Sonoran Sun

by Sharon Canipe

Lin was in total agreement, “With our luck on this trip we’d have an accident and be in a big mess.” Besides, if we load up and leave now we’ll have plenty of time.

  They drove the car back to their place and loaded their luggage. Lin took a few minutes to give the place a once over, making sure it was left as it should be. On the way out of the neighborhood they stopped by the owner’s home and deposited the key in the box placed by the garage for that purpose. Then they were off to the airport to sign paperwork for the use of the car that morning.

  By the time they’d accomplished that it was almost eight o’clock, still too early to show up at the hospital. “We won’t get any food on the plane and we’ll be late arriving back east,” Neal said, “so I vote for a big breakfast—something that will stick with us for a while.”

  “I won’t argue with that,” Lin replied. “I loved the food we had last night but I’m more than ready to eat again.” Neal grinned at her response, “That’s my girl, you never lose your appetite.”

  Lin reached for Neal’s phone, her own having yet to be found or returned to her, thinking she’d search Yelp for some restaurants nearby. “I know a place we can go,” Neal said, “Pete Tedder recommended it and we can go right by it on our way north from the airport. It’s called Prep and Pastry. It’s probably about half way between here and the hospital.

  They headed out of the airport driving north back toward I-10 but instead of turning onto the highway Neal continued up Kino Parkway. Passing near the U of A campus the street became Campbell Ave. The restaurant was only a few blocks away.

  ***

  “That was wonderful,” Lin exclaimed as they left the restaurant after a delicious meal, “that French toast was to die for.”

  “The sweet potato hash was great also,” Neal added. “Pete definitely had a winner here.”

  They made their way north to the hospital hoping that Chris would be doing better this morning and would be able to talk to them. Lin was mildly apprehensive about meeting with Marla again, but she was determined to get past this. Marla’s overreaction the previous day had made her realize that taking a personal guilt trip wouldn’t solve anything here. Yes, she had pursued questions in the case, but as events were unfolding, her concerns were increasingly being revealed as justified and those who were actually to blame for all that had happened would soon be called to account, at least she hoped so, and evidence was leading in that direction.

  It being early, they had no trouble locating parking in the visitor’s lot. Lin already knew where Chris’s room was so they went directly to that floor. Taking a deep breath as they left the elevator, Lin led the way down the hall. They found a sheriff’s deputy sitting outside his door.

  Chris was awake, propped up in bed, eating his breakfast. His color had returned and he looked much improved since the day before. There was no sign of Marla.

  “Good to see you looking awake and alert,” Neal greeted his friend. “We were eager to see you before we leave this afternoon.” Neal went on to explain what they’d done about the car. “Hope that’s OK with you,” he added.

  “That’s fine. I expect to be discharged today and Marla will be driving us back to Flagstaff, maybe this afternoon if I leave here in time, certainly no later than tomorrow. She’s downstairs having breakfast and doing some thinking…” Chris looked serious and seemed not to know what to say next.

  “Er…” he turned to Lin, “ she told me what she said to you yesterday and I’m so sorry…I don’t share those feelings, not at all…”

  “Don’t be concerned, Chris,” Lin spoke up promptly. “I understand how she feels. This was a terrible thing to have happen and I certainly questioned my own actions during this whole ordeal—you can be sure of that. She’s been through a lot…”

  Chris took a deep breath, “I might as well add that her reaction is not entirely the result of what’s happened here. I’m afraid we’re having some problems of our own and we have been for some months now. I might as well tell you both—Neal you’re one of my closest friends and Lin has become a good friend as well. When Marla was here earlier she told me that for the past year or so, she’s been involved with someone else. I’ve been gone a lot working, and my mind has certainly been more focused on my work than on our relationship. She’s felt left out of my life, I think. She’s broken off the affair, but we have a lot of work to do together.” Chris seemed somber but determined. “We’ve agreed to begin some joint counseling when we return to Flag. I’m optimistic that we can resolve our issues. I just wanted Lin to know that Marla’s outburst wasn’t just because of what happened here. I think she felt guilty herself…”

  “Please, you don’t need to say anything more, I understand and I hope everything works out for you two. We hope to see both of you at the wedding next month,” Lin felt relieved although she was sorry to learn of their problems.

