by Paty Jager
That Hawke understood. When his wife divorced him, he had dug into work as if it were the only thing that would sustain him. Not dwelling on the fact his job was the reason his wife left. Putting in even more time helped him to get over the anger and grief. Not so much for his wife, but the institution of marriage. She’d picked her drug-selling brother over her husband.
Sigga broke into his thoughts. “Did you learn anything else since we saw you last?”
He relayed his conversation with Riku and Nonni’s friends. “None of them can think of any reason anyone would want to kill Nonni.” He glanced at Einar who had his back to the conversation. After hearing he’d lost one son to a drug overdose, Hawke’s heart went out to the man who’d lost a second in another tragic way.
Einar faced them. “I remember something about Wanza. Nonni had talked about her at home. She wasn’t happy with her life. Her mother had made it as far up the ranks of the Nairobi police as she could get being a woman. Wanza wanted to get out of Africa. Go to college here or in America. I know Nonni was giving her as much information as he could find.”
“Did he stay in contact with her after she left?” Hawke wasn’t sure what an acquaintance from Africa would have but he was willing to look at anything.
“Ari, send a policeman over to my house. I’ll have my wife get Nonni’s computer ready.” Einar pulled out his cellphone.
They hadn’t found the young man’s phone. “Do you know where Nonni’s phone is?”
Einar shook his head. “He always had it with him.”
“It’s probably being dissolved by that leirhver, mud pool,” Sigga said.
Hawke had the same thought. It could have been in the young man’s hand or loose in his coat pocket and been sucked down into the mud and water. He handed the photocopies of his notes over to Sigga and Böðvarsson.
“This is what we’ve learned so far,” the inspector said, handing Hawke a thin file folder.
He opened the file and sat at a table to read the contents.
The forensic pathologist believed Nonni was hit on the head with a piece of lava and landed face first in the steaming pool. A laceration was found on the back of his head that could have propelled his body forward. Given his position in the water, he would have been facing the pool and most likely not even seen his assailant, unless he’d turned his back on them, not believing they were a threat.
“Did CID pick up any rocks with blood or hair on them?” he asked. Lava would be hard to get prints off and given the weather yesterday, it was a sure bet the assailant was wearing gloves.
“They found one. Halla is going to see if it fits today.” Böðvarsson flicked a glance toward Einar.
Hawke had gathered the two were friends and talking about his son’s death like this had to be hard on both men. He flipped by the coroner’s report and studied the information on the license plates he’d written down in the parking lot. The three rental cars were rented to people visiting. One was highlighted. He put his finger on the name. “Does this mean they are part of the conference?”
Sigga leaned over his shoulder. “Yes. Kevin Largess from Louisiana. When I talked to him, he said he was in the other pre-conference seminar and didn’t use his car, but he must have dropped his keys somewhere because they were slid under the door of his room when he entered after dinner last night.”
“Was he here two years ago?” Hawke wrote the name down in his notebook.
“Yes,” Einar said. “He’s been here the last three conferences. He is a climbing instructor.”
“He knew your son?” Hawke asked.
“Yes. We had Kevin over for dinner last year. He and Nonni had a good time discussing American Pop Culture.” A wistful smile tipped the corners of the man’s mouth. “Nonni was saving money to make a trip to America. He wanted to see the cities we hear about and see on television. And he was fascinated by your large trees and woodlands.”
Sadness squeezed Hawke’s chest. He could have taken Nonni horse packing in the Wallowas. He shoved that thought aside. “Where can I find Largess?”
“I already talked to him,” Sigga said, placing her hands on her hips.
“I don’t think you didn’t do your job. I prefer to see people’s reactions when I talk to them.” Hawke stood.
“You’ll have to find a car. He’s onsite at Mount Skessuhorn,” Einar said.
“I’ll take you. My car is at the car park near Hotel Marina,” Sigga said.
Hawke nodded. “Will you know if any more evidence has been collected from the rock or the area when I get back?” he asked Böðvarsson.
“If we’re lucky, we should have more. But don’t get your hopes up. The rain and terrain made it hard to collect much.”
Shoving his arms into his coat, Hawke contemplated all he knew. “Any chance you could get a list of the names of the family members who would have been old enough to go clubbing with Nonni since he became of that age?” He directed this to Einar.
“I can try.”
He glanced at Böðvarsson. “And see if you can get the paperwork to have a CID team go over Largess’s rental.”
Sigga headed for the door. “I need to get a warmer coat. Do you have anything warmer?”
“No. This is it.”
She shrugged. “It can be cold if we have to go to the top to speak to Kevin.”
“I’ll buy a stocking cap in one of the shops here while you go get your car,” he said as they descended the stairs to the main floor.
“Better to buy a cap and come with me.” She led him to one of the shops. “This one will not be as expensive as the other one.”
At a small display of stocking caps, he picked one that looked hand knitted. After paying, he shoved it in his pocket. He’d feel silly carrying his Stetson and wearing the stocking cap. He could leave his hat in Sigga’s car and wear the stocking cap when they arrived at the mountain.
