Hoodoo Canyon: Deovolante Space Opera, #3

By Marjorie Thelen

Eloise Bright, renowned theoretical physicist, finds it odd that a top-secret physics conference will be held at a remote backcountry campsite in Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park.  Curiosity overcomes reason, and she agrees to go, not knowing who will attend. When the conference organizer doesn't show, the attending physicists team up to try to find him. One of them takes extraordinary interest in Eloise and, in an aside to her, confesses he is from another galaxy, which she laughs off at the same time wondering what she's gotten herself into. However, the professed extraterrestrial might be the key to finding the conference organizer. Eloise's scientific training is further put to the test as she must come to terms with a hoodoo curse that brings bad luck, with the conference organizer's disappearance, and with her desire to be back at her university teaching job and in the nice, safe world of math equations. Ultimately, she has to decide if she really believes her eyes.

Volume 3 of the Deovolante Space Opera

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marjorie Thelen
• Release date: Oct 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393887553

Book preview

Also by Marjorie Thelen

Mystery-in-Exotic Places Series

The Forty Column Castle

The Hieroglyphic Staircase

Fiona Marlowe Mystery Series

Designer Detective

High Desert Detective

Heroes in the End

Deovolante Space Opera Series

A Far Out Galaxy

The Next Universe Over

Hoodoo Canyon

Earth Rising

Historical Romance

Wings of the Wind

HOODOO CANYON

A Mystery Set in Bryce Canyon National Park

Marjorie Thelen

Cover design by Rachel Bostwick

Cover photo by Marjorie Thelen

HOODOO CANYON COPYRIGHT Marjorie Thelen 2014

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or were used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.  All rights reserved. The republication or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic or mechanical or other means, not known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without permission of the copyright owner is illegal and punishable by law.

www.MarjorieThelen.com

By way of acknowledgement

I’d like to first thank cousin Eleanor, who was came up with the idea of a vacation in Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks – what a great idea and there was a mystery there just like I thought; special appreciation goes to Bryce Canyon National Park rangers Daniel Fagergren, who offered helpful advice with story details, and Jan Stock, who told me about people sending back rocks they stole from BCNP because they brought bad luck (true story); the erstwhile Harney Basin Writers get a nod again for commenting on my efforts and laughing in almost all the right places, notably Peg, Lorna, Kate, and Lisa, whose knowledge of wilderness backpacking and search and rescue was especially helpful;  also special thanks to Terry, Karen, and Ron, the bellwethers. And for John, as ever and always.

A special dedication to the memory of Sam Van Cleave, artist and musician extraordinaire and special friend who liked my books. He would have liked this one.

Paiute Indian legend of Bryce Canyon as told by Indian Dick.

Before there were any Indians, the Legend People lived in that place. There were many of them. They were of many kinds – birds, animals, lizards, and such things – but they looked like people. For some reason, the Legend People in that place were bad. Because they were bad, Coyote turned them all into rocks. You can see them in that place now, all turned into rocks, some standing in rows, some sitting down, some holding on to others. You can see their faces with paint on them just as they were before they became rocks. This is the story the people tell.

THE MORE WE DISCOVER the less we seem to know, that’s physics in a nutshell. Leonard Susskind, The Black Hole Wars

How the world appears when we look at it is very different from how it really is. Sean Carroll, The Particle at the End of the Universe.

We are all a math equation.  Max Tegmark, Our Mathematical Universe, My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality.

Chapter One

This wasn’t what Eloise Bright had expected.

First of all, in her opinion it was a bad idea to have a physics conference at the bottom of a canyon. Second of all, she hated backpacking, and they had to backpack to the site. Third, she didn’t know who was attending this clandestine conference and that she found annoying.

Where’s Dr. Blank? she asked. He called this conference. Where is he? I haven’t seen him anywhere. Eloise directed the question to her colleague, Ling Chen, a top physicist in quantum mechanics. They had run into each other outside the dining room in the Lodge at Bryce Canyon National Park. Robert Blank, Ph.D., was the name on the dinner reservation, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Ling Chen shrugged, toying with something that looked like a cocktail in a martini glass with an olive on the bottom. But it wouldn’t be a martini because she never drank spirits. She was a Buddhist and a pacifist and a vegan. Eloise found those life choices limiting.

