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Their relationship had been strained ever since his marriage to Linda, a curator at the Museum of Northern Arizona—and fifteen years his junior.Linda had been his colleague during the last years of his marriage to Kari’s mother, and Kari had always wondered if the curator had been, at least in part, the reason for her parents’ divorce.

Taking a deep breath of the familiar mountain air, which was thinner and cooler than the reservation heat she’d left behind, Kari reminded herself that she wasn’t here for her father or for Linda.This was about a murder investigation, nothing else.

And she was going to do her best to keep it that way.

Canyon State University sprawled at the city’s southern edge, its historic north campus buildings of native stone and timber standing in contrast to the modern facilities that had expanded the campus over decades.Kari parked in a visitor space outside the Geology Building, a boxy structure from the 1970s with a display of massive rock specimens flanking its entrance.

The department office was quiet when she entered, a student worker glancing up from a computer with mild interest.

“Can I help you?”the young woman asked.

Kari showed her badge.“Detective Kari Blackhorse, Navajo Nation Police.I need to speak with someone regarding Dr.Mark Harrington.”

The student’s expression shifted instantly, a mixture of concern and curiosity.“Oh.Dr.Hale is the department chair.Her office is down the hall, second door on the left.She just finished teaching a class, so she should be there.”

“Thank you,” Kari said, heading in the indicated direction.

The hallway was lined with glass cases displaying geological specimens and posters detailing faculty research.Halfway down, a bulletin board featured photographs of department members in the field.Kari paused, spotting Harrington immediately—a trim man with salt-and-pepper hair and an enthusiastic smile, crouched beside a rock formation, pointing to some feature invisible to the untrained eye.

The man in the photo bore little resemblance to the brutalized body she’d examined that morning.The disconnect was jarring, a reminder of the violence that had erased the person he’d been.

The door marked “Dr.Sylvia Hale, Chair” was ajar.Kari knocked.

“Come in,” called a voice from inside.

Dr.Hale was a petite woman in her early fifties, with short black hair streaked with gray and wire-rimmed glasses.She looked up from her computer, her professional smile fading as Kari introduced herself and showed her badge.

“This is about Mark, isn’t it?”she asked, her voice steady but tight with concern.“Do you know where he is?”

Kari closed the door behind her and took the chair Hale gestured to.“I’m afraid I have some difficult news, Dr.Hale.Dr.Harrington’s body was found this morning near Canyon de Chelly.”

Hale’s hand went to her mouth, her composure cracking momentarily before she visibly steeled herself.“You’re certain it’s him?”

“Yes.We found identification on his person.I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Hale nodded, blinking rapidly.“How did he… was it an accident?”

“The investigation is ongoing, but we’re treating it as a homicide,” Kari said.“That’s why I’m here.I need to understand what Dr.Harrington was doing at Canyon de Chelly, and who might have known about his plans.”

“Homicide.”Hale repeated the word flatly, as if testing its reality.“That doesn’t make sense.Mark was well-liked.Respected in his field.”

“Did he mention why he was visiting that specific area?”Kari asked.

Hale took a deep breath, visibly collecting herself.“Yes, he was quite excited about it, actually.He was photographing unusual oxidation patterns in the sandstone formations there.Something about manganese deposits that didn’t fit the established models.”She gestured to a map on her wall showing geological features of the Southwest.“He believed they might provide evidence of a previously undocumented period of volcanic activity in the region.”

“Was this for a specific research project?”Kari asked.

“Partly academic interest, partly personal,” Hale said.“Mark was preparing a photography exhibition for the university gallery next month—‘Stone Memories: Earth’s Hidden History.’It was going to feature his geological photographs alongside scientific explanations.He was an excellent photographer.”

Kari thought of the expensive camera equipment at the scene.“So he was there as much for the photographs as the science?”

“Yes, though he wouldn’t have separated the two.For Mark, the aesthetics and the science were intertwined.”Hale’s voice softened with remembrance.“He believed that the beauty of geological formations helped people connect with science in ways raw data couldn’t.”

“Was he working alone?”Kari asked.

“As far as I know.Mark usually preferred solitary fieldwork, especially for photography.He said other people disrupted his process.”Hale paused.“Though I know he had arranged for a guide initially.It’s standard procedure when working on tribal lands.”

Kari leaned forward.“Do you know what happened with the guide?”

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