“You didn’t know?” She couldn’t take her eyes from the headdress. “Eagle feathers and body parts are illegal to sell. I think this is a stash of Native American relics. Regarding this headdress, unless Jim had certifiable American Indian ancestry, even having the feathers in his possession is a huge fine. And in this case, I don’t think there’s any doubt he knew what he was doing was illegal.”

She tugged out her phone again and took more pictures.

“How huge is the fine?”

“Why do you ask? Got some eagle feathers?” She continued taking pictures. “A hundred grand or more. That’s down from two hundred and fifty million a few years ago. Maybe jail time. That is, if this headdress is of cultural and religious significance.”

“I get it. More violations. Where do you think he got the pots? Public or private lands?”

“The pots on the shelf and in the cabinet I believe were pilfered from an archaeological site, just not local. Some of the tools in the cabinet could be local. The archaeologist will have to identify the tribe. This headdress didn’t come from a dig, but it’s in good condition. If we find items actually taken from a gravesite, the penalties are much steeper. I would say that Jim has some explaining to do.” Except Jim was dead.

“Maybe that’s our answer—someone didn’t want Jim explaining. He could have been a middleman. Fencing the items. I think that sounds more like Jim to me. He wasn’t the type to literally get his hands dirty, but he was a businessman. Had a lot of connections.”

“Or he kept secret this private collection that he came here to enjoy or share with other enthusiasts.” She stepped back from the cabinet to catch her breath. “Someone could have killed him for his collection and plans to come back and get the rest. Or planned to.”

“So, which is it then? Collector or fence?” Jack asked.

“In my previous investigation, no one was murdered. We have to consider that this might not be connected to his murder at all.” Terra skimmed through the pictures she’d taken on her phone. “Between you and me—because, again, we’re only theorizing here—I think he was fencing, buying and selling. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.” And depending on which direction this investigation took, other agencies might want to weigh in. When she’d worked the sting before, the BLM—Bureau of Land Management—and FBI were also involved.

Terra finished taking pictures. As soon as the county evidence collection team finished here, she would transfer the artifacts to a secure room at the forest service supervisor’s office in Goode’s Pass.