“Mendoza?” Neal answered. “I’m not familiar with anyone by that name—none of the workmen I’ve met, nor anyone from Lancer or Superior—of course, I don’t have much contact with those not working on the excavation so….”
“I thought it could be someone from the reservation, or elsewhere in the community,” Lin commented. “Perhaps someone Mark had problems with earlier. She was very quick to mention that name. I think she had suspected this Mendoza person was the killer from the first.” Lin was quite serious. Neal could tell that this information concerned her.
“Well, I suppose that the deputies had good evidence for the arrest that they made. Perhaps they ruled out anyone else as a result,” Neal said.
“But what if they never had that information, what if they hadn’t talked to Mark’s family at all? Mrs. Garcia seemed ignorant of the investigation and she obviously hadn’t been informed of the arrest. Frankly, I don’t think that anyone had contacted her at all,” Lin asserted. “I think someone needs to share this information with the investigative team, seriously.”
“And I assume you think you should do the sharing?” Neal seemed a bit worried.
“Not necessarily,” Lin replied, perhaps a bit testily, “but then who else might know this?”
Neal sat quietly for a few moments, wheels of thought turning in his brain. Lin could tell that he was considering what she had said. Considering, and trying to cope with his own desire that she avoid any entanglements that might create safety issues for her. Since their meeting, falling in love, and subsequently becoming engaged, there had been times when both of them had faced dangerous situations and Lin had to admit that most of these had been the result of her involvement in trying to help people in situations where crimes had been committed but where the wheels of justice were moving slowly, if at all. She had to admit that her natural inclination was to try to help even when doing so posed certain risks.
Finally, Neal looked her way and smiled. “I suppose you might like to drive out to the excavation and see if there are any deputies still working. I guess it couldn’t do any harm to let someone know what Mrs. Garcia told you.”
Lin returned his smile as she got up and grabbed her towel. “It’s getting late and there may be no one there, but hey, it can’t hurt to try and just sharing information doesn’t mean we have to get further involved.” Neal nodded in agreement, but deep inside he wasn’t at all sure that this would prove to be the case.
Chapter 3
It was beastly hot by the time they approached the construction site off Twin Peaks Road. Waves of heat rose from the pavement and the light wind stirred small tornados of dust in their wake as they turned onto the dirt road leading to the excavation site. A still thin line of clouds on the horizon gave only a slight hope of relief via a shower later. In was August and mid-afternoon in the southern Arizona desert.
Lin was accustomed to the sweaty hot and humid afternoons of summer in North Carolina. Here in Arizona her skin felt dry to the touch and the heat hit her like hot air from an oven as she exited the car.
At first they saw no one, although there was a lone Pima County Sheriff’s vehicle parked in the lot nearby. Crime scene tape still adorned the excavation site. They looked around, finally spotting two deputies walking back toward the scene from the temporary construction office behind the village site.
Lin recognized one of the men as Chief Deputy Ben Ramirez who had identified himself as the lead investigator on the case yesterday. She approached him cordially. “Officer Ramirez, I’m glad you’re still here. We wanted to talk with you, if you have a moment.”
“We were just finishing up, in fact I was just updating the folks in the office. As soon as we can remove the crime scene tape, we’re out of here. You guys can start back to work here, whenever you’re ready.” This last was directed toward Neal who smiled and nodded his thanks.
Lin decided to jump right in. “We wanted to talk to you because this morning I happened to speak with the victim’s mother and she was unaware that you had made an arrest in this case. She also shared some information you might want to look into.”
Ramirez looked down, perhaps a bit embarrassed, “We’ve been so busy trying to finish up here, I was going to try to contact her when I got back to the office.”
“Then I suppose you haven’t had an opportunity to talk to her earlier?” Lin spoke evenly but with concern.
“That’s correct, it’s sometimes hard to get in touch with folks down on the reservation. Many don’t have phones, you see. We generally work through the tribal police there…they probably talked to her.”
