Chapter 4: Carl Stuki
That night I had another troubling
dream. This time it was all four of the
Lings; but they looked like they did in the pictures I had seen, with Tye about
7 and Mia about 5. I could see them all
clearly. We talked for a little
while. Cara Ling said I would understand
everything if I wanted to badly enough and continued to search.
I was up again early Sunday morning
and started right on my homework. I knew
my mom and dad would be up around nine, so I decided to make breakfast. I could read my history book while I was
cooking. This may have been more than
necessary to get back in my mom’s good graces; but I wanted to make sure there
would be no problems when it was time to go to Bekah’s house. This could be my only chance to learn about the
clues the police knew and may have covered up or kept secret. My dad was the first to come into the kitchen
sniffing and smiling.
“Is
that French toast you’re making? What’s
the occasion?”
“Oh,
nothing really, I know I haven’t been much help lately, so I thought I’d try to
do better,” I answered.
“Dinner
last night, now breakfast, that really is a nice change, thank you Anna. Your mom’s awake and will be down in just a
few minutes. T.J.’s still asleep, but it
won’t hurt him to get up and have breakfast with the family. I’ll go get him,” my dad then turned to go
back upstairs. Just a couple minutes later,
my mother came down.
“Your
dad said you were cooking breakfast. I
was going to set the table, but it looks like you’ve already done that. Can I do anything to help?” “No, I’ve got it under control. Orange juice and French toast. Just have a seat and I’ll get it on the table,”
I replied cheerfully. “I brought the
paper in too, it’s on the counter behind you, if you want to take a look.”
“Thank
you, Anna,” my mom got her coffee going then took the paper and sat down. I could see T.J. coming down the stairs,
rubbing his eyes with my dad right behind him.
“Good
morning, T.J.,” I said as I greeted T.J. as cheerfully as possible without
overdoing it. “Everyone have a seat and
dig in while it’s hot.” I then placed
the French toast and juice on the table.
T.J. still seemed half asleep as he began to eat. My mom and dad started to discuss what was in
the paper that morning and I continued to read my history book. As everyone was finishing breakfast, I got up
and when I started to clear the table my father raised his left hand in a
motion telling me to stop as he finished swallowing, “T.J. can clean up and put
everything away, you made breakfast. Besides,
I helped him finish his homework and it looks like you still have some to
do.” T.J. groaned as he, still looking
half asleep, got up and started clearing the table.
“Thanks
T.J., thanks Dad,” I said as I took my book and returned to my room. I would wait to ask about going to Bekah’s
later. I didn’t want to be too obvious
and ask right after breakfast. My
parents weren’t stupid, especially my mom.
Finishing my homework just before noon, I thought about who I should
ask. I knew my dad would be easier; but,
I also knew that if I asked him, my mom would think I was being manipulative
and that could cause more problems so I decided it best to just ask her
directly. As I was walking through the
den and into the living room, I saw both my parents reading. “Mom, I’m all done with my homework and one
of the girls I met in science asked me over this afternoon. Would it be ok if I went… and” with a
slightly imploring look, “would one of you take me and pick me up? It’s right here in town, just a couple of
miles away.”
My
mother looked up and with a grin that said she knew what was going on; but, was
going to allow it anyway, as reinforcement, for positive behavior, she said;
“sure, I’ll take you and can pick you up, but I want you to take my cell and if
anything changes I want you to call the house phone. And if I need to get a hold of you, I want
you to answer. What time do you need to
go?”
“About
quarter to one” I answered, with a smile. I understood I wasn’t really fooling
my mom; but, that didn‘t really matter because I was getting what I wanted. “Thanks,” I continued, “I’ll go call Bekah
and let her know.” The cell phone was
still a point of irritation for me. I
used to have my own, and my mom and dad both had one of their own. Now the only cell phone was my mom’s. Dad didn’t seem to mind, but I sure wasn’t
happy about it.
I returned to the living room with my coat and boots on
and my backpack ready at 12:40 and took a seat in the overstuffed chair opposite
where my mom was sitting. Very politely
I said, “I’m ready when you are.”
“Ok, let me finish
this page and I’ll be right with you.”
My mom continued to read for only a minute or two and then, placing a
bookmark in the book, she was reading, placed the book down and got up from her
seat. I didn’t quite catch what mom was
reading, I thought it said something like Uncommon
Therapy; but my mom was always reading some sort of psychology
book. All this psychology had been quite
annoying at times and it rather irritated me that my mother always acted like
she knew what I was thinking, even when she didn’t. Unfortunately, sometimes she did know, but…
sometimes she didn’t.
Grabbing her purse,
mom said; “ok, let’s go” as she picked up her coat, which was already placed on
another chair next to where she had been sitting. “Here’s my cell,” she said as we walked out
the door and handed me her phone. “Do
you have the address?”
“Yes, I’ve written it down for you.” I gave her a piece of paper
with the address.
As we drove to
Bekah’s my mom asked, “so who is Bekah?”
“Oh, just someone I met in science my first day. I’ve had lunch with her a couple of
times. She’s lived here most of her life
but was born in Denver. Her mom works as
a dispatcher for the Sheriff’s or Police department and her mom’s boyfriend
works for some environmental organization.
She wears Lucky a lot. She’s
really cute, and popular. Seems like
she’s pretty smart. That’s about all I
know, right now. You can come to the
door and meet them if you want.”
“Oh, that’s ok,
I’ll just wait to make sure you get in ok.
What time do you want me to come back for you?”
“Would 3:00 be
ok? I’ll call if it’s any different.”
“Yes, that will be fine, I’ll be here right at three o’clock sharp. If you need to change the time, call at least
20 minutes before 3.”
“OK, thanks mom,” I
responded, as I got out of the car and walked up to the house. Bekah’s house looked kind of new and about
medium size. It was a one story with a two-car
garage. There were evergreen trees and
shrubs all around. When I got to the door,
I rang the bell and Bekah quickly answered.
I turned to wave to my mom, knowing she was probably waiting to make
sure I got in ok before leaving.
“Hi, come on
in. You can hang your coat on one of the
hooks.” She pointed to a row of hooks
attached to some kind of strip on the wall as I walked in. Immediately I noticed beautiful pictures of
wildlife, forests, and flowers on the walls.
