Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery

by Sharon Canipe

  Mark eyed the photos with interest and passed them to Zack. He indicated that Lin should continue. She described how they’d heard sounds, as if someone were nearby, and decided to leave the area. She could feel herself growing tense once more as she recounted how shots had rung out during their trek back to the road, and how she’d twisted her ankle and managed to get into a patch of poison ivy. Finally, she told about seeing Luke Taylor, with a shotgun, watching them as they left the area. “He could have fired at me, or at our car,” Lin recounted, “but he didn’t. When he realized who we were he just stood there. Frankly, I think he may have shot wide deliberately, earlier. I don’t think he was trying to hurt anyone—just scare us away.”

  While Lin was finishing her story, Zack Turner had been studying the photos that Mark had passed to him. Now he placed them in a file, along with the list Sue and Lin had shared. “You ladies have quite a story here. I think you may have stumbled onto something—something that, whether or not it is related to any deaths, is still important. Did you recognize the plants you photographed?”

  “No,” Lin confessed, “We were planning to look them up, but I was hurt and Sue has had her hands full working and helping me. Can you identify them for us?”

  “Indeed, I can, and I’m sure Mark recognizes them also,” he turned to the young ranger who nodded. “These are ginseng plants. It’s early in the season so they don’t have their characteristic red berries yet, but the five leaflets—three large and two small, with serrated edges—are unmistakable. The flowers are small and green, not very spectacular at all, but they have red berries in the fall and the leaves turn golden. That’s when they are usually harvested—where they can be legally, of course. It appears that someone is really going after these plants and out of season on top of it—judging from these patches where they’ve been dug.”

  Mark spoke up at that point, “Not only is this outside of the usual harvesting season, harvesting these plants at any time would be illegal. They are growing on parkland. In season, the forest service issues permits for limited harvesting on national forest land, and private landowners can harvest or give permission to harvest on their own property. The plant is endangered, and there are limits set by the forest service for collection on public lands.”

  “So, ladies,” Zack Turner smiled, “You’ve just provided me with evidence of an illegal operation going on at this park—clearly a violation of federal law. I will recommend to my superiors that we start an investigation of this, along with the park service. Perhaps our investigation will lead to our uncovering information that may relate to your unsolved murders—who knows?”

  “It may indeed,” Mark added, pulling out an as yet unopened file he’d brought with him. “These are reports and notes I found in files kept by Ranger Bryan Lee, one of those victims whose case has never been solved. I haven’t had time to really study them yet; however, illegal ginseng harvesting is one of the things he was apparently investigating at the time of his death. It looks like he’d conducted some interviews related to the murders also. I’ve made copies of this information for you Zack.” He handed Zack an envelope.

  Lin really wanted to see those papers but knew it was pointless to ask about that. She stole a glance at Sue whom she knew would also jump at the chance to see them. Maybe, she could get Mark in a conversation later and he’d tell them more about what Bryan was doing.

  “Well, this has been a very informative meeting, Mark. Ladies thank you for sharing your information,” Zack Turner rose to leave. “I’ll be back in touch through Mark. We’ll let you know what progress we make when we move this investigation forward. Meanwhile, let me caution you to be careful. I’d stay away from the area you discovered. Leave the sleuthing to Mark and me.”

  Mark remained behind for a few moments and walked with them to Sue’s car. “Sorry about your ankle Lin. I hope it heals quickly. I think we made some progress today. I personally think at least some of these deaths may be linked to this ginseng thing. If that’s the case we may turn up some new evidence when we pursue the poachers—at least we can hope that happens.”

  Lin had one more burning question, “What is going to happen with Luke Taylor, Mark?”

  “Well, for starters, I’m going to pick him up, and he’ll be charged with assault with a firearm. Since he was on parkway land, he can be tried in federal court. Then we’ll see how the rest of the investigation goes.”

  “I really don’t think he wanted to shoot us,” Lin said. “It was foggy, but his shots were well off to our right side. I think he could’ve come closer just based on the sound of us moving through the woods. It seems like he wanted to miss, and when he recognized me, he didn’t shoot at all.”

