Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery

by Sharon Canipe

  “When we’re done here, I’m going back to Boone,” Mark said. “I understand they’ve got old Eustace Hinson locked up over there for shooting at Ted Whitley the other night—course he doesn’t know what he’s doing most of the time, and Ted was on his property, but I think they’re going to try to get him committed to a home again since he’s done this.”

  “Well, with his sons under arrest and his grandson fighting for his life in the hospital there’s no one left to look after him anyway,” Zach replied.

  “Fighting for his life!” Mark exclaimed. “I knew Luke was bad off but…”

  “Someone here talked to the hospital, awhile ago,” Zach reported, “ he was in surgery most of the morning and now he’s in the ICU in critical condition, still hasn’t waked up yet. Apparently the doctors say it’s touch and go—next twenty-four hours are critical.”

  Mark felt a deep sense of sadness for the young man and a healthy dose of frustration for himself. He’d realized that Luke might be a critical piece of this story and perhaps the most valuable witness. Lin Hanna had told him that Luke was the one who took her captive, but he had been a reluctant participant apparently. In the end he’d been trying to help her find Sue Gray when he was shot—by his own uncle. Luke was probably the only person who knew what was going on here, at least the only one who might be willing to talk, and if he never woke up…Mark realized that they might have no case at all if that happened.

  By that time they’d arrived at the jail and were waiting in the interrogation room for the first of the prisoners to be brought in. Mark tried to regain his focus. He had to forget about Luke Taylor for the moment and concentrate on the information he could gather from these men.

  Clarence Reagan was the first person brought in. He was obviously scared and from the start he seemed to be willing to cooperate in the hope he’d avoid going to jail. When Zach informed him of his rights, he indicated that he planned to hire an attorney, but he was willing to talk to them right away. “I want to cooperate in any way that I can,” he smiled, “after all, I’m the one who originally reported my suspicions about these suppliers to Ranger Bryan Lee…I told him about the storage in the ore pits…”

  “Mr. Reagan that was more than two years ago. Ranger Lee is dead and there’s no record of your ever coming forward after you talked to him initially. No one else has heard from you about these dealings.” Zach wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. “Now, I’m happy that you want to cooperate with us, and I’d encourage you to tell us everything you know.”

  “Certainly,” Clarence Reagan replied, obviously concerned at this point. “Please, I’ll help you anyway that I can.”

  For the next half-hour Reagan gave them a full account of his dealings with the Hinson brothers. Apparently they’d been selling him ginseng, much of it out of season, for at least six or seven years. He claimed that he’d only become suspicious that they were poaching about two or three years ago and that was when he went to Bryan Lee.

  “And after Ranger Lee was killed? Why didn’t you come forward then, did you not think his death might be connected to the investigation he was conducting?” Zach had him cornered now.

  Reagan began to squirm nervously in his chair; for a few moments he said nothing.

  “Didn’t you find his death suspicious—you knew he was looking into this smuggling!” Zach was in his face now, “You knew who killed him didn’t you?”

  Reagan was blinking furiously. He was close to tears. “I—I—er I was afraid? Afraid for my life—and I think I’m not going to answer any more questions. I’d like to contact my attorney now.” That interview was over.

  After Reagan had been taken back to his cell, Mark turned to Zach. “Do you think he was involved in the Lee killing or any of the others we think might be linked to this?”

  “Naw,” Zach said, “he’s guilty of buying illegal ginseng and that’s all we can get him on. I really don’t think he knew anything about any of the murders, but I do think he was suspicious of his suppliers—I think he suspected them but was afraid to do anything about it. He might think he can avoid jail time for dealing with these guys, but I’m going to throw the book at him. It might not be much jail time but he’s going to serve every day of it if I have my way.”

  The Hinson brothers were brought in next and they refused to talk at all, demanding a court appointed attorney. They even refused to acknowledge their own names. Evidently, someone had gotten to them at some point and warned them that their best bet was to remain entirely silent. Finally, Zach and Mark saw the handwriting on the wall and sent them back to their cells. They’d schedule another interview after the Hinsons had met with an attorney.

