“They rough it.”
“He didn't have a toothbrush. He didn't have a change of socks or underwear.”
“You're right about that. But we never recovered any.”
“There's something else.” I had made a split-second decision to tell him what we had learned that morning. “We spoke to that couple who found the body, the Towers. They were on their way down the mountain when they spotted the body and the backpack.”
“OK.”
“They had gone up the same way earlier in the day. I'm not surprised they didn't see the body because of the angle, but they didn't see the backpack on the way up.”
There was silence from the deputy. Then he said, “They were coming down when they saw the body and on the way up they missed the backpack?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
“They couldn't have missed it if it was there, Warren.
The trail is narrow. Even if they were looking away, they would have kicked it as they went by. We think the backpack was taken after the accident and brought back just before the Towers came down the mountain.”
“I suppose that could have happened,” Warren said. “Someone could've seen it, thought it had money, taken it away with him to check, and brought it back when he'd taken what he wanted out of it. Could've been a piece of jewelry in there that the fellow didn't want to wear in the heat, like a ring.”
“That's what we were thinking,” I said, not wanting to get involved in a discussion of possible homicide.
“Well, that's interesting. It's so long ago, I don't remember whether I asked those folks if they were going up or down, and if it's not in the file, they didn't volunteer it. But I agree with you that because of the curve of the trail, you'd see the body coming down easier than going up.”
“I just wanted you to know what we found out.”
“My recollection is the father flew down and identified the body, and we gave him the backpack and whatever we had. There was a wallet in his pocket, as I remember.”
“I saw that, yes. Well, thanks for your time.” I went back to the table and told Joseph what I had learned.
“So no suitcase, no clothes, no big backpack. I'm sure the parents were too distraught to think about such mundane things.”
“And as far as the police were concerned, young people just roughed it and didn't bother changing their clothes. Or using a toothbrush,” I added.
“I think we've learned something valuable,” Joseph said. “Whether the companion took the backpack or a third party did, I'm convinced there was another container of possessions that he left somewhere rather than carry itas he climbed. And the place was very likely the car he came in.”
“OK,” I said. The check had been dropped on the table in my absence. “We've accomplished something. Let's go look at that mission.”
Everyone knew of the San Xavier Mission, which was on a reservation not far south of our hotel. The drive was barely twenty minutes. I took the wheel and Joseph kept her eyes peeled for the first sight of it, which turned out to be quite dramatic.
“Look,” she said, leaning forward. “Over to the right, that magnificent white structure rising out of the desert.”
I could hear the excitement in her voice. I glanced to my right and saw it, a white dome atop a long, low white building. A moment later we passed a sign that we were entering the reservation, and soon I came to the exit. We drove through farmland, finally approaching the mission, which stood just beyond a wide-open space with parking along the left side. We got out of the car and began to walk through the dusty open area. Off to our right, well beyond the building, was a small hill with a large cross planted on the top. Several people were climbing toward it.
We entered the church and went into the dark interior. Old wooden pews, smoothed by age and use, flanked a center aisle in the narrow sanctuary. Candles burned ahead of us in the nave. The atmosphere was hushed. In the left transept
“He didn't have a toothbrush. He didn't have a change of socks or underwear.”
“You're right about that. But we never recovered any.”
“There's something else.” I had made a split-second decision to tell him what we had learned that morning. “We spoke to that couple who found the body, the Towers. They were on their way down the mountain when they spotted the body and the backpack.”
“OK.”
“They had gone up the same way earlier in the day. I'm not surprised they didn't see the body because of the angle, but they didn't see the backpack on the way up.”
There was silence from the deputy. Then he said, “They were coming down when they saw the body and on the way up they missed the backpack?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting.”
“They couldn't have missed it if it was there, Warren.
The trail is narrow. Even if they were looking away, they would have kicked it as they went by. We think the backpack was taken after the accident and brought back just before the Towers came down the mountain.”
“I suppose that could have happened,” Warren said. “Someone could've seen it, thought it had money, taken it away with him to check, and brought it back when he'd taken what he wanted out of it. Could've been a piece of jewelry in there that the fellow didn't want to wear in the heat, like a ring.”
“That's what we were thinking,” I said, not wanting to get involved in a discussion of possible homicide.
“Well, that's interesting. It's so long ago, I don't remember whether I asked those folks if they were going up or down, and if it's not in the file, they didn't volunteer it. But I agree with you that because of the curve of the trail, you'd see the body coming down easier than going up.”
“I just wanted you to know what we found out.”
“My recollection is the father flew down and identified the body, and we gave him the backpack and whatever we had. There was a wallet in his pocket, as I remember.”
“I saw that, yes. Well, thanks for your time.” I went back to the table and told Joseph what I had learned.
“So no suitcase, no clothes, no big backpack. I'm sure the parents were too distraught to think about such mundane things.”
“And as far as the police were concerned, young people just roughed it and didn't bother changing their clothes. Or using a toothbrush,” I added.
“I think we've learned something valuable,” Joseph said. “Whether the companion took the backpack or a third party did, I'm convinced there was another container of possessions that he left somewhere rather than carry itas he climbed. And the place was very likely the car he came in.”
“OK,” I said. The check had been dropped on the table in my absence. “We've accomplished something. Let's go look at that mission.”
Everyone knew of the San Xavier Mission, which was on a reservation not far south of our hotel. The drive was barely twenty minutes. I took the wheel and Joseph kept her eyes peeled for the first sight of it, which turned out to be quite dramatic.
“Look,” she said, leaning forward. “Over to the right, that magnificent white structure rising out of the desert.”
I could hear the excitement in her voice. I glanced to my right and saw it, a white dome atop a long, low white building. A moment later we passed a sign that we were entering the reservation, and soon I came to the exit. We drove through farmland, finally approaching the mission, which stood just beyond a wide-open space with parking along the left side. We got out of the car and began to walk through the dusty open area. Off to our right, well beyond the building, was a small hill with a large cross planted on the top. Several people were climbing toward it.
We entered the church and went into the dark interior. Old wooden pews, smoothed by age and use, flanked a center aisle in the narrow sanctuary. Candles burned ahead of us in the nave. The atmosphere was hushed. In the left transept
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