At the end of my explanation, Margaret commented, “You’re right Mike. Peggy Marshall certainly doesn’t seem like a suicide. I’m curious if there are similar cases in your stack of files. Will you call me back after your dinner with Superintendent Harman?”
I agreed to call Margaret at 10:00. I had a couple of hours to study the case files before I needed to meet Karl Harman. I read each file three times and sorted them into two stacks. Three files seemed fairly clear-cut and not part of a pattern.
One death was a suicide after two unsuccessful previous attempts. A note to the family was left in the car of the deceased young man. The nineteen-year-old had driven directly from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon National Park without bringing any luggage or telling his family where he was going. He parked at Mather Point, east of the Grand Canyon Village, and jumped to his death in front of a dozen tourists.
The second file I set aside was the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in a low speed traffic accident. She was standing on the front seat console of her parent’s Yukon watching the Canyon scenery when the accident occurred. The child’s skull was crushed against the rear view mirror.
The third file I also decided could not be connected to the Marshall case reported the death of a drunken driver. The forty-two year old Englishman crashed his rental car into a pine tree. He was driving on the wrong side of a narrow road within the park. He ran off the highway to dodge an oncoming car.
The other four cases were not as easy to dismiss. The most concerning case was a fall from the Rim Trail very similar to the death of Peggy Marshall. The report indicated that it was probably accidental. The divorced woman from LA, Rachel Stein, was at the Canyon as part of a tour group. There was no indication that she was depressed, and she had no history of suicide attempts. Ms. Stein was also staying at El Tovar. She was fifty-two years old and had three adult children. Her death occurred two months ago in the very early morning.
Another death occurred to a woman who was hiking up the Bright Angel Trail after dark. She had hiked out to Plateau Point, about half way down to the Colorado River. Mrs. Helga Günter, age forty-one, had rested at Indian Gardens Campground until evening in order to avoid the steep hike out of the Canyon on a hot afternoon. Several people spoke with her as she rested by the water fountain. Mrs. Günter was hit on the head by a falling rock on the steep switchbacks about two miles before reaching the Canyon Rim. There were no witnesses, but the investigation indicated that the rock probably fell because a hiker higher on the trail accidentally disturbed it. Nothing in the file ruled out murder, but Mrs. Günter was traveling alone on a one-month vacation from her insurance company job in Bonn. There seemed to be no motive for the crime. Her death had occurred just two weeks earlier. She was staying at the Bright Angel Lodge, not at El Tovar.
One death appeared to be from natural causes, but the file was not conclusive. The death of Margo Jordan occurred in a room in the Maswik Lodge. The motel is located a few blocks from the Canyon rim within the Grand Canyon Village. There was no sign of trauma on the body, and the woman was found alone in her locked room. While the death was ruled to be from natural causes, the medical examiner could not find the actual cause of death. Mrs. Jordan was traveling alone across the country. She was reporting to a new job in San Diego and stopped at the Grand Canyon National Park as she drove from Lexington, Kentucky. Mrs. Jordan was thirty-nine years old and died four months ago.
The last file in the stack was clearly an unsolved homicide. A young man employed by the Arizona Room steakhouse, located next to the Bright Angel Lodge, was killed in his dormitory-style housing unit in Grand Canyon Village. He was found dead in his own bed. A single very forceful blow to the head killed Jim Otto. From the shape of the wound, the Medical Examiner suspected that the murder was committed with a common carpenter’s hammer. Three other people were sleeping in the same room at the time of the murder, but they heard nothing unusual. There was no suspect, and the hammer was never found. The murder had occurred the same night as the death of Mrs. Günter, the German insurance worker who was struck by the falling rock as she hiked out of the Canyon.
I did not believe in coincidences. Two people killed within hours of each other should have triggered an investigation looking for a possible connection. Generally, these seven files indicated sloppy and careless police work, and I immediately lost some respect for my colleagues at Tusayan. I was pleased when I noticed that Deputy Alan Markley had not been responsible for any of the careless work on these cases. If we worked together on this case, I needed competency and thoroughness.
