Fogbound: A Lin Hanna Mystery

by Sharon Canipe

Lin sat in silence for a few minutes, not sure how to respond. Her brain was alive with all sorts of horrible images. She couldn’t help but associate Sue’s disappearance with all that had happened earlier in the summer, but she realized that Pat Dane knew nothing of this, and for her, this was a simple case of someone who was lost—at worst lost and injured—somewhere in the park. Lin wasn’t sure what she should say to her, but she knew she had to do something. Just at that moment someone knocked on the door of the craft center, and Pat left to see who had arrived. She returned momentarily accompanied by Mark Scott.

  Lin felt an immediate sense of relief. Mark knew what had been going on. He would understand the depths of her concern. “Mark, I’m glad to see you,” Lin said, “I really need to talk to you, in private if possible.” Pat gave her a strange look and Clint stared down into his cup of coffee.

  Mark nodded as if he understood, but he didn’t say anything immediately. Instead he poured a cup of coffee and took a seat. “I know where you’re coming from Lin, but I think we need to bring Pat and Clint here up to speed. We need their help, and they need to understand that this might not be as simple as it appears.”

  Pat had a strange look on her face, but she sat down and asked Clint to close the door. “OK Mark, there shouldn’t be anyone else here at this point. Please, what’s going on?”

  Mark very carefully but succinctly related what had been happening. He explained what Sue and Lin had been doing—looking into the several unsolved murders on the parkway. He also explained that he had involved Zach Turner, the FBI agent, in the investigation and that they were looking into Bryan Lee’s case files trying to determine what he had been investigating at the time of his death. Finally, he mentioned the evidence of ginseng poaching that Lin and Sue had recently uncovered.

  Pat Dane sat back and shook her head in disbelief, “That’s quite a story! I can’t believe all of that has been happening here, but why do you think Sue’s disappearance may be related to all that? There’d be no way anyone would’ve known she’d volunteer to ride out and find those lost tourists.”

  “Unless someone has been following Sue and Lin,” Mark replied, “waiting for an opportunity.”

  “Who would be doing that?” Lin initially thought about Stefan Kovich, but none of the evidence she and Sue had uncovered pointed to him—besides he was down in Charlotte anyway, waiting for his deportation hearing. It seemed unlikely that Eustace Hinson would be able to mastermind an abduction…

  Mark swallowed hard and looked at Lin. “It could be Luke Taylor. I have a warrant to arrest him on assault charges, but when I went to his house yesterday he was gone. I checked everywhere I thought he might be, but he’s vanished.”

  Lin’s jaw dropped in disbelief. She simply couldn’t picture Luke doing this but…

  “I can’t be certain, of course,” Mark said, “but his disappearance is suspicious; Lin and Sue were the victims in the assault and would be the prime witnesses if the case comes to court. I called the local authorities earlier, and they already have an APB out for him. Now, I guess we need their help to search for Sue.”

  Pat reached for her phone once more and soon had alerted the sheriff’s office to their need. Lin was skeptical about how effective that step would be; however, she realized that there really wasn’t much else to do. The Park Service certainly didn’t have the resources to stage a full-fledged search.

  Pat, Mark, and Clint had gathered around a map of the trails and surrounding area and were discussing how to organize a search. Lin just sat there for a moment, feeling helpless. Suddenly she realized that it was almost six and Ted Whitley would soon be arriving at their house. She had to call him. She quickly grabbed her cell phone, but the signal was weak so she asked to use Pat’s landline. Fortunately Ted answered at the second ring.

  “I was just gathering up my things to head for your place,” he said. “I’m stopping by Harris Teeter on my way to pick up a pizza, but I called ahead so it’ll ready. I should be there in about twenty minutes.”

  Lin hated to break the news but… “Ted, I’m glad I caught you. I’m still at Moses Cone. Sue is missing—lost somewhere on the estate we think…we hope.” She didn’t have to explain. Ted was well aware of Sue’s activities of late. His fear at hearing this news was almost palpable in spite of his silence.

