Murder in the Polar Night

   Murder in the Polar Night

Suzanne Marsh

Shots rang out, Hanta fell to snow crusted ground bleeding profusely from the wound he had just incurred. He knew his death was coming rapidly. He raised himself up with what little strength he had left, pulled out a small piece of paper with the name” mason”. He could feel his fingers going colder and colder. His breathing was becoming labored, it would only be short while. He could hear heavy footsteps coming his way. Was this his murderer? He did not have the energy to look up, he did notice large feet enclosed in mukluks. He felt a quick, swift kick then toppled face first into the snow.

Melina, waited for her brother Hanta’s return, she had a peculiar feeling something was horribly wrong. Why had she quarreled with her brother when she had no idea what he was doing? The argument had been futile to begin with. Strange things had been happening in the village of Utqiagvik or Barrows, even before polar night had come. Polar night lasted at least sixty-five days, there was no sun only darkness. She could hear wolves howling in the distance as she put on her parka, pulling on her mukluks, she could bear waiting no longer. She walked to the Sheriff’s Office, she hoped that her childhood friend Katjuk would ally her fears about her brother. The street where the Sheriff’s Office was located most of the buildings were either wood or brick or both, in the own way they were very sturdy. She entered the Sheriff’s Office, the small bell above the door tinkled: ‘some things never change’ she thought as she waited. Her brother was now overdue home at seventy-two hours, it was not like him to be home when he said he would be. She knew in her heart of hearts something had happened to him.

Katjuk, smiled as he saw Melina, she was beautiful, her skin glowing, her dark brown eyes like two brown pools. He had dated her in high school then lost contact with her, now here she was standing in the sheriff’s office:

“Melina, what are you doing here? It has been a long time.” Melina cut him off:

“My brother Hanta, is seventy-two hours overdue. I am afraid something may have…”

Seljuk's cell phone rang, he put up his pointer finger to tell her to wait just a second. He pulled a small, lined pad out of his pocket and began to take notes:

“Yes, if I leave now, I can be in that area near Fairbanks in an hour. I will be there as soon as

possible. Give me at least an hour or two.” He turned back to face Melina”

“I have to go out on a call, seems there has been a murder south of here. I have to go Melina,

You can wait here for me or go home, and I will come to your home.”

Melina, although disappointed, agreed to go home, since it could be at least two days before Katjuk would return. She headed back through the sunless day, toward her home, hoping that Hanta was safe. He was her only living relative now. She had to admit to herself she was curious about Hanta’s behavior just before he left.

Hanta, she knew was working with the United States Government but had no idea what he did. He never told her anything about where he was going or what he was doing. She hated that but respected her brother’s privacy. Now she wished she had been more insistent, at least then she could

give Katjuk some idea of how to locate Hanta. There was a knock on the door, Hanta’s girlfriend of four years, Alasie. Melina answered the knock:

“Melina, have you heard anything from Hanta? I am worried about him.” Melina, could not lie to Alasie:

“No, he is seventy-five almost eighty hours overdue. I just came back from the Sheriff’s

Office, Katjuk had a murder he had to go and investigate.”

Alasie was filled with fear:

“Melina, it can’t be Hanta, it just can’t.” Melina walked over to Alasie and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder:

“Do not think that way Alasie, he has been over due before, and he will be again. We just

have to be patient and wait. Why don’t you stay here, and we can wait together?” Alasie, was so thankful for Melina’s kindness to her.

Katjuk, strode out of the sheriff’s office, mounted his snowmobile, turned on the switch, revved the engine. The snow was bright in the headlight of the snowmobile. He headed south toward the coordinates dispatch had given him. He hoped that the state trooper was still there, he also hoped it was not Hanta. He recalled the visit he had with Hanta and the last words he had said:

“Katjuk, if I do not return, take care of Melina and Alasie. Promise me.”

Katjuk ever the sheriff questioned him:

“Hanta, what are you involved in?”

Hanta, pulled out his Alaska State Troopers badge:

“I am working undercover; I cannot tell you what I am doing or why.”

Katjuk, felt his stomach tighten as he thought about what Hanta had said.

Two hours later he spotted the lights of the Alaska State Trooper who had found the body:

“Over here sheriff, there is not much left between the wolves and polar bears. I found his

ID, he is one of ours his name is...Hanta.”

Katjuk looked as if he had been gut punched as tears welled in his eyes for his friend. He was not even sure how he was going to break this to Melina and Alasie. Katjuk turned toward the trooper:

“What happened? Who would commit murder up here? I need answers.”

Katjuk strode over to the body, he knew Hanta, he would have left something to indicate who was responsible, it was the way of their people. Katjuk was about to walk away when he noticed a small piece of paper with the word ‘mason’. He had no idea if it were a person, place or thing but he would investigate until he had some answers for Melina and Alasie. Katjuk, walked over to the trooper:

“I am Katjuk, the sheriff of Utqiagvik, what exactly can you tell me about the scene?” Trying to keep a professional demeanor was difficult since Hanta had been his friend. The trooper stood quietly for a moment:

“The guy was shot in cold blood; he has two bullet wounds one just above the heart the other

just below the heart. He is one of ours, why were you called in this our jurisdiction.”

Katjuk, slowly looked up into the eyes of the trooper:

“Hanta and I grew up together, this murder is also my jurisdiction. His sister and his girlfriend

are scared something has happened to him. When the call came in, the description of Hanta

was very clear. So we work in conjunction on this murder, we share information, but I

want whoever did this.”

