“What happened?”
“He wanted more money-lots more. So much I couldn’t even have paid my mother’s medical bills. Can you imagine? After making a criminal of myself, I still wouldn’t be able to pay her bills. He threatened that if I didn’t cough up the cash, he’d expose me.”
Ben stepped behind Allen and spoke in a quiet voice. “That’s why you killed him, isn’t it?”
Allen looked up suddenly. He stared at Ben, sizing him up. “This whole thing-the DEA, arresting Christina-it was a setup, wasn’t it?”
Ben nodded.
Christina’s jaw dropped. “Ben! Is that true?”
“I’m afraid so.” Ben turned back toward Allen. “I knew you killed Gardiner, but I didn’t have any way to prove it. I needed you to confess. And I couldn’t think of any way to make that happen.” He paused. “Except to make you think it was necessary to save someone you … cared about.”
Christina stared at Ben in disbelief. “You tricked him? Used him? And me!”
Ben didn’t disagree. “I didn’t know why you killed Gardiner, but I knew you weren’t an evil person. Not in your heart. I knew it had to be eating away at you. So I thought that if I just created the right scenario-”
“I’d talk.” Allen’s head bobbed. “I’d spill out everything I’ve been wanting to say for months, but couldn’t.” He laughed bitterly. “You’re a smart man, Kincaid.”
Ben frowned. “I don’t feel like one.”
Allen jerked his thumb toward Hodges. “Is he in on it?”
“Of course. I had a … contact in the DEA. She helped me set up this sting.”
“But how did you know? How did you figure it out?”
“It was something you said, something that didn’t mean anything at the time, till Maureen reminded me of it earlier today in the infirmary. When I was at the jailhouse visiting Tess and Maureen, you made a joking reference to the Sasquatch suit and described it as having a bright red nose. Problem is, I’ve seen the suit that your deputy recovered-I had it in my office. The face is entirely black. Zak helped explain the problem; he told me there were two suits-the first one Green Rage had, and the second one which Zak bought himself but never wore. Except the one that was never used-as far as Zak knew-was the one with the red nose. So how did you know about it? I asked the Green Ragers if they’d lost it or shown it or even mentioned it to you or anyone else, but they all said they hadn’t. That’s when I realized you must’ve been there when Gardiner was killed. You must have stolen the suit and worn it yourself.”
Allen nodded his head sadly. He was beyond lying now; he didn’t have the strength-or the desire. “I swiped the suit from Zak’s tent, then put it back when I was done. As one of my deputies mentioned at trial, some campers had tipped us off to the location of the Green Rage camp. I knew your man Zak planted a bomb on a tree cutter. Got a tip from Georgie-the man at the pawnshop who sold him the ingredients-and started following him around. Saw him do it. But instead of arresting him, I removed the bomb and took it to another location, another tree cutter. Zak put a timing mechanism on the thing, but I knew enough about bombs-I got sent to that bomb school in L.A., remember-to alter it, to rig it to explode when the ignition was turned. I lured Gardiner out there, telling him I was going to give him the money he wanted. I didn’t plan to kill him-I just wanted to put on a big show, to scare him off, that was all. But he started arguing with me, yelling. Demanding money. Then he started fighting. Had a crowbar over my head ready to bash my brains in. That’s when I had to shoot him. I didn’t shoot to kill; I just wanted to stop him. And after that, I flipped out. Just ran for it. And you know the rest. Dwayne tried to follow me on the tree cutter and-”
“Boom,” Ben said. “No more Dwayne Gardiner.” He looked up. “And Tess?”
The two men exchanged a long look. Ben could see in Allen’s eyes that he was tired of lying, tired of hiding. He wanted to be clean again.
“Tess was there that night, watching us from a distance. She videotaped the whole thing. The tape wasn’t clear enough to make out my face, but I didn’t know that till after she was gone and I rummaged through her hotel room and found it. Even without the tape, though, she figured out I was the killer-probably the same way you did.”
“So you killed her, too.”
“That’s why I wasn’t around when you needed someone to break up the riot downtown, why you had to get Deputy Andrews. I was … with Tess.” He cradled his face in his hands. “I didn’t mean to kill her, either. Didn’t plan to, anyway. I was chasing her. I needed to talk with her, to find out what she knew, see if we could make a deal. But she panicked, and her car swerved into a wall. She died in the crash. I took her body to the forest and nailed it up to throw suspicion off myself. Make it look like it was just part of the local war.”
