A Dark Summer Solstice: An Alaskan Suspense Novel

By Priscilla Delgado

A terrorist’s black van scattered screaming, midnight sun celebrants as it came careening through the crowds, hurling bodies, blood and severed limbs through the air. Rose Lynn’s scream was cut short as the van bore down on her and her children while she watched them riding the gentle little ponies.
Three days later, at the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital ICU, Rose Lynn awoke from the coma and looked up into her husband’s bloodshot eyes. “Sundown, where are our children? Where are Angel and little Sunny?”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664181434

Priscilla Delgado

Priscilla Delgado attended The University of Texas A & I University and holds Master of Science degree in Educational Supervision with a minor in English. She is an Air Force veteran, a master teacher, and a great-grandmother. She has traveled in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, and Egypt and is now happy to reside in Fairbanks, Alaska as do the entire four generations of her immediate family.

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Copyright © 2021 by Priscilla Delgado.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/29/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

816073

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

PART I

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

PART II

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

PART III

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Seven

Chapter Forty-Eight

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-Two

Chapter Fifty-Three

Chapter Fifty-Four

Chapter Fifty Five

Chapter Fifty-Six

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty-One

Dedicated to my cousin, Robert Hill, Texas rancher.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M ANY THANKS TO all who helped with the long-drawn-out writing of this novel. To my brother-in-law, Kenneth Cashion, himself author of a number of non-fiction books available on Amazon, my sister, Bettie Cashion, and their daughter Julia Cashion Baker, all of Mississippi, who helped with proofreading and other valuable suggestions.

Back at home in Fairbanks, thanks to all my immediate family: son-in-law Dale Lupton, daughter Francis Lupton and my three grandchildren Shauna, Priscilla, John, and great-grandson Joshua, for suggestions, rides, meals and most recently a great 94th birthday supper!

For all the misplaced commas or other mistakes I take full blame. Just mark them up to vagaries of old age and enjoy the story.

PART I

Sunday, 18 June 2017

CHAPTER ONE

R OSE LYNN CAME awake with a start. Sundown, softly snoring, slept soundly beside her and no sound came from their kids’ room next door. She pulled the sheet around her shoulders and shivered in a cold sweat. Just a bad dream . . . maybe, but she remembered the same eerie feeling, years ago, before she received news of the death in Iraq of her first beloved husband, Bill. A glance at the clock on the bedside table told her it was too early to get up and she didn’t want to wake the others, so for a long time she lay awake thinking back over the years and finally fell asleep after convincing herself that she was not going to let a foolish dream spoil today’s celebration.

Sundown Sanders had built a comfortable and sturdy cabin for his wife, Rose Lynn, up about a hundred twenty miles north of Fairbanks in a beautiful, secluded area off any main roads or highway. They were even a few minutes closer to the twenty-four hours of solstice daylight than was Fairbanks.

Their family had now grown to include their two children: Sundown Junior and his two-almost three-year-old sister, Angel.

Rose Lynn had promised the kids a day of fun in Fairbanks for the summer solstice celebration. Actually, the summer solstice this year was on Wednesday, the twenty-first of June, but in Fairbanks it was traditionally celebrated on the Sunday nearest to the actual solstice as the Midnight Sun Festival, which was also Father’s Day this year.

Rose had no problem waking the kids and getting them up for breakfast. Both children had colorful Father’s Day cards they had made for Sundown by pasting pictures they had cut from out-of-date magazines onto construction paper. Rose Lynn had helped by printing the words Happy Father’s Day on each card. Sundown proudly signed his own name with carefully printed letters. Angel proudly signed her name with equally- carefully-drawn scribbles.

Sundown was already at the table on his second cup of coffee. He set his cup down and held out open arms to embrace his two excited offspring.

"Happy Father’s Day’’ they shouted in chorus, proudly presenting the cards they had made.

All, by myself, Angel announced along with a big kiss on his cheek.

After properly admiring the cards and thanking each child, he helped Angel into her highchair. What’s this I hear about somebody going to Fairbanks for a big celebration?