  “If I have my say, we’ll both be there,” Chris smiled, “but I’ll be there whatever happens.” He grinned at Neal, “Besides, I wouldn’t miss Neal giving up his single status for anything.”

  Lin felt Neal squeeze her hand and realized he was letting her know that he’d somehow known that Marla’s reaction the previous day couldn’t have stemmed only from Lin’s stance regarding the murder cases.

  Chris looked up as the doctor entered the room. “You seem like a new man this morning,” he commented. “Quite an improvement since yesterday, I’m happy to say.” Lin and Neal excused themselves while the doctor conducted a brief examination. When they reentered the room they found Chris sitting up on the edge of the bed. “It seems I’m out of here as soon as Marla gets back from breakfast. The doc agreed that I could see my personal physician in Flagstaff for a follow-up check next week, but he reassured me that I should experience no further issues from all this.” Chris extended his hand to Neal, “I hope you have a safe journey back home and I promise I’ll stay in touch.”

  “What about that guard outside your door?” Lin had to ask.

  “I think the sheriff wanted to make sure that I wasn’t still a target for any of the drug operatives. I think they’ll keep an eye on me until we leave town.”

  Lin decided that they should leave before Marla returned. She didn’t want to put her on the spot, realizing she might know that Chris had mentioned their problems since he and Neal were so close. They said their goodbyes and headed back to the parking lot.

  As they reached the car, Neal’s cell rang. It was the rental company calling about their original car, the one that had been damaged in the monsoon flood when Lin had been forced off the road. They’d found her phone, although it no longer worked. Neal thanked them for calling but declined their offer to return the instrument. “We’ll get you a new one as soon as we get to North Carolina,” he told Lin. “We still have a few hours before we need to head back to the airport, what do you want to do?”

  Lin didn’t hesitate, she’d hoped they’d have extra time, “I want to talk to Sgt. Montoya’s cousin DJ again, if he has time to see us. I don’t want to leave town without an update on these cases. I’m dying to know what progress, if any, has been made. I know we just talked to him last night but things can move fast in situations like this.”

  Neal smiled at her honesty and handed her his cell so that she could call the young deputy. He was tied up right at that moment but agreed to see them in about an hour, suggesting that they meet at the coffee shop near the center. “I’d rather talk there, things are still unfolding here and …”

  “ We understand,” Lin interrupted, “It’s probably best if we’re not seen at the office anyway.”

  ***

  “So, I guess you two are saying goodbye to the desert heat and heading back east,” the young deputy greeted them with a smile as he joined them in a quiet corner at Starbucks.

  “We fly out this afternoon,” Neal said, “and we really appreciate your meeting us like this.”

  “We hope things are moving forward and these cases will be clarified soon,” Li
n added.

  “Oh, things are coming together rapidly,” DJ smiled. “Once we had the full attention of the Sheriff, folks within the department began coming forward with information. Everything is on the table now. Doug Davison is no longer being blamed with these murders, in fact his death is the third murder in question right now.”

  “He was murdered?” Lin had felt that all along but didn’t see how it could be proved.

  “Indeed, he was,” DJ continued, “it seems that the Mendoza cartel paid someone inside the jail to make sure he was killed and that it was made to look like a suicide.”

  “How was that possible? Wasn’t he in a locked cell at the time?” Lin was puzzled.

  “Well, actually, his cell was locked originally and when his body was found, but someone unlocked it in between those times and a Mendoza operative who was there got in and staged the hanging. He was a “trusty” prisoner who was allowed to come and go to his work in the kitchen during the early morning hours. Another prisoner ratted him out. Unfortunately, it seems that the Mendoza network has communications everywhere. This man was due to be released soon, but now he’s charged with the hit.”

