Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery (35 page)

Sue rescued her, “I do understand your
conflict—and your attraction to Neal.
 
Just be sure to give him time to work
through this mess he seems to have been involved in---and be sure to take care
of yourself—and your heart,” she gave Lin’s hand a squeeze, “Now we need
to stop by the hospital and see if we can learn anything about Sophie’s
Dad.
 
After that what do you plan to
do?”

“I would like to go somewhere quiet—with
you.
 
Someplace where we can sit
down and put together all the information we currently have—maybe we can
see where all of these bits and pieces are heading,” Lin responded. “Then I
think I would like to talk to Billy Taylor again—if he is available.”

“Well, there is no place quieter than the
public library.
 
They have some
small conference rooms available for public use—maybe we could get one of
those.
 
I would like to talk to
Deputy Taylor as well—about what I’ve learned regarding the black market
in art.” Sue responded, “but I’m afraid I have to be back at Walnut Canyon by
one this afternoon.
 
I have to work
the afternoon shift on the trail.”

“We best get going then,” Lin said.
 
“We should both drive then, when we are
done, you can get back to work on time.”

As the two women exited the restaurant,
Lin noticed that the blue SUV was still parked in front of the Walgreen’s.
 
She couldn’t see clearly, but it
appeared that someone was in the driver’s seat.
   
That’s weird, she
thought.
 
Why would anyone still be
here after all this time?

When they arrived at the hospital, Lin
forgot to mention the strange car’s appearance to Sue.
 
They were swept up in talk with Sophie
and her mother, Myrna.

“My Dad is out of surgery already,”
Sophie reported.
 
“It didn’t take
long to pin his broken hip and there is not much to do for his ribs—they
just need time to heal.
 
He is still
in recovery though—we haven’t seen him yet.”

Lin asked Sophie to call Danielle at
Wupatki later to report on her Dad’s condition.
 
She agreed and also agreed to call Lin
and Sue.
 
Sue asked Sophie if she
and her Mother would like to join the two of them for dinner that evening but
Sophie begged off.
  
“I think
Mom wants to spend as much time as possible at the hospital and I want to be
with her—she might wear herself out. We can eat at the Taylor House—they
have a nice dining room.
 
Maybe we
can see the two of you tomorrow sometime.”
 
Sophie added, “ I want to talk to Michael again—maybe
tomorrow.
 
Mr. Cameron said he would
call me after they talk to the deputy this morning.”

Lin grasped her friend’s hand. “I do hope
everything goes well for Michael when he talks to Deputy Taylor.
 
Do let me know what happens.
 
I’ll be glad to take you over to see him
tomorrow.”
 
Lin wanted to add—“if
he is still there”—but she did not want to raise Sophie’s expectations.

***

An hour later Lin looked up from the
stack of notes and papers she had placed in somewhat of an orderly fashion on
the table in the library conference room.
 
Sue had done the same with her notes and both women had been making
lists of pertinent facts that they now felt that they knew about the current
case and any possible connections to the earlier death of Cullen Honeyestewa.

“OK,” Sue sounded like the reporter she
used to be as she flipped to a clean sheet of her legal pad,
 
“time to put together what we know—I’ll
be the scribe.
 
We need to list all
the pertinent facts we have learned so far.”

Soon they had a basic list developed:

·
              
Darren Steele once worked for John
Sessions

·
              
Henry Piestewa worked with Cullen
Honeyestewa at the sacred tribal sites in and near Wupatki—his presence
there with Darren Steele had not been explained as yet—

·
              
Darren and Henry had both been killed in
the same location and at about the same time but they had not traveled there
together

·
              
Darren had been heard to say he was
looking for valuable pottery in the park but he had been drinking when he said
this

·
              
The investigators had track evidence that
Darren had been followed on a backcountry road near the site of the murder—he
had left his truck and walked to the site

·
              
Henry’s truck was parked in the Lomaki
parking lot.

·
              
Michael and his friend Teddy both worked
for Raymond Tso—the boys owed him money borrowed to pay gambling debts

·
              
Michael acknowledged having obtained some
small artifacts for Tso illegally as part of his work

·
              
Michael and Teddy went to Wupatki on
Monday to hunt for some pots that Tso said were very valuable—valuable
enough to fully repay their debts.

·
              
The boys had a hand drawn map which Tso
gave them to use—later thrown away.

·
              
Michael had seen a Chinese man talking
with Tso at his shop a few weeks ago.
 
Tso and that man had gone to lunch and Tso had returned with the map he
later gave to the boys

·
              
When Michael and Teddy got to the park
they saw the dead bodies and became frightened.
 
As they were running away, the eagle
head belt buckle belonging to his uncle had fallen from Michael’s pocket.

·
              
Michael was afraid of Tso and ashamed for
his family to learn what he was doing so he initially refused to talk to the
authorities

·
              
A man who indicated he was bringing a
message from Raymond Tso attacked Sophie Honeyestewa and threatened her.

