by Jerold Last
“I’m sure Ingrid is The Bear, and did the killings by herself. I’m also pretty sure she was the one with the dart rifle shooting the Roberts and you. I’d guess Cathy’s only role in the murders was hiding the air rifle here at the Lodge where Ingrid could get access when The Bear needed it. I’ll bet the detailed analysis of Ingrid’s finances will show she had the connections to sell the illegally mined gold and was getting the money from selling it. She was probably keeping most of the money, even after paying off the others to do all the hard labor of mining it and taking all of the risks.
“I noticed she didn’t have any trouble coming up with a detailed journal implicating the other rangers, Farrell and Fleming, when she threw them both under the bus in her statement to the FBI. I believe she was the one with the brains behind the whole illegal mining conspiracy. For some reason her paranoia caught up with her and something the Roberts said or did set her off. We may never know what it was, but maybe it wasn’t anything and they were just in the clearing at the wrong time.”
Suzanne sipped some water before replying. “I don’t know about the best way to manipulate Cathy into talking, but it won’t be easy. It would be consistent with her personality type to protect Ingrid, even if Cathy had to go to prison to do so.
“One last thing I looked for in the files was a connection to someone, family or friend, who could be selling the illegal gold for them. After all, how would you get rid of large quantities of gold ore in Anchorage or Denali without attracting attention? I struck out on finding anything along those lines.”
The waiter came over with two small bowls of cherry or raspberry Jello for our dessert. The dark red Jello just sat there quivering, unadorned by any additive. It was far from the perfect end to my imperfect meal. “Well, the ball’s in Ingrid’s court now. If she has as much homicidal rage in her as you suggest, she’s likely to take a try at us tonight as revenge for Cathy’s arrest or out of fear that we’re stalking her next. If I were guessing the odds, any attempt at killing both of us would most probably be in our sleep. We have to assume she has access to weapons and keys to our cabin. Maybe we need to plan a surprise party for the wee small hours of the night.”
“Could she actually drive from the FBI headquarters to here fast enough to be a threat to us tonight, Roger?”
“Jason Culpepper told me he’d driven from Anchorage to Denali fairly often. He said it took about 4 or 4.5 hours to the Park entrance from the FBI offices. He’s never driven from the Park entrance to the Lodge. Only the Park Rangers are allowed to drive cars all the way to the lodge, and there’s no place for anyone else to park a car legally once you get there. I looked up the direct bus from the Lodge to the train station in Denali. It takes about 5 hours for the trip. A car could go faster on that dirt road with all the curves, so say another 4-4.5 hours of tough driving on that 93-mile long dirt and gravel road. In round numbers, it should take 8-9 hours, even with a couple of stops for bathroom breaks and food, even less time if you did a little polite speeding and skipped the meals or ate them in the car.”
Suzanne thought about the timing. “So, if Ingrid finished her deposition at 10:30 and headed directly back to the Park, she could have been at the entrance by about 2:30 or 3 that afternoon. If she kept on driving, which she could do legally as a Park Ranger in uniform, she’d have been out at the Lodge some time around 7 PM plus or minus half an hour. That would give her plenty of time to do whatever she wants to out here and still be ready to pay us a late night visit at our cabin.”
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It was 2:30 AM. I was sitting in a chair we’d placed in a corner where it would be hidden behind the door when anybody first entered the cabin. The 9mm Glock, loosely held in my right hand, sat in my lap keeping me company. The only occupants of the bed were pillows and extra blankets strategically lumped under the standard issue bedding. Several folded towels suggesting heads, shrouded by the sheet, completed the crude stage setting. Suzanne was safely tucked away in the closed closet, which was large enough to allow a chair and a pillow for some comfort.
The sound of the key in the lock seemed very loud in the late-night stillness of the Lodge. The door opened ever so slowly. There was a full moon that night, so plenty of light streamed into the room through the windows with their curtains parted. Our uninvited guest would see the outlines of two more potential victims scrunched under the blankets on the bed. The intruder crept slowly and quietly into the room, carefully closed the door, and started to tiptoe toward the bed. My eyes were well adapted to the dark so I could see the two clubs with huge bear claws carried by her side.
I’d spent the last hour debating with myself exactly what I’d do if we got into this situation. If Cathy decided to testify against Ingrid, with a fair to middling or better lawyer, “The Bear” would be able to plead insanity, spend some time in a psychiatric facility, and perhaps be released after a year or two of medication and therapy. If Cathy remained silent, and that was her more likely choice, there was little to no likelihood of Ingrid ever being brought to justice for the murders of Roberta and Francis Roberts. My loyalty to Vincent and the Roberts won out. Softly I whispered, “Ingrid”.
She turned to locate the source of the voice.
I shot her twice, once between the eyes and once in the heart.
When the echoes of the gunshots had faded away I got up and walked over to the wall switch to turn on the lights. Suzanne emerged from the closet. The two of us stared silently for a moment or two at Ingrid’s body, still wearing her Park Ranger uniform, the two bear claw clubs under her body where she’d fallen on them. Then I called Gretchen to report the shooting and request that she and an FBI crime scene team come out here as soon as possible.