  “But he wouldn’t have had keys to the cells would he?” Lin knew the answer but had to ask.

  “No, of course not, but that’s where our internal investigation comes into play. Someone on our staff had to have unlocked the door. We think we can unravel this entire thing with the help of this prisoner. In fact, he confessed to the killing but hasn’t identified where he got the help as yet. I think he’s waiting to see if the DA will cut him a deal in exchange for his information.” DJ seemed satisfied that this would happen eventually.

  “I have another question that I hope you can answer,” Neal queried. “What about Deputy Ramirez? We know he was at the camp somewhere, Lin and your cousin followed him, but no one saw where he went or what he was doing there.”

  “I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to Ramirez. He lawyered up right away and, because of his rank as chief deputy, the Sheriff is handling that part of the investigation himself. He’s not said anything yet by way of explaining his behavior—at least not that I’ve heard about. I know he’s been suspended and I strongly suspect he’s going to face charges. I’m sure all of this will become much clearer in future days.”

  “What about the first murders?” Lin asked, “Has anyone been charged with killing Mark Garcia and Dave Jennings?”

  “Actually, we’ve gotten more detailed forensic reports recently and the two men who were wounded yesterday are now awake and have been interviewed. They want a deal, of course, and are talking freely about who and what they know in exchange for our protection. From what they’ve said it now appears that Dave Jennings may have killed Mark Garcia himself. Apparently Jennings had been providing cover for drug shipments to come in with some of the construction materials. He may have been using drug money to cover up some of the project’s cost overruns. We know he was under a lot of pressure. The men who’re talking to us think that Mark Garcia had learned about this and was threatening to reveal Jennings’s activities. ”

  “You’ll remember that Jennings gun was the weapon in both cases. It appears that Jennings may have killed Garcia and then later, someone killed him with his own gun. All the blood found at the scene of Jennings’s murder tested out as his; however, there was other DNA present in the offices—a lot of it. That’s a problem because so many people had access to that place. It’s going to be hard to identify who killed Jennings and disposed of his truck unless our informants continue to provide information. It’s complicated but I think all this is definitely related to the work of the Mendoza drug gang. We’re interviewing everyone connected to the construction projects, including Sam Stevens. I personally think he’ll be able to help us also, at some point anyway. Right now his lawyer is negotiating his kidnapping charges in your hostage case related to information he may have about the larger picture here. Stevens has also implied that Jennings was involved from the beginning.”

  DJ looked at his watch, “I’d like to stay but I really must get back to work. Nothing is totally clear as yet, and I’ve shared all that I really can about what is known to this point. I can assure you that the investigation will eventually clear all of these cases.” I wanted to thank both of you for hanging in there and sharing what you knew. Getting my cousin involved on the reservation was really key to unlocking what was really happening here.” He rose to leave.

  “We have to be going ourselves,” Neal offered his hand to the young deputy, “We thank you for helping us and for sharing information with us. We’ll certainly treat this confidentially pending the outcome of your ongoing investigation and we wish you well.”

  “Same to you,” DJ smiled, “Good luck with the wedding.” With that he was gone.

  “We’d better get going ourselves,” Neal said. “We’ve got this car to return before we check in for our flight. Thanks to DJ, I think the cases are well on the way to being solved. I’m shocked about Dave Jennings though. Hard to believe he was mixed up in all of this and then became a victim himself.”

  “I agree,” Lin said, “but he did seem awfully eager to move on when Mark was killed. Hopefully, we’ll learn more of the full story later. I plan to stay in touch with both Sgt. Montoya and DJ.” She turned to Neal with a smile, “Now let’s go home and get married.”

