White Death, Chapter 3

Zack climbed into his F-250 truck but didn’t start the engine. He sat in the driver’s seat, considering what he had just learned. The notion of going to Antarctica intrigued him. He had always enjoyed the outdoors, hiking, camping, and exploring nature. A trip to the bottom of the world would allow him to put his skills to the ultimate test. What would Gina think about it?

Zack had spent many days in Maine winters, but how did they compare to summers in the Antarctic? He would get to find out. Maybe. It sounded like he would get the opportunity, since all the clues were down there. He began making a list of things in his head that would be necessary for roughing it in Antarctica.

He also made a mental note to talk to Adam Palmquist and Ian Houston. Adam, his colleague from Minnesota, had traveled to Antarctica a few times honing his cryokinesis skills. Ian Houston, Oklahoma Psionic Officer, had been there to study the fierce storms that wreaked havoc on the continent. Zack realized he was a little jealous of his friends, since they had chances to visit a place where relatively few people got to go.

Would he be able to handle the extreme environment, or would he have to rely on his powers?

Zack couldn’t wait to find out.

He decided his next step was to speak with Dr. Messmer at the University of Maine. As he turned the key in the ignition, his stomach growled.

Maybe a bite of lunch first. He phoned his sister Gabrielle, who lived in Orono, and arranged to meet her at a nearby restaurant.

“To what do I owe this honor?” she said, alighting from her car and hugging him.

He kissed the top of her head. “Do I need an excuse to take my favorite sister to lunch?”

She gave him a suspicious look. “What are you doing in town anyway?”

Zack gave her a brief recap of what had occurred in Antarctica. “It seems I get to go to the bottom of the world.”

“An avid outdoorsman like you is probably excited to experience such a rugged landscape,” she said as they entered the restaurant. “You know your nephews are going to beg you to take them with you.”

Zack chuckled. “I’m going to disappoint them since they will have to understand this is a murder investigation.”

“I know, but they’ll still want to go. They adore you and the time you spend with them in the outdoors, teaching them survivalist skills.”

“Maybe I’ll tell them I’m learning new things to teach them when I get back.”

Gabrielle nodded, as if satisfied with that. They ordered their food and sat down at an empty table near the window. Gabrielle peered outside at the overcast day and pulled her coat up around her neck.

“I can’t imagine wanting to go somewhere colder than this,” she said. “When will you get to come back?”

“Dunno.” Zack spoke between bites and shook his head. “It depends on how fast I can finish this investigation down there. I hope to be back in time for Halloween.”

“Are you going to Florida for Christmas? Mom and Dad haven’t seen us for a while now since Dad retired and they moved someplace warmer. They’re hoping that all of us can visit them.”

“You know I can’t plan that far in advance,” Zack grumbled. “The closer we get to the holidays, the more idea I’ll have to how much time I’ll have. Are you, Nicki, and Toni going?”

“Greg and I are and taking the kids. I don’t know about your other two sisters. I’m sure it will depend upon if they and their husbands can get time off. I know schools doesn’t let out until right before Christmas Eve, so it might be difficult for them to make travel plans. I’ll let you know when I find out.”

“Or they could just tell me.” Zack gave her a wry smile.

“Yes, because you’re so easy to get a hold of.” She giggled. “How’s Gina?”

Zack wasn’t prepared for the sudden change in subject but managed a nod. “She’s good. Working hard.”

Gabby stared at him without responding, as if waiting for him to continue.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Zack muttered.

“If so, then answer my question.”

“I haven’t decided if I’m going to propose this Christmas,” he said with a sigh. “You know how tough it is to find someone who’s tough enough to put up with my job. Always called away in an instant. Never knowing when, or if, I’ll come back.”

Gabby leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table, with a placating smile. “If I didn’t think Gina could handle it, I wouldn’t have introduced you to each other. She’s a tough gal. We talk a lot--”

“I know,” Zack whispered.

“—and I know her fears and worries, but I also know that she is capable of sticking with you. Admit it. She’s hung around longer than any of your other girlfriends.”

Zack could only nod. He had no response for her.

“I guess I need to get over to the university and find this Dr. Messmer.” He rose from the table.

“Just think about it, Zack. Please call me when you have more time to talk. I want to know what’s really bugging you.” She stood up and gathered the empty cups and food containers onto a tray. She led him toward the door where she emptied the tray into the trash. “It’ll be fine.”

She pulled on her coat and stepped outside into the cold. Zack hugged her before heading toward his truck. “Thanks, sis.”

**

Zack drove to the campus and spent an hour finding her office and then tracking down her whereabouts. A receptionist told him she was conducting a laboratory session and would be available in about thirty minutes.

Zack cooled his heels in the building’s foyer while he waited. He noticed photos of people, bundled up in cold weather clothing, and posing with snow and mountains in the background, posted around the room. Some of them had captions identifying the persons in the pictures, stating they images were taken in Antarctica. A few contained Dr. Messner’s name in the captions, but since everyone was wearing goggles, masks, and parkas pulled around their faces, he could not get a good look at her.

At last, a heavy-set woman about five feet six inches and shoulder-length dark hair walked into the room and headed toward him, arm outstretched.

“Officer Fletcher? I’m Claire Messner.” She gave him a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” Zack shook her hand, giving her his most charming grin. Her cheeks reddened slightly.

“You are here about Chuck Gardner and Lindsey Whitehead?”

“Chief Bowers told me what little he knew about their deaths and the mystery surrounding them.”