One large picture showed a rain forest somewhere with the words Love the Earth. Some pictures said something about saving
this or that animal, bird, fish, or something about the earth.
A very attractive
woman, who looked like a, just barely older version of Bekah appeared and said;
“hello, I’m Sue. Have a seat; Carl will
be out in just a few minutes. I’m going
to send some e-mails while you and Carl and Bekah talk.”
“Nice to meet
you.” I was a little surprised because I
thought I would be able to talk with both Sue and Carl
“My mom doesn’t
want to be in the room while you talk to Carl,” explained Bekah. “She still works for the Sheriff’s department
and doesn’t want anyone to be able to say she had anything to do with
this. She’s afraid she might lose her
job if she were involved in any of the old Ling stuff. Let’s sit down. Carl will be right out.” Moments later a tall, blond, ruggedly
handsome man came out of what appeared to be the kitchen.
Smiling, he
extended his hand and said; “hi Anna, it’s nice to meet you. I understand you live in the old Ling house
and would like to know what happened.
I’ll tell you everything I can.
You need to understand, that knowing a lot about murder, especially when
the killer is still on the loose, can be dangerous. Are you sure you want to hear all this?”
“Yes!” I answered with great anticipation as I removed the pad and
pen from my pack.
“It all started
soon after the Lings moved to Logan and started teaching at the university. They were mostly well received by the people
at the university. Like us, most of them
aren’t from around here anyway, so they didn’t have a lot of the prejudices
like the old-timers do. Mostly they
associated with people from the university, but problems started when they
became friends with a local family, a crazy old Indian, and one of their
students. The student’s name was Bobby
Sekaquaptewa. He was a hot head, and a troublemaker. I’ve heard his father was too. Bobby had quite a temper. In my mind, there were three people who may
have been involved with their disappearance, and I believe the murder of at
least Alan Ling.”
“When I was with the Sheriff’s department there were quite a few
times I found Bobby Sekaquaptewa drunk.
I’d take him home just to keep him out of trouble. Tried to be his friend. He started spending a lot of time with the
Lings. From what I learned in the investigation;
they were doing all kinds of research into the occult. Bobby was really into Native American
religious beliefs and rites. I guess it
was a part of their work at the university, but it seemed pretty strange
to some people who got wind of what they were doing. They were trying to find some kind of magical
healing or something. Almost more
mystical than mythological. Bobby was a
radical and I think he got the Lings involved with some of his personal issues. He was one of those anti-government, anti UN
types. One of those people that if he
was still alive, some federal agency would be keeping a close eye on him. The other person, who really got involved
with the Lings, and originally my second suspect, was an old man by the name of
Charlie Blackeagle. He lives alone in a
small place out in the county. He’s a
crazy old coot. Some people thought he
had something to do with the disappearances.
Anyway, he was up in Fort Hall when they disappeared… visiting some relatives or something like
that. He had pretty good alibis for that
whole time, so he was dropped as a suspect.
I’d be surprised if he doesn’t know more than he’s saying though, but,
then again, he’s so crazy, it’s hard to know what he does and doesn’t
know. He’s a first gulf war vet and lost
a leg, probably has psychological problems from the war, so maybe it’s not
completely his fault. Whether he had
anything to do with the disappearance or not, he’s crazy, dangerous, and owns a
bunch of guns. Right after the Lings
disappeared Charlie came back from Fort Hall.
One morning, pretty early, the police were driving by the Ling
place. Still had yellow tape around to
keep people out because it was a probable crime scene. They saw a light on and stopped to
investigate. When they got close to the house,
they heard noises, it was Charlie talking to himself, wondering around the
house. Said he just wanted to take a
couple of pictures for memories. They
just took him home. Didn’t even take his
camera to find out what pictures he was taking.
They said they checked him and he hadn’t taken anything from the
scene. Shoddy police work if you ask
me. There was another time or two he was
in the house early in the morning after the tape was taken down. He was warned not to go back. Neighbors would hear something or see a light
and call the police. He finally stopped
going sometime in the spring, and to my knowledge hasn’t been back. You watch yourself, he’s real crazy. Like I said, an old man like that shouldn’t
have guns, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear in the news sometime that
he’s shot somebody. I warned the department,
but they just ignored me. Old Charlie
and Bobby Sekaquaptewa were good friends.
Bobby was the troublemaker and Charlie was the crazy one. Bobby disappeared right about the same time
the Lings did. There had been some kind
of altercation in the Ling house with blood spots on the carpet in the
den. Most of the blood was confirmed to
be Alan Ling’s but they weren’t able to match the other spot. Personally, I think it was Bobby
Sekaquaptewa’s… it makes sense, he disappeared with all his things. Like I said, shoddy police work.
Now my third
suspect is Max Teeples. He didn’t
actually kill Alan Ling, but he was involved.
He was having an affair with Cara Ling.
It’s well documented that he would go out of town with her for a day or
two at a time. Credit card statements, eyewitnesses,
you name it. He and Bobby were involved
in some of the same radical groups.
Maybe Cara didn’t want Max so much as she just wanted out of the
marriage. I think Max Teeples planned to
be out of town. Maybe Charlie Blackeagle
did too, so Bobby could do the dirty work.
Cara and the kids hadn’t been seen for a couple of days before they were
discovered missing, so Bobby could have easily taken them someplace to wait for
Max, or just leave town. Hell, she might
have even known what was going to happen and decided to just leave. I understand she had a lot of relatives in
Kenya. Maybe she and the kids are there
now. After getting Cara and the kids out
of there, Bobby came back to the house and killed Alan, disposed of the body,
and just disappeared. He must have known
that if he was ever caught, they could match his blood. I’m sure Max knows what happened and I bet
his wife knows something too. She’s just
one of those dutiful women who wouldn’t dare say anything against her
husband. She’d be afraid she’d go to
hell or something and of course, she can’t be forced to testify as long as
they’re married. I tried to get the
police and sheriff’s department to follow up on leads; but that only got me
fired. They could have matched the blood
with something from Bobby, but like I said, damm shoddy police work. The Teeples put on a good front, I’ll give
them that. They’ve got this whole town
fooled.
Charlie hasn’t
gotten into much trouble since the disappearance, except for the trespassing
and poaching, people just complain but nothing ever happens. Teeples is another story. He’s really involved in a lot of right-wing
activities. Both he and his wife went to
one of those Tea Parties last summer.