  Finally, he spoke, “How many people are with you at the Cone house? I’ll call and order more food and I’ll be right out.” Lin started to protest but did not. She suspected how Ted might be feeling about Sue and knew that he wouldn’t want to be left on the sidelines. She told him about Mark, Clint, and Pat. There will most likely be others coming—we’ve called the sheriff’s department.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Ted was matter of fact. “I’ll be there within the hour.”

  Before Lin was off the phone, Clint had already left. He had called some of the park workers who lived nearby and was meeting them at the stables. They were going to spread out and search the areas immediately surrounding the carriage roads by horseback. “If she simply fell and injured herself while walking to search for the lost visitors, she wouldn’t have gone too far from the paths. She might have walked on after tethering her horse, maybe because that was easier given the weather. If that’s the case, we should find her,” he’d said as he left the building.”

  Lin realized that there was really nothing to do but wait. She couldn’t walk that far herself with her boot, and she was no horsewoman. She’d only be a hindrance in that department. She could use her head, however. She began thinking about other possibilities. What if Luke (or someone else) had followed them—had seen Sue leave to search for the visitors? If Luke had grabbed Sue where would he take her? Lin didn’t really think that Sue was still in the park—at least not in a readily accessible area.

  By the time Ted arrived with a stack of still warm pizzas, Deputy Dave Winkler and two of his men had already arrived. Winkler had given Lin a strange look as he came in and saw her sitting there. When he learned that Sue Gray was the missing person, he almost said something. Lin saw the look on his face, but he swallowed his words and instead turned to study the map and talk to Pat and Mark about how to organize the search. Soon they’d agreed that Mark would take one of the park’s four wheelers and Winkler’s team would take their four-wheel drive vehicles and ride out after the searchers who were on horseback.

  “We should catch them quickly,” Mark said, “We can move faster, but they can do better in the wooded areas along the roads. We should be able to cover most of the immediate search area within the next couple of hours. After that…”

  Lin finished the thought in her own mind. After that we’ll know Sue is gone from here. She caught Ted’s eye and signaled him to follow her toward the front of the building. It seemed strange to see the galleries and the bookshop empty and dark. Lin led Ted away from the office area to a spot where they could talk privately.

  “Mark Scott seems to think Luke Taylor may have Sue,” she explained. She brought Ted up to speed, explaining that Luke was apparently on the run, trying to elude arrest on the assault charge. “I think, if that’s the case, he won’t have her here. He’ll take her somewhere else. Searching this area is a waste of time if Luke took her. Someone needs to find her, and soon or…”

  Ted put his arm around Lin’s shoulder. “I understand. Besides, you can’t really do anything to help here. I’m going to tell Pat that I’m taking you home. We’ll have to leave Sue’s car here unless you have keys.”

  Lin shook her head. “She has them in her pocket always. There are more at the house. We can come back for her car later, but I really don’t want to go home…” she complained, “I…”

  “Don’t worry,” Ted replied, “I have no intention of going home—not without Sue…”

  ***

  It was well past seven o’clock when they made their way up the steps to Ted’s car. Even though there was still some daylight left, the clouds and mist made it darker than usual for the early eve
ning hour.

  “There’s not much daylight left,” Ted commented, “if they don’t find Sue somewhere along those roads soon. They’ll have to call off the search for the night.”

  Lin knew from personal experience what it was like to be missing—to be held against one’s will—to wake up in a strange place, afraid for your life. She knew that she couldn’t rest until Sue was safe.

  Still, she wasn’t sure where to start looking for her friend. In her heart, she didn’t want to think that Luke Taylor was capable of trying to hurt Sue or her, not anyone for that matter, but he had evidently run away when he was facing arrest and it was Luke who had appeared, following them after someone took a shot at her and Sue. She had to remember he had experienced a great trauma in the loss of Sara Fletcher and their baby. He was a young man who believed his own grandfather was guilty of murder; yet he lived with the man and cared for him. Lin realized that she couldn’t ignore those facts.

  “I ‘ve been to Luke Taylor’s home,” Lin told Ted. “I’m not sure, but I think I could find it again.”

