Chapter 11
“You don’t understand,” Marla Dawkins seemed close to tears. “This entire thing has been so stressful. Chris was afraid of being charged with a crime he didn’t commit, just on circumstantial evidence. I was beside myself with fear for him. Now things are moving toward resolution. Chris is no longer under suspicion, his work is winding down here; he can get back to Flagstaff and his work at the university. I don’t want any part of this whole messy scene. I’m ready to get away from Tucson and, frankly, right now I don’t care if we never return.”
Chris seemed thoughtful. Earlier he’d echoed this same sentiment, one that both Lin and Neal could certainly understand, but now he was quiet and seemed thoughtful. He reached out his hand to calm Marla. The four of them had enjoyed a great dinner at Firebirds, a bit of a drive from where they were staying, but well worth it. The steaks they’d ordered were just perfect, and now they were enjoying after dinner coffee while they continued their discussion.
“What you are asking is just that I talk to Rich Lafferty and ask to review the evidence file that David Cameron left with him? Is that all?” Chris asked. “I’m not sure what help that would be.”
Neal replied, reaching for Lin’s hand under the table as a signal to let him do the talking, “That’s right, just talk to him and review those files. You don’t need to have any further contact with the sheriff’s department or anyone else. I think you can see that there are some serious questions about these cases that have yet to be answered. One of those is exactly what evidence was Deputy Ramirez sharing with your attorney. Perhaps there was information about the murder weapon, prints identified, who knows? It may also tell us how deeply the investigation was being pursued. Maybe it won’t help anyone at all but knowing more about the investigation can’t hurt and it might help Susan Davison. You are the only person Lafferty can share this with.” Neal let that thought have time to sink in.
Marla Dawkins had turned her head away from the table. It seemed to Lin that she was simply too overwrought to talk about this any further. It was almost as if she had something else on her mind; maybe she’d just reached her limit. Chris reached out to her taking her hand in his. “OK. I’ll call Lafferty tomorrow and set up an appointment,” he turned to his wife, “Marla, I’ll want you to go with me. I doubt I can get copies of whatever documents there are, and if two of us are reading and listening it will be easier to remember what’s there. We can do this much to help.”
Marla looked distressed, but eventually she nodded her assent.
“Thank you both,” Lin said. “We may not learn much but any additional information would be helpful. It might indicate the extent of the investigation to that point. The rest will be up to Susan Davison. I hope she follows through on her plan to ask for an investigation of her husband’s death.”
They rose to leave. “Why don’t you two stop by our place for a nightcap,” Neal offered. “The temperature has come down some and it should be rather pleasant. I promise no more talk about crime and detective work.” He winked at Lin.
“Then I guess we’ll have to talk about archeology,” Lin replied, “we certainly don’t want to talk about the weather—too boring!” Marla rewarded her with a weak smile as they headed back to the car.
***
By ten o’clock the following morning Lin was about to go stir crazy. She moved restlessly about from room to room in the small casita having already done what meager chores seemed to be required. Neal had gone down to the museum, still finalizing the cataloging of the artifacts, and Chris and Marla were still at the attorney’s office. They’d called thinking that, as it was a Saturday, they’d have to leave a message. As luck would have it Rich Lafferty had come in to do some catch up work for a couple of hours and agreed to see them immediately since all they were asking was to review the evidence file Cameron had left with him. Marla was especially happy as she was eager to get home. Now she could leave on Sunday rather than waiting until Monday or later because of this conference. They’d promised to call Lin when they returned to share what they’d learned.
She hoped that Neal would be home soon. Pete Tedder had suggested that they could come in to work as someone would be available to let them into the lab; however, Neal had promised to only work there half days during the weekend. He and Chris also wanted to work on their field notes for the project. The goal was still to be finished with the major stuff by Monday so that Tuesday they could wrap up any loose ends. Besides, he’d indicated that they were so close to completion for this project that they might even finish up early. Lin had called Susan Davison and was pleased to learn that she’d made an appointment with Lafferty for Monday and she fully intended to press for an investigation into Doug’s death. She’d sounded quite determined and focused and Lin felt that she would follow through. Now they needed to see what else they could learn about the investigation.
Lin had just settled herself on the sofa with a new mystery she’d just started when her phone rang. When she saw the call was from Marla Dawkins she answered eagerly. Marla seemed more relaxed than she’d been the night before. “We’re done here and I think Chris wants to go by the museum and touch base with Neal before we head home. He suggested we all try to meet for lunch somewhere.”
“That’s fine,” Lin answered, “but Neal drove in this morning so I’m stuck here with no transportation. Someone will have to come pick me up.
“I’ll do that,” Marla replied, “I’ll drop Chris off at the museum to meet Neal then I’ll come out to get you. I should be there in about an hour so there’ll be plenty of time before lunch.”
“Good,” Lin answered, “We can talk and you can tell me what you learned at Lafferty’s office.” Lin wasn’t about to let that opportunity slip by.
“Sure,” Marla responded, “but it will more likely be what we didn’t learn… see you shortly.” She hung up before Lin could question her more closely.