Katjuk made himself abundantly clear on this point, the trooper replied:

“We will do that, any idea who might have done it?”

Katjuk once again recalled Hanta’s words as he left the sheriff’s office:

“If I don’t come back, take care of Melina and Alasie.” The memory was to painful so Katjuk continued:

“I have no idea, Hanta never shared what he did with me, nor his sister or girlfriend. I had no

clue he was undercover.”

The trooper nodded, as the helicopter arrived to take the body to Utqiagvik where there would be an autopsy performed, it was just a formality. Then they could release the body to Melina, for burial. The helicopter hovered overhead, the body was hoisted first then the snowmobile, finally Katjuk.

The very thought of having to tell the two young women that Hanta was dead was so difficult, it was worse because Katjuk was also his friend. He held the small white piece of paper with the word “mason” written, the question was what it meant. Katjuk had to figure out this puzzle that Hanta had left or Hanta’s other being would never find peace.

The helicopter landed on the other side of town, the wind howling once again. Katjuk, slowly walked down the street to the sheriff’s office. He wanted to procrastinate telling Melina and Alasie at least for a short while. He knew he had to break the news carefully to both women. He decided to do so the following day. The wind began to pick up as the wolves howled, a polar bear made his entrance down the main street. All these were normal.

Once Katjuk had time to think he took out the small piece of paper he had found near Hanta’s body. He stared at it expecting it to answer him, who or what was mason. He began to run names through his head, of course there was the mason canning jars but that made no sense. He began to go through files looking for anyone with the first or last name of mason. Something in his gut told him that whoever manson was he had a criminal record. He knew there had been some whale poaching going on near Utqiagvik, was that what Hanta had been working? He thought about going undercover himself, if it had been the poachers.

Katjuk steeled himself as he took his snowmobile and headed toward Melina’s home. He had prepared what he was going to say, yet somehow it seemed inadequate. Melina heard the knock on the door, the darkness made the snowmobile a little less obvious, it was Katjuk. Melina, opened the door, when she saw the expression on Katjuk’s face; she knew her brother’s fate:

“Come in Katjuk, Alasie Katjuk has news.” Melina felt as if her entire world was being taken away from her. Katjuk cleared his throat:

“Melina, Alasie there is no easy was for me to tell you this, the call I went on, Hanta is dead.

Melina, would you mind if I looked at his bedroom, I could get a search warrant but I don’t

think you would stop me. I want to help find whoever did this.”

Melina, rose from the sofa, walked over to the door where her brother had slept since they were children. Katjuk entered, he wasn’t sure exactly what he was looking for but something, anything to lead him to the killer.

“Nate, come on, hurry up, we gotta get outta. I never should have shot that damn cop. We got

enough blubber from the last blue whale to sell. We can go to Mexico, hid there til this

blows over.”

Nate Hawkins, hated poaching but loved the money he made:

“How much you figure we can get for this load of blubber Mase?” Mason “Mase” Bellows shrugged his shoulders:

“At least twenty grand, now hurry up, we have to get out of here today. We can pull up anchor

and head south. This place is so close to the Arctic pole, the only thing we have going

for us is the polar night and to guide us the Northern lights. Now get movin Nate.”

Katjuk, knew that Hanta kept records somewhere of what he was doing, usually in a small notebook. He thought that would have been on the body, but if Hanta were undercover, that would not be the best place to hide something like that. He walked around the bedroom of his friend, then he remembered a place Hanta showed him when they were children. He felt under the mattress, his had pulled out a small notebook. He quickly scanned through it, there it was, along with the coordinates of where the poacher's whaling ship was. He spoke to Melina:

“Listen to me Melina, I found a notebook that gives me the information I need to catch these

killers. I am going to call the Alaska state troopers in on this, it is the only way. In the

meantime, be careful. I will be back.” He strode back to his snowmobile, went back to his office, he started by notifying Trooper Black, the trooper who had found the body:

“Black? This is Sheriff Katjuk, I found the notebook that Hanta kept. I have the coordinates

of where the poacher’s ship is. I want to be there when they are captured.” Black, thought for several moments:

“Okay sheriff, a chopper can be there within the hour. Give me the coordinates, have you

got names?”

“Yes, Black I do Nate Hawkins and Mason (Mase) Bellows.”

“We have been trying to capture those two for quite a while. They sell the blubber for money.

See you in about an hour,”

Katjuk waited patiently, then he heard the approaching helicopter. He quickly ran toward it. Once in the air, he noted Black sitting there:

“Are you the backup?”

“Sure am, we don’t have that many troopers up this way, I cover over a thousand miles.”

“Nate, get that anchor up now, we got company.” Mase yelled with foreboding in his voice. The helicopter began descending toward toward the ship, Mase shot a harpoon with a penthrite grenade, that would penetrate the fuel tank at least a foot or so he hoped. He missed, Katjuk and Black shot back, hitting Mase in the leg. Nate scared that he would be next surrendered. Both men were arrested for poaching whales. Black read them their rights, then charged both men with murder of a federal agent.

Katjuk returned home that evening feeling better about having helped to capture those men. He called Melina to let er know that everything was fine. Her brother’s murderer was going to be in jail for the rest of his natural life. She could rest easy now, he would stop by tomorrow to see her.

Melina, and Alasie cried their tears, life goes on with or without the glue of life.