Kerney nodded in agreement. “I may need to talk to you about this again.”
“Of course, as you wish. But you can’t just jump up and leave until you agree to bring your lovely wife here for dinner. I think it would be best to do it before the baby arrives and you both become totally preoccupied with the exhausting tasks of parenthood. Are you free Friday night?”
“That should work,” Kerney said.
“You must promise not to be called away on some pressing police matter.”
“I’m on vacation.”
Fletcher raised an eyebrow. “Really? One would hardly know it.”
Kerney laughed. “No police business, I promise.”
“Perfect. I’ll pull out my cookbooks and start menu planning. We’ll have a grand feast.”
“As always,” Kerney said.
“Neither Mary Beth nor Kurt strikes me as a killer,” Fletcher said.
“Killers come in all flavors,” Kerney said, as he patted Fletcher on the shoulder and left to the soft sounds of Beethoven.
In his unit, he got on the horn to Sal Molina and gave him the rundown on Mary Beth Patterson and Kurt Larsen.
“Well, at least now we’ve got something to follow-up on,” Molina said.
“No luck at the crime scene?” Kerney asked.
“Not so far,” Sal replied.
Kerney arrived home to find Sara waiting expectantly for him. Their first day of vacation together was to have started with a visit to the construction site of their new house. Up to now, Sara had only seen the photographs Kerney had mailed to her. Last night she’d been excited and eager to see it firsthand. But their early-morning spat had left Sara less than enthusiastic. She nodded curtly when he asked if she was ready to go, walked quickly to his pickup truck, sat looking straight ahead, and said nothing as he wheeled out of the driveway. Feeling guilty about the squabble, Kerney matched Sara’s silence with his own.
Halfway through the drive, Sara looked at her hands, twisted her wedding ring with her thumb, and asked about the homicide.
Kerney gave her a brief summary. “It could be a tough one to solve,” he said in conclusion.
“You were so long getting back, I thought you had abandoned our plans for the morning,” Sara said.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Kerney replied. “I stopped by to talk to Fletcher. He had some interesting information about Jack Potter that might prove helpful.”
“You could’ve sent a detective to meet with Fletcher,” she said flatly, her eyes still fixed on the road ahead.
“Yes, but I wanted to cool down a bit,” Kerney said. “Besides, seeing Fletcher got us a dinner invitation at his house for Friday night.”
“If we’re talking to each other by then, I suppose we should go.”
“Aren’t we talking now?”
Sara squinted against the sunlight and lowered the visor. “Not really.”
They left the highway and drove the ranch road to the cutoff that took them through a pasture on their new property and up toward a long ridgeline. Kerney had spent several weekends improving the road with a borrowed grader, spreading and packing vast amounts of gravel to make it usable year-round. No longer rutted, narrow, and rocky, it climbed gently to a large sheltered bowl below the crest, where several low courses of new adobe walls stood on the recently poured concrete pad.
Sara made no comment about the road, nor about the red prefabricated galvanized steel horse barn that had been erected a good half a mile from the house. She was out of the truck and moving toward their contractor, Bobby Trujillo, before Kerney set the parking brake and killed the engine.
Trujillo met Sara halfway across the open field. Together they walked around the outside perimeter of the partially raised adobe walls, inspecting the work in progress. Kerney decided to let them go on without him and took a hike in the direction of the horse barn to check on Soldier, the mustang he’d trained as a cutting horse.
Soldier had been pastured at Dale Jennings’s ranch down on the Tularosa for the past several years. Two weekends ago, after the barn and corral were completed, Dale, his boyhood chum and lifelong friend, had brought Soldier up by trailer along with his own mount. The two men camped out on the property overnight and covered all of Kerney’s two sections—twelve hundred and eighty acres—by horseback the following day.
