Morningstar: Chapter 15: Bobby Sekaquaptewa

 

Chapter 15: Bobby Sekaquaptewa

 

          Amanda was slumbering peacefully when I returned to the room.  I lay a soft blanket over her and just let her sleep.  We both needed the rest; but there was no way I could sleep now.  My first priority was to scan everything in the book.  The pages were small, but the book was thick and full.  I wanted to get everything scanned and back on T.J.’s dresser before he woke up so I could get my grandmother’s doll back.  I was sure it wouldn’t survive an hour in T.J.’s room, even high on a shelf, with him awake.  Besides, I didn’t want to have to explain to my dad why my grandmother’s doll was on T.J.’s shelf.  I’m not a doll person and it was the only one I still owned.  All the others from when I was little that weren’t totally trashed, had been given to Goodwill.  This one was different; it had been my grandmother’s and wasn’t a toy.

          Just inside the journal front cover was a pocket with a folded piece of paper that had been crumpled; probably from T.J. taking it out, looking at it and putting it back, over and over again.  It was a duplicate of the page I had drawn from the library…  The one with the stones.  Just inside the back cover were two other folded and crumpled pieces of paper.  They were not as crumpled as the one in the front and must not have been as interesting to T.J. There was a letter from Alan to Cara Ling and another from Cara to Alan.  The journal itself started with information about Bobby’s parents, starting with his father.  Then there was a section of his own investigation into Carl Stuki with, to my astonishment and excitement, directions to where he had hidden copies of evidence.  The same evidence he had given Charlie.  The end of the journal looked more like college notes with three headings.  Birds, Snakes, and Dragons; Stones of Light; & Morning Star, and other sacred stones.

          I worked frantically to get everything scanned and saved to my secure folder on the hard drive and a copy on a thumb drive I kept in a drawer in my room.  It took me about three hours to get everything saved, the book back on T.J.’s dresser, and my grandmother’s doll back where it belonged.

          The first thing I wanted to address was the information on Carl Stuki.  If Carl had murdered Charlie and Bobby, and if I was still in any danger for what I’d seen, I wanted Carl behind bars ASAP.  I had given the police everything I had, but this was so much more.   My head was starting to get rummy from sleep deprivation.  If I was going to find the evidence, I would need Amanda’s help.  She’d probably still be half asleep but may still be able to help.  Two rummy heads are probably better than one.

          “Amanda, Amanda!”  I shook her gently at first, then harder.  “AMANDA, AMANDA!”

          She slowly and barely squinted her eyes open.  “What?  Is it morning already?”

          “Well, not exactly; but I need your help.  Can you sit up and talk?”

          “Sure.”

          I let her sit up on her own to make sure she was awake then told her everything that had occurred since she left to go to the bathroom.  I ran to get us both an apple to help wake us up.  I had to shake her again a couple of times, but we finally got through everything and she seemed to understand.  Some things had to be repeated two or three times.

          Amanda was slowly getting excited.  She was able to stand up and walk around, pace would be more accurate.

          “So, you think there’s more evidence hidden someplace about Carl Stuki?  Something that would show a motive for killing Bobby?”

          “YES! yes.” She was finally getting it.

          “OK, where is it?”  Well, obviously, she wasn’t totally getting it.

          “I don’t know.  Bobby left a clue in his journal at the end of the section on his investigation into Carl.  That’s why I need you.”

          “And you think I’LL understand???  You’re the REALLY smart one.”

          “Thanks, but you’re dang smart too, and I’m hoping you can help me figure this out.  Besides, you see and understand things I don’t.  You’ve got Charlie’s gift for that sort of thing.”

          “What makes you think that???”

          “You look at and think about some things differently from most people.  I can’t explain it, but sometimes it’s just different… you’re insightful.”

          “Ok, what-cha got?”

          “Not much, let me show you.  I’ve got it pulled up on the computer so you can see.”

          “Original copies of the evidence have been placed: North of the passage stone.  Behind the symbol of Aesculapius.  A copy will be given to Charlie to give to the police and a copy has already been placed in a box within the West Bear Lake Cairn.  Because of its remoteness, and winter.  That copy is not as up to date.  The Lings plan to return in three days and take their copy to the FBI if Charlie is not successful.”

          “What does this mean about the Lings returning?”

          “I don’t know; but obviously they didn’t come back.  Somehow, they disappeared.  Right now, we’ve got to figure out where the original evidence is.”

          “Ok, what’s the symbol of Aesulpus, or whatever?”

          “Aesculapius.  I’ve already looked it up and have it ready for you on the internet.”  I clicked on the internet at the bottom of the screen and brought up the picture of Aesculapius with the Caduceus.

          “Isn’t that the doctor symbol?”

          “Yeah, there’s lots about the Caduceus in the Ling notes and in Bobby’s notes, but that has to be the symbol Bobby is talking about.”

          “That’s crazy!  There has to be millions of those.  Probably at least thousands of those just here in Logan.”

          “That may be a slight exaggeration for Logan but how many are north of the passage stone?”

          “Ok, miss smarty pants, what’s the passage stone?”

          “I have no idea!  That’s the problem.”

          “Well, how many passages are there around here?  There’s the pass to Bear Lake and the pass to Brigham City.  There’s train and highway overpasses.  There’s probably tons of passages of different kinds at the university and some at school.  There’s even some at the medical buildings.”  Amanda then sat back down on the couch and laid back down.  “I’m sorry I don’t think I can think or stay awake.”

          “I know, there’s passages and stones all over the place and probably a few NORTH of a Caduceus.  Maybe we’re over thinking this.  Maybe we’re not thinking straight.  Help me put all this away and we’ll get in bed and think about it when we wake up.”

          “Ok, it’s a deal.”

          We put things back in boxes and in my closet, not neatly, but as quick as we could for how tired we were.  Amanda and I both just collapsed on my bed.