The sun’s not gonna’ move all day, and we’re gonna’ get ice cream and hot dogs, Angel offered.

Actually, Sunny corrected her. The sun just stays in the same place all the time, and sometimes it just doesn’t get dark but we have to go to bed anyway, or something like that.

Here, sit down and put something in your mouth, Rose laughed. I’ll explain it better on the way to town. She set plates of bacon and scrambled eggs before the two excited youngsters and their dad. Sundown buttered a slice of toast for Angel and picked up one for Sunny.

Actually, I can do it myself.

Sorry. Sometimes I forget how big you’ve grown. He smiled as he put the unbuttered toast on his firstborn’s plate.

Actually, I’m three and pretty soon I’ll be four. I’ll have four candles on my cake, and I’ll have a real party. Mama said Clint Howard and Serenity’s mama is going to bring them and their new baby sister and they’re going to stay all night. He paused with a very serious look on his face. Maybe they’ll bring presents. He looked toward Rose. Maybe Uncle Leonard will send a present. When I was two he sent Amal from the Indians.

"From India. That’s the name of the country Amal came from."

Oh . . . I think Amal is lazy. He laughed. He sleeps on my bed, but he doesn’t get up in the morning unless I push him off the bed. Since the soft plush toy camel’s arrival, he had been one of Sunny’s favorites.

Leonard was Rose Lynn’s older brother who lived in New York and traveled all over the world to exotic places while pursuing his career of collecting and selling rare artifacts to serious collectors.

Angel took a dainty bite of egg. Uncle Leonard is funny. He can talk like Donald Duck.

Will Clint Howard and Serenity come to town to see the sun thing today?

I don’t know, Rose said, but we’ll have fun anyway. Right? Both children nodded in agreement.

And we’re going to ride a horse. One for me and one for you.

"One for you and one for me," Rose said.

You’re going to ride one, too?

No, I just mean that if you’re going to try to correct everything your sister says, maybe you should see how it feels?

To ride a horse?

No. To see how it feels to have someone correct everything you say. Your sister is only two and you should be proud of how well she talks.

Okay, but I know lots more words than her, and he crammed a whole piece of toast with cranberry jam into his mouth.

Don’t talk with your mouth full please.

Sundown winked at Rose and pointed to the sign he’d made for her. It said, We only have one Sunny.

Rose smiled in spite of herself, and so the breakfast went.

I put your clothes on your beds. If you need any help, just call.

Do I have to wear socks?

Yes, those are the red ones with blue stars that you like; the ones Aunt Val brought you from New Mexico.

Do I have to?

Sundown Junior, did you hear your mother?

Yes, Sir. And that ended the discussion. Rose smiled and pointed to the sign on the wall.

Sundown had put in a vegetable garden in the acre behind their cabin and still had a lot of work to do harvesting the rest of the crops before it rained again. Whatever wasn’t eaten fresh, Rose would dry or can, to be used during the long Alaskan winter. Along with plentiful wild game, Sundown would provide well for his family and he looked forward to hunting and fishing with his son in the years to come.

Rose Lynn had assured him that she didn’t mind taking the kids to town by herself for the annual activities and he made her promise to spend the night in town with friends if she was too tired to drive home.

Soon everybody was ready to go and Rose ushered her excited brood outside. Sunny stopped and stooped down to pick up the small heart-shaped rock he found. Look. I found another heart rock. I’ll run back and put it on the window.

He had a whole collection of heart-shaped (at least almost heart-shaped) rocks he had found. Rose Lynn had let him keep them in a special place on the kitchen window sill. Not now, she told him. Just put it in your pocket. We’re ready to go.

Angel picked up Nip. She insisted that her puppy wanted to go, too. The two four-month- old Newfoundland mix pups, Nip and Tuck, were the latest addition to the Sanders family. She’ll be good. Won’t you, Nip? She gave the puppy a kiss on the end of her shiny, wet nose.

No, the puppies have to stay here. They would be afraid of all the people and noise.

No, she won’t. She’s brave. She’ll take care of me. Daddy said so.