Suzanne walked slowly across the room to stand directly over the body lying on the floor. She looked at what was left of Ingrid Ravenswood silently for what seemed to be a long time before looking up at me. “It’s strange, Roger, but I don’t feel angry at her anymore. Mostly, I don’t really feel anything. What a waste of human life this whole case has been!”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around her in a gentle hug. There didn’t seem to be much to say to that.
With a thoughtful expression and a tentative note in her voice Suzanne looked up at me, returned my hug, and started to speak again. “You’ve told me a lot of times the reason you quit your previous job as a detective on the Los Angeles police force to become a private detective was because of all the red tape and procedural constraints, Roger. Is this case an example of what you were talking about?”
I murmured the most honest answer I could into her ear, a few inches from me. “To a certain extent yes, Suzanne. I told you I had the highest case clearance rate in the police department, which was true. I learned that finding the criminal doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with punishment for the crime. After I solved a case the paperwork went over to a young, inexperienced Assistant District Attorney, who almost always tried to negotiate a plea bargain with the defense lawyer, often a young, inexperienced Public Defender, to bring the case to an end as quickly as possible.
“The Assistant D.A. got a win on their record when the perpetrator pleaded guilty and the Public Defender got points for getting a lesser sentence for their client as a result of the plea bargain and one less case file in his endless pile of defendants. Nobody worried about the rights of the victim or the victim’s family. It was all about the legal process, not about justice.”
I hugged Suzanne even more tightly. She returned the hug as I continued. “In this case there were two dead former CIA agents nobody here in Alaska cared about, and a killer with a high likelihood of going entirely free or else negotiating a deal to spend a year or two in prison or a mental hospital as the punishment for premeditated murder. Ingrid was a cold-blooded killer who already took a shot at you this afternoon and tried again to kill you tonight. Letting her get away with killing the Roberts and trying to murder you d
idn’t feel like justice to me.”
Suzanne looked very thoughtful for a moment. “This isn’t the first time I’ve been with you when you took justice into your own hands as a vigilante, but this is probably the most premeditated example on your part I’ve seen. I should be upset, but like I said before, I don’t feel anything. I love you, Roger. Maybe I’m beginning to understand you a little bit more, and I trust your judgment.”
The three of us made a tableau while we waited for the FBI to arrive. Ingrid lay dead on the floor. Suzanne and I kissed each other deeply and silently. Then we walked outside to wait for the Kaufman sisters and begin the cleansing process that would allow us to return to our normal lives.
Epilogue
We stayed in Anchorage a few more days until the legal system decided I had shot Ingrid Ravenswood in self-defense and we were free to go home. Gretchen had retrieved the FBI’s Glock as evidence at the crime scene. Her only comment as she looked at the body and reconstructed the sequence of events was, “You really are as good a shot with a handgun as you said you were, Roger. This is very impressive marksmanship with a pistol you never had a chance to practice with.”
We saw Gretchen, Barbara, and Jason several times in the next few days. I think they all approved of the outcome, but we never actually discussed my choice of lethal force to conclude our search for “The Bear”. For the purpose of our formal statements I indicated being in fear of our lives when an armed killer had crept into our locked cabin in the middle of the night. The three FBI agents were too busy to spend any time with us socially as they pulled together evidence and discussed preliminary plea bargains for all of the suspects who’d been arrested in this case thus far.
Preliminary analysis of financial records for all of the suspects implicated the final Park Ranger, Ed Farrell, in one or the other of the ongoing criminal activities at Denali National Park. His income consistently exceeded his salary as a Park Ranger and he didn’t declare any other sources of revenue on his income tax forms.
Several other possible criminals among the concession staff and owners at the National Park turned up as “Persons of Interest” as the FBI studied the details of all of the financial transactions involving the possible suspects, including our erstwhile guide Howie Cram. Only two of the National Park staff members at the Kantishna Lodge we’d met in our investigation didn’t seem to be involved in one or the other criminal conspiracy we’d unearthed. Joe Corti and Lloyd Farquahr both seemed to be innocent of any wrongdoing, at least thus far in the investigation.
Jason Culpepper offered to drive us to the airport for our flight back to California. He was silent for the first half of the ride. Then he told us, “I feel like an idiot about the whole relationship between me and Ingrid. My best guess is the FBI will ship me to some place even less desirable than Anchorage and expect me to stay there for the next 20 years or so. I’m not sure it isn’t time for me to do some looking around for a better career option.”
I looked at him for a moment. I’d anticipated this possibility and thought long and hard about my answer. “If you think you might like better weather, a much higher income, and a big city, come down to Los Angeles and take a long hard look at a job in my agency as a private detective. We do a lot of very lucrative bodyguard work, and my partner could use another good man in that area.”
I handed him my business card. “Call any time if this sounds good to you, Jason.”
He nodded his thanks.
