Read Online On Deadly Ground by Michael Norman - Free Book Online Page A

The reporter knew specifics about the investigation that hadn’t been made public: that there were two separate crime scenes; that there was a note pinned to the victim’s shirt; even that they found a shell casing and other physical evidence.
    The investigation had already been compromised, and Books was angry. Near the end of the news conference, he finally got the question he was hoping for. A female reporter seated near the back of the room asked if they had developed a motive for the murder.
    â€œWhile we want to emphasize that we are keeping an open mind concerning possible reasons for Dr. Greenbriar’s murder, it’s no secret that his involvement in the environmental movement as president and chairman of the board of the Escalante Environmental Wilderness Alliance might have provided the motive,” said Books. “It is also clear that there are elements in the local community who were hostile toward Dr. Greenbriar and his organization. We urge everyone in our community to put differences aside and help us solve this horrific crime. If anyone has information pertinent to our investigation, please contact either Sheriff Sutter or me.”
    Books never mentioned the CFW by name, but he didn’t have to. Moments after the press conference, a visibly angry Charley Sutter cornered him in the hallway outside the commission chambers. Books had noticed that when Sutter got upset, there was a visible twitch in the cheek on the left side of his face.
    â€œDo you have any idea what you just did in there?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “You did everything but accuse members of the CFW of complicity in Greenbriar’s murder.”
    Books listened patiently to Sutter’s tirade before firing back. “Somebody in this town knows what happened to David Greenbriar, and they need to come forward. And I would think, Charley, that you ought to be more concerned about finding his killer and less concerned about whether we ruffle some feathers in the process.”
    Sutter snorted, “Maybe so, but you better understand, you’ve just set us up for a shit-storm of public criticism.”
    â€œI’ll try not to lose sleep over it, Charley, and neither should you. By the way, who was the reporter sitting in the front row who asked the pointed questions about our case?”
    Now his cheek was twitching like crazy. “That was Lamont Christensen. He’s the editor of the local newspaper, the Kane County Citizen .”
    â€œSomebody’s leaked information to him, Charley. Was it you?”
    â€œI sure as hell didn’t. He called me at home last evening, but I refused to answer his questions.”
    â€œWell, somebody sure as hell did,” said Books. “He had to have gotten that information from a source close to the investigation, and that’s a damn short list.” If not the sheriff, Books wondered about Brian Call.
    Sutter was right about one thing. CFW members and their sympathizers wasted little time before placing a deluge of angry phone calls to the BLM, the sheriff’s office, the Kanab Town Council, and the Kane County Commission. Books didn’t give a damn about the criticism, so long as it resulted in somebody coming forward with new information that would advance the investigation. And it actually didn’t take long.

Chapter Ten
    Books spent the rest of the afternoon in his office dealing with voice messages and phone calls from angry citizens and government bureaucrats. A couple of anonymous messages were predictably threatening, but most weren’t. Sutter managed to disappear after leaving instructions at the sheriff’s office to forward every cranky citizen call to Books. For the most part he listened patiently, allowing callers to vent and hoping for a kernel of helpful information.
    Alexis Runyon phoned to express concern over how quickly Books had managed to alienate so many locals in such a short period of time. She