“Perhaps,” Lin conceded, “but I take it they haven’t reported to you if they did.”
“Not as yet,” Ramirez sounded more sure of himself now, “I’m sure they would have, had they found any relevant information. We have several witnesses that have provided good information in this instance. I’m sure it’s a question of corporate competition and jealously. Our suspect is a young man—perhaps a bit hotheaded. Things probably just got out of control, but we have a good case. Now if you could share with me the information you indicated you had—I need to finish up here and get back to my office.”
Lin pressed on, “Are you familiar with anyone named Mendoza? When I told her they’d been an arrest in Mark’s murder, Mrs. Garcia immediately jumped to the conclusion that you had arrested someone named Mendoza.”
Neal was quietly observing the Chief Deputy’s demeanor and it definitely changed when Lin mentioned Mendoza’s name. The color seemed to drain from Ramirez’s face and he seemed to be stifling a sharp intake of breath. Was he shocked at the mention of this name?
Recovering his composure, Ramirez shook his head. “Mendoza is a pretty common name in these parts, so of course, I’ve encountered many people by that name. However, I can assure you the name hasn’t surfaced in our investigation here. I’d need more information regarding the person’s identify to even make an inquiry.”
“Perhaps if you could talk to Mrs. Garcia,” Lin continued, “I’m sure she could provide you with any additional information you might need. She obviously felt this person presented some sort of threat to her son.”
“Sure, I’ll check it out,” Ramirez was in full control once more, “now if you folks would just let us finish up here, we’ll be out of your hair.” He immediately moved toward the far end of the site and began gathering the tape. Lin and Neal were obviously dismissed.
Lin started to head back toward their car, but Neal touched her elbow and indicated that they should walk back toward the temporary construction office. There were a couple of vehicles parked there and Ramirez had told them he had been there earlier. When they had moved beyond earshot of the deputies Neal said, “I recognize Dave Jennings vehicle here, and the other one must belong to one of the office staff. Guess they’re catching up on some paperwork. I think we should tell Dave what you learned this morning also.”
When they entered the office a cold blast of chilled air greeted them. Jennings had the AC cranking full blast. A young woman sat at the reception desk entering some information into a computer. She looked up as they approached. “Can I help you? We’re actually closed but…oh, I recognize you,” she smiled at Neal, “You’re one of those guys from Desert Digs aren’t you.”
“Neal Smith,” he extended his hand as he identified himself. “We were here talking to Officer Ramirez and I noticed that Mr. Jennings is here. If he has a minute we’d like to talk to him.”
At that point Jennings appeared at his office door. “Hello Neal, I was just catching up with some invoices. In fact, I was about ready to leave. Got to get back to Phoenix. I have tickets for the Diamondbacks game tonight, and I don’t want to miss it. How can I help you?”
“We won’t take much time,” Neal responded. “It’s just that Lin talked to Mark Garcia’s Mom this morning when we were down at the reservation making arrangements to get back to work, and she learned something that we felt should be reported t
o the authorities. We wanted to share this with you as well.”
Jennings invited them into his office, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Mindful of Dave’s desire to get back home for the ballgame, Lin quickly told him of the circumstances that led to her conversation with Mrs. Garcia and what she had learned.
“That’s certainly interesting,” Dave said politely, “and I’m glad you reported it to the authorities, but I’m not sure it has any real bearing on this case. That Stevens guy is a real jerk, and he was definitely threatening—to all of us really. I’m pretty sure the Sheriff’s men have their guy. They are wrapping up their investigation and it looks like things are going to move forward here. That’s good news for all of us. Maybe this Mendoza fellow that Mark’s mother mentioned is someone he had trouble with earlier on the reservation. As a matter of fact, when Stevens made his threats, he alluded to Mark having been in trouble. I talked to him about that, but it was just some stuff he got into as a juvenile apparently—some minor drug stuff—misdemeanors. He told me all about it and it was all in the past—just kid stuff. He didn’t mention any particular names, but I’d imagine that might’ve been what Mrs. Garcia was thinking about. She wouldn’t have known about Stevens and his threats, I wouldn’t think. I’m sure all that was in the past and doesn’t have anything to do with our current situation. Stevens is our guy I feel sure, and I know Ben Ramirez feels the same way.”