It had been Kerney’s best weekend away from the job in several months. Dale had left shaking his head in wonder and amusement at the beauty of the land and its magnificent views of the distant mountains, the size of the house Kerney was building, and the fact that his old buddy had put up a six-stall barn that for now would serve one lonely animal.
The corral gate was closed and the stall door was open, but Soldier wasn’t inside the arena or under the covered shelter that ran the length of the barn. Inside the corral, Kerney inspected the water trough and freestanding hay rack he’d filled yesterday before leaving to pick up Sara at the airport. Both looked untouched. He glanced into the empty stall, which he’d purposely left open to give Soldier access to the corral. The interior gate to the center aisle was closed and latched.
Kerney stood in the corral and did a three-sixty looking for his horse. He was nowhere in sight. Kerney doubted Soldier could have gotten out without assistance. He’d carefully padlocked all the other exterior doors to keep rodents and other small animals from gaining access.
He walked around the barn. Except for Soldier’s stall it was secure. He unlocked the barn doors, pushed one back, and saw Soldier lying on the concrete pad that ran the length of the center aisle. He stepped in and inspected the animal. Soldier had been shot three times in the stomach and left to die. In his death throes, he’d kicked and dented the steel wall with his forelegs. Blood from the wounds had stained the concrete and soaked into the dirt floor in front of a stall door.
Because he was starting out with just one animal, Kerney had jokingly named the spread the One Horse Ranch. Now it wasn’t even that anymore. He bent down and stroked Soldier’s head. He’d been a fine horse, a smart horse. Who would do such a thing? And why?
Outside, he used his cell phone to call Andy Baca, his ex-boss and the chief of the state police. He told Andy what had happened to Soldier and asked him to dispatch a patrol officer.
“Do you want me to send an agent also?” Andy asked.
“No, I’ll handle the crime scene myself,” Kerney said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Kerney said.
“This doesn’t sit right with me,” Andy said.
“With me either,” Kerney replied. “Somebody went out of his way to kill my horse as painfully as possible.”
“You got any idea who did it?”
“Only a handful of people knew Soldier was on the property, and none of them carry any grudges against me, as far as I know.”
“Well, somebody’s sending you a message,” Andy said.
“It looks that way.”
“Maybe you’ve got a wacko on the crew building your house.”
“Maybe,” Kerney said. “But I’ve gotten to know the guys pretty well and none of them strikes me that way.”
“You never know.”
“True enough,” Kerney said.
“Any leads on the Jack Potter homicide?”
“Nothing worth talking about yet,” Kerney answered.
“Keep me informed, and if you need help, just ask.”
“I will, and thanks.” Kerney disconnected and called Tug Cheney, a veterinarian he knew from his days as a caretaker of a small ranch on the Galisteo Basin. Tug told him Soldier could be sent to Albuquerque for an autopsy or he could do a quick and dirty one himself.
“I know what killed my horse,” Kerney said. “What I want are the bullets out of Soldier’s stomach. When can you get out here?”
“Give me directions to your place and I’ll be there in an hour,” Tug said.
Kerney supplied directions, thanked Tug, stuck the cell phone back on his belt, and tur
ned to see Sara walking slowly in his direction from the construction site.
Today he’d argued with a woman he adored, seen the murdered body of a man he liked, and found a horse he loved maliciously destroyed. It was a crummy way to start a vacation.
He started toward Sara to give her the news.
Chapter 2
Detective Pino finished her courthouse interview with Stephanie Dwyer, Potter’s secretary, and escorted her across the now-empty parking lot past the crime scene. Potter’s body had been removed, but the blood trail on the sidewalk made Dwyer start sobbing all over again. Ramona guided her into the office, spent a few minutes calming her down, and then left her with another detective to conduct a complete inventory to determine if anything was missing from Potter’s office.