We shook hands at the airport and said good-bye.
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Vincent hugged Suzanne and me when he met our flight at the airport to drive us home that night. I think he hugged Suzanne a little longer and a little tighter, but I would have done the same in his place so it was OK. We told him all about our “vacation” at the Denali National Park and that the Roberts murderer had been identified and received justice. We received a case of very good Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon wine as a thank you gift.
Gretchen and Barbara called one day a few weeks later to tell us they’d be in Los Angeles and asking whether we could get together downtown for dinner and an update on the case. Vincent Romero was invited to the update as well. We joined them for a pleasant evening and to get caught up on the news. A lot of people were out on very high bails pending trials scheduled for the coming winter. The analysis of cash flow from the bear poaching scandal implicated Chief Ranger Manfred Fleming and Rangers Dallas Cordell, Ed Farrell, and Oscar Franchesi, so we had a clean sweep of all of the Denali National Park Rangers. Four of the five original Park Rangers were suspended with pay pending their trials. One of the four was still in the hospital recovering and wouldn’t be walking for a long time. The fifth Park Ranger was dead. All four of the surviving Park Rangers were in various stages of plea bargain negotiations.
Special Agent Ed Barclay had resigned from the FBI, effective immediately, with forfeiture of pension and a no-contest plea to felony charges, so he’d never again get a job anywhere in law enforcement. He’d spend some time in a Federal prison, but not as long as he deserved. Plea bargaining negotiations had proceeded swiftly in that case. Forrest Bednor, the crooked ATF agent, had lawyered up and was protesting his innocence. His trial was scheduled for the winter, but I doubted it would ever happen. The ATF was working hard to cover up the malfeasance by one of its senior agents.
It wasn’t clear whether we’d have to go back to Alaska to testify in any of the anticipated trials. The only trials where we might be needed as witnesses, if they weren’t plea-bargained away, were Cathy’s and Bednor’s.
Barbara handed a copy of a press release to Suzanne saying, “This may amuse you both.”
Suzanne began reading aloud. “The National Park Service announced the successful culmination of a year-long internal investigation of alleged improprieties at Denali National Park today. Four Park Rangers have been suspended or transferred to other facilities pending the outcome of internal disciplinary proceedings. The new replacement Park Rangers started their duties today. Blah, blah, blah..............
Barbara smiled ruefully. “My best guess is the Washington D.C. spin masters will figure out how to eventually turn this episode into a bigger budget for the Park Service. Everyone here in Denali and Anchorage knows the truth, but inside the Capital Beltway the government can make the truth whatever it wants truth to be.”
We parted on friendly terms and the usual vague promises of getting together in the future.
Suzanne was looking forward to getting back to training and handling Romeo for his Junior Hunter competition at the local hunt test circuit. I was looking forward almost as much to seeing our growing puppy and his mother Juliet, who was competing for her Master Hunter title with Bruce training her, at these same hunt tests. Both of us were eagerly anticipating some normalcy in our lives for a little while, and a chance to reconnect with Robert after more than a week away from him.
From the Author
I hope you enjoyed this Roger and Suzanne mystery novel. Please consider writing a brief book review for posting on the novel’s Amazon Book Page. It will help future buyers decide if this is the right book for them. A few sentences and a star rating is enough to allow most browsers to decide if they want to read a book. Book reviews also help an author sell their books, and are appreciated. Thank you very much.
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About the series: The Roger and Suzanne mystery series currently consists of eight earlier books and the present novel, all published on Amazon KDP (all Amazon outlets worldwide, in English). All are currently available FREE if you belong to Kindle Unlimited. You can download all eight books free right now if you
are a KU member, and will have some very pleasant reading ahead for the next month or two.
I’ve tried to keep all of the book prices as low as possible for the entire series. In chronological order, they are:
1. The Ambivalent Corpse. The dismembered body of a young woman is discovered in Montevideo, Uruguay. Who did the brutal murder, and why? Meet several of the recurring characters in their first appearance in this series. $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Ambivalent-Corpse-Crime-Meant-ebook/dp/B0060ZFRQG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319989507&sr=1-1.
2. The Surreal Killer. What motivates a serial killer? The answer to this question is the "whydunit" that leads Roger Bowman and Suzanne Foster to "whodunit", the solution to a series of brutal murders in Peru, Chile, and Bolivia. This tightly written mystery story will keep you guessing all the way to the thrilling conclusion. An Indie Book of the Day Award Winning psychological thriller. $3.99. http://www.amazon.com/The-Surreal-Killer-ebook/dp/B007H21EFO/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330988453&sr=1-2.
3. The Body in the Parking Structure. A hard-boiled mystery novella featuring characters from the author's popular South American mystery novel series working on a murder case at home in Los Angeles. The clues are all there: Can you figure out whodunit before Roger does? $0.99 http://www.amazon.com/Body-Parking-Structure-ebook/dp/B008PDV9WC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343432381&sr=1-1&keywords=the+body+in+the+parking+structure