Did you get all that?”
“Yes, thank you very much,” I answered as I frantically took
notes.
“Well, do you have any questions?”
“No, but if I do can I talk with you again?”
“Sure, any time.” Carl then got up from his chair and returned to
the kitchen.”
Bekah and I just
talked for a while. She told me what she
liked to do. She said she often visits
family in Denver and really loves it there.
After chatting for a while and knowing my mom would soon be here, I
asked; “Can I say good bye to your mom before I leave?” “Sure, she’s in their
bedroom, we can stop in for a minute.” She got up and led the way down the hall
and into the room. “Mom, Anna wanted to
say goodbye before leaving,” said Bekah just as we entered the bedroom. The room was decorated in dark rich colors
and looked very comfortable, very nice.
It reminded me of my parent’s bedroom back in California.
“I just wanted to thank you for letting me come over and say
goodbye before I leave.” I smiled and
gave a little wave to Bekah’s mom.
“Nice to meet you Anna,” she responded with just a slight smile,
“come again anytime.”
As I turned to leave the room, I noticed an object that caught my
eye on the dresser. It looked like a
small Nazi symbol; I had seen something like it in history books. The four lines were much thicker than usual,
and colored, but that was sure what it looked like. It appeared to have a small hole toward the
top and a small black bird towards the bottom on the right. It looked so out of place that I wanted to
get a picture of it. I then remembered I
had my mom’s cell, so I quickly pulled it out and said; “I’d better call my mom
and let her know I’m ready.” As I pulled
the cell out of my pocket, I pointed it at the object and with my back to Sue
and Bekah, discreetly took a picture before calling my home phone. “Hi dad, is mom on her way? Great, thanks, I’ll go outside and wait for
her. Thanks again.” I then turned back towards Sue and Bekah and
walked back into the hall and towards the front door. Bekah followed me to the door. Grabbing my coat, I turned towards Bekah to
say; “thanks again, see you in the morning.” Opening the door, I could see my
mom’s car just as she was driving up.
Before getting home, I had the picture e-mailed to my account and
deleted from my mom’s phone.
The next week was
much too busy with school to spend any time on the investigation. I had my first dream about Bobby
Sekaquaptewa. I didn’t understand or
remember most of it. It was the most
frightening dream so far, causing me to wake up in a cold sweat. I also had another dream about Tye. Similar to the first one. During the week I was able to sit with Bekah
and her friends a couple of times, Amanda a couple of times and another girl,
Vicki, I had just met. I think some guy named Paul was hitting on me; but I
didn’t give him any encouragement.
Arrangements were finalized with Amanda and Beth to visit the Teeples;
but that was the extent of my investigative progress. Unfortunately, I didn’t even have enough time
to review my notes until the following week.
I was a little nervous about the Teeples visit, but I didn’t think it
was anything I couldn’t handle.
Friday evening seemed to slow to a
crawl. My homework was finished, and my
mind was totally focused on Saturday’s trip to the university library special
collections section. I could hardly
think about anything else. This was my
first, and probably only opportunity to learn about the Lings directly from the
Lings. I knew that their writings, the
books they collected, and the things that belonged to them would tell me a lot
about who they were and perhaps even offer a clue to their disappearance. Sleep came slowly that night as my imagination
went wild thinking about what the collection might contain. With the first light of morning, I awoke and
dressed quickly. I was still tired, but
way too anxious to stay in bed. This was
silly, I thought to myself since the library wouldn’t be open for a couple of
hours. Cooking myself some eggs and
toast I returned to the den to get back on the internet and make some
additional notes from the articles I found. I found a few new articles, but pretty much
the same information as I had before. I
decided I probably had everything I was going to get from the internet. Just as I was about to shut down, thinking I
still had a half hour to kill before my mom would be ready, I decided to see
what I might find on the Johnsons. I had
learned from a previous article; they were both immigrants from Sweden. Their names were Hans and Kristen. From that information I googled their names
and found an archived article from the local newspaper, written in 1980. (Another article told me that the Lings
purchased the home in 1991.) The Johnson’s had built the house in the
spring; but had only completed a parlor, one bedroom and a small kitchen. Mrs. Johnson was a physician. She had intended to add an examination room
on to the parlor the next year. The article
also mentioned that women doctors were not uncommon in Utah in the late 1800’s…
which really surprised me. It was during
the Johnson’s first winter, in January (same month the Lings disappeared) when
the Johnsons disappeared. There were a
few reports of strange noises coming from the house during the early morning
hours, and then the noises stopped with no further reports of anything strange.
‘Probably
the imagination of superstitious people,’ was the opinion of the writer of
the article. After the Johnsons, another
family moved in, remodeled, and added on. This family, their children and grandchildren
lived in the home and raised families of their own with no indication of any
problems or irregularities. I didn’t see
how it could be related, but it was kind of strange, so I wrote notes. My mom was finally ready so I just stuffed the
notes in one of my binders and forgot about them for the time.
The ride to the university
library seemed to take forever, I was both excited and nervous, I hadn’t really
felt either emotion in months.
“Here it is Anna, do you want me to
come in and show you around.”
“No, I’ll be fine, thanks mom.”
“Ok, remember I have a tight schedule
and need you to be watching for me when I get here. I’ll pick you up in front in
exactly four hours,…… right?” stressed my mom sternly.
“Sounds great! Thanks mom,” I replied,
hardly thinking at the time about what she said, as I got out of the car and
headed for the library. Locating Special
Collections on the directory just inside the front door, I quickly found what I
was looking for. With just a little
nervousness, I entered and walked to the front desk. “I understand you have the items donated by
the relatives of Dr’s Cara and Alan Ling.” A smartly though conservatively
dressed middle aged women with short light brown hair acknowledged me with a
huge enthusiastic smile.