  “That’s in his favor,” Mark said, “but still, he’s committed a crime and it will be up to the courts what to do.”

  “Please keep us in the loop,” Sue asked, “We’ll want to know what happens—especially with Luke.”

  “I will,” Mark said. Then he was gone.

  Lin’s ankle was beginning to throb again; she realized she needed to get it elevated once more before the swelling returned. She hated that she needed to go home to rest. The day was warm and sunny—the first nice day they’d had recently. “I hate to miss doing something outside today,” she complained, “but I really need to get this ankle propped up or the swelling is going to get worse.”

  “That’s OK,” Sue said, as she helped Lin into the car. “I have an idea.”

  When they arrived at the house, Sue went out to the back patio and arranged some chairs so that Lin could prop her foot up while still sitting at the patio table. “You just wait here, I’ll be right back. We have some work to do.”

  In a few minutes Sue returned with her laptop computer, a pen, and a pad of paper. She set the computer up and then handed Lin the pen and paper. “We’re going to educate ourselves about ginseng,” she announced. “I really had no idea what they were talking about, but it must be important if it’s regulated and folks will try to poach it. We need to know more about this, for sure. I’ll look things up and you can take notes. Keep your foot elevated. Maybe, if it feels OK later, we can go out for coffee or something.”

  Lin was grateful to have something to do and equally grateful to be sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. Soon they were both absorbed in the research effort. They were interrupted only once when Neal called to check on Lin’s progress. While Lin was talking to him, Sue went inside to fix iced tea. Neither of them was hungry for lunch, having eaten a large breakfast.

  It was after two o’clock when they decided that they’d pretty much exhausted their Internet search and they turned to summarizing what they’d learned.

  “This is amazing,” Sue exclaimed, “I had no idea that a wild plant could be so highly sought after.”

  Lin began to review the notes she’d taken. “ Ginseng is a perennial plant prized for its fleshy roots that are shaped like a person’s legs. It is especially sought after in Asia where it is considered an aphrodisiac and stimulant. Its genus is Panax, the root word for panacea. Some think it helpful for type 2 Diabetes and there’s even been some research on its use to reduce outbreaks of genital herpes. Recently it has been used in some coffees and herbal teas—even in energy drinks.”

  She continued summarizing what they’d found. “Sometimes leaves are used but they’re not as prized as the roots, and the wild roots are considered much more valuable and potent than those from cultivated plants. The plant has been harvested almost to extinction in China—that might explain why harvesting has been regulated and limited in the U.S. The plant is very slow growing. In fact, it is illegal to harvest plants under ten years old.”

  “ I forgot how you’re supposed to know if the plant is old enough to harvest,” Sue commented.

  “I have the information here somewhere,” Lin shuffled through the pages of notes, “Here it is. A mature plant will have at least three or more prongs of the five leaflet display. A first year plant, for example,
will only have one prong. I think the general idea is that by the time a plant is fully mature, the growth will have spread and there will be young plants coming along. That way, harvesting a limited amount of mature plants will allow the younger plants to keep growing and the plant won’t become extinct in that area.”

  “This is what is so amazing,” Lin commented. “Recently, a pound of wild ginseng root was netting $800 to $1000 dollars when sold. I’d think it would take a lot of roots to make a full pound.”

  “And, even at those prices, I’d doubt anyone would get rich harvesting wild ginseng,” Sue added.

  “But you have to remember,” Lin replied, “a lot of these rural mountain folk don’t have a lot of resources, many of them live a relatively marginal existence—at least where cash income is concerned. I expect a thousand dollars could seem like a lot of money and, if you could amass a lot of the stuff…”

  “That’s true,” Sue said, “and the price has increased a lot in recent years. No doubt that has led to more people hunting for the plants in the forests—skipping the whole permitting process—and poaching off lands where it’s illegal to harvest. I guess that’s what we found—an illegal harvesting operation.”

