Sonoran Sun

by Sharon Canipe

  Lin realized that there wasn’t much more they could learn at this point. Perhaps she could talk to Mrs. Davison later and learn more. She went back to the car and she and Marla left, heading back to the highway and to Tucson. When she told Marla that the truck had no plates and probably hadn’t been driven off the reservation her disappointment was evident. Marla had to agree that might be the case then she added, “ Maybe Davison drove it and then removed the plates when he got home to avoid having the truck identified. I think you need to talk to his wife, maybe even to Mark Garcia’s wife about whether or not the truck had been registered.”

  Lin hadn’t thought about that possibility. She’d have to make some calls and learn more; maybe the truck wasn’t totally a dead end after all.

  The clouds were gathering with greater intensity as they traversed the highway back to the city. By the time they reached the western outskirts of Tucson it was growing quite dark. The wind was picking up and rain showers were visible across the desert landscape.

  “I think we’re going to get hit by this stuff,” Marla said as they got to the outskirts of town. Maybe we should stop somewhere for awhile.”

  “We will, if it gets too bad,” Lin agreed, “but let’s try to get home if we can. Chris and Neal will be back soon, if they’re not there already.”

  It was growing late and the gathering clouds were growing more menacing. Lin was eager to get back to the casitas. The rain caught them just as they reached the freeway but, so far, it wasn’t too heavy and the roadway was well drained. They proceeded slowly to the north, finally reaching the exit to Ina Rd. Traffic was really backing up on the through street. It was raining harder now and water was rushing down the side of the road, obscuring much of the right hand lane. Lin drove carefully but it was impossible to go fast anyway. Finally they reached a cross street that Lin recognized as connecting to their neighborhood and she was able to turn.

  That didn’t improve their situation much though as the traffic on that road soon ground to a halt. Marla was listening to the radio, trying to get a traffic report. The rain was coming in sheets now and the road held several inches of water. Lin reached the entrance to a shopping center and decided to pull off the road. No sooner had she found a parking place that the traffic report on the radio delivered the information that Oldfather Rd., the route they had chosen, was closed due to flooding in several washes. Other similar reports followed, including a report that at least one car had been swept off the road in another neighborhood. Rescue workers had been summoned to try to free the driver from the vehicle that had floated down the wash and lodged against some boulders. Lin realized that they weren’t likely to get home any time soon, at least not by this route, and she wasn’t familiar enough with the streets of Tucson to venture out in another direction.

  Marla found cell phone signal was still good; she quickly dialed Chris’s number.

  “Where are you two?” he said as soon as they connected. “Neal and I just got home right before the storm hit and we’re worried.”

  “We’re fine,” Marla reassured him, “ but we can’t get home right now.” She told him where they were, identifying the shopping area by the sign at the entrance and explaining that their route home was closed due to flooding and they didn’t know a ready alternative.

  “Just stay put,” Chris said. “This storm is a bad one. There are even some trees and power poles down in some places, not to mention flooding along almost every wash in this part of town. It won’t last forever though. Neal and I will come out and meet you when it’s all over. You can follow us back home.”

  Lin looked around. It was raining pretty hard, but she did notice a Starbucks across the way on the other side of the shopping center. “Tell him we’ll be waiting at the Starbucks in this center. He can call us when they’re on the way,” she said. It seemed that would be a more comfortable place to wait than the car. Traffic on the road remained at a standstill, but a few more drivers had decided to come into the parking lot as they were able to get off the road. She drove their vehicle across the lot and, fortunately, was able to find a spot not too far down from the coffee shop. They made a run for it.

  By the time they reached Starbucks they were pretty wet, but happily they found that the power was still on. Evidently the worst part of the storm was elsewhere. They managed to find a seat in the corner. Marla held their table while Lin got iced coffees. They took turns going to the restroom where they used paper towels to dry themselves off a bit. Finally, they were settled down to wait out the situation. It seemed that the rain was lessening but the traffic was still backed up.

  “The roads are still probably closed around here,” Marla opined. “It can take a long time for some of these flooded washes to go down. Some will most likely not open until tomorrow maybe, but I feel sure the guys will find a way over here eventually. Meanwhile, maybe we should think about what we’ve learned today—or not learned as the case may be.”

  “Good idea,” Lin said. “If we had something to write on we could make a list of the information we have from today and from the beginning of this situation. We need a list of known facts plus another list of unanswered questions. Unfortunately, we don’t have any writing materials.”

  “You probably have a pen in your purse, I know I do,” Marla said, “There’re always paper napkins!” She went to the nearby station and came back with a handful of the brown napkins.

  “There, we’re in business,” she grinned.

  “You’re as into this mystery as I am,” Lin was grinning, “I thought I was the nosy one always getting into troublesome situations.”

  “Listen,” Marla responded, “My husband has been labeled as a suspected murderer, and I’m not sure he’s completely cleared yet in this case. I’m all in when it comes to making sure nothing more happens to him—let’s see what we know.”

  Chapter 9

  In spite of their makeshift note-taking materials, Lin and Marla soon had a fairly legible list of the facts they knew about these deaths. They still hadn’t heard from Chris and Neal so they proceeded to review their findings:

  1. Mark Garcia, the first victim, was working as tribal liaison to the archeological project. As a youth he’d been involved in drug activity on the reservation.