“Yes, we do, in fact, I have LOTS of
things I can show you on the Lings. I
have a lot of other very interesting things too. I'd love to show you
everything. If you don't have time
today, please come back soon. We have pieces of pottery that are thousands of
years old with Sanskrit writing. Old
manuscripts. Valuable personal items
donated by famous people. Did you know
that we have a pair of glasses worn by Teddy Roosevelt? We have a saddle that was used by the pony
express and some Egyptian Hieroglyphics. The list goes on and on. This is the BEST part of the library. I hardly ever get students in here, not even
many college students. Actually, I hardly get anyone in here; they have no idea
what they’re missing. Special Collections is a lot like a museum with all kinds
of treasures…”
“No, just the Ling collection, thank
you,” I interrupted. She was one of the most enthusiastic, animated, fast
talking people I had ever met. She either absolutely loved her job or was
starved for any kind of social interaction. It looked like she was the only person in this
part of the library. I knew I was going
to have a really hard time keeping up with her, but would just have to do the
best I could and fill in the rest of the notes as best I could when I got home.
“OK!
We have their books, art, and some antiques which were provided to the
library about a year after the disappearance.
Their writings and other donated personal effects were only turned over
by the courts about a year ago. I wasn’t
here when the first part of the donation arrived. The books, art, and antiques have mostly been
placed out on the floors with some of the more valuable items here in Special
Collections. Their family donated so
many things to the library because, as their relatives said; The Lings loved it here, so much. It was all so interesting I read everything I
could find on the history of their disappearance, and I’ve read all their
writings probably four or five times.
There are strict rules about how things in special collections are
handled. You can’t touch anything; but I
can show the items to you. I’ll make a
copy of the list of donated items which you can have and then I’ll get the
other items. Oh, before I go, if you
turn around and look a little to the left you will see a beautifully carved and
painted piece of art that belonged to them. It was created by a local artist;” explained
the librarian, who then continued; “follow me, I’ll take you into a viewing
room where I‘ll bring the items I can show you.”
I first turned to look at the item she
had mentioned. It was absolutely beautiful.
There were flowers and birds carved into a piece of wood and painted with the
words; “They do not love that do not show their love. Shakespeare.” I then followed her into a small
room. There was a solid wooden table with
nice leather chairs and paintings on every wall. In the corner of the room was a bust of some
man I had never heard of. The paintings
looked very old, something I would expect in a library. I actually liked one of the landscapes, and
thought it might have been done locally. I wasn’t at all surprised that she had read
everything many times, what else would someone do back here with no
visitors. After just a few minutes, the
librarian returned.
“Here’s a copy of the list for you.
I’ll go get the collection.” She then turned and retreated back through the
door.
I was surprised at how long the
list was. There were replications of two paintings by Renoir. Dance in the City and Oarsmen at Chatou. There were a number of traditional African
art pieces. According to the list, two
were very old and kept in special collections. I wondered if I would be able to see those. The Lings must have loved books. There were pages of books that had been
donated. The list was divided into three
categories. Children and Adult books
that stayed in the library and dozens of books donated to Deseret Industries. I recognized this as the name of a local
thrift store. My dad had taken T.J.
there once to purchase some clothing. T.J.
seemed happy with it. I refused to
go. Among the books that remained in the
library was a large collection of children’s books in Chinese. According to the list, these included
proverbs, poems, and traditional stories. There was also a smaller collection
of children’s books from Kenya. These
were in English and contained traditional stories. There was one book of
traditional English nursery rhymes as well as a book of traditional English
fairy tales, myths, and legends. This list also contained a few books that I
recognized; Goodnight Moon, (I remembered my mom and dad reading that to me
over and over again. It was a very good
memory), Aesop’s Fables (we had read all of those together as a family
when I was younger), The Velveteen Rabbit (that had been one of my mom’s
favorites), and what looked like probably the complete collection of Dr. Seuss.
There was also a large collection of
books on Death and Dying for children (I wondered why and thought it kind of
morbid).
Among the adult books there were
a few I recognized; The Bible, King James Version, Paradise
Lost (my mother has that book), Sherlock Holmes (my dad loves
Sherlock Holmes and tried to get me to read the stories a couple of times), The
Complete Works of William Shakespeare (my mother had read them all). There were some other things that caught my
attention and even though I had no idea what they were about, I thought they
might be important and underlined a few. I would do an internet search later to find
out more. There were books on
Quetzalcoatl. I had no idea what that
was but would find out in case it was anything important. Some of my favorite criminalists on TV had
found clues from stranger places. The Talmud and Torah, (I
thought I had heard of the Torah), were also listed, along with books on
Mercury, Hermes, the Caduceus, Aztec, Mayan, and Toltec mythology, including
the 2012 prophecies. I had seen a preview
on TV about that but hadn’t watched it. The list also contained several books
on comparative religion, (not one of my favorite subjects). This was all going to take a lot of time to
research. No social life, but that was ok, I really didn’t want one now anyway.
After just a few minutes the
librarian returned to the room wearing gloves and pushing a cart with boxes of
items. Picking an item out of one of the
boxes the librarian began.
“I have some very interesting things
to show you. This first one is a sextant. It is a very old tool for determining where
you are, by the stars.”
“Yes, I’ve read about them.”
“And here is a paper Dr. Cara Ling and
one of their students, Bobby Sekaquaptewa, were working on. As you can see, it’s titled From Ancient
Religious Stone Altars to Native American Rock Cairns. They believed that
Native American Rock, Cairns had their origin in ancient religious stone
altars. Some altars, as you may know,
were used in Central America for human sacrifice, but in some parts of the
world they were used for animal sacrifice and a place for people to communicate
with their gods. They seemed to believe
some altars and some cairns actually had some kind of extra-natural power… personally
I think they came to some wild conclusions… Here’s another paper written by Dr.
Alan Ling and Bobby Sekaquaptewa. This
one talks about the religious history of this area. According to them the Shoshone believed a
local hill to have healing power. They would bring their sick and wounded to
the hill to be cured.”
Still pulling more papers out of boxes
the librarian continued; “here are drawings and plans for the house they lived
in. It starts with the original
structure built by the Johnsons, then there are drawings that show the
additions added by the next family and then more drawings showing the
remodeling and additions by the Lings. By
the way, did you know the Johnsons disappeared too? No one ever found out what
happened to them either.”
