By LARRY BALLWAHN | Wilton
One role filled by U.S. Marshals is to provide safety for federal judges. When U.S. District Judge Markham was to fly to the remote village of Stone Cross, Marshal Arliss Cutter and Deputy Marshal Lola Teariki had the responsibility of protecting him. He went there because he was to provide property arbitration. Since he had received a specific written threat, protection seemed particularly necessary.
Because of the location, it was necessary to fly there. Because it was winter and a storm was forecast, flying was a challenge. To make it worse, fog preceded the storm. The native village of Stone Cross was small, but it had a church and a K-8 elementary school. As the largest building in the community, the school doubled as a community center and was to be the “motel” for the judge and the others associated with the arbitration. That included the U.S. Marshals. The first order of business, though, was the welcoming potluck.
It was at the potluck that the marshals began to meet the local people and learn of their problems. Bertha “Birdie” Pingayak was the principal of the school. She first described the problems caused by the local home brew, and then pointed out Daisy Aguthluk as a person that had a longstanding family grudge against the judge. Marshal Cutter took a special interest in Daisy Aguthluk and asked Deputy Teariliki to do the same. Meanwhile, the storm had started.
Fog and stormy conditions complicated a problem that had developed. Aften Brooks, the school’s math teacher, had asked a hunter to check at a lodge where a friend lived. Mrs. Brooks had been unable to reach anyone at the lodge. What the hunter found was a dead handyman and the husband and wife who ran the lodge unable to be located. This meant there was a murder scene to secure and people to find. Chaga Lodge was 8 miles upriver. Not only was visibility limited, but also the river was icing but not solid. Birdie Pingayak knew the river and had a boat. That was the only practical way to deal with the situation.
Joining Birdie on the boat were Ned Jasper, Village Public Safety Office (VPSO) the two marshals and the judge. Since the marshals were to stay in his vicinity, Judge Markuum decided it would be of benefit for him to go along. The VPSO appreciated the additional help. Eight miles up, a partially frozen river in the fog was a challenge, and the two who rode in the front kept watch ahead. They made it to the lodge.
There was certainly a crime scene, and the lodge caretakers were not there. Either they were the murders or more likely they had been kidnapped for some reason. Ideally, the VPSO would secure the scene until the troopers who did homicide investigation flew in. Because of the weather, there would be no flying in for the immediate future. So, the only choice was to gather as much evidence as possible and take the body back to Stone Cross. Going with the current was somewhat easier, but with the body and the hunter who had found, the boat was fully loaded.
In a later phone discussion with trooper headquarters, Marshal Cutter learned that substitute teacher Donna Taylor was not who she said she was and had a somewhat violent history and an even more violent husband. Further, they had some connection with the man missing from the lodge. What made this more pertinent was the information that she was hooking up the dogs she exercised, preparing to take a night run.
The story reaches a climax here with the VPSO getting shot and Birdie and Marshall Cutter pursuing Taylor on a dog sled. Reading “Stone Cross” would allow you to learn about Arliss Cutter and what can happen in northern Alaska. It would also be good preparation for Cameron’s “Bone Rattle,” another Arliss Cutter novel.