<<>><<>><<>>
Two and a half hours later, Sigga pulled into a parking lot at the base of a mostly bare mountain. Hawke set his cowboy hat in the back seat and molded the stocking cap to his head. He was glad to get out and walk. His legs were cramped from riding in the small car. He wanted space between him and the inquisitive woman. The last two hours all she did was ask him questions about where he lived, how he liked his job, and about his family. He only answered half her questions, feeling she was too nosy.
“That’s the bus that brought the rock-climbing class here.” Sigga pointed at a bus a lot like the one that had taken them to track Nonni.
“Do you know where they are climbing at?” He didn’t see anyone scaling the rocky mountainside.
“They should have finished lunch and are starting to climb the northwest ridge. We can take the chance they will come back that way or hike to the top on a trail and hope to catch Kevin before they start back down the cliff.” Sigga pulled water bottles out of her trunk, handing him two and putting two in her small day pack.
Hawke slipped the water into his pack. “Thanks. I say we hike to the base of the cliff and wait for them to come back down.”
She nodded and headed off on a well-worn path. Hawke stayed several yards behind her, he preferred to enjoy the outdoors by himself. The past sixteen years, he’d spent days alone in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, checking hunting licenses and looking for poachers. Those days were the reason he didn’t take many vacations. Who needed a vacation when you spent so much quality time on the mountains?
He studied the mountains ahead of him. They were sparse, bearing small trees that looked nothing like the majestic pine, fir, and tamarack in the Wallowa Mountains. The rock appeared more solid basalt and lava than the lime, shale, and granite he was used to seeing in slides and boulders on the mountains back home.
“You are quiet back there. Are you regretting wasting time coming here?” Sigga asked, stopping and pulling a water bottle out of her pack.
“I won’t know if this is a waste until I talk to Largess.” He pulled out a water bottle and sip
ped, hoping the woman would continue on.
“Why do you call everyone by their last name? Is it because you go by your last name?” She capped the bottle and stared at him.
“I only call men by their last names. I learned it in the Army and it stuck.” He shoved his bottle back in his pack and strode around her, following the trail. In front, he could keep a fast pace and keep her from asking questions.
Unfortunately, by walking fast they had time to kill waiting for the rock climbers to return. A climber dropped over the edge of the rim as Hawke set down his pack and took a seat on a smooth rock. One that had been used by many to sit and watch or wait.
“Do you think Kevin really had something to do with Nonni’s death?” Sigga remained standing, staring up at the cliff.
“I won’t know until I talk to him. It is convenient to say you didn’t even know your car was missing. His car was used to transport the killer. Of that I’m certain. Nothing else explains why it was there and the keys were returned under his door.”
The climbers, one by one, made their way down to one ledge after another until the group had all descended to the area where Hawke and Sigga sat.
“Sigga, what are you doin’ here?” a tall, muscular black man asked, walking over to Sigga and giving her a one-armed hug.
“Looking for you.” Sigga put an arm around his waist and faced Hawke. “Hawke is helping us with Nonni’s homicide. He has some questions for you.”
The man frowned and stuck out a hand.
Hawke shook, noting the man’s firm grip.
“You didn’t have to come clear out here. We would have been back by dinner time.” Largess motioned to a man helping the others. “Tony, get everyone’s gear rounded up and head back to the bus.” The other man waved an arm.
“Let’s walk back.” Largess kept his arm around Sigga.
They walked with Sigga on one side of the man and Hawke on the other. He would have preferred to stay still and watch the man better, but he also understood the need to get the attendees back to the bus before dark.
“I understand your rental car was missing yesterday,” Hawke started.
“I don’t know that it was missing. The keys were missing, but I only know that because they showed up shoved under my door.” Largess, ran his free hand over his curly cropped hair. “I didn’t know my car was missing until Sigga asked me about it last night.” His eyes softened and his lips curved into a smile as he glanced at the woman. Her cheeks deepened in color.
“When did you last use the car?” Hawke asked.
“I drove it from the rental lot to the hotel on Tuesday. I parked it and didn’t plan to use the car again until Saturday when I went to dinner at Einar’s house.”
“Where were the keys to the car? Did you have them in a pocket?”
“No. I tossed them on the glass counter in my hotel room. Someone would have had to come into my room and get them. I know I didn’t drop them anywhere.”
That was what Hawke wanted to know. How the keys had been taken. “Did anyone visit you in your room? Or did you tell anyone your plans?”
Largess grinned wide, showing off his even white teeth. “I invited several ladies to my room Tuesday night. They were all here early for the pre-conference events.”
“Did you get all of their names?” Hawke asked.
The man shook his head. “It was an informal event.” He chuckled. “I was walking down the hall and these lovely ladies were standing out in the hall talking. I invited them into my room and we ended up visiting for a couple hours before everyone wandered out.”
Hawke shook his head. “Did you get any of their names?”
“The blonde Aussie. A German girl. I really remember their countries more than their names. That’s what we talked about. The differences and similarities among our countries.” The man shrugged.
The Aussie had to be Mayta. Hawke hoped she had a better memory than this guy.