  Zach was about to go to sleep on his feet; he headed back to his hotel in Boone to rest. Mark decided to head for the hospital to check on how the victims were doing. He was most concerned about Luke Taylor. It was beginning to look as if Luke held the key to everything here.

  ***

  When Mark arrived at the medical center, his first stop was at the front desk. He was given Lin’s room number and was told that both Sue Gray and Luke Taylor were still in ICU and couldn’t have visitors. He found Lin looking much better and sitting up in bed reading a magazine. Her sprained ankle was elevated on two pillows. He could tell that she was sore when she shifted to a more upright position but she greeted him with a ready smile.

  “You look much better than you did before—even this morning,” Mark greeted her. “I hope you’ve had some sleep.”

  “Actually, I just woke up a short while ago when they brought me some lunch. I missed breakfast altogether. I was so hungry that even the hospital food tasted good,” Lin smiled.

  “Do you feel like talking a bit?” Mark asked. “I’d like to review all the stuff you told me earlier and then bring you up to date on what’s happened since then. We’ve arrested the Hinson brothers. We caught them trying to move the ginseng but haven’t been able to get them to talk about anything else.”

  Lin was eager to hear more. Mark filled her in on what had transpired that morning and what he and Zach had learned from Clarence Reagan. “So, you see, he concluded. The poaching case is a pretty good one, but we need some additional evidence to go after these folks for any of the killings. I think we can make a case that they must’ve assaulted you, Sue, and Luke or you wouldn’t have been found in the ore pit, but even that is circumstantial—at least somewhat. They could claim not to have even known you were there—I don’t think they’ll try that, but we really have nothing to go on but what you overheard them say, and you didn’t actually see them. We need more.”

  “What about Luke?” Lin questioned. “Luke knows a lot more than he told me at first—I know that much. I don’t think he really wanted to be part of any of this, and I think he probably knows the whole story—even knows about the earlier murders. I just have a gut feeling about that,” Lin insisted.

  “I don’t disagree,” Mark said, “but Luke’s in ICU and the last I heard he’s still unconscious. In fact, I think they’re not sure he’s even going to make it. Without his knowledge, we’re going to have a hard time making a case.”

  Mark realized that Lin probably hadn’t known much about Luke’s condition before he spoke. He saw that she was having a hard time thinking about the young man—tears were streaming down her cheeks. Mark looked at Lin’s situation and noticed that other than her IV she wasn’t attached to anything—no monitors, no tubes. “Would you feel up to a wheel chair ride?” he asked. “Maybe we could go upstairs to the ICU and at least find out about how Luke is doing, maybe check on your friend Sue too. I understand she’s also up there.” He could see that Lin brightened immediately at his suggestion.

  “I’d love to do that, and I can manage just fine if I can keep my foot elevated,” she beamed.

  Mark went down to the nurse’s station and returned with one of the nurses and a nice padded wheel chair that had a maneuverable leg rest. Together they helped Lin out of bed and into
the chair, raising the leg rest so that her ankle remained elevated. The nurse pushed the IV pole toward Lin, “Just hold on to this and push it along. Unless this guy goes too fast you should be fine,” she winked at Lin.

  They maneuvered down the hall and into the elevator. Soon they emerged upstairs into the quiet of the ICU. Mark stopped at the nurses station and asked to speak to someone about Lin visiting two patients, even if just for a very few minutes. He explained that she was also one of the victims brought in early this morning after enduring a grueling two-day ordeal at the bottom of an abandoned ore pit. “She’s the one who was less seriously injured and was able to find just a bit of water for herself and for the others. They might owe their lives to her, and she really just wants to have the chance to speak to them, even if they aren’t able to talk to her.”