  2. Garcia got his life together when his young nephew was killed while serving as a “scout” for Jose Mendoza, drug kingpin in the reservation/border area. He vowed to avenge his nephew’s death.

  3. Sam Stevens threatened Dave Jennings and indicated his rival company would stop construction of the Lancer, Ltd. mall project.

  4. Stevens was arrested and charged in the murder of Mark Garcia.

  5. Dave Jennings seemed happy to accept that Stevens was the culprit in Garcia’s murder, his primary interest being getting work on the shopping center moving forward. He’d been under a lot of pressure from his bosses at Lancer, Ltd.

  6. Jennings himself became the second victim. He was found dead in his office where he’d been working during the weekend. His truck was missing.

  7. Jennings truck was found in a wash near the casita where Chris Dawkins was staying.

  8. The only fingerprints found on the truck were on the inside and passenger door. They belonged to Dawkins, Doug Davison, and other associates Jennings worked with. The sides and gate of the truck were clean.

  9. Chris Dawkins was detained overnight for questioning in the Jennings killing but wasn’t charged due to lack of concrete evidence.

  10. Doug Davison was leading a demonstration against the Lancer project on the day that Jennings was killed.

  11. Davison was arrested in the Jennings case and word was that he might also be charged with Garcia’s killing.

  12. Davison was found dead in his cell at the jail. It appeared that he’d committed suicide by hanging himself.

  13. Apparently authorities believe that Davison committed both murders. Charges against Sam Stevens will likely be dropped soon.

  14. A dark blue truck was spo
tted at the construction site on the day Jennings was killed. The truck spotted was similar in appearance to a truck belonging to Garcia. Garcia’s widow sold that truck to Davison.

  15. Doug Davison had a reputation for being involved in the drug trade on the reservation.

  16. Ben Ramirez, chief deputy investigating the case, seems to be rushing the investigation.

  Reading this list, Lin realized that they really didn’t know very much. That was what seemed somehow off. These killings almost seemed to be solved too quickly, with too many questions left unanswered. First it was Sam Stevens arrested for the murder of Mark Garcia. Then—rather quickly it seemed—Stevens was about to be released; Doug Davison, now dead himself, was now declared the guilty one. Meanwhile, Chris had endured his own period of being under suspicion.

  “I don’t get this,” Lin complained, “everything seems to be moving rapidly here, rather like a kaleidoscope with multiple facets. Nothing seems clear, nothing really seems settled, at least not to me. I can’t seem to feel satisfied that Doug Davison really did all this—at least not without seeing more evidence. It just doesn’t feel right.”

  “I see what you’re saying Lin,” Marla responded, “but evidently the authorities seem to feel that the case is solved. I’m grateful that Chris no longer seems to be a target. I’d just like to see the entire thing ended.”

  “I understand how you feel and I’m also happy that Chris is no longer in the spotlight here,” Lin continued, “I wish I could feel that the entire episode was over, that the guilty party had been discovered—but I just have an uncomfortable feeling that things aren’t right, that Ben Ramirez is jumping to a quick conclusion here. After all there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered. I’d feel better about the entire situation if the investigation continued, at least until some clear answers and motives were discovered. Then we would know what happened and why?”

  “You’re right about needing some answers,” Marla admitted. “Maybe we need a list of questions also.”

  Lin quickly picked up her pen and began scribbling on the napkins once more.

  Unanswered Questions:

  1) Was Mark Garcia trying to avenge is nephew’s death and did the drug cartel have him killed?

  2) Was the blue truck sold to Davison by Garcia’s widow the same one seen at the site the day Dave Jennings was killed?

  3) Are these deaths linked to business rivalry or to the drug trade on the reservation?

  4) What about the murder weapon?—no real information has been released thus far.

  5) If Davison did commit these crimes what was his motive?

  “I could go on with this list,” Lin said. “There are probably more questions that known facts. I simply have a feeling that no one really knows yet what’s going on here and I won’t feel satisfied that justice has been done unless some answers are made clear.” She didn’t add that she also felt that the local authorities were not likely to pursue these questions at this point, certainly not if they strongly felt that Doug Davison was guilty. Maybe they had more evidence than had been revealed thus far. Lin certainly hoped that no one was jumping to unfounded conclusions.

  Just as Lin started to return to her list of questions, her cell phone rang. It was Neal calling to let them know that he and Chris were on their way to meet them.

  “There’re still several streets blocked by rushing washes,” he commented but we finally found an open route to your location. Chris had an idea though—since the streets are still pretty difficult to navigate, why don’t we pick you up and we’ll go someplace for dinner. Later we can come back for the rental. There will probably be more open streets by that time.”

  “Sounds great, see you soon,” Lin responded. She hadn’t realized just how late it had gotten and now she actually was beginning to feel hungry.

  “That’s a good idea,” Marla smiled. “Actually, I’m starving now. That burrito seems like a long time ago.”