The puppies have to stay at home. Come on.

But she’ll cry.

Come on. Let’s go,

Please. She won’t be scared. I’ll hold her. She’ll cry if I leave her.

Sundown picked up and kissed his little girl. Yes, you’re right. Maybe she would be unhappy. You’d better stay here with Nip and me. Hop in the truck, Sunny. Your mother is ready to go.

Angel looked askance at her father. This wasn’t the result she was expecting. One big dramatic tear rolled down her cheek. I guess I’ll go, she relented. She might be afraid of the balloons.

Right. Sundown smiled as he lifted her into the backseat of the extended cab pickup. He kissed each of his family good-bye and smiled as he buckled the kids in. Have a good time, and if you stay in town be sure to be in bed before it gets dark.

Actually, Sunny began, but the door closed and they were off. The dirt road was long and narrow and wound between the mountains. To the delight of the children, they splashed through a shallow stream before emerging from a copse of small trees and they could see the highway; the highway that would take them to Fairbanks and the adventures of the Midnight Sun Festival.

CHAPTER TWO

T HE DAY WAS already warm and Rose Lynn preferred air conditioning but both kids liked the windows open with the breeze blowing through. Suddenly Rose Lynn slowed the truck and pointed. Look. On the road up there. It’s a lynx. I don’t know whether you ever saw a lynx before.

I did, Sunny offered. Actually, there’s a picture of one in my new book--the one about Alaska animals."

Look, the lynx is going off into the trees. Watch and see who’s the first to see the next animal. Without mentioning it she touched a button on her left and closed the windows as she resumed speed.

I think you’ve learned a new word, too. That’s good.

What new word?

"Actually. I bet the word was in your new book that Daddy read to you."

Sunny laughed. Actually, it was.

I’m first, Angel chirped in. I saw a bear.

No, you didn’t; there wasn’t any bear there.’

"Yes, I did! It was big and green and had great big teeth. The better to eat you with, my dear."

Sunny laughed. You didn’t see any bear. That was in the book Daddy read to us.

Well you said your leeks was in a book.

"Lynx. It’s a lynx."

That’s what I said, ‘your leeks was in a book.’ So why can’t my bear be in a book?

Rose smiled. Sunny was only eleven months older than his sister, and when it came to language, she had no problem holding her own with him.

Anticipation of fun to come was so great that neither child even mentioned stopping as they passed the Chatanika Lodge, their favorite place for an infrequent special treat of hamburgers and french fries.

It was a special place for Rose, too. It was there she had met their dad, back in 2010 when he had recently been discharged from the army. Chatanika was a low, spread-out log building, a favorite eating and meeting place for locals as well as for frequent groups from Fairbanks.

Are we almost there?

No, Stupid. It’s still a long way.

Don’t call me stupid. You’re stupid!

Do you two want me to turn this truck around and go back home? If you don’t, then you better be nice to each other.

He started it.

"Angel Sanders!"

He did start it. He called me stupid because I asked if we are almost there yet.

That’s enough, young lady. I don’t care who started it.

Okay. Then in a whisper to her brother, "But you did start it."

Rose slowed the pickup, then pulled over to a stop. Look up there. She pointed. There was a porcupine taking its own sweet time crossing the road.

We saw a porcupine the other day when we were out in the woods with Daddy. He made us hold Nip and Tuck and get away from there quick.

Do you think that’s the same one we saw? Angel asked.

No, stu . . . No, Angel. It couldn’t walk that far.

Rose smiled as she pulled back onto the road. She began singing in a soft voice: If You’re happy and you know it clap-- She stopped suddenly, and both kids finished the line and clapped their hands.

The song continued through: If you’re happy and you know it tap your toe . . . nod your head . . . blink your eyes etc. until with wiggle your ears they all dissolved in laughter and they had arrived at the Weigh Station where they turned onto the Steese Highway and headed toward Fairbanks. She still hadn’t explained what the word solstice meant or that pretty soon there would be another sun thing called an eclipse that would be exciting in a different way.