  “And maybe that’s what Sandy Hill found—and perhaps some of the other victims,” Lin added, “Maybe there are other such places scattered about in the forest, but killing someone…that’s hard for me to fathom. Even if you get caught poaching, the penalty isn’t that severe. You found some cases where persons convicted only received sentences of thirty days, maybe ninety days, in one case, for illegal harvesting.”

  “I’d expect it’s more the money factor than the sentence that’s operating here,” Sue replied. “Getting caught would mean cutting off your source of extra income…money is behind most criminal activity it seems to me.”

  “I’m afraid I’m having a hard time picturing Luke Taylor involved in such activity,” Lin shook her head, “At least I don’t want to believe that.”

  “ I know, but this opens up a whole new perspective on what might’ve been going on here,” Sue acknowledged, “it’s going to take awhile for all the implications to sink in. Meanwhile, Ted Whitley is going to be here expecting dinner in a few hours, and I need to get to the Harris-Teeter to pick up some bread and salad to go with that roast I put in the crockpot this morning. How’s the ankle doing? Are you up for an outing?”

  “Indeed, I am,” Lin didn’t want to miss any part of this beautiful day.

  Chapter 22

  Ted Whitley arrived right on time, bearing a large bouquet of Brown-eyed Susans and a bottle of Malbec. Lin answered the door, but her crutches prevented her taking the gifts he’d brought. She bade him follow her to the kitchen where Sue was putting the finishing touches on a tray of appetizers.

  “These reminded me of you,” Ted gallantly offered the bouquet to Sue, “Brown-eyed Susans for brown-eyed Sue.” Lin thought she saw a faint hint of blushing around Sue’s collar as she took the flowers and thanked their guest.

  “I’ll put these on our table; I thought we’d eat outside since it’s so nice this evening.”

  “That would be great,” Ted smiled. He turned to Lin, “and I believe someone mentioned that Malbec is your favorite, my dear.”

  Lin graciously thanked Ted and placed the wine on a tray bound for the patio. She hated having to use the crutches. They severely limited her ability to help Sue with getting dinner prepared. The ankle seemed better to her, although you couldn’t have proved that by the evolving colors of her foot—blue-black and purple gradually moving toward green and yellow. The swelling was much less, however, and she’d been able to cut her pain meds down to just twice a day. “It isn’t pretty, but it’s feeling much better,” she’d told Ted when he inquired about the injury.

  “You two get out of the kitchen,” Sue instructed. “ Ted you take these appetizers out and then come back for the drinks. Lin, you sit on the chaise so you can prop your foot up, at least until dinner. I’m almost through here so I’ll join you shortly. “

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Ted teased, as he moved to do Sue’s bidding, propping the door open with his elbow so Lin could pass by. “Lin can tell me how she got this sprained ankle. I’ll bet there’s a good story behind that.” He placed the appetizers on the table and helped Lin to get seated before he returned to the kitchen for the drink tray. Lin could hear the sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen. It seemed that Sue and Ted were getting along just fine.

  “Is she always that bossy?” Ted asked when he returned. The smile on his face indicated that he was anything but upset, however.

  “Well,” Lin hesitated, “she does know her own mind, and she knows how to take charge of a situation. I wouldn’t want to get in her way if she’s really determined to do something but,” her tone softened, “even though we’ve only known each other for about a year, I count her as one of my closest friends. Sue is a wonderful generous person. She’s taken care of me on more than one occasion—even during the short time we’ve known each other.”

  “Tell me how you came to need taking care of this time,” Ted poured them each a glass of wine and took a seat opposite Lin. “You were fine when we had breakfast just two days ago.”

  By the time Lin had told Ted the story of their Friday morning adventure in the fogbound forest, Sue had joined them on the patio. Together they shared with him the story of their meeting that morning with Mark Scott and the FBI agent, Zach Turner.