  “We must be on the same wave length,” Lin replied. “I could use a good meal myself. Besides, I don’t think Chris and Neal will know about Doug Davison yet. We have a lot to catch them up on.”

  ***

  Later that evening, now safely ensconced in their comfortable casita and enjoying a glass of Malbec Lin found herself reflecting on the day and all that they had learned and not learned—all the doubts and questions she had when she thought about the events that had filled this first week of their stay in Arizona. She was more than a little curious about what might be behind all of this turmoil and still felt far from convinced that the cases were resolved with Doug Davison’s apparent suicide.

  “This has been some week,” she commented, leaning against Neal’s comfortable arm. “I can’t believe that it’s only been one week since we arrived. So much has happened.”

  “Indeed,” Neal replied, “and we need to make plans for our departure soon. After all, Chris and I should be able to wrap our work up by the middle of next week at the latest and we have a wedding to get back for,” he smiled at this thought.

  Lin understood how he felt. She was eager to get back home. Their wedding date was a little less than a month away, and while most plans were in place, there would no doubt be some last minute details to take care of. She’d noticed that Neal seemed very quiet during dinner when she and Marla had been sharing what they’d learned that day. Now seemed like a good time to address what she knew would be his concerns, as well as some of her own. She started to approach the topic but Neal beat her to it.

  “Lin, I know what you’re thinking—you aren’t convinced that Doug Davison’s death ends this story. You still have questions about the investigation and you aren’t sure that Ramirez is pushing hard enough to find answers. You made it pretty clear tonight at dinner that the real killer or killers might still be out there and that someone needs to pursue the investigation further. Sounds to me like you’re right on the edge of doing some of that yourself; in fact, it seems to me that you and Marla already started on that today. I know you, and I try to understand how it is hard for you to let things like this go when there are still uncertainties, but this time, I’m asking you to stop pursuing this, leave it up to the authorities to answer these questions. I want us to get out of here as soon as possible. In fact, I’ve already booked us a flight back to Charlotte next Wednesday—that’s five days away. Chris is certain that we can finish up at the museum by Tuesday, at the latest. We can update all our notes this weekend and be ready to start the final report on Monday. A few more hours are all it will take. Maybe you and Marla can do some shopping and enjoy some of the local attractions over the next few days—then we can all get out of here and leave this unpleasant episode behind.”

  A long silence filled the room. Lin wasn’t sure how to respond. She knew that Neal wanted her to drop this entire thing, not try to gather any more information or answer any more questions. This had been an issue in their relationship before. Neal freely admitted that he tended to be overprotective and Lin knew that her own curiosity and concern in these situations caused him stress, but she also knew that she wasn’t going to quit being who she was just because she was marrying this wonderful guy whom she loved so much. There had to be a middle ground that balanced Neal’s concerns with her own need for independence. Earlier, he’d freely admitted that this independence was part of what he loved about her; it was simply hard for him to deal with sometimes. Now, with their wedding date set and both of them eager to start their married life together, Lin knew that finding this balance was critical. She really wasn’t sure what she wanted to say right now. She needed to think. She could see that Neal was quite sincere, but she was just a bit put off by the fact he’d gone ahead and booked travel arrangements without even telling her he was going to do so.

  Neal leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead. “Let’s go to bed, Ms. Hanna. It’s been a long day and we both could use some rest. Of course, we don’t need to go to sleep immediately…” His hand moved gently up
her thigh and gently caressed her breasts.

  “Not so fast, Dr. Smith,” Lin moved a bit away from him. “I think we have a few things to talk about here and I’m not ready to hop into the sack and ignore them. If you want to talk, I’ll pour us another glass of wine and…”

  “Not me,” he got up abruptly, “ You may not be ready for bed, but I am. I think I’ll hop in the shower first. If you change your mind you can join me, otherwise…” his voice trailed off as he headed for the bedroom.

  Lin fought back the tears that threatened her equilibrium. She knew she loved Neal. She wanted to marry him, but she felt she couldn’t ignore this. They needed to talk it through. “I guess we just had our first serious fight,” she pondered, “Well, not really a fight but perhaps it would’ve been if we’d kept going.”

  She moved over to the laptop that was set up on the dining table in the small house. Maybe she’d pursue some information via the internet. Maybe she could learn something by way of background anyway. Soon she was immersed in reading some news articles related to the rivalry between Lancer, Ltd. and Superior Group. She heard Neal turn on the shower and later turn it off. Then all was quiet back in the bedroom. She forced herself to continue reading. Finally, she concluded that there was nothing in the rivalry that seemed likely to lead to murderous behavior, at least not from these accounts. Certainly, there could be hidden agendas that she wouldn’t easily find information on, but still, it just seemed like a traditional case of two businesses that each hoped to reap the benefits of the same type of deal.

  She was a bit more successful in learning some information about Doug Davison, especially from the Tohono O’odham newspaper published on the reservation. There were numerous articles about Davison’s efforts to lead concerned citizens to challenge the building of the shopping center. There were also some letters to the editor both in support of his efforts and criticizing him as a troublemaker; some alluded to possible illegal activities he might’ve been engaged in. There was no hard news that mentioned such but it was clear that he was a controversial figure in the community.