The judge wants you at the hearing, and I think your testimony will be valuable.”
“I’ll be there. If the hearing goes our way, do you think you can get the new executor to release Walter’s airplane for my use?”
“I’ll try, Barbara.”
“You call me the minute that hearing is over, Ralph. What time is it set for?”
“Eleven A.M. The judge is a late sleeper.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing from you,” Barbara said, then hung up and fell to her knees. “Dear God,” she prayed, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad person, but if you’ll let me have this money, I’ll never kill anybody again, not even Ed Eagle!”
IN TRES CRUCES, Pedro Alvarez was sitting at his desk, speaking to his bookie about a soccer game in Mexico City that weekend, when there was a knock on his door.
“Come in!” Alvarez shouted, and went on with his conversation. The door opened, but he paid no attention. “One hundred pesos on Mexico City,” he was saying.
“Capitán,” the female guard said.
Alvarez turned and looked at her, and there were two men in suits and a federal police officer standing next to her. “I’ll call you back,” he said to the bookie, and hung up.
“Capitán Alvarez,” the taller of the two civilians said. “I represent the minister of justice.”
Alvarez’s mouth dropped open. This did not sound good, and the presence of the policeman was even worse. He got to his feet and saluted. “Good morning, señor,” he said. “How may I be of service?”
The man handed him a document. “This is an order, signed by the minister of justice,” he said. “It demands that you produce your prisoner Barbara Eagle forthwith.”
Alvarez’s mouth went dry, his head began to spin and he fainted. He woke up when someone threw a glass of water in his face. He raised a hand to wipe away the water and discovered that it was handcuffed to his other hand.
ED EAGLE ANSWERED his ringing phone. “Hello?”
“Ed, it’s Bob Abbott, in Washington.”
“Hello, Bob. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”
“I spoke to my friend in the Mexican foreign ministry after you called, and he spoke to his contact in the Ministry of Justice. Apparently, there was a Justice official in Acapulco for a conference, and yesterday morning he and an associate visited the women’s prison in Tres Cruces and confronted the warden, a Captain Alvarez.”
“That’s good news, Bob. What was the outcome?”
“They demanded that he produce Barbara Eagle, and he passed out on the floor.”
Eagle laughed. “That must have been a rude shock for the man.”
“Apparently so. When they revived him he confessed that he had not reported her escape because he was embarrassed.”
“I expect he was.”
“In any case, the official called Mexico City, the minister of justice signed an arrest warrant for Barbara Eagle on a charge of escape from prison, and he faxed the warrant to me. I have it in my hand.”
“That’s wonderful news, Bob. What’s the next step?”
“I have to messenger this over to the attorney general, who will issue an order to the director of the FBI, directing him that the U.S. government has acquiesced to extradition. The director will then instruct the agent in charge of the Santa Fe office to see a federal judge and apply for an extradition warrant. Once that’s signed by the judge, then agents will go to the address in Los Alamos and arrest her. There’ll be an extradition hearing soon after that.”
“I don’t see how she can beat extradition,” Eagle said.
“Neither do I. It’s going to take several days to penetrate all these layers, but I’ll move it along as well as I can.”
“Thank you, Bob,” Eagle said. “I owe you a very nice vacation as my guest in Santa Fe, just as soon as this is over.”
“I’ll take you up on that, Ed.”
Eagle thanked him again and hung up. “Susannah!” he shouted. “Good news!”
50
Ralph Waters called Barbara back half an hour later. “I’ve spoken to the executor, and he’s released the airplane for the roundtrip. I’ve spoken to the FBO, and they can have the airplane in Santa Fe by five o’clock, at Santa Fe Jetcenter. You’ll be home by dinnertime.”
“Wonderful!” Barbara said. “See you tomorrow morning!” She packed everything and called the live-in maid at the San Francisco apartment and warned her of her arrival. She then announced her departure to the Holroyds, who were sorry she was leaving and invited her back anytime. She was at the airport by four thirty and watched the beautiful airplane land and taxi in.
The captain came into the FBO, introduced himself and directed the loading of her luggage. There was no need to refuel, so he escorted her aboard the airplane immediately.
Barbara stood in the aisle and looked around her at the gleaming leather and walnut interior. “It’s wonderful,” she said to the stewardess. “What kind is it?”
“It’s a Gulfstream Four,” the young woman replied. “Haven’t you flown on it before?”
“No. Walter had a CitationJet when we were married, and he bought this airplane immediately after that. He died before we could fly in it together.”
The stewardess helped her choose a seat and brought her a drink and a snack while they were taxiing to the runway. As the big airplane roared down the runway Barbara smiled and thought to herself that this was the only way to travel.
They landed at San Jose two hours later, after bucking a head-wind, and the FBO had arranged a car to meet her. An hour later she walked into the San Francisco apartment and found it exactly as she had left it. She ordered dinner and began going through her wardrobe to select the perfect courtroom outfit.
THE JUDGE CALLED the court to order and asked Ralph Waters to present his case.
“I call Mrs. Walter Keeler,” Waters said, and Barbara took the stand and was sworn. She was wearing a black Chanel suit and appropriate jewelry.
“Mrs. Keeler, how long did you and Mr. Keeler know each other before you were married?”
“Only a few weeks,” Barbara replied. “We fell in love almost on sight.”
“Do you remember the day Mr. Keeler died?”
“Very well.”
“Can you tell us what occurred that day before his death?”
“We had breakfast together on the terrace. Walter said that he wanted to go down to Palo Alto to close up his old apartment, and that he wanted to see Joe Wilen and make a new will.”
“Did he tell you what would be in the will?”
“Yes. He told me he had a few bequests to make, including one of a hundred million dollars to his foundation, and that the rest would come to me. In fact, he had made notes to that effect, and he showed them to me.”
“And after Mr. Keeler’s death, when did you hear from Mr. Wilen?”
“He called me that afternoon to tell me about the accident, but I had already heard about it on television. He said he needed to see me and made an appointment for the next day.”
“And what did he have to say to you at that time?”
“He told me that my inheritance was use of the apartment and a monthly allowance for life, nothing else. He also told me that Walter had put a clause in the will saying that anyone who contested it would have their inheritance reduced to one dollar, and he advised me not to contest it. I told him what Walter had said to me the previous morning, but he said that was not what was in Walter’s mind. He gave me a copy of the will and showed me the relevant pages.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Keeler,” Waters said. “That concludes my questioning. Your Honor, do you have any questions for my witness?”
“No,” the judge said.