Ling said, I have not seen Dr. Blank. It is not like him to be late. He should be here greeting us.

I agree, said Eloise. Look, isn’t that Omar Yessir coming through the lobby?

Ling turned to see. That is Omar. Now we know one other person for the conference. It could not be a coincidence that we happen to run into another theoretical physicist in this far out place.

Omar caught sight of them, and his trajectory turned in their direction. He wore long baggy shorts with pockets and T-shirt. In contrast, Eloise wore black slacks and scoop neck top. Ling had on an embroidered Chinese jacket in silver with black blousy pants.  

He came to a standstill before them. I take it you two are here for a conference, personally invited by Robert Blank.

We are, said Eloise. But we don’t know who else is invited or how many. She gestured toward a table in the dining room. The table is set for six, the room is reserved under Dr. Blank’s name, and he’s nowhere to be seen. Do you know who else is invited?

Omar shook his head. I don’t. Did you get a note?

What note? Eloise and Ling said at the same time.

Take a look at this. He pulled a piece of paper from his pant pocket and unfolded it. Blank left a map and a note with my room reservation. He showed it to the two women. The note says enjoy dinner and meet him at the Phantom Creek backpack site tomorrow afternoon. He marked the site on the map.

Do you know what this is all about? asked Eloise.

Omar shrugged. He was average build, darkly good looking, and married. Eloise and Ling Chen remained unmarried by choice.

Haven’t a clue. But I hope it’s about faster than the speed of light. Among other things Omar Yessir worked on the problem that nothing could go faster than the speed of light. For him the idea was wrong that humans could be limited by the speed of light, even though all the math equations in physics proved him otherwise. He hypothesized that it was possible to go faster than the speed of light and had spent much of his career developing equations that would prove everyone else, even Einstein, wrong. The solution to the problem so far had eluded him.

To Eloise’s way of thinking, Omar was a top eccentric in an eccentric field. But it was possible that this conference had something to do with the speed of light.

Omar said, With my schedule, I might not have come. But curiosity drove me here, and I was intrigued by the backpacking angle. Did you ladies bring your gear?

Ling Chen nodded. I like to back pack. I was looking forward to something different.

Eloise wrinkled her nose. If Robert hadn’t called me personally to urge me to attend I never would have come. Backpacking has never been my thing. Of course, all expenses paid helped.

Omar laughed. That, too. This should be good. So this dinner is part of the conference.

Apparently, but without Robert, Eloise said.

Eloise sighed and sipped her martini, dry with a twist. She did not want to be here. She had a book deadline to meet, classes to teach, and lab work that depended on her supervision. In addition she was preparing for an important meeting in Cern, Switzerland next month. When she had received the invitation from Dr. Blank she had been honored to be included. But the invitation had come at the eleventh hour, and her schedule was a nightmare. She had almost turned it down. Only because Robert had called and urged her to come had she agreed. He wouldn’t share the subject of the conference or the reason for a calling it. After she accepted, he had announced that they should bring backpack gear, as the conference would be held at a wilderness site in Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah.

Eloise studied the map with Ling Chen peering over her shoulder. What the devil was Blank doing? What could he be thinking?

I don’t get all the mystery, do you? she asked Omar, who looked like he was enjoying a good joke.

No, but I rather like it. Sometimes conferences get tedious. This one has all the making of a real adventure. Do you know anyone else who’s been invited?

No. Even Ling and I didn’t know until we ran into each other here.

Deepak is here, Omar said. I saw him checking in.

That pronouncement hit Eloise like a ton of hot, molten stars. She hadn’t seen Deepak in several years. She wondered if he still felt the same about her. She wasn’t sure what she felt about him. She recovered in time to say, It will be nice to see him again. She didn’t know how much Omar knew about their affair, but they were friends and men gossiped as much as women. She surmised that Omar’s was not a casual statement.

Why don’t we sit down to wait for the others? Omar said. It’s exciting not knowing who’s coming to dinner.

He held out his hand in a gesture for the two ladies to precede him into the dining room. Eloise and Ling Chen duly obeyed. The maître d’ asked about their reservations.

I see, he said. Dr. Robert Blank has reserved a table for six. Come this way.