“Let’s continue this discussion in my office.” She gestured toward a large room behind the receptionist’s desk. He entered to find a desk about eight feet long and four feet wide, made of dark wood. A round table with four chairs sat opposite the desk. The office was immaculate, with every book on the shelves sitting straight, not crooked, no piles of paper strewn across the desk, and an array of photos on the walls, all aligned perfectly.

She motioned for him to take a seat in a chair in front of the huge desk, closing the door and she sat behind it.

“I think it’s best if we don’t talk about this in front of who-knows-what out there.” She propped her elbows on the desk and touched her fingertips together. “I suppose I should start by telling you a little bit about our research in the Antarctic. Our program to study solar radiation and its effect on climate change is funded by the International Research Federation for Climate Change, or IRFCC. Dr. Whitehead was one of the original scientists who proposed the research to the IRFCC and succeeded in obtaining funding for the program. She had been in the Antarctic for about a year when she disappeared.”

“I understand she fell into a glacier crevice.”

“That is what her pilot, Chuck Gardner, reported,” Messner said. “But she had been down there several times and knew the dangers. I know accidents happen all the time because it’s such a dangerous place, but Lindsey was always overly cautious. She respected the environment and the weather. I don’t see how she could have fallen into a glacier. She wouldn’t have gone any where near it if the winds were too strong.”

“Do you suspect Gardner might have had something to do with her disappearance?”

“That question has been asked a hundred times since Lindsey vanished, and I realize that he has…er, had a dubious past, but nobody ever reported having any problem with him. We were fully aware of his previous crimes and did have some doubts about hiring him, but again…” Messner held up her hands. “We can’t figure out any motive he would have had for causing her any hard.”

“What was Dr. Whitehead doing on the day she disappeared?”

“She was taking radiation measurements to compare with previous readings. Tracking the hole in the ozone, which has stabilized in recent years but still could have an effect on the environment and climate.”

“Did Gardner report anything unusual then?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary. He had flown her out to this same spot several times before. He said that she asked him to help her carry some equipment.” Messner paused. She seemed to be composing herself. “He said they were keeping their distance from the glacier, but a gust of wind knocked her down and blew her over the edge of a crevice. He said he reached for her but couldn’t grab her in time. He made it back to the plane and radioed for help.”

“They were never able to find her body?”

“No. The rescuers are some of the best and they did all they could do to find her, but glaciers are notoriously dangerous. They tried their hardest but never found her. They eventually had to abandon the search and she was considered deceased.”

Zack stroked his beard while he digested the new information. Nothing appeared to be suspicious or out of the ordinary. “Any idea how Gardner’s body could have become irradiated?”

“We’re hoping that you might be able to figure that out.” Messner gave him a confused, pleading expression. “There isn’t anything at the site with enough nuclear activity to result in that level of radiation. Not even the medical equipment present has any sort of nuclear source.”

“No possibility this could have been a natural occurrence?”

“It isn’t likely. We’ve contacted the present crew and made them aware of the results of Gardner’s autopsy and to be careful.”

“Present crew?”

“When winter ended and people could leave, most of the staff at the center returned home and we sent down replacements to continue research.”

“I will need to know who was there at the times Dr. Whitehead disappeared and Gardner’s death,” Zack said.

“I understand, and we have already started compiling that information.” Messner turned to her computer and her voice seemed to rise in pitch.

“But…” Zack sensed hesitation in her.

“But not all of the staff at the research center were from the University of Maine’s program,” Messner said with a sigh, not looking up from her computer. “The remainder of them were from the IRFCC. We were just one of a few groups down there. Fortunately, there were only about thirty to forty residents over the winter so that should help us find everyone not associated with UM.”

Zack still suspected apprehension in her since she did not meet his eyes or even glance in his direction while speaking. “What else is there, Dr. Messner?”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “The IRFCC isn’t exactly the most cooperative of entities. From my interactions with their staff, it seems to me they have a superiority complex, as if they have a sense of entitlement, being able to approve certain proposals and grants while denying others. As soon as I heard about Dr. Whitehead, I informed them. There wasn’t much for them to do about that, but when Chuck Gardner’s autopsy results were revealed, they weren’t at all pleased, like they think the ME made a mistake.”

Zack furrowed his brows. “What reason would they have to think that?”

“I don’t know.” Messner sounded exasperated.

“Could they know where the radiation is or what the source is and fear they might be complicit if more people suffer exposure like Gardner?”

“I would not put it past the IRFCC to conceal information that could be harmful or even deadly to people. They might even be responsible for whatever caused Gardner’s death.”

“But that wouldn’t explain Dr. Whitehead’s disappearance. There wasn’t anything found at the site where she vanished that would explain the radiation?”

“None whatsoever.”

Zack spoke with Messner for ten more minutes but did not learn anything beyond what she had already told him. She promised to get him a list of names of the people at the research center over the winter and their approximate, current whereabouts.

Zack took his leave and headed back to his truck. Summer might be starting in Antarctica, but winter was already bearing down on Maine. He pulled his coat up as he walked across campus. He was used to the frigid temperatures of New England winters, but they were balmy compared to the southernmost continent.

He had not sensed any deception from Dr. Messner, and she seemed open and honest. But her disdain for the IRFCC was apparent. Zack had his fair share of dealing with corrupt or unscrupulous government entities so it came as no surprise that the IRFCC could be just as shady as any other international foundation with little oversight. It would be great to dethrone another one.

A sadistic grin grew on Zack’s face as he climbed into his truck. “Fresh meat.”