I reread each case file before leaving for my dinner meeting with the Superintendent. As I walked the few blocks to the El Tovar Hotel, I noticed conversations in Chinese, French, German, and a Scandinavian language I couldn’t identify. A young couple was chatting in Spanish on the verandah as I entered the El Tovar.
The park had such an enormous flow of people from all over the world who might have witnessed something useful in the Peggy Marshall case. How was I ever going to track them down? The normal stay at the Grand Canyon is only a day or two. Most potential witnesses to Mrs. Marshall’s death would be gone by tomorrow. The witnesses to the other crimes would be long gone unless they were employees of the National Park Service or one of the private companies that provided services to the park. Unless we got lucky, this case was going to be very difficult to solve. So far we had found no physical evidence or witnesses.
CHAPTER 5
Karl Harman was waiting at the entry to the El Tovar dining room. The Superintendent was well known by the staff, and we were immediately ushered to a choice table next to a large window with a stunning view of the sunset accenting the Canyon.
El Tovar’s main dining room has a high-beamed ceiling. It resembles the inside of an enormous old log cabin. Both ends of the room have massive limestone fireplaces; the sidewalls are decorated with large murals of the Arizona Native American tribes. We sat next to one depicting the Hopi culture. Stained glass fixtures, which hung from the double tree-sized logs that formed the ceiling beams, provided the dim lighting. Matching stained glass wall sconces decorated the fireplaces.
Margaret and I had eaten here several times, and the food was always excellent although the service can be slow. I ordered the New York Strip and Karl Harman ordered chicken. I only watch my cholesterol when Margaret is around to remind me. Margaret can eat anything without raising her cholesterol; she’s astonishingly healthy.
Karl started the serious part of the conversation by asking, “Mike, what do you think about Mrs. Marshall’s case?”
I considered how much to say for a second. “Two months ago, a woman named Rachel Stein died in a similar manner in a dawn fall from the Rim Trail.”
Karl nodded. It was clear that he was already aware of the similarity of the deaths. I thought of the murder of a young man in the employees’ housing unit.
I continued, “Mrs. Helga Günter died from a falling rock on the Bright Angel Trail just a few hours before Jim Otto was murdered with a hammer as he slept in the employees’ dorm.”
Karl looked surprised and said, “I remember both deaths, but I didn’t connect them to the others.”
“I’ve only reviewed half the files from the past year,” I said. “A colleague is reviewing the other half tonight. We’re meeting in the morning to discuss them. Were there other deaths similar to Mrs. Marshall’s?”
“We had a death from a fall over in the direction of Hermit’s Rest. There were also no witnesses. It didn’t look like a suicide either. The woman, Mary Jane Corliss was also staying here at El Tovar. We think she walked over to watch a sunset.”
I spoke quietly so as not to be overheard. “Three women in falls from the Rim Tail and two other deaths that occurred the same evening, Karl, I’m sure you’ve thought of the possibility of a serial killer. That’s why you asked the Sheriff to send me.”
I watched Karl’s face for a reaction. He showed no surprise at my comment. He just nodd
ed.
“Is there anything you can tell me to help tie these cases together?” I asked.
“I’m sure that it’s obvious that it must be someone local if these deaths are actually connected,” he said. That was also my conclusion. “It seems impossible that it could be one of our park rangers, but you’ll need to consider them. If there’s actually a serial murderer, I think it’s someone who works for the Fred Harvey Company, the subsidiary that manages the lodging and food services in the Park, or someone from one of the other companies that provide services to the Park. It could even be a man who makes regular deliveries to the stores and restaurants here.”
I had not yet concluded that these deaths were connected. Paul Marshall might have killed his wife or her death might have been an accident. The other Grand Canyon fatalities might not be connected. However, if this was actually a case of a serial killer, Karl was correct about the criminal. It was very likely to be a man who was familiar with the area, someone who could identify and observe his victims without attracting attention himself.