His voice broke. “I don’t know what happened to me. I really don’t. I tried to do the right thing. It’s just-one mistake led to another, and before I knew what was happening-” He was crying like a baby now, without guard, without control. “Even after Dwayne and Tess were gone, I had another problem-a bigger one. Guilt. I’ve been killing myself every day of the week. I can barely sleep. I hated seeing another man accused of my crime, but what could I do? I didn’t have the guts to come forward, to do the right thing.” He held out his hand and lightly touched Christina’s hair. “But when I saw you in trouble, saw them about to take you away-I knew it was over. I knew it all had to end.”
Without speaking, Hodges removed the cuffs from Christina’s wrists. Even without being asked, Allen held out his hands. Hodges slipped the cuffs over the man’s wrists, then quietly led him out of the office.
Leaving Ben and Christina alone together.
Ben wanted desperately to say something to her, but he couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound contrived or fake or insincere.
“You used me,” Christina said. Her face was wet and blotchy, but her eyes were fixed and furious. “You used me to get to him.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben said. “It was the only way.”
“You could have told me.”
“And asked you to be an accomplice in this plan to trap the man you-you were-friendly with? I couldn’t do that to you.”
“You should’ve trusted me,” she said bitterly. She spun around and, without saying another word, left the office, slamming the door behind her.
Chapter 74
Zak stared through the cell bars at Ben with wide-eyed wonder. “You’re kidding!”
“Would I kid about a thing like this?”
“The charges are dismissed?”
“All of them. As soon as they finish processing the paperwork, you’ll be free to go.”
“Yes!” Zak jumped up into the air and whooped. “I knew it. I knew it!”
“Knew what?”
“I knew you’d pull through for me. You did it before and you did it again.” He reached through the bars and slapped Ben on the shoulder.
Ben pressed his lips together silently.
“How did you ever get Granny to agree to dismiss?”
Ben shrugged. “She didn’t have much choice. We brought her a detailed confession from the real murderer-a confession witnessed by multiple persons, including three federal agents.”
“Man, this is great. This is so great.” Zak jumped up again and swatted the overhead light. “You’re a miracle worker, Ben.”
“Hardly.”
“If there’s anything I can ever do for you-anything at all-all you have to do is ask.”
Ben looked up. “You mean that?”
“Oh, yeah, man. ’Course I do. Anything you want, it’s yours.”
“Okay. Stop with the bombs.”
Zak floated down to earth. “What?”
“You heard me. No more bombs. You may think you’re striking great blows for freedom and liberty, but you’re not. Every time you resort to violence, you set your cause back. Violence never solves anything in the long run. It might bury problems
, but it doesn’t solve them.”
“You’re wrong, man. We have to be strong.”
“Then be strong. You don’t need a big macho bomb to be strong.”
“Those bastards out there don’t listen to reason.”
“Zak, if you keep setting bombs, eventually you’re going to kill someone. Even if Allen tampered with the bomb that killed Gardiner, the fact remains that you created the instrumentality of murder. If you keep at this, someone else will die. Maybe it’ll be an accident, but the poor schmuck caught in the explosion will be just as dead.”
Zak grimaced. “Anything else, Mom?”
“Well, yeah, since you asked. You could stop being such a pig with women.”
“What are you, some kind of feminist?”
“I don’t have to be a feminist to see that you’ve been a total jerk, taking advantage of others, thinking only of yourself. That’s no way to treat anyone, man or woman.”
“Jeez. My lawyer, Jiminy Cricket.”
“Yeah, well, you asked.” Ben folded his arms. “Anyway, the work’s done. You’ll be free soon. So do me a favor and don’t get arrested for murder again, okay?”
Zak smiled. “Deal.” He laughed. “So how did the jury take it? They were probably pissed.”
Ben shook his head. “I don’t think so. If anything, they were relieved. No one enjoys deliberating on a capital charge. And particularly given the circumstances-I expect they felt they had been prevented by a hairbreadth from making a horrible mistake.”
“So you think they were going to convict?”
Ben looked at him levelly. “After that stunt you pulled up on the stand? How could they not?”
