Free On Deadly Ground by Michael Norman Page A

for a visit.”
    Books shrugged. “If you’ll give me a list of his closest friends from the university, I’ll call and inquire if any of them phoned David.”
    â€œI’ll do that, but you should also ask David’s ex. She would know his former colleagues a lot better than I do.”
    â€œWhat can you tell me about an EEWA member named Lance Clayburn?”
    The mention of his name brought a subtle and yet visible reaction to her face—shock or surprise, maybe. “How did Lance’s name come up?”
    â€œHe was the other person who called Cathy asking about David’s weekend schedule. Why? Does that surprise you?”
    â€œNo, not really. I can’t tell you much about Lance because I don’t know him all that well. He joined the EEWA about a year and a half ago. He doesn’t miss many meetings. Other members seem to like him quite well.”
    Books had never heard of him. “Where’s he from, do you know?”
    â€œSeems like he mentioned Vermont or Connecticut, somewhere in New England. I’m not really sure.”
    â€œWhat does he do for a living?”
    â€œFrom what I hear, he isn’t employed. He’s a trust baby who comes from a family with a boatload of money.”
    â€œDid he get along with David?”
    â€œHe seems to get along with everybody, including David.”
    Books told her he’d pay Clayburn a visit, thanked her, and left. When he got back to the office, he found Celia Foxworthy waiting in the reception area. She was a few minutes early. He also found a voice message from Sergeant Grant Weatherby asking that he call as soon as possible. That might mean Weatherby had discovered information about Darby’s trip to Las Vegas, although the receipts she had provided seemed to show her presence in Sin City.

Chapter Eleven
    Celia Foxworthy was a transplanted Californian who had moved to southern Utah more than four years before. The roots of her environmental activism began years earlier with the Sierra Club when she’d lived in Lake Tahoe. She was an EEWA volunteer and a neighbor of the Greenbriars. After several minutes of getting-to-know-you small talk, Books brought the conversation around to the investigation.
    â€œThanks for contacting me, Celia. If we’re going to solve David’s murder, we need citizen help. So what brings you to see me today?”
    â€œWell, it might be nothing, but I felt someone should tell you.”
    â€œTell me what?”
    â€œDuring the past year, there’s been a lot of internal conflict in the EEWA, a power struggle I guess you’d call it.”
    This was the second time Books had heard this. “Please go on.”
    â€œYou may know the EEWA is governed by a board of directors, with David serving as chairman. In recent months, he and another board member, Barry Struthers, have been in a great deal of conflict over the direction of the organization.”
    â€œWhat kind of conflict?”
    â€œVerbal mostly, raised voices, shouting on a couple of occasions during board meetings.”
    â€œWhat were they fighting about?”
    â€œI’m not sure how to say this, but Barry, I think, has grown frustrated over the past year that goals in the organization aren’t being as aggressively pursued as he thinks they should be.”
    Books frowned. “Are you trying to tell me that Struthers advocated using more extreme tactics that might include breaking the law?”
    â€œI wouldn’t go that far. Let me put it another way. David was far more patient than Barry. He was tenacious in pursuing EEWA goals, but he was willing to take the long road to get there. Not so with Barry. Barry is an impatient guy who expects results yesterday—different styles, I guess you could say.”
    â€œAs far as you know, had Struthers ever threatened David?”
    â€œNot that I heard. But at our spring picnic in May, everyone had been drinking. David