Karl and I chatted about our backgrounds and families until our desserts were finished. I had the butterscotch cream layer cake, and Karl let me taste his chocolate mousse taco. He had made the better choice. Karl had led a very interesting life, stationed at one great park service location after another. He had been the superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado before his assignment three years ago to the Grand Canyon. His four adult sons lived in other states, and his wife was a successful landscape painter.
I enjoyed getting acquainted with someone who loved his job as much as I loved mine. I liked the guy, and sincerely hoped that I could keep the Park from experiencing any adverse publicity over these deaths. We agreed to meet tomorrow afternoon in the hotel at 4:00. Karl would have Amy Ziegler call me on my cell phone when she came in tomorrow at 9:00.
It was a dark moonless night as I walked back to my room at the Bright Angel Lodge. I saw a few people strolling along the paved and well-lit walkway next to the pitch-black canyon. I was thinking about these cases, searching for an approach. I couldn’t even see my next step in this case. If this was really a serial killer, I was pessimistic about finding the murderer before he killed again.
As I entered my room, a group of drunk college-aged men passed by in high spirits. They entered the room next to mine. I wondered if I would get much sleep if their boisterous party continued. I called Margaret. After hearing my rowdy neighbors through the thin walls, she accused me of going to a party without her. Margaret is very gregarious and loves a good party. I explained that I hadn’t been invited to the young men’s soiree either. Over the sounds of their celebration, I reported what I learned from the files and from my conversation with Superintendent Harmon.
I concluded by saying, “Margaret, this is going to be a hell of a case. I don’t even have proof that Mrs. Marshall was murdered. So far, we have no physical evidence and no witnesses. I’ll start with the hotel staff tomorrow and check if anyone remembers Peggy Marshall leaving the hotel. If anyone saw her husband leaving before dawn, he’ll jump to the top of my list.”
“You know for certain that there was at least one murder, the young man who worked in the Arizona Room steakhouse. If you can’t get a quick handle on the Peggy Marshall case, maybe you can solve that one. It might lead to an answer in the other cases,” she said.
I thought Margaret’s suggestion was a good place to begin. “The Jim Otto murder was a weird case,” I said. “There were three other guys asleep in the room. No one heard a damn thing.”
“Young men like to party - like your neighbors tonight. Did the file indicate the alcohol level of the victim?” she asked.
I opened the Jim Otto file, “No, the file doesn’t say if he had been drinking. There’s very little information about the other three guys in this file. It’s sloppy work.”
We talked about more private things for twenty minutes before I said good night. We hadn’t spent many nights apart in the past thirty years.
CHAPTER 6
Alan Markley was waiting with a file folder in hand when I reached our breakfast meeting. His face showed excitement and enthusiasm. It was my guess that this was Deputy Markley’s first murder investigation. I decided that I would like working with this young man; Alan’s enthusiasm was infectious. This case was likely to be challenging and interesting even for a middle-aged, veteran detective; for a young man like Alan, it might be the case of a lifetime. Alan had found the file on Mary Jane Corliss, the unfortunate woman who Superintendent Harman had mentioned died in a fall from the Rim Trail west of the Grand Canyon Village.
I brought Alan up to date on my conversation with Karl Harman and the details of the files that I had studied. Alan observed, “Three falls from the Rim Trail that do not look like suicides. Two were at dawn and one at sunset. There were no witnesses or useful evidence.”
I smiled and nodded. Clearly, Alan did not believe in coincidences either. I asked the young deputy, “How long have you been assigned to the Grand Canyon Substation Alan?”
He looked a little sheepish. “Lt. Damson, I’ve only been here three weeks. Before that I was up at the Page substation for nine months. I was on the police force in Mesa for a year, but I hated the heat down in the Valley. I graduated two years ago from ASU. I know that I’ve still got a lot to learn.”
I asked Alan to call me Mike. The beginning of a plan was forming, and the fact that Alan had only been in the area for three weeks was important. He looked young enough to still be in college like most of the young people who took summer jobs in the Grand Canyon Village.
