A strange feeling came over Lin. How could the belt buckle have been left at the crime scene on Saturday when she and Sue had clearly seen it on Sunday at the Honeyestewa home? She had to talk to Deputy Taylor—something wasn’t right here.
“Danielle, wait,” Lin called to the ranger as she started to walk back to the center, “ I have to talk to Deputy Taylor.” She related the information that she and Sue had seen the belt buckle in the family’s possession on Sunday morning. “That means it could not have been at the crime scene on Saturday.”
“Well, the report did allow for the possibility the crime occurred on Sunday—it was quite warm last weekend which might have affected the rate of decomposition,” Danielle offered.
“Perhaps,” Lin agreed, “but I still feel that I should tell him what I saw.”
“Sure,” Danielle responded, “you can give him a call from the center. He was going back to Flagstaff to his office when he stopped by.”
Lin determined that she must do just that. She knew that it was sometimes hard to pinpoint a time of death precisely but that belt buckle was clearly still in Moenkopi on Sunday morning and that truck was still there too. In fact, she remembered that Michael had left to meet his friend right after the family returned from church. Even if his grandmother had given him the buckle that afternoon—it was still pushing things to suppose that he might have been in the park Sunday afternoon and involved in these deaths—especially if Saturday were the more likely time of the murders.
She went into Danielle’s office to use the phone, with permission, so that she could speak privately, but when she called for Deputy Taylor she learned he was still out so she would have to leave a message. She did that and returned to her work—observing at the Wupatki ruin and talking to visitors.
As the afternoon progressed, Lin tried to put these developments at the back of her mind but it proved difficult. She knew what a devastating effect this arrest would have on the Honeyestewa family. Things did not look good for Michael. Even if the timing were in question, it was clear that someone had transported that belt buckle to the scene of the crime and in Cullen Honeyestewa’s truck. This did not look good for these boys.
Lin was due to get off at three that afternoon so she decided that, if Deputy Taylor hadn’t called by then, she would drive into Flagstaff and try to speak to him personally. Having made that decision, she managed to finish her stint at the ruin with some degree of peace of mind.
Four o’clock found Lin pulling into the parking lot at the law enforcement center on Sawmill Rd. in Flagstaff. Several vehicles belonging to the sheriff’s department were in view. She could hope that one of these belonged to Deputy Taylor. Entering the new, modern facility she approached the reception desk and asked if she could speak to the deputy.
“Just a moment,” the young lady at the desk responded reaching for the phone, “whom shall I say wants to see him.”
“Lin Hanna, I’m a volunteer at Wupatki and I have some information to give him regarding the case he is currently working on.”
The young lady evidently reached the deputy as she relayed this information. “Please go on back,” she said indicating the hallway to the right of the reception area, “it’s the second door on the left.”
Relieved that the deputy was in and had so readily agreed to see her, Lin made her way back to the office. Deputy Taylor was at his desk shuffling through some papers.
“I just found the message you left earlier,” he looked up at Lin smiling. “I was going to call you just now.”
“I had to come into town anyway,” Lin lied, but it was all in a good cause. “I decided to just stop by and see if you were in. I think I have some important information which could have a bearing on your case.”
“Then by all means sit down and let’s hear it. We are about to wrap this one up I think. We have two prime suspects in custody and they will probably be formally charged soon—just have to get one or two more pieces of information,” the Deputy seemed pleased with this quick outcome for his investigation.
“I’m afraid the information I need to share may raise some additional questions for you concerning the young men you have in custody,” Lin leaned forward in her chair, trying hard to be calm. She didn’t want to appear to lack confidence in the outcome of the deputy’s investigation—after all, he did not yet have the information she wished to share. She did want him to take her seriously.
“ Last Sunday I visited the Honeyestewa family,” Lin noticed the Deputy raise his brows but he didn’t interrupt her. Lin proceeded to explain her visit, “I knew that the family had questions about what had happened to Cullen and I wanted to offer support and what comfort I could,” she continued to share a bit about her own experience with loss and her knowledge that closure was important in such cases. “I knew that the case was closed and the death was ruled an accident, but the family felt that it was unlike Cullen to be so careless in the back country and they also said he never was drunk—at least not to their knowledge. They want to find out something more about why he might have been there and what he might have been doing,” Lin paused—“anyway, that is why I was there—not why I am here. I’m aware that the eagle-head belt buckle found with Cullen’s body was also found at this most recent crime scene and that it had previously been returned to the family.”
“It is one of our most important pieces of evidence,” Deputy Taylor broke in, “it provides a direct link to that family—along with tire tracks identified as belonging to their pick up truck. In fact, Mrs. Honeyestewa told us that she gave the buckle to her grandson Michael and also allowed him and his friend Teddy to use the truck for a trip to Flagstaff—supposedly to purchase a new belt so Michael could wear the buckle. She was certainly shocked to learn what actually happened.”