Chapter Nine
As soon as they arrived back at the Harpa, Hawke headed to the conference headquarters to get a phone number for Mayta. He was directed to Einar to vouch he could get the number before it was given to him.
“Why do you need her phone number?” Einar asked.
Hawke studied the man. Did he dare let him in on the investigation? He wasn’t sure how much Böðvarsson had told the father of the murder victim. “I need to ask her a few more questions that have come up.”
“Do you think she killed Nonni? I don’t see how. They had never met.” Einar didn’t say it as if to discount the idea but more as if he was feeling Hawke out.
“I don’t know who did it. I only know she was at a gathering where I would like to know the names of all the people.” Hawke wasn’t going to divulge any more than that.
“I see.” Einar stared at him and finally waved a hand to the woman who had been waiting for him to agree to give out the phone number. “Give him the number.”
She typed on a computer and recited the number.
Hawke wrote it down in his notebook next to Mayta’s name. “Thank you.” He left the room and dialed the number. He hadn’t expected her to answer and left a message. “This is Hawke. Give me a call or text when you are available to talk.”
He hung up and found a quiet corner with a chair and pulled out the file Böðvarsson had handed him that morning. Now it was time to go over it carefully. He would have read it all on the drive to see Largess but Sigga had kept asking questions, not allowing him to fall into the information.
Opening the folder, he started at the top of the first page and read, writing notes in the side bar of his notebook. All the attendees that were here Tuesday and attended pre-conference events on Wednesday had been interviewed. The ones that had known Nonni from past conferences had only good things to say. Those that had yet to meet him, could be marked off as not having anything to do with his murder.
His phone buzzed as people flowed out into the hallway from the meeting rooms. “Hawke.”
“You want to meet?” Mayta asked.
“Yeah. But some place quiet where we can talk. How about the lobby in my hotel? It’s just across the street.” He didn’t want to go to a bar or hang out here where people would start socializing since it was the end of the day.
“Fine by me.”
“I’ll be down outside the doors to the Harpa,” he said, ending the conversation as Ms. Pearce walked up to him.
“People were bummed you didn’t continue your class today.” She stared at him with disapproval on her face.
“It didn’t seem right to go over details of the trip that didn’t end with good results.” He stood, shouldered his pack, and walked away. Interesting. Were there really people who had wanted him to go over what little they’d learned or had Ms. Pearce just started a conversation for another reason? Stopping at the top of the staircase, he glanced over to where he’d left the woman. She was looking at her phone.
He continued down the stairs and out to the sidewalk in front of the opera house/conference center. Less than five minutes later, Mayta emerged from the doors. She spotted him and walked up to his side.
“You look like you could use a stubbie. Sure you don’t want to hit a bar?”
“I’m sure. You can go after I talk to you if you want.” He led her across the multiple lane main road and the side road to get to his hotel. Inside the doors, he turned left and took the two steps down to the small lobby area. The chairs and couches were low with wide seats and short backs. The cushions were thick but the chairs didn’t fit most people.
Mayta, however, kicked off her boots and curled her feet up under her as she took a seat. Hawke sat on a chair to the side of the couch the woman lounged on.
“Do you remember attending a gathering in your hotel on Tuesday night in Kevin Largess’s room?”
“Kevin? Oh, the climbin trainer. Yeah, we were havin a bit of a yak in the hall when he arrived and invited us in.”
“Can you name all the people who went in
his room?” Hawke had his notebook open on his lap.
She glanced at the book. “Why are you askin?”
“It’s part of the investigation.” He could tell she wanted more, but he wasn’t divulging.
“You don’t think Kevin did it? He’s a larrikin but he’d never harm anyone.”
“Larrikin?” It was Hawke’s turn to stare at her like she was crazy.
“Larrikin, a bloke who likes to have a good time, play a prank.”
“Yeah, I got that feeling from him, too. Who besides you two were in the room?” He persisted.
“Hilda, I didn’t get her last name. I think she’s from Germany. Nancy from the States. We all had rooms in that hall. We met coming back from dinner.”
“What level and room number are you?” He could easily get a list of the rooms and people in them.
“Second floor. Two-thirty.”
“Do you have more names of those present?”
She scowled. “Carmilla from Italy, Rowena from England, I think. She was with Kanika.” She closed her eyes. “There was someone else, but I can’t remember her name.” Her eyelids raised and she peered into his face. “Does that help?”
“Yes. I’ll see if the others have any recollection of the person you don’t remember.” He closed his notebook. He’d need to go back across to the conference headquarters and get the phone numbers of the other women. “I can walk you back to the Harpa.”
“Are you goin’ to the dinner tonight?” She stood.
“What dinner?”
“The one for those of us who’ve been here the last two days for pre-conference.” She stared at him as if he were dimwitted.
There was a good chance he’d bump into the ladies. “Sure. And you can point out the ladies you just mentioned.”
She grinned. “Does that make you my date?”
“No.” He shouldered his pack and motioned for her to head out of the hotel.
<<>><<>><<>>
Hawke followed Mayta to the elevator. She hit the third floor button. There was one other couple in the elevator. They appeared to be husband and wife. They were talking in a language Hawke couldn’t decipher.