  Epilogue

  Lin watched the sun set over the shimmering lake waters as she sat alone on the deck sipping a glass of wine. It was hard to believe that her wedding day was only two days away. Her daughter Lucy had been with her for most of the week, helping her with all the final arrangements. Her husband Brian and their son Sam would arrive tomorrow along with Lin’s son Ben and his family. They’d made arrangements to stay at a nearby Residence Inn where they’d have plenty of room to relax. All of the out of town guests had made similar plans. Lin was grateful that she and Neal had at least a bit of privacy in the condo. She enjoyed having everyone in town for the festivities but welcomed the opportunity to have some time for quiet relaxation.

  Neal had gone to the airport alone to meet Chris and Marla Dawkins. He’d drop them off at the inn before coming home. Lin was pleased that Marla had decided finally to accompany Chris and attend the wedding. She hoped that meant she’d resolved some of her feelings of anger toward Lin for the ordeal Chris and Neal had endured at the hands of Sam Stevens and the Mendoza henchmen. She also hoped that Marla’s coming meant that she and Chris were on the way to solving their own relationship issues. Lin genuinely liked them both and she knew that Neal considered them among his very best friends.

  She sweetened her glass a bit as she lay back on the lounge and thought about all that had happened while they were in Tucson. It was hard to believe that was just a few short weeks ago. Everything seemed distant and fuzzy at this point. She had to admit that she still had questions that needed answers and she sincerely hoped that Chris Dawkins might have heard something that he could share with them. It seemed clear to all involved that the entire situation revolved around the drug cartel headed by Jose Mendoza. What was uncertain was how widespread the network of involvement was and just who was responsible for what parts of the criminal activity that had occurred. Lin felt herself growing a sleepy as she relaxed and sipped her drink. The sun had slipped beneath the water now and the sky was morphing from a light turquoise toward a deep navy blue. In spite of the humidity and the clouds that lingered from late afternoon showers, Lin could see several bright stars popping out against the deep blue background. Such a clear night was actually a bit unusual for these humid summer days in North Carolina.

  I hope this clearing continues into the weekend, Lin thought. The wedding festivities were planned for outdoors, although the better part of wisdom had dictated that they had a solid plan B in case the weather disappointed them. Either way, it promised to be a fun-filled weekend for Lin, Neal, and their guests.

  Lin had almost dozed off when she heard Neal entering t
hrough the front door.

  “Lin, you here? I’m back from the airport. Chris and Marla are settled into their place at the Residence Inn—we’re meeting them for breakfast tomorrow about seven…”

  “I’m out on the deck, grab something to drink and join me,” Lin called, “the sky is fantastic tonight—so many stars.”

  Neal grabbed a cold beer and flopped down on the cushy love seat, propping his feet on the adjacent coffee table. “Boy that feels good,” he sighed as he relaxed, “I must be getting old. All this running around is making me tired.”

  “It has been busy,” Lin agreed, “but this was your last trip to the airport I think. Everyone else is driving or, at least, they’ve made their own arrangements. Soon all of this will be over and we will be off to relax on our honeymoon…” thus far she’d not succeeded in getting Neal to tell her where they were going. The closest she’d come was having him help her select clothes as she began to pack. That told her that she could expect warm weather and mostly casual surroundings but she still didn’t know their final destination, just that it was somewhere in Europe and they’d be gone for at least three weeks—possibly a month or more. Neal was sticking to his plan not to reveal their destination until they were officially married.

  Lin caught Neal’s look and didn’t pursue the honeymoon subject. “How are Chris and Marla, I’m really glad she decided to come after all that happened.”

  “They’re fine. I think they’ve begun working with a counselor already. At least, they seem to be more relaxed with each other than they were. Marla seemed to be in a great mood.”

  “I’ll look forward to seeing them,” Lin smiled.

  “By the way,” Neal added, “Chris said that he had information about the murder case. Apparently, formal charges have been filed in several directions. He mentioned the possibility of our having to testify in at least one trial, possibly others, but fortunately they won’t likely happen until later in the fall or even winter. Chris contacted David Cameron and asked him to help us with all this. Not that we’re going to need representation, but he can talk with those attorneys working on the cases and help us prepare for our testimony and such.”