“I am sure she was,” Lin continued, “Did she say when she gave the boys permission to take the truck and when she gave Michael the buckle? I saw it in her possession on Sunday morning and Michael was not at home; however, the truck was there.”
“ She said she gave him the belt buckle on Sunday at dinner but that he did not take the truck to town until Monday; however, I think she is probably trying to protect Michael—it’s only natural. That is the story Michael told me and she heard what he said. She is trying to support him but the evidence is what it is.”
“Have you located the murder weapon yet?” Lin asked.
“You know, Ms. Hanna,” Deputy Taylor said in a serious tone, “I really shouldn’t share details of the investigation with you. I do appreciate your giving me this information and I shall consider it along with the other evidence; however, I think it is best that you leave now as I have a lot more work to do.”
“I’ll be going then,” Lin rose to leave, “but one more question—does Michael have legal representation yet?”
“ A public defender will be working with him, now I really must get back to work,” Deputy Taylor rose and offered Lin his hand, “Thanks again for sharing this information.”
Lin left the sheriff’s office and returned to her car. He doesn’t have the weapon yet, she thought—maybe that is why formal charges haven’t yet been filed. She knew that there had been no weapon evident at the scene when she had arrived with the students and no one had mentioned it, if one had been found later. It crossed her mind that, once again, there could be a rush to judgment happening here. Assumptions were being made concerning Michael and his friend Teddy, but what could have been their motive? Lin wondered what the boys had been doing in the park. She did think that they were probably responsible for the tire tracks and for the belt buckle being present at the scene but when and why were still very much open to question—at least in her mind.
She felt that she had to discuss all this with someone she could trust so before leaving the parking lot she phoned Sue Gray. Fortunately, her friend answered her cell phone.
“What are you doing this evening?” Lin asked, “I’m in town and am just leaving the sheriff’s department.
There have been some serious developments in this most recent case and I really need to talk to you.”
“ Give me twenty minutes,” Sue responded. “I’ll meet you at the Horseman’s Lodge where we had dinner with the group. It’s Friday but it’s still early, so we should have no trouble getting a table.”
Half an hour later Lin and Sue were seated in a relatively private booth located near the back of the lodge’s dining room and Lin was bringing Sue up to date on everything that had happened since they last spoke. She was pretty worked up—feeling the need to share all of her feelings about this case and how things were developing—she did omit the personal part about her rocky relationship with Neal Smith; not that she didn’t feel she could share this with Sue, but other things were more urgent at the moment. Finally, she got to her conversation with the deputy and her conviction that the murder weapon had not been found and that there were serious doubts, at least in her mind, that Michael and Teddy were the guilty parties.
“I’m just afraid that there will be a rush to judgment in this case—just as there was when Cullen’s remains were found,” Lin shared, “ I know that I have promised not to get involved in this investigation and I don’t want to cause any problems for Danielle, but neither do I want to see two innocent young people falsely accused of a crime!”
“I understand,” Sue offered, “ and I certainly agree that there are some serious questions raised here, but you and I are still outsiders and we must be careful not to appear to be interfering in an official investigation.”
Lin noticed, with some degree of satisfaction that Sue was including herself in this matter, and that she had said, “appear”. “Does that mean that you think we should pursue this further—unofficially and carefully, of course?” Lin asked.
Sue smiled, “ I think we have to—we’ve come this far and we can’t turn back now. Besides, I think these two cases are definitely connected in some way. Perhaps that should be our approach—to see what the connections might be. Meanwhile, maybe we can find out who is going to defend these young men. Perhaps their lawyer would be interested in what you have to share about the evidence. Now, I have some information to share with you.”
Chapter 18
The waitress had arrived with their orders so Sue didn’t continue the conversation. After they had both visited the generous salad bar and were settled back at their table to enjoy their meal, Sue began sharing what she had learned.
She related the basic information she had learned regarding John Sessions’ business from the website—concluding with the information regarding contacting the gallery for “special purchases.”
“That raised a bit of a red flag for me.” Sue grabbed a warm yeast roll and spread it with butter as she talked, “ I’m not sure what was meant by this offer. My curiosity led me to do some more reading regarding the theft of art and artifacts in the southwest. If the number of references I found just in one evening’s exploration is any indication, this is a serious problem in this area. I read about several cases and even found general articles about the overall problem in several newspapers. Anyway, I was curious enough to take my activity one step further.”
“What did you do?” Lin questioned.
“Well, I sent an inquiry to the address Sessions had listed on the website for these special customers. It was different from the one given for the gallery itself. Then later I also called the phone number given, again a different listing. I first reached only an answering machine so I’m not sure where this number connected. The recording asked that I leave my name and contact information and indicated that someone would contact me. Anyway, I’m afraid I made up a name and identified myself as a ‘collector of Native American art and artifacts’. I used my cell phone and left that number because it is out of state. I did that with the email as well.”