“Yes, I heard about that,” I responded,
as I stared at the drawings. I thought
my dad would love to see these. I might
tell him so he can come back sometime. I
could clearly see the parlor that we were now using as a den. My bedroom was next to the parlor and was one
of the original rooms. The drawings also contained landscape drawings showing
small lilac bushes which had been planted by the Johnsons on the east side of
the parlor. The house was on a corner
with the original front door facing east. With the additions, there was a living room
that connected to what was now the den and my bedroom which was connected from
the den. (I hate having to walk through a room to get to my bedroom.) The living room faced south and that was now
the main entrance. According to the
drawings those same lilacs grew much larger in the next hundred years and then
were cut down. Then new lilacs and vine
were planted against the same east wall by the Lings. Those lilacs and vines were still there and
were even blocking some light to one of the windows. My father had talked about either trimming or
cutting them down completely; but they covered a rock wall that really needed a
lot of work and so that would have to come later. I could clearly see the fruit trees that had
been planted through the years. Most of
which were still standing. I liked
apples and hoped the tree had good apples. Normally I wouldn’t have cared about such things,
but since we didn’t have the money we used to, good free apples would be nice. I took detailed notes on all of this.
The librarian then pulled out a
pile of papers that seemed to just contain notes, nothing really organized,
just notes about the research they were doing. She was able to explain
everything pretty well, at least as far as she understood. Even though she was very serious, she was also
very excited about sharing information. There
were notes about the Morning Star, listing both the planets Venus and Mercury. There was also a strange rock statue kind of
thing. The librarian said this was the
Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl, she showed me how he looked like a snake with
feathers and then pointed out a symbol she said was the Morning Star. There was a statue of the Greek god Hermes and
a picture of Moses holding what looked like a long stick or pole with a snake
on it. There were notes saying what they
were. At the bottom it said: Numbers 21:
6-9. I thought that might be something from the Bible. There were a couple of
pictures of the medical symbol, the Caduceus. I didn’t know what that was but the librarian
explained that it was an ancient Greek symbol and represented healing. I then remembered and realized it was the
symbol now used by doctors.
“I believe the Lings were obsessed with
ancient symbols of healing,” she said, as she was showing me more pages,
pictures, and items.
There were pages and pages of notes
about the stars and planets; but, mostly on the planet Mercury. A lot of the notes were about when the planet
could be seen in the East. None of this
made much sense; but I took notes on everything I thought might contain even
the slightest clue. There were also a
bunch of notes that some believed the Mayans believed the end of the world
would occur in 2012. The librarian said
that from her reading of the comments made by the Lings, they didn’t believe
the world would end, but that something significant might happen then or not
too long after. There was also a replica
of a Mayan calendar with three circles and symbols. The librarian then brought out two framed and
glass covered pieces of woven cloth that had a beautiful though faded image of
women and children in what appeared to be an African village.
She then showed me a very old hand-written
piece of music and said, “This is a very early hand-written version of an
American Folksong, ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ it would be worth quite
a bit of money except someone highlighted the word Ebenezer for some reason.”
One last item brought out by the librarian was a single piece of paper with a
drawing. She said that had it been her
decision she probably would have thrown it away. It just looked like doodling; however, law
enforcement told them they had to keep everything that had been with the Lings
notes. I agreed with the librarian. It looked worthless; but, some words at the
bottom caught my eye and I replicated the page as closely as possible in my
notes.
Towards the top of the page were
drawn four circles with colors written next to them. Three of the stones formed a triangle and had
the word ‘‘white’ next to them. The fourth was in the middle of the triangle
with the word ‘jade’ next to it.
○ White
○ Jade
○White ○White
At the bottom were the words, Three stones to see, the jade to pass
through. Seemed like nonsense
and the writing didn’t look like either of the Ling’s; but, I didn’t want to
overlook anything that might be important so I drew what I saw and added it to
my growing collection of notes and stuck it in my back pack. Just as I was about to hand the last page
back to the librarian and as I turned it over, I noticed some almost illegible
notes. Written were, I believed, Mayan
Zaztun, Serpent Mounds/Dragon, and Plumed Serpent God. I quickly added those to my notes and handed
the final page back to the librarian.
Just as I was putting this final
page in my pack, I noticed the clock. My mom would be furious! I was almost 40 minutes late and though my mom
knew I was in the Library she didn’t know where. I quickly threw my pack over my shoulder and
thanked the librarian, apologizing and telling her I had to run and excused
myself then ran through the library to the front door. I could see my mom sitting in the car at the
curb and knew she would be fuming. As I
ran, I slipped and dropped my pack in the snow, but grabbed it as fast as I
could. As soon as I had my footing again,
I was on the run and reached the car door moments later.
“I’m so sorry mom,” I blurted out as I
opened the door and sat down and buckled as fast as I could. My mom didn’t say
anything as she put the car in drive and drove away from the curb. She was breathing slowly, deeply, and
deliberately, which I knew meant she was calming herself. Finally, she started
in on me.
“Anna, we have cut you a lot of slack
lately. We know this has been very
difficult for you. Unfortunately, you
haven’t been mature enough to understand how difficult this has been for your
father and me. And… you haven’t been
very nice to T.J. either… The business
failing was partially our fault. We made
mistakes. It was partially because of
the super high cost of gasoline last year, partially because of the economy,
but neither of us decided,” her voice was getting louder and she was talking
more slowly now, “to just run the business into the ground and go bankrupt just
to put our family through hell.” Then
after a pause and continuing at a little more normal pace and a little quieter,
“it’s just not all about you Anna. You’re
going to have to realize the whole world doesn’t revolve around you. You’re new to this area and you’re not going
to be the queen bee in your new school and you’re not going to be the prima-donna
in our home. You may still be mad about
everything and that’s fine, but I expect you to treat us with respect and that
includes respecting our time. You are
very intelligent Anna. Lots of things
are easy for you; however, it might be that this is one of the reasons you seem
to lack empathy. Without empathy and
humility, you may know things, but you will never really understand much.”
After another pause, I responded, “I
really am sorry mom, I got caught up in what I was doing and I’m sorry about
the way I’ve been acting.” I was sorry I was late, partially because I had to
listen to another of my mom’s lectures; but at the time I didn’t think I had
been acting all that badly. I thought my
mom was just being oversensitive and mad about having to wait a few extra
minutes. I could think of lots and lots
of times I had waited for my mom, and my dad, and especially T.J.
The rest of the ride was in
silence. When we drove up to the house,
my mom just drove up to the front curb and said rather curtly; “I’m late for an
appointment. Tell your father, I’ll be
home by six.” As I entered the front door, my dad was working on the fireplace
in the living room. T.J. was helping, as they replaced some of the stones and
the grate at the bottom.