He showed them to a large rectangular table in the middle of the spacious room and placed a menu at each setting. The table was set with a neatly pressed, white table cloth and pink cloth napkins, two settings on the long sides, one at either end. He assured them their waiter would be along momentarily.

Ling selected a seat. Eloise remained standing. She studied the rustic elegance of the room. It had tall windows looking out on whispering ponderosa pines. The walls were polished pine in a deep cedar red color, open rafters lent airiness to the ambiance, and a stone fireplace added the right amount of warmth and cheer. The whole building blended perfectly into its surroundings, which was the effect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, the architect, had wanted. His inspiration had been the stately ponderosa pines outside.

I’ll find the waiter so we can order fresh drinks, said Omar. He sauntered away and left the ladies to their musings.

Eloise set her empty glass at the setting beside Ling and said, I’m going to the rest room. Be right back.

She needed to stroll around to calm her nerves. Besides, she was curious to see who else might be circulating that she knew. She walked toward the lobby, arms folded across her chest, small black purse over her shoulder. She felt overdressed, but this was dinner after all. She walked in the direction of the great hall at one end of the lobby. Perhaps some of their colleagues were lingering by the huge fireplace with roaring fire. It was May, and the weather was hot during mid-day, but nights cooled off fast so a toasty fire was appealing. The park was at almost 8,000 feet, and wind blowing out of the north had an edge to it.

This wasn’t Eloise’s first time in Bryce Canyon National Park. She had visited a while ago and had hiked the easy, shorter trails but never camped or backpacked. She wasn’t a physical exercise slouch. She just wasn’t much for roughing it. Comfort was her modus operandi. Her idea of exercise was running in the park across the street from her upscale, ranch style California home.

Besides being nervous about seeing Deepak, she was irritated with Blank. What was his game anyway, inviting them here and then not showing up? They had to find him tomorrow. They could get lost on those backpacking trails. The canyons were treacherous and wound through the park in a maze. Someone could get hurt. They could get lost. Black bears that had been a problem lately could attack them.

Calm down. Try to relax and enjoy this. You need a more laid back attitude like Ling and Omar. She stopped in the entry to the great room. In front of the fireplace stood Deepak with his back to her, talking to a strange man she had never seen before. The stranger was a giant of a man who could easily qualify for the Harlem Globe Trotters on height alone. He was casually dressed in slacks and open neck shirt, but the outfit didn’t seem to fit him quite right. The sleeves and pants were too short, and he kept twitching his shoulders like his shirt was too tight. As he talked, he waved a big, paw of a hand in the air.

Deepak, on the other hand, was all too familiar. His black, wavy hair he wore longish. Khaki slacks and blue button down shirt still suited his slim figure well. Eloise felt her heart do a little leap at seeing him again. She wondered where his life had taken him since their break up. She wondered if he had married. He turned in her direction, as if he had felt her gaze. She had no choice but to advance to where he stood. To do otherwise would have been churlish on her part, and she always made the attempt to be civil and gracious.

Hello, Deepak, she said, putting a smile in her voice she didn’t quite feel, not knowing what his reaction would be. But she had never known Deepak to be ungracious.

He acknowledged her greeting with a smile. He offered his hand, and they shook. They were being terribly professional. 

I didn’t know you were invited, he said. What a pleasant surprise. But I shouldn’t be surprised, should I? Not with your standing in the field.

Did you know who was coming? I didn’t.

No. The first time I knew Omar was invited was when I saw him at the registration desk. Blank was very tight lipped about who he invited to this little powwow.

Eloise smiled into his dark eyes that were as warm as ever. Why hadn’t she accepted his proposal of marriage? She gave a little inward sigh. Because it would have been all wrong. She had no time for marriage or relationship, even though Deepak was the closest she had ever come to a long term commitment. Her career trumped everything. But lately she had the feeling that she needed something besides theoretical physics to fill the void in her life.

Deepak gestured toward the stranger. Do you know Murray? He’s been invited.

Eloise had almost forgotten the stranger so engaged was she with seeing Deepak again. She turned toward the stranger to acknowledge his presence.

Murray smiled or attempted to smile. His lips went up and down like he was practicing how to smile, like he wasn’t quite sure the effect his attempt would make. He had a prominent jaw line in a large head, which fit his immense size, large nose, and big eyes, which were a curious green shade. His longish, brown hair stood at odd angles to his head like maybe he never thought to comb it.