  “Interesting,” Ted said when they’d finished, “Ginseng poachers. I’ve heard rumors of such, but I’ve never actually written about that—until now that is…”

  Sue reached out and put her hand on Ted’s arm. “Ted, I’m not so sure that it would be a good idea to run a story about the ginseng side of this right now. I think, in this case, publicity might just get back to those responsible and cause them to pull back their operation for a while. I’m sure that, when more is known—when the investigation has produced some results, Mark and Zach would give you first dibs on the story; in fact I’ll personally talk to them about that. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go ahead and write about these murders; however, I think that pot definitely needs stirring.”

  Ted tried to look annoyed, but he didn’t succeed. He broke into a grin, “Spoken like a true reporter—one who enjoys having an exclusive herself,” he reached for Sue’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You have my word, Ms. Gray. Nothing in the stories I’m going to publish this week will hint at the ginseng angle to any of this—if indeed such an angle actually exits, but I do think it bears further investigation.”

  “I’d love to see those reports Mark gave Zach Turner, the ones from Bryan Lee’s files; supposedly he was looking into ginseng poaching among other things at the time of his death,” Lin added.

  “You’re not likely to get your hands on those,” Ted offered. He turned to Sue, “…but I have an idea where we, if you ladies are willing to include me, might find out what’s in them. Didn’t you say you talked to Bryan’s widow?”

  “Yes, we did,” Sue immediately knew where Ted was heading with the conversation, “and sometimes officers of the law make copies of their files and stash them in some safe place—especially if they think someone might have a reason to want the information suppressed—maybe Ranger Lee had some papers at home.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Ted smiled.

  “It’s time to eat,” Sue changed the subject, “I’m sure everything is ready…If you’ll help me Ted… .” He quickly rose and followed her into the kitchen, continuing to talk about this unfolding story and the series he was planning to start this week.

  Lin watched them go with just a twinge of envy. Seeing Ted’s obvious interest in Sue made her very much aware of her separation from Neal. Thankfully, by this time next week, Neal should be back here with them, most especially with her. They’d already decided he’d do a one-way car rental and drive up to Boone when he flew in next Saturday. Lin was relatively certain that, even thoug
h her ankle seemed to be healing rapidly, she wouldn’t be ready to drive that far by then.

  Ted and Sue returned quickly laden with plates full of delicious, tender pot roast prepared with a wine sauce and accompanied by garlic potatoes and tender green beans. “Dig in,” Ted said as he placed a plate in front of Lin, “but save room for dessert—I saw an apple crumble in there.”

  Discussion of ginseng poaching and unsolved murders was suspended as they enjoyed their meal. Ted asked about Lin’s upcoming wedding and about her fiancé. She told him about Neal’s archeology career and explained that he was retiring from teaching but hoped to continue working as a field archeologist at least on a part-time basis. “In fact, he’s beginning a project soon, but first, he’s coming here next weekend to stay until he has to return.” She explained that he’d sold his home in Arizona and they would be living in Davidson.

  “I hope I’ll have the opportunity to meet him while he’s here,” Ted said, looking at Sue as if she might hold the key to that opportunity. Lin caught Sue looking at him, a hint of interest in her eye.

  “We’ll definitely have to get together—all of us,” Lin replied, “Neal should be here next Saturday night. We’ll make some plans,” she said, not waiting to see how Sue might react. She was fairly sure that Sue would be happy to be included.

  Sue got up to fetch their dessert and Ted immediately jumped up after her. “I’ll bring the coffee,” He said.

  Later as they sat back enjoying a second cup of the rich, nutty dark roast Sue had brewed, Ted looked up, “Speaking of making some plans. I have a suggestion for the balance of this evening. You mentioned that Olivia Lee worked at Galileo’s. Why don’t the three of us head over there for a nightcap? Who knows, she might just be willing to talk to us about whether Bryan kept any papers at home.”

  “A great idea,” Sue smiled, obviously pleased with the plan.

  Lin shook her head. “Why don’t you two go ahead? I think I’ve had enough hobbling around for today. I see the doctor tomorrow, and I want this ankle to be in the best shape possible—besides, I haven’t talked to Neal today and I promised him I’d call.”