“Wow, that was a clever move. I, myself, know nothing about collecting art so I probably wouldn’t think to try anything like that!” Lin nodded her appreciation of Sue’s quick thinking.
“I don’t know anything about it either—but I’d better read up on it and learn something quickly because Sessions called back and I have an appointment with him tomorrow to discuss my interests.” Sue added with a wink, “I’ve never met him before so that should not present a problem.”
“ Well, I’m impressed by what you’ve learned so far,” Lin offered, “I’m not sure how art thievery could be connected to Cullen’s disappearance—or to these two most recent murders, but Cullen did have Session’s business card so …”
“And,” Sue interjected, “you mentioned to me earlier that Jimmy Chee thought he had heard one of the two murdered men talking about searching for some pottery somewhere in the park area. We both know that stealing pots has been and could still be a big problem---maybe even a motive for murder. I think we should pursue any information we get—after all, motive has to be present in some fashion.”
“Right you are,” Lin agreed. Shifting the subject a bit she mentioned that she was pretty sure that Deputy Taylor hadn’t uncovered the murder weapon as yet. “I wish I could get hold of a copy of the police report on this case when it is completed,” she mused.
“That may be easier than you think,” Sue offered. “He gave Danielle a copy of the report on Cullen’s case and he may do the same with this most recent incident. After all, the bodies were found in the park.”
“I hope so,” Lin responded. “I know it is not completed yet so I’ll just have to wait. I’ll have to be careful because I did promise not to get involved in this most recent situation.”
“Sure, you’ll need to be discreet but, after all, I think that the connections between these two cases are becoming more and more evident as time passes. Certainly, the Honeyestewa family is connected to both and they are the ones you are trying to help.”
“Yes, and I think the next step is to talk to them again, if I can,” Lin spoke with assurance. “ I’m off tomorrow—all day—so I think I’ll go back to the reservation.”
“Wish I could go with you but I have my career as an art collector to consider!” Sue grinned as she spoke, “and I’d best be going to do my homework before my meeting tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait to see what you learn—especially if it might relate to these cases.” Lin rose and grabbed the check that had been placed on the table, “and this one is on me—you have been so helpful.”
The two friends agreed to stay in touch and try to get together on Sunday afternoon, when they both had some time off, to share what they might learn.
As Lin drove back to Wupatki she thought about how she should approach Michael Honeyestewa’s family. She knew that they must be devastated by his arrest—what else could happen to this family! She decided that her only reasonable approach to them was to offer comfort and support, which she sincerely wanted to do. She would simply tell them that she had learned about what had happened and ask them if there was anything she could do to help. She would try to let them take the lead. She wanted to find answers but she didn’t want to exceed appropriate boundaries. Above all, she wanted this family to know that she was a friend who would respect their wishes and one who wanted to help, if she could.
***
The next morning Lin was up early and left for the reservation before others were stirring about the visitor center. She was glad to avoid any curious questions about her plans for the day.
The drive north was a pleasant one—the air was crisp and cool and the day promised to be sunny yet mild. The scenery never ceased to fascinate Lin. How could broad open areas dotted only with juniper and pinion be so beautiful? The area seemed to glow in the morning sunlight.
As the drier areas of the reservation became apparent, Lin noticed that the same morning sun brought out the rich shades of red-orange, yellow, and even pink. She was coming to appreciate the unique beauty of this part of northern Arizona more with each trip she made across the often barren landscape.
Arriving in Tuba City, Lin realized tha
t it was probably too early still to go calling on the family. Seeking something more than a fast food breakfast, she passed up McDonalds and chose the small restaurant attached to the local Quality Inn. It proved a wise choice. Soon she was facing a generous serving of Huevos Rancheros along with a steaming cup of savory coffee. The meal proved a bit too generous as she found herself feeling quite full after downing only half of what was on her plate. She did accept a second cup of the excellent coffee though, and sat back to enjoy it.
Lin thought about her upcoming visit and about the way things were developing in her search for more information about the death of Cullen Honeyestewa. She decided it was time to organize what she knew and what questions remained to be answered. She extracted a small spiral bound notepad and a ballpoint pen from her purse and began her list.
Known Facts
All 3 dead men were Native Americans dressed in typical western wear—jeans/boots/shirts/hats
All died near Lomaki ruin in Wupatki National Monument—Although a year separated the two events
The first death was ruled an accident. Supposedly the victim fell, hitting his head on a rock
At least one of the last two victims had been shot (Lin did not recall seeing evidence of how the other man died
A unique eagle-head belt buckle belonging to Cullen Honeyestewa (the first to die) was found at both scenes
Cullen’s pick up truck had been on the road at the second scene
One of the most recent victims was a Hopi who, like Cullen, had been allowed to search for eaglets and eagle feathers for ceremonies near the scene
The other recent victim was a Navajo who had been overheard talking about looking for pottery in the area (albeit he was drunk at the time!). He had walked to the scene if his death as his truck was found on a nearby road
Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery Page 20
