Free Earthcrack: A Lin Hanna Mystery by Sharon Canipe Page B

she added quickly, “but we
are, at least, acquainted and I’m happy to work with him and his students.”
    “ Very well then,” Danielle’s smile put
Lin more at ease, “ that can be one of your summer duties.   Someone has to keep track of these grad
students and make sure that they stick to authorized areas and activities.”
    “I’ll do my best,” Lin responded.   She hoped that Danielle didn’t simply
think she wanted to spend time with Neal Smith for social reasons. Her
reference to having lunch with him was certainly subject to misinterpretation.   After all, Dr. Smith was an attractive
man and he appeared to be about her age.   Lin had observed that he didn’t wear a wedding ring and he had, after
all, tried to flirt with her a bit when they first met.
      Lin wondered to herself why she shouldn’t
pursue social contact with Smith; he was nice looking, intelligent, and he
certainly seemed interested in her.   There was something there that made her hesitate though.   She still wondered about his reaction to
the incident on Monday.   He did seem
nervous and he did not want to talk about it.   Lin would’ve loved to explore her own
questions with him.    It was
hard to explain, but she sensed something in his reaction to the incident.   Still, he was responsible for all those
students and it was a pretty shocking thing to have happen on a class field
trip.
    Lin hastened to finish up her
duties.   It was Saturday and she had
agreed to go into town with Toby.   He was meeting some friends for dinner and a movie and had invited Lin
to go along.     Lin looked
forward to an evening with these younger folks.   It would be fun and relaxing after this
long, busy week.    Finishing up
at the center, she hurried back to her apartment to get ready for the evening.
    ***
    Lin was not scheduled to work in the
visitor center on Sunday so she took advantage of her day off to sleep in a
bit.   It had been fairly late when
she had returned from the previous evening’s activities.   It had been fun to be with Toby and his
friends—reminded her of time spent with her own “young adult”
children.   She did not see them
nearly as much as she would have liked—although they both lived in North
Carolina, they were some distance away from her home and very busy with their
own jobs and families.
       It was nice to have a “lazy”
Sunday morning—at least for a while! As midmorning approached she decided
to take a short hike so she drove over to Sunset Crater to walk some of the
visitor trails there.   She found the
lava fields very interesting with cave-like tubes running here and there and
interesting formations everywhere.   It was easy to imagine what it must have been like when these barren
black rocks were bubbling masses of molten lava oozing and flowing about.   From the middle of the lava field it was
easy to imagine that one was out alone in a wilderness area.   The road and the facilities at the
trailhead were not visible.   This
would be rather spooky in the dark, Lin imagined—not to mention the fact
that the sharp lava rocks would likely cut you to pieces if you got off the
trail.
    After her walk, she returned home and
fixed some lunch.   She took her
sandwich and soda outside to the folding table the apartment residents used for
picnics and gatherings and sat down to eat and read.   She had pretty much lost herself in the
pages of this mystery when she was surprised by Danielle, dropping down in the
opposite chair.   She was damp with
sweat and her hair curled in damp ringlets on her neck.
    “You look hot,” Lin greeted her, “ let me
get you something to drink.”
    “Water would be great, thanks.”   Danielle wiped her face and neck with a
towel, “I’ve been running in Deadman’s Wash.   It’s warmer than I thought today.”
    Lin went into her apartment and grabbed a
bottle of water.   She opened it and
took it back out to Danielle,   “ I
didn’t realize you