Feeling a bit dusty and drab from doing housework most of the morning, Lin hopped in the shower for a quick refresher and dressed in a loose fitting blue tunic top and the white capris she’d worn the evening before. Donning some colorful beaded jewelry and a pair of sandals she felt well dressed for the hot weather. She was eager to hear what Marla and Chris had learned—or not learned as the case might be. She realized how hard all of this had been on Marla and she appreciated the fact that she’d gone along with Chris to see what the early stages of the investigation into these deaths had revealed.
Marla arrived with plenty of time to spare. “We’re meeting the guys at Tohono Chul about 12:30. Chris said it was only about 15 minutes from here so there’s no rush.
“He’s right. The café there is lovely and we might be able to eat on the patio. The temperature seems a bit more moderate for a change so we can likely enjoy that. There’s a lot of shade there. Lin was restless, wanting to bring up the subject of the conference with Lafferty but also thinking perhaps that should wait for lunch. Good grief, she thought, why am I reluctant to bring this up, Chris will probably tell Neal everything before they ever arrive at Tohono Chul.
“While we wait, why don’t you update me on your conference with Rich Lafferty, I’m sure Chris will be talking to Neal. Then we can focus on more pleasant topics over lunch. If you’re going home tomorrow, I’m going to miss having someone to pal around with when the guys are busy,” Lin was sincere about that. She really enjoyed Marla’s company.
“Well, I suppose the most striking thing is how little there is to talk about,” Marla said. “That evidence file was pretty thin. Of course, that was early on in the investigation—before the focus turned to Doug Davison. There were notes on some early interviews with a couple of the workers at the site—that’s where the blue truck was mentioned. Davison had been interviewed and released at that point. Chris’s interviews were there, of course. None of these contained any surprises or any information we didn’t already know. There were ballistic reports and those were the most interesting. It seems
that Mark Garcia and Dave Jennings were killed by the same weapon and that was a firearm belonging to Jennings himself—it was found with his truck but there were no usable fingerprints on it. It had evidently been wiped clean—just like the outside of Jennings truck. No usable prints. Those on the inside belonged to Chris, Doug Davison, some of the workers…others unidentified. Just like you’d expect in a work truck. I think it seemed pretty clear that whoever pushed that truck into the wash wore gloves and wiped the gate and the outside down before they pushed it in.”
Confirmation that both men had been killed with Jennings gun wasn’t a surprise, but it did set Lin to thinking about a variety of possible scenarios for the killings. She’d have to think about that some more. Had Dave Jennings been aware that his firearm was missing at the time Garcia was killed?
“I guess Chris was released because there was really no concrete evidence against him—just the circumstances of his fingerprints in the truck which would’ve been normal anyway, plus the location where the truck was dumped. The same would’ve applied to Doug Davison but he was involved in leading the protests and seemed pretty angry. I guess more evidence against him must’ve been uncovered later,” Lin said.
“That what I think,” Marla responded. “Of course, we wouldn’t have access to those files…”
“ That’s right; however, if Susan Davison succeeds in having a new investigation into Doug’s death opened, she could certainly ask that all such evidence be examined as part of the process, I’d venture to say,” Lin made a mental note to mention this to Susan so that she could raise this issue when she talked to Rich Lafferty. She should be able to have all evidence of Doug’s involvement with the cases and with the authorities examined fully.
“I really appreciate your talking to Lafferty this morning,” Lin said, “I know you wanted to go back to Flagstaff today and I certainly understand fully how you want to get all this behind you. What you and Chris did today will be of much help to Susan Davison and may well lead to justice being done here,” Lin’s appreciation was sincere. She realized that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Doug Davison’s death might well be the key to this entire mess.
It was almost lunchtime so Lin and Marla headed out to Tohono Chul. Chris had indeed talked with Neal about their findings so their lunch conversation focused on the remaining tasks for their archeological work and plans for Neal and Lin’s upcoming wedding.
“We’re both excited about this wedding,” Chris was expansive. “We’ve already booked our flight and a hotel room near the lake. It’s going to be fun to celebrate you two. What are your honeymoon plans?”
Lin started to say something but Neal quickly intervened. “I’ve learned that tradition gives the groom the edge in planning for the honeymoon but…I’ve also learned that it’s not a good idea not to discuss plans with my bride in advance,” he grinned mischievously. “Therefore, I intend to discuss certain parameters with her within the next few days. Then, pending her approval, I’ll finalize some plans I’ve already made. I’m still hoping for some element of surprise though.”
Lin smiled at his intent to include her while still surprising her, but she really didn’t mind being surprised on a trip of this nature. She felt certain that whatever Neal proposed would be fun and interesting. “Since the wedding is less than a month from now, I’d suggest we have our discussion right away. I’d hate to miss a great trip just because we waited too late to finalize plans.”
“Don’t worry,” Neal said, “That won’t happen. In fact we may be able to discuss some of the plans this weekend and I can finalize things before we even get back to NC.”
“Speaking of plans,” Lin added, “I need to call Lucy this weekend and see how she’s managing with the planning for the wedding events. The last time we spoke almost all the details were pinned down but still…time’s getting close.”