  The nurse in charge looked at Lin waiting there and then consulted the charts. “Neither of these patients have had any visitors although they are allowed a family visit for five minutes each hour. I suppose, since no family members have come forward to sign up for the visits, we could allow Ms. Hanna to take one of those slots—but only five minutes. Ms. Gray is awake, although she’s still very ill, but Mr. Taylor hasn’t shown any signs of waking up yet. She offered to lead them down the hallway, making sure Mark understood that he couldn’t go in—just Lin.

  They followed her down the hall, first to Sue Gray’s room. Then the nurse took over and pushed Lin inside, parking her wheelchair near the head of the bed. Sue lay there with her eyes closed, but when Lin spoke to her she opened them and managed a slight smile. “Hi there, girlfriend,” Lin smiled back, “I thought we might not get out of that hole, but we did. How’re you feeling?”

  Sue shook her head, “Like I fell off a cliff or something. I hurt all over, but they tell me I’m going to be fine. They put a bunch of pins in my leg and I have a bad infection,” she indicated her IV rack that contained three bags dripping fluids into her system. “They’re pushing so much stuff into me right now, but hey, at least I’m awake. Maybe I’ll get out of this unit in a few days.”

  Lin quickly gave Sue some encouraging words, telling her that she felt sure she would do just that. “I’m probably going home tomorrow, but I’ll come back to visit as often as they’ll let me. I’m here now because you don’t have any family signed up to visit you.” Lin had not told Sue much about Ted when they were in the pit—not wanting to worry her unnecessarily, but now, since Neal had told her that Ted was definitely on the mend and moving toward full recovery, she gave her the full story. “He’s going to be fine and so are you. Hey, maybe they’d let him come to visit since you’re not going to have family to do so. I’ll talk to someone about that.” She could see that prospect pleased Sue. She smiled and nodded her approval as she closed her eyes and slipped back to sleep.

  Next, the nurse took Lin down to where Luke Taylor lay, hooked up to all sorts of monitors, IVs, and other pieces of medical paraphernalia. “He hasn’t waked up yet,” the nurse reported, “but he does show increased brain activity this afternoon and that’s a good sign. He’s still not out of the woods yet though.” Again, she pushed Lin close to the head of the bed. Even though Luke showed no signs of hearing her, Lin began to talk to him quietly. She’d read that comatose patients often could hear voices, and she decided it would do no harm. She told him where he was and what had happened. She also said that she understood that he felt he was threatened and under pressure to take her a few nights ago, but she didn’t have any plans to press charges against him. She told him to hang in there and to wake up when he could.

  “You’re so important Luke. You can help put an end to all the bad stuff that’s been going on. We need you to wake up so you can talk to the authorities. Nothing bad is going to happen. We’ll see that you are protected.” She knew she couldn’t make real promises, but she felt certain that Mark and Zach would stand by Luke if he could help them to solve these cases. The nurse came back in to get her, but before she left Lin took Luke’s hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. To her immense surprise she felt a small but definite squeeze in return. She turned to the nurse who nodded that she had observed what happened.

  “That’s the second good sign today,” the nurse smiled, “I’ll be willing to bet that he heard what you were saying to him. Actually, I wish he did have some family members that would come visit and talk to him every day.”

  “He does have family,” Lin said glumly, “but I think most of them are in jail right now. I’ll try to come back though, and I’ll see if I can find some other folks to do likewise.”

  The nurse returned her to Mark’s capable hands and together they headed back to Lin’s room. It was mid-afternoon and Lin was feeling tired. She was glad that Mark was there to help her get back into the bed.

  “I guess I should be going now,” Mark said, “I’ve got to keep pushing things forward on this case. Zach went home to rest; I rested some this morning. I think I’m going to head to the Watauga County Sheriff’s office—I’d like to talk to Deputy Dave Winkler and see what he has to say.”

  “Be careful,” Lin said, “It might be dangerous for you to let him know what you suspect.”

  “Maybe,” Mark said, “but sooner or later we’ve got to confront him. I’m convinced, as I’m sure you are, that he did have some role to play, however small, in these events. Maybe I could convince him to help us. Maybe he’d be willing to talk about the ringleaders in this case. I ‘d like to give it a try.” Mark made sure that Lin had her call button within reach and then he left.