  “But you said he’d run away from there—he was gone when Mark went to arrest him. I doubt he’d go back there. He’d expect his home to be searched.” Ted shook his head, “I don’t really know where to go, where to look. I just know I have to do something.” His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, guiding the car off the parkway and onto Hwy. 321, heading back toward Boone.

  “Remember,” Lin said. “Mark Scott has already been to Luke’s home and he knows that he wasn’t there. Luke may think that it is safe to go back there, that the authorities will assume he’s still gone and look elsewhere. There’s old Eustace too, Luke is responsible for him. I don’t think he’d leave him alone for long.”

  “Yeah, but the Hinson’s are a big family, a close-knit mountain clan,” Ted explained, “Luke could’ve taken his grandfather to any number of family members. They’d never tell where Luke had gone, either.”

  Lin was feeling frustrated. “Well, we have to do something, and, unless you have a better idea, it’s a place to start.”

  Neither Ted nor Lin were hungry; they’d left all the pizza for the searchers back in the park, but Ted did think they needed some caffeine. They stopped at Harris Teeter and he went in to get grande dark roast coffees from the Starbucks inside. Lin welcomed the warmth of the hot drink. She felt chilled from the damp, even though the temperature was moderate.

  They made their way out toward Todd, driving slowly in the fading light so Lin could watch for the turn-offs. After a couple of wrong turns, they finally located the sign that indicated they were approaching the Hinson property. Ted eased the car over the small bridge and into the yard of the home—trying to approach quietly. It probably didn’t matter though, there were no lights coming from the small home, even though it was late and almost completely dark.

  “I guess I was wrong,” Lin said as she exited the car, “it looks as if no one is here.”

  “…or someone heard us coming and is hiding,” Ted replied. He made his way carefully to the front porch with Lin hobbling along right behind. Ted knocked on the door and called out, but there was no sound. He had a flashlight that was in his car, so they shone the light into the windows on the porch. Then they walked around the house and did the same at the back. They were able to look into each room of the small cabin, but it was clear that no one was inside.

  “Let’s check the barn,” Lin suggested. “That’s where Luke has his workshop.” She led the way. They could see that the front door was padlocked so they made their way to the rear of the structure. As they rounded the corner, Lin thought she saw a flash, as if someone had doused a light. Ted saw it too. He eased toward a back doorway and cried out, “Luke, if you’re in there please come out. We aren’t here to arrest you…”

  Lin interrupted, “Luke, it’s just me Lin Hanna. My friend Ted is with me and we aren’t armed. We just want to talk to you. There are no cops here.”

  Ted had moved forward toward the door. Lin thought she heard the sound of movement inside and started to join Ted, but he signaled her to stay back, away from the door.

  Ted reached for the door handle. Perhaps it was locked from the inside, but he was going to test it. Just then a loud blast rang out. The door burst open with splinters flying everywhere. Lin flattened herself against the sidewall. She could see Ted lying face down in the yard, propelled away from the building by the blast of what had to be a shotgun. She was about to start toward him when she saw a figure emerge from the darkness of the barn—a bent, stooped figure—it had to be Eustace Hinson. The shotgun he held seemed almost as big as he was.

  Lin didn’t think he’d seen her, but she couldn’t be sure. She fought the urge to run to check on Ted, instead inching her way back around toward the front of the barn. The boot made her progress awkward, but she managed to get far enough to hide behind a large woodpile at one end of the shed on the side. Her heart was racing, and her breath came in short gasps. She forced herself to slow down, to clear her head, to try to think what to do. Somehow she had to draw the old man away from the back of the barn. She had to get to Ted to see if he was…she couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge the possibility that he was already dead. She had to get help somehow. She reached in her pocket and felt for her cell phone. There was only one bar—a call was unlikely to get out and the noise of her trying to talk would only attract the old man. Just then she heard a shuffling step. She raised her head briefly, gazing over the top of the woodpile.