·
              
Someone, most likely also representing
Tso, attacked Sophie’s father at his home.

·
              
Investigative reports place the deaths of
Darren and Henry sometime over the weekend—most likely Saturday but
perhaps as late as early Sunday.

·
              
The incriminating belt buckle was evident
in the possession of Michael’s grandmother at mid-day on Sunday.
 
The family reported that Michael and
Teddy took the truck to Flagstaff on Monday.

·
              
Cullen Honeyestewa had found some old
pottery which was deemed valuable through photographic evidence by his friend
Neal Smith

·
              
Cullen wanted to sell the pots to help
his nephew with his financial problems

·
              
Smith put Cullen in touch with John
Sessions

·
              
The deal never was concluded—Darren
Steele reported Cullen did not show up at the meeting.

·
              
Darren himself disappeared about the same
time.
 
He turned up in the area
again shortly before he was found dead

·
              
Smith had continued to search for the
pottery for some months working with his archeology students

·
              
After the recent killings, Smith broke
off any further possibility of dealing with John Sessions.
 
He wanted no part of any black market
trade any more.

·
              
 
Sue Gray had posed as a potential buyer
and had reason to believe John Sessions would procure art objects for her
without regard to provenance.

·
              
Isaac Tsosie, Sessions’ assistant said
that he did sell stolen items but he would probably be afraid to report this to
authorities

·
              
Sue had found no evidence in media
sources that Sessions had ever been suspected of black market activity.

·
              
Sue had found articles that implied that
Lee Chou, a Chinese art dealer in Santa Fe, might be involved in the black
market—but no specific charges had ever been brought against him.

“That is quite a list,” Sue reflected, “
and, in reading it, you can see some patterns emerging.
 
I would say all of these activities
somehow relate to the black market in art and artifacts from this area.”

“Yes,” Lin agreed, “but what we have here
is simply a pattern.
 
Patterns are
not proof.
 
There certainly could be
a link to Cullen’s death here but, then again, that could be another story all
together.
 
There is no real proof
here.”

 
Lin read the list again, troubled by how
many of the links she observed could only be supported by including all the
information Neal Smith had shared—and she had given him her word she wouldn’t
share this information unless the investigation into Cullen’s death was
reopened and, at present, it hadn’t been.

“But there is a significant link here
between Raymond Tso’s business and Lee Chou, assuming he was the man Michael
saw talking to Tso,” Sue spoke confidently. “We also don’t have all of the
information which the sheriff’s investigation might have uncovered—there
were still a lot of questions in the report which you saw.
 
It was not complete by any means.
 
They may know more now.
 
I think what we have here should be
shared with Billy Taylor.
  
Who
knows, these bits of information may fit with other things already discovered
to complete a picture of this crime.”

“I can’t disagree,” Lin replied, “ I know
you have to be at work soon, but I plan to stay in town awhile.
 
I’ll call David Cameron and see how
Michael’s talk with Billy went this morning—then I’ll try to see Billy
myself.
 
I can share this
information with him but…”

“…You will not tell him all of what Neal
Smith told you,” Sue completed Lin’s thoughts.

“I can’t, not yet.
 
I gave Neal my word on that.
 
The investigation into Cullen’s death is
still closed, anyway, and he has no direct information about the current case,”
Lin realized she sounded as if she were making excuses—maybe she was! “I
will tell you that I’ll try to talk to Neal again.
 
I ‘ll encourage him to come forward on
his own.”

“I really think he should, for a lot of
reasons,” Sue said. “I have a strong feeling that everything we have written
down here is interrelated somehow.
 
We may not have all the gaps filled but these three deaths are related
in some fashion.”

Lin could only nod in agreement—she
felt the same way. “I’ll talk to Neal, I promise.” That was all she could say
for now.

The two women gathered their materials
and prepared to leave the library—agreeing that they would meet back at
Sue’s apartment after she got off at five.

“I’ll stop at that sandwich place near
the jail—I believe it is called Wildflowers—Lin offered.
 
I’ll bring us something good.
 
We’ll be hungry by then.
 
That great breakfast will be worn off
and we are skipping lunch,” Lin smiled as Sue exited the building ahead of her.

As she emerged from the library, Lin
almost dropped her files. That same blue SUV was sitting at the end of the
parking lot. Lin grabbed Sue’s elbow, “I am beginning to think that blue SUV
down at the end of the lot is following me.”
 
She related to Sue having seen the van
leaving Walnut Canyon that morning and again in the parking lot near Walgreens
after breakfast.

“It may be just a coincidence, but it’s
spooking me a little,” Lin confessed.

“It would bother me also,” Sue agreed. “You
keep watch and do be careful.
 
Tso’s
men may be onto you also—they may have connected you with Sophie.
 
They may know that you are trying to
help Michael and Teddy.
 
Stay in
well-lit places and don’t let your guard down.
 
If anyone tries to approach you or
threaten you in any way call the sheriff’s office immediately,” Sue warned.