“Who have you had contact with at Grand Canyon Village on this current investigation or previously Alan?” I asked.
Alan looked at me quizzically. “Mike, I rode down to recover the body with two rangers and the pilot. I interviewed the ranger who discovered Mrs. Marshall’s purse and went to the probable location of her fall. Only the three rangers and pilot on the chopper would recognize me. This was my first case here, except for fender benders and a camera theft.”
Alan made his final comment with the inflection that indicated some excitement. He was smart enough to have figured out where my question was leading. “Alan, have you ever worked undercover?”
“No, but I’d be good at it,” he said with confidence.
I continued, “I would need to get Doug Redman and Superintendent Harman to OK the approach.”
His smile indicated his enthusiasm for working undercover. I explained, “I think that there’s a good chance that someone who works at the Grand Canyon murdered a young employee of the Arizona Room steakhouse, a young man your age named Jim Otto. If these falls from the Canyon Rim Trail were also murders, the perp must either be here at the Canyon regularly for some purpose or be a Grand Canyon Village employee. The crimes might be connected.”
Alan nodded, and I continued, “The only case that we know for certain was a murder was the death of Jim Otto. He doesn’t fit the pattern, but we can hope that case will lead us to solve the others. Maybe Otto knew something or maybe it’s an unrelated event. In either case, we need to catch Otto’s murderer.”
“I could easily pose as a restaurant employee. I worked as a waiter in college,” he said with an excited smile.
“This under cover work will be very dangerous,” I said. “Jim Otto was murdered in his own bed. His three roommates, sleeping in the same room, heard nothing. Your police training won’t help while you’re asleep, but to mix with the group you will need to sleep in the dorm. You must be very cautious.”
Alan looked directly at me and said, “I’m young but cautious. I know I’m inexperienced, but I’ll follow your advice to the letter.”
This undercover assignment might not lead us to a murderer. However, young people in environments like the Fred Harvey Company’s dorms tend to form a tribe that excludes anyone from law enforcement. The employees might realize one of their coworkers is strange but not be willing to tell
a sheriff’s detective about their suspicions.
“Alan, I’m not an expert on real serial killers. If we can find anything that proves that these hiking trail deaths are part of a pattern of serial murders, we’ll call for help from the FBI. This is a national park, and they’ll be here in force if we need help. Superintendent Harman and Sheriff Taylor want us to keep a very low profile until we have more information.”
At this point, the three deaths on the Rim Trail and the one on the Bright Angel Trail could be explained as accidents or suicides. I described what I knew of true serial killers. They are often extraordinarily hard to catch because their motives are so difficult to understand. Many of them seemed to be very normal people, even to those who knew them well.
We discussed the proposed undercover assignment. I would attempt to get Alan into the same dorm where Jim Otto had lived. I would also see if we could get Alan a job as a waiter at the Arizona Room where Jim Otto had worked until he was killed two weeks ago. Alan needed to be careful not to seem to interrogate his coworkers. He should just show the level of interest in the murder appropriate for someone working at the same restaurant.
I looked closely at this bright young deputy. He clearly understood the risk. I thought he would operate with more finesse than most men his age. We finished breakfast and walked to my car to phone Superintendent Harman to get approval for our undercover operation. He agreed to help. He was certain that the local manager of the Fred Harvey Co. would cooperate fully. Harman explained that solving the murder of one of their workers was a very high priority with the company. The Superintendent would arrange for Alan to start a wait staff job at the Arizona Room steakhouse tomorrow. He would also ask the company to put Alan in the same dorm in which Jim Otto had been murdered, the Colter House.
Next I called Alan’s boss, Doug Redman, to get the OK for the undercover operation. I explained what we wanted to do. There was a long pause and Redman considered the proposal. He knew that I would get whatever I wanted if Sheriff Taylor was brought in to settle a dispute. Solving these Grand Canyon cases without causing adverse publicity was the county’s highest priority. Doug answered, “We’ll do this Mike, but don’t you get one of my deputies killed.”
The Murders at El Tovar Page 3