When they crested the hill at Steese and Hagelbarger, Sundown was the first to see Fairbanks. There it is! I see Fairbanks first. We’re almost there!

Well, I can see it too and I’m just as close to the sun thing as you are!

Rose sighed. She knew it was a natural thing for siblings to bicker and argue, but she knew that wherever Sunny went, Angel and the two pups were only a few steps behind. She also knew that whenever Angel fell or cried over even an imagined hurt, big brother was the first to comfort and sympathize with her, while the pups were immediately there to lick away the tears. Of such were the trials (as well as the joys) of motherhood.

This year’s street fair was purported to be one of the best ever. Besides the usual vendor tables, food tables and such, this year’s twelve-hour event was expecting as many as thirty thousand attendees and hundreds of exhibitors. There would be three stages for the more than thirty live music performances. She knew that in addition to both kids riding ponies, each would want to pan for gold, and eat, nonstop.

Rose drove right to the Methodist parking lot just a few blocks from the main events. Even that was filling up fast, but she found a slot and as she unbuckled the children she cautioned each to hold her hands so they wouldn’t get lost in the crowd.

When can we eat? I’m hungry.

Me, too, agreed Angel.

For goodness sake. We’re hardly out of the truck and not even to the street fair yet. Do you think maybe neither of you will starve before we get there?

Actually, I guess not, but can we get some popcorn from Aunt Alice?

Yes, but hot dogs or a slice of pizza first. Which would you like, Angel?

I want a hot dog.

"Sundown?

I don’t want a hot dog. I want some popcorn.

Well, some regular food first. How about a hot dog with your sister?

No, I want pizza with a lot of those little round meat things on top.

You mean pepperoni?

Yeah, pepperoni.

"Yes, ma’am. You know what your dad tells you."

Yes, ma’am. Pepperoni.

By this time they had reached the crowd on First Street where there were tents lining both sides of the street, selling all kinds of enticing merchandise. In the first tent on the right they watched a native lady doing intricate beadwork on a pair of winter gloves like the ones displayed on the table along with beautiful fur hats, boots and moccasins.

In the next tent Rose stopped to look at a display of colorful shirts and blouses, but Sunny had seen a man farther down the street with a hot dog cart, so both kids started pulling in that direction.

The smiling hot dog vendor greeted them. Happy Solstice Day. How many will it be?

Okay, Angel. Decide what you want on your hot dog.

No, I changed my mind. I want what Sunny is getting.

Rose apologized to the hot dog man.

No problem. I’ll be here all day in case you want hot dogs later.

Angel was interested in the big statue in the park. Look, Those people have a dog. It’s bigger than Nip or Tuck. I bet those people are hot with all those big coats on.

It’s just a statue, silly. It’s not real people.

I think that statue is just to show us how the first Alaskan family looked in the cold wintertime--like last year at Christmas time, Rose said. "But families like that were not really the first Alaskan families. There have been native families. Eskimos and Athabascan Indians, for many, many years and maybe even others before them. We can come back over here later and read what it says, but now let’s get our food before you starve.

And so it went with Rose Lynn just going along with the flow, finding a pizza stand and ordering three slices of pepperoni pizza and three Dr. Peppers. Bands were playing from both ends of the street as well as one from a bandstand on Second (or as referred to by most Athabascan natives as Two Street)

Let’s sit over here on the curb so we can have a place to put our drinks down. The din from the crowd was so loud that one couldn’t talk without practically yelling. It didn’t bother the kids. They were in hog heaven.

Look, Angel pointed, Balloons! Can I have one? Please.

I think we can manage that. Rose motioned to the strolling balloon seller who smiled and came over.

Now who gets the first balloon? Let me guess. Maybe this beautiful young lady in the red shirt.

Angel patted her red shirt. That’s me.

Yes it is. How about this pretty red one to match your shirt?

No, I want that one.

Which one. Show me.

She pointed to a purple balloon that was untangled and handed over. And how about one for the handsome young man? What color would you like?

It’s okay, Rose said, You can have one too. Which color would you like?

Sundown shook his head. I want to ride one of those ponies over there . . . after I get some popcorn from Aunt Alice.