It was clear that Jennings concern was simply to have the investigation wrapped up and the project underway once more. Neal rose to leave and Lin followed suit. “Well, Chris and I will be back here tomorrow morning to try to catch up so that the work can indeed be completed,” Neal said. “We made a special trip out to the reservation this morning, even though it was Saturday. Tomorrow being Sunday, the Director of Cultural Resources has agreed to meet us here himself to oversee what we can get done. He says he will have Mark’s replacement lined up by the first of the week.” Neal added.
Jennings appeared to realize that Neal and Chris were obviously going beyond the call of duty in working through the weekend. He seemed just slightly less arrogant in acknowledging their efforts. “I can assure you that Lancer appreciates your dedication and hard work, so do I. I know you didn’t have to work this weekend, and I will certainly make sure my bosses know how helpful Desert Digs has been.”
Jennings continued, “I expect to be back down here by the middle of this week—perhaps Wednesday.”
“By that time, if all goes well, we might have most of the artifacts and remains removed from the burial area—provided we can get enough help and get Pete Tedder back out here to OK the operation. I’ll talk to Chris tonight and he can make some calls.”
“Thanks,” Jennings extended his hand. “I’ll let my bosses know, and please have Chris call me if I’m not back here by the time you are ready to complete the repatriation.” At that point handshakes were exchanged and Neal and Lin took their leave.
When they were back in their car and heading toward home, Neal turned to speak. He hadn’t contributed to the conversation with Ramirez back at the site but he had obviously been observant. “I think you struck a chord back there with the authorities. I feel pretty sure that, name not withstanding, Officer Ramirez knew who you were talking about. Much as I might hate to admit it, I don’t think he had talked to Mrs. Garcia and I’m not sure he will now. I think you might be right to be concerned.” He reached for Lin’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
Lin felt a deep sense of satisfaction with Neal’s reaction. He was actually agreeing with her and hadn’t suggested that she not pursue this any further. She decided to take advantage of his support. “I have to agree and I think someone should talk to Mrs. Garcia—perhaps Dr. Manuel. She was at his office, perhaps she knows him well. I doubt she’d be comfortable talking more in depth with me—with anyone she didn’t know well. I also think Dave Jennings isn’t eager to have any new questions raised concerning Mark’s death. He seemed quite happy to consider the matter closed.”
“I’m afraid I have to agree,” Neal said. “All he wants is for everything to be over with so construction can begin, but John Manuel will be coming out to the site tomorrow, and if you’re coming to help you should have the opportunity to share the information you with him. If he doesn’t feel he could talk with Mrs. Garcia, perhaps he would know someone who could.”
Lin agreed that this was the best plan. She sat back and tried to relax as they approached their casita. At least they’d been able to share the information with law enforcement—whether or not they acted on it. They’d followed the proper channels.
It was growing late and the sky had taken on a strange yellow color. That thin line of clouds they had observed earlier had now grown until it covered most of the sky. Rain indeed appeared imminent. Just then there was a bright flash of lightning followed almost immediately by a serious roll of deep thunder. Just as Neal turned onto their street, heavy drops of rain began to fall, and by the time they had pulled into the covered parking at the casita, a full-fledged thunderstorm was upon them. They were only twenty feet from the front door, but the walkway wasn’t covered. By the time they were able to unlock the door and get inside they were both drenched.
“Good grief! That happened fast!” Lin exclaimed as she closed the door behind them. “I hope this stuff is over before Chris comes to pick us up for dinner, otherwise we’ll have to change our plans. I think he said this place we’re going is all outdoor seating.”