“Mom said to tell you she’d be home by
six,” I called to my dad.”
“Thank you honey,” my dad called back.
“Did you have a good time at the library?” he asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” I said, as I quickly
went through the den and into my room. I was very worried about my notes and
hoped they hadn’t gotten wet from my fall. When I opened my pack, I saw the pad was
soaked. I took each page and laid them
in order on my desk and on the floor to dry. I didn’t want to lose all the work
I had done today. Some of it was a
little smudged but I thought it would be ok.
As I was working, it dawned on me that my mom would still be furious
when she got home. Maybe I had been a
little grouchy and besides, I needed to go to Bekah’s house tomorrow. I thought about what I might do to soften her
up a little. My dad would probably cook dinner,
but he wouldn’t get the kitchen clean with everything he’s working on in the
living room. I would clean the kitchen
and cook dinner and then clean up afterwards…… and act pleasant about it. That was sure to get me back on my mom’s good
side.
Chapter 2: The Distraction
When I started, this was just a
distraction. An investigation into something that occurred ten years ago.
Something that would amuse me and help pass the time in my mountain prison
until I was old enough to return to the home and friends I left behind. I had
no idea my actions could have such horrible consequences. Frankly, I hardly ever thought about the
consequences of anything I did, except for how it might impact me personally,
and I didn’t always even think through that very well. The next morning, I
still hated everything about my life and everything here; but, now at least, I
had a purpose. I would find out
everything I could about the Ling family. I would have to get to know people
who knew them and people who might know something about their
disappearance. I was always good at
getting what I wanted out of people and I figured these people would be no
different, probably easier. I intended
to find out why there were so many contradictions between the newspaper stories
and what some people had told me. If
there was a murder, and that seemed the only logical conclusion, I would find
out who it was and why they did it. This
might even help me get a scholarship into a good school back in California. I sure didn’t want to stay in Logan past high
school (and wished I didn’t have to be here at all). I would be 18 and I wanted
out-of-here.
Starting with my second day at
school and until I had everything I wanted from people, I would need to make a
better impression. That morning I showered and put on my very hot Citizen
jeans. I have only two good pair
of jeans that still fit. The other pair
were some super distressed Luckys and it was way too cold for them. My Citizens were just a little out of style,
but no one around here would know. I had
thought a lot about the look I needed. Later
I might have to wear something different to make the right impression, but on
this day, I decided on my Dolce & Gabbana shirt, curled my hair, put on
just the right amount of makeup and added just a touch of the right fragrance. When I went to the kitchen both my mom and dad
looked amazed.
T.J., looking up from his oatmeal said,
way too loudly; “wow, you look GREAT Anna!” While spitting out his words, he
also managed to spit some of his oatmeal out at me, only missing me by about
six inches,
““THANKS for spitting on me” I replied
with a frown so that mom and dad would only hear the first word. I didn’t
really notice, but he probably started pouting like he so often does.
Almost in unison, both my parents
said; “yes, you look great dear!”
“Thank you, ” I answered again. I
guess it had been a while since I really cared what I looked like. “Mom, would
you please take me to the university library sometime soon?”
“Sure, dear” my mom responded with
some surprise.
Gesturing for me to come into the next
room, my dad said; “Anna, I made some calls last night and this morning. I
really didn’t know anything about this, but apparently the family that lived
here did just disappear. Some people thought it was a murder but there was no
hard evidence. After a few years, the estate put the house up for sale but by
that time it had run down so much no one wanted it. With the economic problems the price was
dropped really low, which is why we were able to afford it. I’m sorry if it
bothers you.”
“No, not really, ” I replied with a
big smile.
My dad looked surprised by my response
and with a slight stammer asked; “b-but yesterday?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine now, just caught a
little off guard,” I cut my dad off before he could go on and on… he could really
go on sometimes. I had the information I
needed and didn't want to waste any time. After breakfast I helped T.J. get
ready and into the car. After all, I reasoned, I was in a hurry and wanted to
get to school early to talk with some of the other people in school and find
out if they knew anything, or if they knew who might know something.
As soon as I was at school, I
walked about as fast as I could to my locker and smiled and said: “hi” to just
about everyone I saw. I had no idea who
might know or have something I needed.
After taking care of my books and coat, I headed for my first class
hoping to speak with Mrs. Young and the two girls who asked me about the house
the day before. As soon as I entered the room, I greeted Mrs. Young as
pleasantly as I knew how. “Good morning Mrs. Young, how are you doing today?”
“I’m very well, thank you Anna” she
replied.
I think I actually felt a little nauseous
talking like this, but followed by asking; “Mrs. Young, how long have you lived
here in Logan?”
“About twelve years, why do you ask?”
“Oh, I’d like to get to know a little
more about the area and the people who live here. Where did you go to school?”
“Right here, but I grew up in Wyoming,
moved here for college and just fell in love with the place, and someone who
lived here. It’s really beautiful, fall,
winter, spring, and summer, there’s a beautiful lake close by and I love to
ski.” Mrs. Young went on. Most of this
wasn’t anything I was interested in but the part about going to the university
pricked my interest.
“Did you know Dr. Cara or Alan Ling?”
I asked, wondering if I had been too quick to ask the question.
Looking a little surprised, Mrs. Young
responded, “so you’ve heard about the Lings? … I didn’t know Dr. Cara Ling but
I had a class from Dr. Alan Ling my sophomore year. I really enjoyed him; he
was one of the most enthusiastic teachers I ever had. I was very sad… really upset, when the family
disappeared. A lot of students from the
university helped the community search the area. The Lings liked to hike, but it would have
been unusual for them to have gone into the mountains in the winter. We searched there anyway. What happened to them still really nags at me
sometimes, and a lot of my friends. Sometimes we talk and speculate, but that’s
all it is, speculation. No one really
knows what happened, or at least no one that’s talking. Are you concerned about living in their old
home?”
“Oh… it was a shock at first, but I’m
ok now. I’d like to know more about them.”
About then, the room started filling
with other students. The two girls that I wanted to talk with didn’t come in
until right before the bell so I would have to wait for another chance.
Class seemed to go really
slow that day. We were studying chemistry, one of my favorite subjects, I found
myself having to take a lot of notes because there were lots of things Mrs.
