Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery (43 page)

The last of
the flames extinguished, the remaining fire crew began to load up their
equipment.
 
“We’ll leave one man
here to watch for awhile, make sure it doesn’t flare up again.
 
We’ll be back in the morning to start
our investigation.”

“Can we look
inside, at least,” Pete wanted to see for himself if there was a body inside.

“Sure,” Dick
responded, “come with me.”
 
He
grabbed a large flashlight and led Pete around to the back of the house.
 
Waves of heat were still rolling from
the ruins and steam rose from puddles of black water.

“We think this
is where the bedroom was,” Dick shined his light through the downed timbers
into the smoky interior.

Pete leaned in
as close as he dared and saw what he was dreading.
 
A charred figured, grotesquely twisted,
lay near what must have been the entrance to the room.
 
A twisted charred timber from the roof
lay across the remains.
 
There was
no way to identify the victim—too burned—but Pete saw something
there that caused him to do a double take.
  
Something was sticking up out of
the remains.
 
It was certainly
charred but it still retained the familiar shape.
 
Pete was fairly certain that what he was
looking at was the end of a large knife.
 
If this was Liz, as they thought, then she perhaps was already dead when
the fire began.
 
No way to get out
and save herself.

Pete looked at
Dick Taylor.
 
He had seen the knife
also.
 
“It was too hot to get this
close earlier,” Dick said, “but this looks like the fire was no accident.
 
This looks like murder!”

***

October , 2011

The phone was
ringing as Lin Hanna entered her condo laden with groceries.
 
She hastily dashed to the kitchen to put
down her load and then tried to grab the phone on the kitchen desk but she was
too late—voice mail had already clicked in and she realized that the
caller was her good friend Kate Johnson.
 
Fortunately, Lin was able to grab the phone before Kate finished
recording.

“Hi there
Kate, what’s happening?” Lin was delighted to hear from her former graduate
school buddy.
 
The two of them had
spent many long nights studying and reading each other’s papers.
 
Their friendship had continued through
the years when they worked as school administrators, seeing each other at
association meetings and, sometimes traveling together to conferences.
 
Their’s was the kind of friendship that
picks up where it left off, even after long absences.

“I’m glad I
caught you,” Kate responded.
 
“It’s
good to have you back in North Carolina.
 
I saw Lucy in Raleigh last week.
 
She said you had quite the adventure out west!
 
How is the shoulder?”

“Much better,”
Lin responded. “I’m still doing exercises but I’m almost 100% back to normal
now.”
 
Lin’s volunteer stint at
Wupatki National Monument in Arizona had proved far more adventuresome than
anticipated.

“Well, I want
to hear all about it and I’m coming to UNC-Charlotte day after tomorrow for a
one day meeting and hoped we could get together—maybe for lunch or
coffee?”

“You are
definitely on,” Lin was eager to see her friend. “Not only that but I know you
are planning to stay overnight somewhere and it better be here with
me—two nights actually—I know Charlotte is at least an eight hour
drive from the Outer Banks.”
 

Kate protested
that staying overnight would be too much trouble and she already had hotel
reservations near the university but Lin would hear nothing of that.
 
She insisted that her friend plan to
stay with her in Davidson near Lake Norman—still less than half an hour
from her meeting on campus.

 
The plans made, Kate ended the
conversation with a subtle hint, “From what Lucy told me there is a new
gentleman in your life!
 
I plan to
learn all about your handsome professor.”
 
She hung up the phone before Lin could respond to that.

Returning the
phone to its cradle on the desk, Lin turned to put away her purchases.
 
She guessed the story of her months in
Arizona was getting out among her friends.
 
She had only been back home for three weeks but Kate had obviously heard
all about it.
 
Who else had her kids
talked to?

Lin had
certainly not planned for her stint as a national park volunteer to lead her
into a murder investigation but that was exactly what had happened.
 
The later part of her stay had been more
peaceful though—and quite enjoyable.
 
Lin found herself thinking, somewhat wistfully, about Neal Smith the
handsome archeology professor who had become more than just a friend.
 