Neal stood dripping in the entryway, “It will be, don’t worry. These rains are usually swift. A true “rainy day” is rare this time of year—pretty rare anytime, actually. He shed his wet shirt and then reached for Lin’s Tee top, pulling it over her thoroughly wet head. “Might as well get undressed here—no point in dripping all the way back to the bedroom.” Before Lin could say anything he had dropped his own khaki’s and boxers in a wet heap on the floor and had turned to her remaining garments, dropping them onto the pile as well.
“I definitely need a shower,” Lin said, running her fingers through her damp matted hair.
“In due time, my dear,” Neal gently kissed the top of her wet head, “we have plenty of time.” He drew her close pressing her body into his and gently caressing her backside. Taking her by the hand, he led her toward the bedroom. The rain continued to fall gently on the roof as the thunder became increasingly distant, but Lin soon didn’t notice the storm at all.
***
By the time Chris arrived to pick them up, the storm was long past. The sky was turning darker—moving from a deep teal toward an inky blue as stars began to pop. The storm had lowered the temperature a few degrees and Lin was glad she’d decided to bring a light cotton sweater.
“You’re going to enjoy this place tonight,” Chris told them, “La Cocina is right downtown. There’s a bar, but basically all the seating is outside and the patio is really special.”
They arrived downtown and found a parking place on one of the side streets. The approach to the restaurant was deceiving. They walked along the sidewalk beside stuccoed walls until they arrived at the heavy wooden doors of the entrance. Once inside they found themselves in a beautiful large open area filled with outdoor tables and chairs nestled under large spreading trees. The lighting provided a soft atmosphere. Wait staff bustled around bringing drinks and food to a good crowd of patrons. Chris spoke to someone and put their name on a short wait list for a table.
“Can I bring something for you from the bar?” he asked. “They said it would be about ten minutes until we can get a table.”
Neal opted for a cold beer, but Lin decided she would wait to have a drink with dinner. The wait wasn’t a long one, and she enjoyed taking in the atmosphere of the place. The restaurant occupied what had evidently been an enclosed plaza surrounded by shops in the past. Chris explained that the owner had basically been buying up all the properties surrounding the open area and gradually expanding the restaurant that now included a coffee bar. “There’s a small a
rea for inside seating and the bar; essentially it’s an outdoor place, but the shade makes it pleasant, even during the day most of the time.”
Soon they were seated on the upper level of the patio. Lin was glad that they were away from the stage area where a group of local folk musicians were performing. The music was great, but she really wanted to be able to talk with Chris and bring him up to date on what had transpired that day.
They ordered a bottle of Alta Vista Malbec for the table. Lin realized that she was really quite hungry when she perused the menu. The big breakfast had vanished long ago and they’d skipped lunch. She chose a lemon caper penne with grilled chicken and roasted red peppers while Chris and Neal both settled on steak medallions with chimichurri sauce. While they sipped their drinks and waited for their meals to arrive, Lin brought Chris up to date on what she had learned from Mrs. Garcia and on the conversations she and Neal had had with Dave Jennings and Ben Ramirez. When she’d finished, Chris simply shook his head, “I’m afraid I’m getting a bad feeling about all this. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid this story isn’t over yet, although Ramirez seems to think it’s almost all wrapped up. We’d best get as much work done as we can, as quickly as we can. Hopefully, we can finish with our part and get away before circumstances lead to further delays.”
“I hope you’re wrong,” Neal said, “but I’m afraid I have the same feeling. Something seems to be not quite right here. Mark was killed yesterday, Stevens is already in jail, the cops are packing up the investigation—at least the on site part. It’s sort of like “Speedy Gonzales” has taken over. My experience with criminal investigations is that they generally move at a much slower pace.”
There was really nothing more to be said regarding that situation; besides their food had arrived and they were all more than ready to enjoy it. The rest of the evening passed in a very pleasant fashion. They enjoyed the food and more general conversation before deciding to move back to the other patio area where they finished their wine and listened to the music.
Sonoran Sun Page 5
