McCann propped the flashlight on a mound of rocks on the other side of the cave so that it pointed at the pile that concealed the money. Martin started throwing rocks from the top of the pile off to one side. Every movement hurt, but digging in the rock pile was keeping him alive and giving him time to think.
After a while McCann eased himself into a sitting position against the far wall. His gun was aimed at Martin, who was certain it would soon grow heavy. As he dug he kept an eye out for a few heavy rocks. Every time he spotted one, he moved it to a spot where he could grab it quickly.
Martin's chance came after he had been working for half an hour. The barrel of the handgun wobbled then sagged downward. Then McCann leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a second. Martin was moving before he opened them. The first rock hit McCann in the forehead. He screamed and fired, but he wasn't aiming. Martin was on him before he could focus, smashing down with a second rock that sent McCann's head ricocheting off the wall, stunning him. A moment later Martin had the gun.
"Look around you, Paul," Alvarez said when he was certain that McCann was fully conscious of his situation. "This cave is where your body is going to rot."
McCann paled.
"You should be happy. I'm going to bury you with your blood money. You'll have an eternity to spend it in hell."
Anger suffused Martin's features as he aimed the gun.
"Goddamn you for killing Patty," he said, but he never pulled the trigger. Another gun fired from behind Martin. The explosion reverberated in the cave. Martin pitched forward, unconscious.
Chapter Thirty.
"I don't know how much time passed before I regained consciousness," Alvarez said. "When I came to I wished I hadn't."
He paused for a moment, reliving the agony of those moments.
"How did you get out of the cave?" Kate asked.
"Joan McCann brought the police. She was attacked while she was waiting for me."
"Who . . . ?"
"She doesn't know. The person was wearing a mask. He put a gun to her head and forced her to tell where I'd gone, then she was knocked out. When she came to I hadn't returned, so she called the police. I was barely alive when the search party found me and Paul."
"McCann was still there?"
"He was dead, shot between the eyes. The ransom money was gone."
"Did Aaron Flynn have an alibi?"
"He was never a suspect. Six months later he quietly left town. I had no idea where he'd moved until today."
"Did anyone else connected with the case move away?"
"Joan. She left within three months. She visited me several times at the hospital while I was recuperating. The last time, she told me that she couldn't stay in Desert Grove any longer."
"Was there a theory about the identity of Paul McCann's killer?"
"No. I'm certain that McCann and Lester Dobbs killed Patty, and that the same person murdered McCann and Dobbs. In the end, the most widely accepted theory was that an outsider was behind the plot."
"Do you believe that?"
"Absolutely not," Alvarez said, his voice as hard as granite.
"What happened to Gene Arnold?"
"I hired the best criminal lawyer in Arizona to represent Gene. He convinced Ramon that there wasn't enough evidence to hold him. It was obvious to everyone that Melissa's clothing and the car had been planted at the cabin. The crime lab was all over the place and couldn't find any evidence that Melissa or Gene had been there recently. Melissa's body was never recovered, so there was no forensic evidence connecting Gene to the murder. All they had were the arguments and Ramon wasn't going to prosecute Gene on the basis of a few domestic spats."
"Were there any new developments after you were shot?"
"Not until now."
"Can you think of anything else that might help, Mr. Alvarez?"
After a moment Martin shook his head. "You realize, of course, that Gene's death may have nothing to do with what happened here. It was a long time ago."
"That's true, but Aaron Flynn . . . The coincidence bothers me."
"Life is full of coincidences."
Kate stood and extended her hand. "Thanks for seeing me."
Alvarez took her hand and held it for a moment before releasing it. Kate handed him her card.
"If you think of anything else, please call me."
Martin nodded just as his assistant appeared on the patio.
"Anna will see you to your car. Good luck."
_ _ _
Martin Alvarez watched Kate Ross cross the terrace. Though she looked nothing like Patty, the investigator reminded him of her. They both had the same purposeful stride, and Patty had always shown a core of strength that he sensed in Kate Ross. Alvarez closed his good eye and rubbed his temples. There were times when he imagined that his wife was still with him, taking her morning ride, just out of sight and soon to return. Thoughts like that were calming, like a belief that he and Patty would be reunited in a life after death.
There were other times when memories of Patty stoked an impotent rage. It was that rage that was building as Martin entered the hacienda and went to his office. As soon as he closed his door he picked up the phone. A man answered in Spanish.
"You know who this is?" Alvarez asked.
"Yes."
"I have work for you. Come on the evening plane."
Chapter Thirty-One.
Saturday morning, Daniel bolted out of sleep thinking that he was still in his cell. When he realized that he was safe in Kate's guest room he fell back on the bed. Daniel was normally an early riser, but he had slept past nine. Just being in a place where the lights were not on twenty-four hours a day and screams and moans did not jerk him awake at all hours had been a luxury greater than silk sheets.
There was a note from Kate on the kitchen table. She had taken an early flight to Arizona and hadn't wanted to wake him. He wished she had. He remembered how happy he had been to see her waiting for him at the jail and he missed her already.
Daniel reread Kate's note. He liked holding something that she had touched and reading something that she had written just for him. Kate was very kind and very thoughtful. There hadn't been many people like that in Daniel's life. In truth, Kate was the single positive note in the sorry mess that had become his life. Despite their barely knowing each other, Kate had made sure that a top defense attorney represented him, she was paying some of his legal fees, and she was letting him stay with her-knowing that he was charged with murder. Her support conveyed her complete confidence in his innocence. He couldn't imagine getting through his ordeal without her.
After breakfast, Daniel wandered aimlessly around the house, flipped channels on the television, and quickly lost interest in a science-fiction novel he found in Kate's bookcase. Its plot wasn't nearly as surreal as his life. What had happened to him? A little more than a week ago he'd been living a dream he had never dared imagine as a child. Now someone had stolen that dream. Daniel wanted his life back.
One of the worst things about jail was being forced to stay inside. Daniel realized that he needed to get out in the world. He called Joe Molinari.
"How's the convict?" Molinari joked.
"I'm cooped up at Kate Ross's house and I'm going nuts."
"Ross, huh? That'll make juicy office gossip."
"There's nothing to gossip about. I'm hiding from reporters and Kate was kind enough to put me up."
"Of course."
"You're a pig, Molinari."
"I assume you didn't call just to insult me."
"True. Do you want to go for a run? I've got to get some exercise."
"Sounds good."
"Can you drive me over to my apartment so I can get my car and my running gear?"
"No problem. See you soon."
A fire-engine-red Porsche pulled up in front of Kate's house. Joe honked the horn and waved.