Neal grasped her hand under the table and gave it a gentle squeeze, “I’m sure that daughter of yours is doing just fine. Besides, we already had most of the plans lined up. She just helping with the final details…”
“And the devil is in those details,” Marla chimed in, “Don’t underestimate what Lucy is doing Neal. Those last minute things can be very time consuming.”
“All the more reason for us to get back there and tend to business,” Neal replied. “Wednesday can’t get here fast enough in my book.”
Lin spoke up, “There are a few things I want to do before Wednesday, however. I’d like to go back out to the reservation, maybe talk to John Manuel again. He knows so much about what’s going on there. Even better would be a chance to consult with that Sergeant Montoya, the tribal police officer who talked with David Cameron. Even though the murders took place here in Tucson, both Mark Garcia and Doug Davison were residents on the reservation with ties to the community and Mark was, of course, a tribal member and employee.
Neal joined in, “I’d think that talking to the sergeant would be helpful in uncovering any background information that might shed light on these people and their connections. I don’t think that Deputy Ramirez has talked with anyone from the tribal police.”
“That’s what I was thinking also,” Lin was just a bit surprised by Neal’s support for these plans. Perhaps he realized that while the crime wasn’t likely to be completely solved while they were still in town, they could help to open up some avenues for further investigation that could produce eventual results.
The sun was rising higher in the sky and, while the temperatures had abated from the highs of the past few days, it was growing warmer on the patio so they decided to return to the casitas and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Lin was eager to get back into the case, but she realized that she couldn’t do much over the weekend. It would be Monday before she could get back out to the reservation to talk to anyone; meanwhile she was confined to working over the phone.
As they left the restaurant and headed toward the cars, Lin observed that a line of clouds was building toward the southwest. “It looks like our monsoon rains may be returning,” she observed. “If not this afternoon, perhaps tomorrow. That may help to cool us down a bit.”
“ But the humidity will go back up,” Neal reminded her, “and that makes you feel even hotter. It’s almost a no win situation in the desert in summer. It’s a question of hot or hotter.”
“ But I read that the Sonoran Desert is the wettest desert on the planet,” Lin remarked, “that’s why the plant life is so abundant and the giant Saguaros can grow on the mountain slopes. I find the desert fascinating and beautiful. When I was a child my image of deserts was miles of dry sand, maybe a few scrubby plants along with the occasional oasis. That may be true some places but not here. This is a beautiful place—even if it is way too hot in the summer.”
Neal and Chris laughed at her characterization of the desert environment. Marla rolled her eyes. As a native of Flagstaff she was less appreciative of southern Arizona and longed for her cool mountain nights and pine trees. In contrast to the desert, that part of northern Arizona never saw triple digit temperatures and hardly anyone had AC in their homes.
They discussed plans for the rest of the day. Everyone was tired so they agreed the four of them should get together for one last dinner before Marla town and just spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at home. As they arrived at their casita, Lin realized that she was truly tired. Perhaps the emotional roller coaster she’d been on concerning her relationship with Neal was part of the problem. She really felt she’d been stressed over that—perhaps far more than she should’ve been.
“I think I’ll go to the pool and try to swim some laps before any storms can roll in later on, care to join me?” she asked Neal. He had already headed toward the computer they’d set up on the dining table.
“I think I’ll pass,” He smiled. “You go ahead though. I need to try to finish assembling the notes for our final report. I’m so close to being done that I’d really like to finish up before dinner. I think I
can knock this out in a couple of hours. Be careful down there and pay attention to the weather. If you hear any thunder or see any lightning come straight back, please. Tucson is famous for its lightning storms and you don’t want to be caught in one of those.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Lin smiled, “At the first sign of bad weather I’ll come back.” She headed for the bedroom to change while Neal got down to work on his report.
The swim proved to be just what Lin needed. Just as swimming had helped to relieve the tension between her and Neal a couple of days ago, now the water flowing over her body as she swam laps helped to work the kinks out of her shoulders, arms, and legs. She was alone in the pool and simply let herself go, enjoying the solitude and the exercise.
After swimming for about a half-hour, Lin got out of the pool and stretched out on one of the chaise lounges, taking care to choose one in a shaded area to avoid sunburn. Before she could count to ten she was sound asleep.
A bright burst of lightning followed by a loud boom of thunder woke her suddenly. The sky above was dark and threatening, apparently the storm had crept near while she was napping. Lin grabbed her towel and began walking quickly back to the casita. She was within half a block of the front door when a sudden downpour began, drenching her suit and the towel she’d wrapped around herself. Oh great, she thought. I was already dry and now look. It really didn’t matter, as she would have to shower before dinner anyway, but she hated feeling like a drowned rat as she reached the front door.
Neal answered her knock with a large, dry bath sheet in hand. “I was just about to get in the car and come get you. I thought you were going to come back at the first sign of bad weather.”
“I was, but after I swam I laid down and went to sleep. The lightning and thunder woke me up, but I didn’t quite make it back before the downpour began. My suit was dry but now it’s drenched again.” She looked out the window beside the door and observed that the street had become a flowing river. “The washes will be running this evening, that’s for sure,” she said.
Sonoran Sun Page 15