Only three weeks back at home and Lin
already missed Neal more than she cared to admit.
 
Fortunately, they were already making
plans for him to come east for the holiday season.
 

Shaking off
her feeling of loneliness, Lin finished putting up the groceries and turned to
the condo itself, which was in need of a little sprucing up. If Kate was coming
tomorrow evening she needed to wash some linens and get her guest room ready
for company.

***

“You shouldn’t
have gone to the trouble of cooking,” Kate admonished Lin, “I had planned to
take you out to dinner—but that stew was certainly delicious.”

“We can go out
tomorrow evening,” Lin responded, “I thought you would be tired after your long
drive from the coast and, besides, I wanted to try that green chile stew recipe
anyway.
 
Danielle, the law
enforcement ranger at Wupatki, made it for my farewell dinner.”

“It was
great,” Kate said, “just perfect for a cool fall evening.”

Lin poured
coffees for the two of them and they moved into her living room.
 
The reflection of the sunset in the lake
waters gave an orange/pink glow to the view beyond the glass doors that led to
her spacious balcony.
 
Lin loved
this view of the tranquil lake—it was what sold her on this particular
condo at purchase time.

“I need to
talk to you,” Kate was more serious now, “I need your help Lin and I have a
plan—so please hear me out.”

Lin wondered
what was coming next but she was ready to help Kate in any way that she
could.
 
After all, that was what
friends were for, she thought to herself.

“I want…actually
I need you to agree to come to Kill Devil Hills for the holidays—Thanksgiving
and Christmas,” Kate raised her hand to silence the objection Lin was about to
offer. “Just listen first,” she begged.

Briefly, Kate
outlined her need.
 
Her part time
job as a supervisor of student teachers from East Carolina University had led
to an invitation to accompany a small group of the students on an international
student teaching experience in England.
 
The students were to spend four weeks in English schools working with
English teachers followed by spending about three weeks of their holiday break
as tourists before returning to campus for their spring semester.
 
It was a wonderful opportunity for
them—and for Kate who would serve both as their teaching supervisor and
chaperone.
 

“It’s the
perfect chance for me to travel and have it paid for—plus earning my
supervisor’s pay in addition!”
 
Kate’s enthusiasm was infectious. “The only problem is that I need
someone to look after my house—and Sparky, of course.”
 
Lin remembered that Sparky was Kate’s
lively and loveable “chowbrador”—a lab, chow mix who was great
company.
 
“My neighbor offered to
care for Sparky but she really isn’t able to keep up with him and I don’t want
to have to ship him to a kennel for seven plus weeks.
 
I thought if you might enjoy spending
the holidays at the beach we could make a plan,” Kate smiled hopefully.

“Oh,
Kate.
 
It does sound like fun but…”
Lin started to protest.

“I already
mentioned this to Lucy and she was most enthusiastic about coming to the coast
for Christmas.
 
She thought Ben, Jr.
would enjoy it also.
 
The kids would
love it, I’m sure!”
 
Kate had done
her homework.

“I’m sure
that’s true,” Lin said, “but I have invited Neal to come spend the holidays
with me also—that would be eight of us descending on your home and…”

Kate cut her
off again, “…that would be fine.
 
I
have plenty of room and I know everyone would have a great time.”

Kate continued
to provide all the reasons why a coastal vacation would be the perfect family
holiday and soon Lin found herself agreeing to at least talk to Neal and her
kids the next day and give Kate an answer when she returned from her meeting
that evening.

“Good, do that
and then we’ll decide,” Kate seemed more than confident that Lin would
eventually agree to her plan. “Now it’s time for you to tell me all about your
time in Arizona—including ALL the details about Dr. Neal Smith!”

It was well
after ten o’clock when the two friends reluctantly ended their conversation and
headed for bed.
 
Lin had forgotten
how good it felt to have such a good friend to share everything with.
 
Kate was indeed that sort of
friend.
 
As Lin turned out her lamp
and nestled down under her soft downy comforter, her thoughts began to focus on
just how much fun it might be to have the whole family together for the
upcoming holidays—at the beach!