Black Sun Descending by Stephen Legault Page B

domestic abuse.”
    SILAS NEXT CALLED Dallas Vaughn and got his answering machine. He left a message saying he wanted to return his wife’s office key and gave the man his cell phone number. He had no sooner hung up than there was a knock on the door. Silas peered through the peephole. It was Hayduke. Silas opened the door and the young man quickly stepped into the room.
    â€œHoly shit, man, I thought you were a goner this morning! I thought the fucking feds were going to arrest you.”
    â€œYou saw that?”
    â€œI was across the street, eating breakfast. I saw them come and go. I followed you over to their office after you had your breakfast. I thought if you needed help . . .”
    â€œWhat were you going to do, spring me from the hoosegow?”
    â€œI don’t know . . . so, what did they want?”
    Silas considered this. “They wanted to know what I had found out about Jane’s work, and how it might relate to her murder.”
    â€œThey knew you’d been in the office?”
    â€œYeah. Dallas Vaughn told them he had given me a key.”
    â€œDid they know about me?”
    â€œThey didn’t say. I don’t think so.”
    â€œGood! I don’t want anything to do with the feds.”
    â€œHayduke, when you knew Penny, did she ever tell you anything about the FBI having a file on her?”
    â€œFuck, you got to be kidding me! They had a file on Pen?”
    â€œIt seems like it. They had one on Jane because she had once publicly stated that blowing up the Glen Canyon Dam would be the best thing for the Colorado River or something. I think it was an off the cuff statement, but the Bureau took it seriously enough that they started monitoring her.”
    â€œI remember that speech. It was great. Just over at UNA , your old stomping grounds. That was before Penny disappeared.”
    â€œI think that speech is what got Jane an FBI file, and maybe Penny too.”
    â€œI don’t think that’s what got Penny a file, man. She wasn’t into all that. She wanted to find another way to save the Colorado River.”
    â€œWilderness designation?”
    â€œYeah, that was a part of it.”
    â€œWhich brings us back to Chas Hinkley. Listen, we need to get out of Dodge. I’m going to go and find Vaughn and brace him about his wife, then find this Chas Hinkley guy and see what he knows.”
    â€œYeah, let’s do that!”
    â€œNot we, just me.”
    Hayduke looked like a crestfallen child. “Really, come on, I’m good at scaring people.” He smiled a wolfish smile.
    â€œI’m sure you are. But I don’t want to scare them. I just want to learn a little more about what they knew about both Jane and Penny. In the meantime, why don’t you see what you can learn about Jane’s work?”
    â€œWhat, you want me to go to the library while you’re out having fun?”
    â€œThe library can be fun.”
    â€œSays the former English professor.”
    â€œWell, I’ll come with you. I want to look something up while we’re there.”

THE FLAGSTAFF PUBLIC LIBRARY WAS located downtown on Aspen Avenue. The two men entered and while Hayduke disappeared to conduct his research, Silas went to the information counter and asked to see stories related to the disappearance of Jane Vaughn. It took half an hour, but the librarian returned with a stack of backdated Arizona Daily Sun s. Silas took them to a table near a large window overlooking the treed yard of the library.
    He spread the papers out and started to read and jot notes in a small spiralbound notebook. An hour passed. When he had finished with the papers he picked them up, arranged them in a neat stack, and took them back to the information desk. From there he could see Hayduke busy at one of the computer terminals.
    â€œI’m going to go. I’ve got what I need. How are you coming along?”
    â€œFucking great,