Rose paid for Angel’s balloon and tied the string around her wrist. I have an idea, she said. Why don’t we ride the ponies next. You’re both full now. You could ride the ponies and then look around at all the other things to see, and at the same time see if Aunt Alice is selling popcorn here today. We’ve only started the day. We still have lots of time.

Angel ate the rest of her pizza and jumped up, overturning the remains of her Dr. Pepper. Unfazed, Rose Lynn gathered-up remains of their drinks and food wrappers and turned to deposit them in a trash container. Both kids were up and started toward the ponies. Wait for me. Here, hold my hands. I don’t want to lose you in the crowd.

Sunny will hold my hand. Daddy says Sunny is my big brother and he will always take care of me.

Rose smiled, Daddy’s right. Okay, I’ll hold Sunny’s hand and he can hold yours. They wound their way through the thick crowd to the pony rides and Rose bought tickets for both children to ride. Give me your balloon and I’ll hold it while you ride. She untied the balloon string and lifted Angel into the small saddle. Sunny can ride by himself and I’ll walk beside you and not let you fall.

No, I’m big, too. I won’t fall off. The young man helping with the ponies nodded to Rose and indicated that he would walk beside Angel and would not let her fall.

Rose stepped outside the fence and the ponies were off carrying their happy riders.

Angel waved each time she passed her mom. Rose Lynn smiled and waved back three times. Then without thinking she muttered, Bye-bye, darling.

The noise on the street changed. In the nanosecond since Rose realized that the dominant sound had become screams, she looked toward Cushman Street entrance to the fair and saw crowds scattering, bodies flying through the air, and a black van careening toward her. Oh, God. My ba . . . On impact her wail was cut short.

One lone, purple balloon sailed leisurely toward heaven, then gracefully faded away from sight of the carnage below.

CHAPTER THREE

S UNDOWN WATCHED FOR his family to return from their excursion in town. He knew he had told Rose to stay overnight with friends if she and the children were too tired to drive home. Her friends Elvia and Peter Nevski, and the Scotts, Adam and Valerie, lived in or near Fairbanks. They were friends from the days when her husband, Bill, was alive. There were others, too, who Rose would feel comfortable dropping in on unannounced or uninvited. When it came to being careful about the safety of her children, his wife was the ultimate mother hen; nevertheless, he had a nagging feeling that all was not right with his family.

He had been the one who had opted for the total wilderness homestead, but wanted for Rose Lynn as much comfort as possible there. They had two solar panels on the roof and a gasoline generator for electricity as needed, but with no radio, daily newspaper or television. He and Rose both had cell phones but there was no reception this side of the mountains so there was no easy way she could call even if she wanted to.

He walked outside where Nip and Tuck were clamoring for their supper. Sundown looked at his watch. No wonder you’re hungry. It’s almost ten o’clock. He cast a nervous glance at the road leading in, through the mountains, where the only visible movement was some small animal, possibly a squirrel, scampering across to the other side.

Come on, he told the pups, I won’t let you starve. He went inside and filled the two pans with dried fish caught during his last trip up the Black River. He set one pan outside for Tuck, then held the door open for Nip so she could come and eat without having to share with her greedy brother.

The two pups were growing like the weeds Angel and Sunny liked to pull from Dad’s garden. Kids and pups were mutually devoted to one another and were seldom apart.

Nip finished her food and Sundown opened the door and walked outside with her. He looked at his watch and looked down the road again. He felt a cold shiver down his spine. Someone is walking on your grave, his mother used to say.

Both pups took off down the road after a rabbit, so Sundown walked along the way they had gone.

He would have given up all of his homestead dreams that minute to be in town where he could be in touch with his family just by picking up a phone to hear his wife telling him that his family was safe.

They had been through so much together since they first met back in 2010 when Rose Lynn had given him a ride in her pickup from Chatanika up to Central. She had stood beside him defying everyone, including her best friends, when evidence pointed to him as the gunman who, during a robbery, had shot and killed the teller of a Fairbanks Savings and Loan. He had known, even then