Young was talking about that I was unfamiliar with. That was ok because since I
wanted to be a forensic scientist all of this would be helpful. As soon as the bell rang I had already put
everything in my bag, and almost running, caught up with the two girls who had
asked me about the house yesterday.
“I’m sorry,” I said, almost out of
breath, “I know I heard it yesterday but I’ve forgotten your names. Could you
please tell me again?”
Both girls smiled, one said: “I’m
Amanda” and the other quickly chimed in, “I’m Bekah.” Bekah really
looked like a cowboy, or in this case a cowgirl. She had the boots, Lucky bootleg jeans and a
western Lucky shirt, long blonde hair with a perfect mix of multiple colored
highlights, in a ponytail of course, sparkly blue eyes, a small nose with a
slight almost upturn. Her figure was
thin, but not too thin, and an almost enchanting smile. She was an obvious flirt, as she checked out a
few boys and flirtatiously said “hi…” and their name as they walked by. Most
responded with a smile and said “hi! Bekah.” A bunch of girls said “hi” to her
too; but she rarely responded. Amanda
had thick long black hair, distinct small Roman nose, broad smile, full lips,
and noticeable cheekbones. She was
strikingly beautiful and as my mom would say, a little more ‘busty’ than either
Bekah or me. Amanda seemed quieter than
Bekah, and many other kids, both boys and girls, said “hi” to her, but she
mostly just smiled in return.
“Good to meet you,” I responded. “I
think we have the same lunch, could I sit with you today?”
“Sure” answered Bekah, “We’ll sit by
the outside door, right Amanda!? See you at 11:30.”
“Great, ” I responded with just the
right amount of enthusiasm, “See you then.”
The rest of the morning went
quickly, I met and talked with a lot of other people but didn’t bring up the
Lings.
One kind-of good-looking guy, nicely
dressed, about 5’7”, in a layered sweater and jeans, and with short brown hair
and glasses introduced himself; “I’m Tom, you’re the new Granola,… Anna,
right?”
I had absolutely no idea what a
Granola was or if it was good or bad, so just answered; “Hi, I’m Anna.”
“Thought so, welcome to Logan, see ya
around;” he said, as he smiled and walked off.
This was just one example of unfamiliar vocabulary, there were
lots. I hoped I didn’t have to learn a
new language while I was here!
For now, I would start with Bekah and
Amanda and find out who else I needed to know. I was going to do everything I could, to get
in good with my teachers and anyone else I might need without being too
obvious. I may not be the prettiest girl around; but I had adorable hair
and I was cute enough. I was also very smart
and had lots of personality. I did have
some physical attributes including a super cute haircut from just before we
left San Francisco. It was a Christmas
present from one of my aunts who felt sorry for me. My short brown hair was perfect with dark red
highlights. Having money used to help me
get what I wanted; but I was absolutely confident in my eventual success even
without it. There wasn’t anyone I
thought I might really like here, except maybe Bekah, who in-spite of the whole
“western” look, seemed like she might be kind-of cool.
I had gym class right before
lunch on Wednesdays, as far as I was concerned, a lousy schedule, and I had to
hurry as quickly as I could to look even half way decent and get to lunch, I
even decided to skip the food and go right to the table where Bekah and Amanda
were already sitting. Amanda waived and said,
“Hi Anna, we were looking for you” then Bekah said “hi” and smiled.
“Thanks for letting me sit with you” I
responded. It seemed like every time I talked to them today, I was out of
breath. “Yesterday you both asked me about the Ling house. That was the first
I’d heard of the Lings or their disappearance. Last night I went home and looked them up on
the internet. I found some things in the
Herald and the University Press; I think that’s what the papers were called. I even found some information in the Tribune
and Deseret News. I learned a little,
but there really wasn’t much. My dad
hadn’t heard about them either. What do you think happened?”
Bekah jumped in first; “I think they
were murdered. All four of them. There
is just no way a family just disappears and then… nothing! Some kids think they were spies or smugglers
or something like that because they traveled a lot the year before they
disappeared. I think that’s just
stupid. Why in the world would any spy
or smuggler live in Logan?” Then pausing and talking a little slower and more
quietly, Bekah continued; “unless they were hiding from something.” She then talked faster and looking straight at
me said with emphasis; “I heard the police found a lot of blood in the den but
that fact never made it into the newspaper. Some of the blood, even matched
Alan Ling’s DNA. There was blood from someone else, but it was never
matched. My mom is one of the
dispatchers here and her boyfriend used to be in the sheriff’s department and
that’s what they both told me. A lot of
the other kids have never even heard of the Lings and most of the adults seemed
to have forgotten or don’t care. Carl, my mom’s boyfriend, thinks the police
did a lousy job investigating. He made
quite a stink about it and the Sheriff’s department got rid of him. He even knew who did it. That was the problem, he tried to get the
murderer arrested, and HE got fired. He
and my mom could tell you a lot. Because of the way they disappeared, he thinks
it had to be someone they trusted. Someone they would have gotten into a car
and driven off with. Carl’s from Delaware and used to be a detective there. He thinks these small-town cops are pretty
stupid. He and my mom met in Colorado,
that’s where
she’s from. He moved there because he
likes to ski, and then got a job here when I was about one. He helped my mom get her job as a dispatcher
right after he got hired. I could go on and on and tell you a whole lot
more; but there isn’t enough time right now. Lunch is just about over, but they were
murdered and the murderer is still here in Logan. I’m sure of it.”
Just then the bell rang and after a
couple of quick “bye’s” and “see ya later,” we all went our separate ways. Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedules were
different from Tuesday, Thursday, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Amanda
in my history class. It was our last
class of the day. Amanda motioned to me
to sit next to her, and after all the introductions, something I was trying to
be more pleasant about, we settled into the lecture. After class, Amanda quietly asked me to wait a
minute as we walked towards our lockers.
