florida in his stolen car,” Ted revealed. Lin and Sue shared a knowing look. They had deliberately not shared their list of observations and questions with Ted, preferring to hear his own impressions first. “In fact,” he continued, “I consider her case to perhaps be the key to solving some of these others. I wish her camera had turned up, that would help.”

  “Especially, if the memory card was still in it,” Sue added. “Did you talk to Jack Davis when you did your story?”

  “I did, and he shared my own opinion. I think that Sandy Hill happened to see something she shouldn’t have that day and it got her killed, but, beyond that, I see her case as perhaps a key to the others, at least some of them anyway. If the Hill case could be reopened and more information gathered…” Ted was interrupted by the arrival of breakfast.

  For a few moments their attention turned to French toast, eggs, bacon and creamy, buttery grits. Finally, Sue took a break from food and asked, “What about the case of Sara Fletcher? I see the historical similarities to the Dula case, but do you think her killing was, in any way, similar to that of Sandy Hill or any of the others?”

  Ted was thoughtful, toying with his food, “Actually, her case seems a bit more complicated. It did occur near the same place as the others. It’s certainly possible she poked around and discovered something she shouldn’t have, but there is the added factor of her pregnancy. I suppose you know that Luke Taylor, her boyfriend, was a prime suspect at the time.”

  Lin’s ears perked up. She was interested in Ted’s take on Luke and his grandfather also. Ted continued, “Actually, Luke came within a hair of being arrested. He and Sara had broken up briefly when she first learned she was pregnant.” This was news to Lin and Sue.

  “That’s something new to us,” Sue commented. “The news articles just focused on Luke as a possibility, but nothing was said about any bad feelings between them.”

  “That’s because I didn’t find out about that before I wrote the first story, and by then the authorities had ruled him out. I did talk to him later, though. He claimed the break-up was only for a short while. It happened because he was afraid of what his family, especially his grandfather, was going to say when they learned she was pregnant. Apparently, they were adamantly opposed to his marrying her, which he said was what he wanted to do. Luke told me that, after a few days of estrangement, he went to Sara and apologized. They made up and he claimed they were making plans to marry when she was killed. I didn’t want to draw renewed attention to Luke by publishing a story about the break-up when the sheriff had already decided against charging him,” Ted confessed. “Frankly, I never have thought he could be guilty. His grandfather now, that’s another story.”

  At that comment, Lin spoke up, “We’ve met Luke. In fact he’s building a desk for me—a gift for my fiancé. We had an opportunity to talk to him, and Sara’s death came up in the conversation. Luke told us that he thinks his grandfather killed Sara.”

  “He told me the same thing,” Ted replied. “But I don’t think the authorities ever seriously considered old Eustace as a murderer. He’s a cantankerous old mountaineer with a reputation for going after anyone he perceives as interfering with him or his property, but killing someone—I don’t know. I suppose it’s possible—in the heat of the moment, perhaps—but the authorities have never charged him with anything. Now, I understand, he has memory issues.”

  Sue explained about the situation involving Peter Dunne and Ellie Clark and the “confession” Eustace had made in that case, and in others. “Of course, he later denied everything and, with the dementia, his confessions were thrown out.”

  They talked on for a few more minutes as they enjoyed second cups of coffee, briefly touching on the case of Bryan Lee and that of the unnamed man whose body had been dumped in the area. By that time it was growing late—already well past nine.

  “This has been fascinating and I’ve enjoyed having the opportunity to share thoughts and information with you,” Ted said, “I wish I could stay longer but I have some writing to do before the next edition of our online paper is ready. Could we maybe do this again? There’s a lot more to explore.”

  Lin and Sue agreed. “Why don’t you and your wife come to our place on Sunday evening for dinner?” Sue asked. “By that time, we’ll have talked with the FBI agent and maybe learned more from Mark Scott. We’ll keep it simple.”

  “Thanks,” I’d love to do that,” Whitley smiled, “but I’m afraid there is no Mrs. Whitley so you’ll have to settled for just me.” He smiled at Sue who, Lin was surprised to note, seemed to be a bit embarrassed. “What time shall I appear?”

  Sue seemed at a temporary loss for words so Lin came to her rescue, “How about six-thirty, we’ll have drinks first. That will give us more time to talk.” She gave Ted their address; he indicated that he knew the area well and would look forward to seeing them.

  As they left the restaurant, Lin couldn’t resist teasing her friend. “Sue Gray at a loss for words, imagine that. Now I’d say you have a rather nice dilemma—an interesting art professor who wants you to join him in Italy, and a news reporter right here who also seems interested in you—a quite handsome reporter, I might add.”

  “Well, I’d say, you’re ‘jumping the gun’ in both situations,” Sue seemed to have recovered her equilibrium.

  “We’ll see, we’ll see,” Lin smiled as they headed for Sue’s 4runner, “Now it�
��s time to go exploring.”

  ***

  The drive north on the Parkway was very different than it had been the day Lin and Sue had discovered Ellie injured beside the road. It wasn’t raining exactly, but the mist was pervasive, dampening their skin, hair, and clothing. In places the fog hung near the treetops, leaving the road relatively visible, but in other spots they were slowed to a crawl as they crept through a dense wall of cloud. Lin paid careful attention to the mileposts as they appeared, so they would know where they were.

  “I don’t expect we’ll see anyone out in the woods today,” Lin said, “We’re probably the only people crazy enough to go out walking in this stuff.”

  Sue elected to park at the overlook where they’d found Ellie. It was a short walk north to the area they were interested in, but she felt the car wouldn’t be safe parked on the shoulder of the road in such foggy conditions. Theirs was the only car visible at the moment.

  They donned rain jackets and Lin slipped her small digital camera into a pocket to stay dry. They were glad they’d decided to bring hiking sticks because the plants and leaves that covered the forest floor made for slippery conditions.

  They walked quietly into the woods, following the same general path they’d taken earlier and taking care to keep the road to their left. The path led them down a relatively gentle slope toward a copse of thick trees. It seemed as if they were walking in a cloud. The fog folded around them and they could only see a short distance ahead. Lin felt just a slight moment of anxiety as they neared the spot where they’d encountered Eustace Hinson earlier—today, thus far, they’d seen no one and heard nothing other than the chirping of insects and the twitter of birds.