  Eustace Hinson was shuffling back toward the house, dragging his shotgun behind him. Lin could tell he was muttering to himself, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. She saw him mount the steps to the porch and open the door. Soon a dim light appeared within. Apparently, he’d shot Ted and was just leaving him on the ground outside the barn. He hadn’t tried to come to Ted’s car, even though it was clearly visible from the house. Then Lin remembered. This was an old man with dementia. He probably heard them driving down the road and hid in the barn. He no doubt saw them as intruders and he had a reputation for shooting at those whom he saw as trampling on his property.

  Lin knew it was taking a chance, but she had to get back to Ted. She had to find help for him somehow. She slowly made her way back around the barn, approaching the rear, this time from the side opposite the house. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be seen. When she reached the back of the barn she saw that Ted was still lying on the ground, but he had moved a little; his legs and arms were in a different position. He’s still alive, Lin thought. I’ve got to get him to the car—got to get him out of here. We should never have come here. She blamed herself for what had happened. It appeared that Luke wasn’t here and apparently neither was Sue—just the old man.

  She reached Ted’s side and gently rolled him over—his entire chest was covered in blood, but Lin couldn’t determine the extent of his wounds. She spoke to him, “Ted, can you hear me? We’ve got to get you out of here? Can you move? Can you help me get you back to the car?” Lin thought she saw Ted’s lips move, but she couldn’t understand what he was saying. Finally, he managed to reach for her arm—he was trying to pull himself up. “ My legs are OK,” Ted managed a raspy whisper, but everything else hurts. If I can get up, I can probably walk.”

  “Wait here, I’ll be back,” Lin whispered, she’d passed a bunch of tools hanging on the far side of the barn away from the house. She went back and grabbed a hoe. Perhaps they could use that as a staff to help Ted move. When she returned she saw that he’d managed to turn onto his side, but he was still on the ground. She placed the hoe on the ground and managed to sit Ted partially upright. Placing her hands under his arms, she dragged him over to the barn wall—he moaned as she did this but didn’t cry out loud. Her booted foot kept slipping with the effort—each time sending an echo of pain through her ankle, but she kept going. Finally, she was able to prop him up against the wall; then she went back to get the hoe.

  Ted managed to grip the
hoe with one hand, and, with Lin’s help, he pulled himself at least half-way erect. He grasped her waist with the other arm and slowly they began to make progress. The distance was greater going back around the far side of the barn, but Lin didn’t dare move toward the house. They were lucky old Eustace hadn’t heard them yet.

  Finally, they reached the car. Lin propped Ted against the back fender and reached to open the back door—it was locked. She fumbled in Ted’s pockets and found the keys. When she pressed the electronic fob to unlock the doors two sharp beeps rang out, and the porch light went on at the house. She hurriedly pushed Ted forward into the back seat, tossed the hoe aside, and jumped in. She started the engine and quickly threw the car into reverse, backing up before turning toward the road. She’d just reached the bridge that connected the property to the road when another blast rang out—Lin hit the gas and the car shot forward. The momentum threw Ted down to the floorboard, and this time he screamed with pain.

  “Hold on Ted,” Lin said, “at least we’re away from there.” She reached the highway and turned back toward Boone, heading straight for the hospital.

  Lin soon understood why she’d been advised against driving with the boot on her foot. She felt awkward, having to tuck her foot back against the seat to keep it from interfering with access to the brake pedal. Fortunately, it was her left ankle that was sprained and she could manage. Her ankle was hurting now and the boot felt tight. The swelling is probably coming back, she thought. No matter, she had to get Ted to the hospital. Fortunately, the poison ivy rash on her hands was almost gone. She only felt a slight irritation from gripping the steering wheel.

  Lin heard no sounds coming from the back seat. Ted must’ve passed out again. She focused on her driving, taking care to maintain a slow speed because of the wet and fog, better not to rush and risk having an accident.

  The trip to the medical center seemed to take forever; however, Lin observed that it had only been about twenty minutes as she pulled up at the emergency entrance. She got out of the car and went inside as fast as she could manage to do so. She recognized the young woman on the desk from her own visit just three days before.