Eloise extended her hand. We haven’t met, and I thought I knew everyone in the field.

He looked down at her hand for a moment then extended his in a halting gesture. The hand looked like it wasn’t sure what it was doing. Eloise had the oddest sensation that this was the first time the man had inhabited his body, and he was getting used to moving around in it.

His hand closed around hers and squeezed. Eloise yelped and tried to extract her hand from his, since he was doing a good job of pulverizing hers. His eyes grew wide in surprise or fear or alarm, and he hastily released his grip. Eloise’s eyes watered, and she couldn’t help massaging the hand with the other to ease the pain.

Sorry, said Murray, who spoke for the first time to her.

Deepak said, He has quite the grip, doesn’t he? He turned to Murray. You must have played basketball at some time in your career.

Basketball? said Murray. He seemed confused by the word but failed to further elaborate on the source of his amazing strength. You mean a sport. I don’t play sports.

Eloise hoped she hadn’t been over dramatic about the handshake, but good grief, his grip hurt. To keep the conversation going she said to the newcomer, What’s your field?

He frowned like the question perplexed him. It would be called cosmology, I think.

I see, said Eloise. How could someone not be sure of what field they were in and be asked to a conference of this import?

Deepak picked up the conversation. Murray was telling me about an unusual phenomenon he’s been following of late.

They both looked at Murray, who stared back at them. They waited and Murray circled his hands in the air like he was gathering in the words to express the idea. He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. He made gulping sounds like a fish after food.

Deepak came to his rescue. Maybe this isn’t a good time.

Yes, we can have a discussion over dinner, said Eloise, aiding in the rescue effort. Are you two aware we are having dinner? Dr. Blank has reserved a table for six, but as it turns out, he won’t be joining us. We’re to meet up with him at a wilderness backpack site tomorrow afternoon.

Deepak studied her with an amused expression. Are you really going to backpack? He knew well her devotion to creature comforts.

I am, since that is where the conference will be held.

And you brought gear?

Of course, I have the latest in ultra light gear so I won’t ruin my back.

Of course you would, said Deepak.

And you, Murray, said Eloise, will you be backpacking to the conference site?

Murray did a rapid eye blink. Yessss, he said, holding on to the S a little too long and forming more of a hiss than a word.

Their conversation was interrupted when Ling Chen came hurrying across the great room.

We are assembled in the dining room, waiting for you. I thought you are lost, Eloise, but I see you have found more of our colleagues.

Yes, said Eloise. You know Deepak, but have you met Murray?

Ling Chen eyed the stranger. We have not met. It is my pleasure to meet you. We are ready for dinner. Please come, she said and hurried away without waiting for a reply.

Eloise, Deepak, and Murray followed the retreating back of Ling Chen. In the dining room Omar stood talking with Jim Feely, an experimental physicist, if Eloise remembered correctly. His work was well-respected and solid, but he was a reclusive type, and his social skills were limited. She rarely saw him at conferences or other meetings.

This gathering was becoming more intriguing by the moment. Six for dinner, meaning Dr. Blank had never intended to attend the dinner. He had thrown this odd mix of physicists together to see if they could figure out what he was up to. Being physicists, everyone would come up with a different theory that they would defend to the death.

Omar took the seat at the end of the table. Jim sat down between Omar and Ling. Across the table Deepak held out a chair for Eloise, and he sat beside her. Murray took the seat at the other end of the table beside Eloise. He had trouble getting his big legs under the table, and his chair groaned when he tried to pull it in. Everything about Murray spoke of a too big man in a too small world, a re-occurrence of Gulliver’s arrival on Lilliput.

A waiter in black slacks and white shirt took drink orders as the six diners studied the menu. Another waiter arrived to take their dinner orders. Discussion moved back and forth between the purpose of the conference and the best entree to order for dinner. The waiter looked bewildered by the interplay of the dinner guests, who couldn’t seem to make up their minds about anything. At last he got everyone’s order and fled the room while the conversation continued unabated. Speculation ran rampant.

Omar was convinced Dr. Blank would present findings on faster-than-the-speed-of-light. He dominated the conversation with his loud proclamations and protestations. "I really think that Blank has discovered something, and he wants to run it by this select group before he goes public. He selected this venue because