Outside, she found Lieutenant Molina waiting and gave him her report. Dwyer knew of no reasons for Potter’s murder. There had been no threats made against him, no hate mail or mysterious phone calls received, and nothing in Potter’s recent behavior had pointed to any kind of worry or undue emotional stress. Although Ramona had quizzed her closely about Potter’s past and current clients, friends, and associates, Dwyer was unable to think of anyone who held a grudge against her boss. Additionally, Dwyer, who kept the financial books for the practice as well as Potter’s personal and housekeeping accounts, reported that there had been no unusual or suspicious flow of money, which might point to extortion or payoffs.
“Did Dwyer have an alibi?” Molina asked.
“Yes, and I confirmed it by telephone,” Ramona replied. “She dropped her daughter off at day care and went to an early morning yoga class for working mothers.”
Molina held out a slip of paper. “Go talk to this person.”
Ramona read the note. “Who is she?”
“A transsexual who stalked Potter some years ago, after he ended a relationship with her,” Molina replied. “She lives with her current boyfriend, who runs a one-man gardening service. Both of them are head cases. The boyfriend isn’t home—he’s a gardener and leaves early for work. I’ve got Sergeant Tafoya looking for him. His name is Kurt Larsen.”
“What kind of head cases are they?” Ramona asked.
“Larsen’s a vet with post-traumatic stress, and Patterson gets hysterical and cuts herself with a knife to get attention. The shrinks call it a borderline personality.”
“You talked to their shrinks?” Ramona said.
“No, I spoke with the caseworker who supervises the apartments where Patterson and Larsen live. It’s an independent living program for mental patients run by a local agency. The caseworker’s name is Joyce Barbero. See her first before you meet with Patterson.”
“Will do,” Ramona said.
“It might be something,” Molina said halfheartedly. “As it is, we’re getting nothing from the neighborhood canvass.”
“Have we found the spent bullet?”
“The techs are still looking, but I wouldn’t count on them getting lucky. Be careful with Patterson.”
Ramona rolled her eyes in agreement and went off to meet with a loony-tune transsexual who liked to play with knives.
Patterson and Larsen lived in a single-story apartment building behind a large discount department store just off Cerrillos Road, the busiest, noisiest, ugliest street in Santa Fe. A high concrete block wall tagged with graffiti separated the two structures.
The building had eight units with entrances fronting the street. Patches of stucco had broken off the exterior, exposing the gray undercoat, and the painted wood trim around the doors and windows was chipped and peeling. Landscaping consisted of some low-maintenance native shrubs and a few large boulders in a gravel bed that ran the length of the building from the sidewalk to the front stoops. On the street, litter had accumulated under several broken-down vehicles that were up on blocks and in the process of being repaired.
A sign in front of an end unit announced the office of the La Puerta Mental Health Independent Living Center, and asked all visitors to check in. Ramona rang the bell and was greeted by Joyce Barbero.
A large, round, middle-aged woman dressed in a loose-fitting skirt and top, Barbero carefully inspected Ramona’s credentials.
“I’m sure Mary Beth had nothing to do with the murder,” Barbero said.
“We’re just gathering information about Mr. Potter from people who knew him,” Ramona replied. “Did you know him?”
“Not personally. Mary Beth talks about him occasionally in group therapy. His rejection hurt her deeply.”
“Did he ever come here to visit Mary Beth?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Would it be possible to check on that?” Ramona asked.
“We keep a log of all visitors,” Barbero replied. “Our rules require it.”
“Both day and nighttime visitors?”
“Yes, we have shift supervisors who sleep over. Visitors must leave by nine P.M.”
“Would you check your records?”
“It will take some time to go through the file.”
“I’ll stop back after I’ve talked to Ms. Patterson,” Ramona said. “Does she have any violent tendencies?”
“Not towards other people.”
“You’re sure of that? I understand she was very angry with Potter.”
“Angry, yes, but not aggressive. I described Mary Beth’s behavior to your lieutenant. She can be self-destructive. But it’s an attention-getting device, and she hasn’t mutilated herself in a very long time.”
“Are there knives in the apartment?”