  Lin adjusted her bed to a lower position. She was surprised at how tired her small trip to the ICU had left her. Neal was coming later, and she wanted to be awake for him. As she drifted off to sleep, she was thinking about Mark confronting Dave Winkler. I don’t think he’ll talk, Lin thought to herself. In fact, I think he’s right in the middle of all this.

  ***

  Dave Winkler was not in when Mark first arrived at the office; however, the receptionist indicated that he should return shortly and offered to let Mark wait in the conference room. Sitting in the warmth of the sunlit room, Mark was having a hard time staying awake. He wanted to talk to Zach about Luke Taylor but was afraid he’d wake him if he tried to call. Finally, he walked down the hall to the soda machine and got a diet coke. Maybe, he needed a jolt of caffeine.

  He’d just returned to the conference room and settled himself when Dave Winkler entered. The deputy approached him in a business-like manner—rather brusque, Mark thought. He noticed that Winkler had closed the door when he entered the room.

  “And what can I help you with today, ranger,” Winkler pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Mark. “I hope this won’t take too long. I’ve got a busy afternoon. I need to arrange a competency hearing for Eustace Hinson, and the judge said he could talk to me about that case if I got there by four-thirty.”

  Mark noticed that it was already a few minutes past four. “I’ll get right to the point then,” he said. “I assume you’re aware that the Hinson brothers and George Reagan were arrested this morning up in Ashe County.”

  Winkler shifted in his seat and re-stacked the files he had in front of him. He finally looked up at Mark. “Actually, this is the first I’ve heard about that. What were they arrested for, and why did you think I’d know about it already?”

  Mark decided to jump right in, “ The initial charges relate to ginseng poaching; however, other more serious charges are pending. I thought you might know because I have a witness who says you were with these men, at least some of them, last night at the place where they were eventually arrested this morning.”

  Winkler’s eyes shot up toward Mark’s face. His expression was stern, “And who might this so-called witness be, I frankly don’t have any idea what you could be talking about.”

  Mark didn’t take the bait, “At this time I’m not at liberty to reveal names, but I can assure you that the witness is a reliable person. If you can explain your associatio
n with the arrested men…”

  “There’s nothing to explain,” Winkler was on his feet. He crossed the room and opened the door, signaling that Mark should leave. “I have an appointment and you need to go. I’d strongly suggest that you be more cautious about what you say. I’ve lived here a long time, and, of course, I’ve had associations with the Hinsons—I’m dealing with their father again right now. George Reagan is a well-known, respectable businessman. I doubt seriously if the unsubstantiated words of a couple of strangers to this community—busybodies at that—will stand up against the word of respectable citizens and officials. Be advised that I will not take kindly to any efforts to undermine my integrity and reputation and you can pass that message along to your volunteer lady friends.” With that he exited the room and slammed the door.

  That went well didn’t it, Mark told himself. Winkler’s reaction had convinced Mark that indeed he was present last night at the ore pits. Lin wasn’t mistaken about the voice she heard. Winkler’s jumping to the conclusion that Lin or Sue was his witness was further proof in his mind. Now he just had to get more evidence.

  Mark got up to leave. He thought that he’d better call Neal Smith and tell him what had transpired. Neal would be going to the hospital soon to see Lin. Mark wanted to warn him to be cautious—who knows what sort of tricks Winkler might have up his sleeve. Mark didn’t take his threats lightly.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you,” Mark said when Neal answered his phone.

  “No, I was just getting up. I’m getting ready to go back to the hospital,” Neal responded.

  “I was there earlier,” Mark told him. He brought Neal up to date on how all the victims were doing and then reported on his visit with Dave Winkler.

  “We’ll be cautious,” Neal said. He too realized that Winkler could be dangerous, especially if he felt his position was threatened. “I’ll be bringing Lin home tomorrow and I plan to keep her close by for the present. I’d be happy to help you with anything I can—just let me know what I can do to aid in the investigation.”