“Anna,” Amanda began slowly,
“something really strange happened to the Lings in that house; but I don’t know
what it was. My father’s uncle, Uncle
Charlie, knew the Lings really well. He was very close to them. He’s a very private person, but from what he’s
said, I don’t think he believes they were murdered. Carl, the guy Bekah
mentioned, says Max Teeples had something to do with it, with the help of Bobby
Sekaquaptewa. Bobby was a friend of the
Lings and Uncle Charlie too. He disappeared about the same time the Lings did. Max Teeples was a suspect, but he was
cleared. That’s kind-a how Carl got
fired. He kept pushing the police to
arrest Mr. Teeples even after he was cleared. The Teeples family has lived in the area for
more than a hundred years and even though they’re not rich, they seem to know
just about everybody. I know Beth
Teeples a little, she’s in our grade and in one of my classes. She’s nice.
She’s kind of a cross between a Molly and a Jock.”
“A Molly, what’s a Molly?” I asked.
“Oh, sorry, tries to be super good,…
but she’s not conceited like some, does all that domestic stuff, goes to
church, like every day, gets along really well with her family. Sometimes
dresses old style. Never swears. Nice to
everybody.” then after pausing and looking like she was deep in thought she continued,
“kind-a peculiar, but I guess in a nice sort a way. Mrs. Young is kind of an adult version. Uncle
Charlie knows the Teeples really well, and says the Lings were really good
friends with the Teeples. He told me,
there is no way Max Teeples would hurt anyone. Their family likes to hunt and
sometimes they go with Uncle Charlie. Even
though I don’t know Beth that well, part of my family has known the Teeples as
long as they’ve lived in the area. Carl
and Sue, Bekah’s mom, really hate hunting and hunters, so that’s another conflict,
they’ve had with the Teeples and Uncle Charlie for a long time.”
“Could I meet your father’s uncle
sometime” I asked.
“I’m
sure you can; but he’s pretty reserved and I doubt he’ll tell you much, if
anything. He was in the first Gulf war
where he lost a leg and since then he’s retreated into himself and his work
even more than before. He’s Shoshone,
and a quarter Nimiipuu, I think. It
takes him quite a while to trust people.”
Really surprised, I asked; “are you Indian?”
And with a little stutter and a lot of embarrassment, “or… a… Native American?”
I felt kind of proud of myself for having remembered and used the more
politically correct term. “I’ve never known anyone who was Native American.”
“I’m a quarter Shoshone, with, I
guess, a little Nimiipuu. Most people
call Nimiipuu, Nez Perce. I’m also one
quarter French and one-half Sicilian. That’s enough to be registered with the tribe,
but I look more like my Sicilian mom, than my Shoshone relatives. There used to
be a lot of Shoshone around here, but not so much anymore. By the way, Bekah doesn’t think much of my
uncle Charlie so you probably don’t want to bring him up around her. I don’t even know if she knows we’re related.”
The next morning, I caught up
with Amanda on the school steps and asked; “Can you introduce me to Beth? I
would like to meet her family and ask them about the Lings. Perhaps you could come with me since you at
least know her.”
“Sure, she should be here in just a
few minutes, in fact, there she is…” as Amanda gestured towards a tall girl
walking from the parking lot, coming towards us… We both looked at Beth as she
started up the steps. She was wearing jeans with light blue snow boots and a
light blue winter coat with a hood. The
hood was down exposing her long curled red hair. As she reached the top of the steps,
I realized she must be 6’ or 6’’1”. She had very distinct freckles and though
not ugly, was not especially cute. “Hi Beth,” said Amanda, “I wanted to
introduce you to Anna. She just moved here. Do you have a couple of minutes?”
Beth smiled and said, “sure, nice to
meet you Anna. Can we go inside? I’m kind-a cold.” “Sure,” both Amanda and I
answered as we walked in the school door.
I didn’t waste any time and quickly started the conversation again. I think I either sounded nervous or cold as we
unbuttoned our coats in the hall.
“Beth, I just moved into the old Ling
house and everything I’ve been hearing has been kind of freaky. I heard you and
your family knew the Lings, and I know this might sound kind of weird, but I
was wondering if I could talk with your parent’s sometime about the whole
thing. I’m hoping Amanda will come too. It
would really help me if I understood more about what happened. My parents were even surprised when they found
out. Would that be possible?”
“I’ll find out,” responded Beth. “When
would you like to come over?”
“Well, I’m going to the university
library this Saturday with my mom. How about Sunday or next Saturday?”
“Sunday’s are usually pretty busy for
us and we try to do family things when we can, but I’ll ask about next
Saturday. I’ll text my mom and should be
able to let you or Amanda know by the end of the day. I’ve got to talk to a teacher before school
starts. I’ll talk to you soon, nice to
meet you Anna.” Beth smiled, then turned and walked down the hall. I then
looked at Amanda again. “I’m sorry, I guess
I didn’t really ask if you wanted to come. Would that be ok?”
“Sure, I’ll check with my mom to make
sure. The Teeples don’t live far from either of us. If it works out, I’ll walk to your place and
we can walk over together. I’ll let you know in the morning.”
I was late to the cafeteria that
day and didn’t see either Amanda or Beth. Bekah was sitting with a group of friends and
was just about ready to leave when I saw her. “Bekah,” I said, loud enough so
she could hear as I again ran to catch up. I was out of breath again and thought she
might think I was stalking her or something.
Not very cool, I needed to control this better. “The other day you said
there was more you and your family could tell me about the Ling disappearance.
Could I come over sometime?”
“Sure! My mom works Saturday night,
but Sunday afternoon should be ok. I’ll text my mom right now and ask. Both she and Carl should be home. It should
just take a minute. … Yeah, that will be fine. Anytime between 1 and 3. Here’s my address and phone number in case you
get lost. It’s on the other side of town
so you’ll probably need to get a ride. Gotta go.”
Bekah
handed me the piece of paper with the address and phone number she had just
written as she took off with her friends, and I finally sat down to eat. I was
pretty pleased with myself. I would take
a look at the Ling collection Saturday morning, talk with Bekah’s family Sunday
and if all goes well, see the primary suspect, Max Teeples the next Saturday. I just needed to meet and talk with Amanda’s
Uncle Charlie. I was sure I could get
him to talk to me. After all, I could
charm just about anyone if I wanted to, bad enough.
The next day went just about
exactly the way I had hoped. All the
appointments were lined up except Uncle Charlie, but no worries, just a matter
of time. I did have a lot of homework
and some of the classes were harder than I expected. But, if I really focused, and T.J. didn‘t
bother me, I’d get it all done this weekend, even with the
investigation.