“Of course.”
Barbero directed Ramona to Patterson’s apartment and watched from her front stoop. Ramona rang once and the door opened. If she hadn’t been given a heads up about Patterson’s sex change operation, she never would have guessed it. At five-three, Mary Beth matched Ramona’s height. Her features were feminine, her figure shapely, and her makeup was perfectly applied.
For all of that Ramona still had to force back a smile; Patterson wore a knee-length, short-sleeved, light blue summer dress with a high neckline that looked like it had come from the costume department of a 1960s TV sitcom. It was topped off by a pink chiffon scarf tied under her chin that covered the curlers in her hair.
Mary Beth smiled shyly and touched the scarf. A series of long, thin scars ran up her forearm. “I wasn’t expecting company,” she said in a soft tenor voice. “Who are you?”
“I’m a police officer,” Romana said, showing her shield.
Patterson took a deep breath and patted her chest. “Why would you want to talk to me? I haven’t done anything bad to myself.”
“I’m sure you haven’t. May I come in?”
Mary Beth turned quickly and her skirt swished across her legs. “Only if you promise not to lie to me.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Ramona said.
“The police always lie to me,” Mary Beth replied with a pout, as she sat on an oversized ottoman with a worn cushion, crossed her legs, and demurely pulled her skirt down over her knees.
The front room of the apartment was furnished with what looked like castoffs and thrift shop purchases. An old couch covered with a faded quilt faced a large laminated-wood wall unit that contained a television set with a rabbit-ears antenna. A small table radio tuned to a country station was playing a mournful ballad about the pain of lost love.
In front of the couch, a battered piano bench had been cut down to serve as a coffee table. A collection of cheap glass figurines of dancing women were carefully arranged on the shelf above the TV. On the wall behind the ottoman were a Marine Corps insignia plaque and a shadow box containing military decorations, lance corporal stripes, and expert marksman awards.
“How do the police lie to you?” Ramona asked.
“They tell me I need help and then they take me to the hospital,” Mary Beth replied, still pouting. “I ask them not to do it and they say they have to. They could just leave me alone and go away, but they won’t.”
“Maybe they’re just trying to help you,” Ramona said.
Mary Beth arched her neck. “I don’t need help,” she said haughtily. “I’m much better now that I have my Kurt.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve come to ask you about Jack Potter.”
Mary Beth winced as though she’d been slapped. “Don’t say that name to me.”
“We have to talk about him.”
“Why?”
“He was murdered this morning,” Ramona answered.
Mary Beth put a hand to her mouth and giggled. “Goodie,” she said brightly.
“You don’t mind that he’s dead?”
She was silent for a moment and her face lost all expression. “I did everything for him. Anything he wanted. He said he loved me, but he didn’t.”
“That must have been hard for you.”
Mary Beth’s foot began wagging rapidly, bright red toenails showing through the open end of her sandal. She ran a finger up her arm, tracing one of the long, thin scars, and said nothing. Suddenly, she lunged off the ottoman and walked past Ramona to the bathroom.
Ramona followed and from the open doorway watched Mary Beth remove her scarf and start taking curlers out of her hair, dropping them in the sink one by one.
A baby blue shower curtain covered the tub and a shelf above the sink held a large array of inexpensive perfume and cologne bottles. On top of the toilet tank a pair of scissors were within easy reach.
“Let’s go back in the living room and talk,” Ramona said, stepping closer to the toilet.
Mary Beth shook her head in a fierce rebuttal. “If I talk to you, you’ll just think I killed him.”
“Why would I think that?”
The last curler dropped into the sink and Mary Beth started furiously brushing her thick, dark hair. “Because I used to say I wanted to. Because for a long time that’s all I would talk about. Because I stalked him and that was a bad thing to do.”
Mary Beth’s high tenor voice lost its feminine veneer. She sounded like a frightened, prepubescent boy.
Everyone Dies Page 3