“Hmm. Guess you’re right.”
“Speaking of which,” Ben said, pressing against the cell door. “Care to explain that little travesty to me?”
Zak turned his head. “I … don’t think I can.”
“Zak, look at me. Look. At. Me!” Zak grudgingly turned his head. “Have you learned nothing from this whole experience?”
“Like … don’t get thrown in jail in small towns?”
“No, you idiot. Like, it’s always best to tell your lawyer the truth. Think about it. You lied about the Sasquatch suit, and that was the first major strike against us. You lied about the bomb, and that was the second major blow. And you lied about Gardiner’s wife, and that nearly crucified us! So for once, just once in your stupid life, would you tell me the truth?”
“I don’t know … I’m gonna have to think about it.”
“Zak, let me do the thinking, okay? Frankly, it isn’t exactly your specialty.” Ben reached through the bars, grabbed Zak’s shirt, and yanked him against the door. “Tell me what happened. Now.”
Chapter 75
Granny’s office hadn’t changed much, Ben observed, and neither had she. The office was still a mess; if anything, there were even more stacks of files and even more crumpled fast-food wrappers than before. She was on the phone, apparently giving an interview. No, she didn’t consider the new revelations about the Gardiner murder a personal setback. She believed the whole town, including hard-working civic servants like herself, had been manipulated by a self-serving cadre of drug pushers, environmental fanatics, and lawyers, all working in concert to thwart justice. To the contrary, it was a testament to the zealous and unflagging efforts of her office that they were finally able to uncover the truth.
Ben had to smile. As if she had had anything to do with it.
When she was finally finished, she hung up the phone. “Why are you here, Kincaid? Just come to gloat?”
“No, I wanted to talk with you.”
“Yeah? Well, the feeling isn’t mutual.”
“It’s very important.”
Granny glanced at the clock on the wall. “I can give you five minutes. Assuming I don’t get bored first.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Ben reached into his briefcase. “Your first ethical violation, in my opinion, was when you produced important documents buried in a sea of extraneous paper-all printed in red ink.”
She waved him away. “I later corrected that … inadvertent error.”
“On the eve of trial, yes. But it unquestionably compromised my defense.”
Granny made a great show of yawning. “Sorry, Kincaid, but you’re not beating the boredom test.”
“Your second ethical violation was the suppression-even destruction-of exculpatory evidence. That’s more than just an ethical violation-that’s a criminal offense. Obstruction of justice. You had a whole file on Alberto Vincenzo, and you knew-or thought, anyway-it was relevant to the Gardiner case. But you didn’t produce it.”
“What file? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you had it.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it.”
“I can’t.”
Granny settled back in her chair. “Anything else, Kincaid?”
“Your third ethical violation was bribing Marco Geppi to fabricate a false jail-cell conversation to hang Zak. That’s more than just an ethical violation, too. That’s suborning perjury.”
She fluttered her eyes. “And you can’t prove that either, right?”
“We’re looking for Geppi. But he blew town and crawled back into the woodwork as soon as you released him. As I’m sure you anticipated he would.”
“Time’s almost up, Kincaid.”
“And your fourth and most heinous ethical violation was when you blackmailed Zak into tanking on the witness stand. You’ve done some pretty evil things, Granny, but screwing with the testimony of a man on trial for his life-that’s just beyond the pale.”
“Again, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You will. Zak told me all about it.”
“The embittered defendant and his attorney try to strike back against the prosecutor. It’s all too trite. No one will believe it.”
“I think you’re wrong.”
“Who knows this town, Kincaid? You or me?”
“I still think that when-”
“It’s hopeless. You have no proof.”
“I will.” Ben leaned forward. “You see, now that Zak doesn’t have a murder charge hanging over his head, he’s going to talk about how you tried to blackmail him into silence. In detail. He’ll tell everyone-locals, Feds. He’ll go on television if he has to. And eventually we’ll find someone who knows something. Maybe the deputy who admitted you to the jailhouse. Maybe another prisoner who overheard something. Maybe Geppi will reappear. If Zak makes a big enough fuss, something will shake out.”
“He’d better not.” Granny sprang forward like a panther. “You tell that little prick that if he opens his mouth, his sister’s ass is grass. I wasn’t kidding around with him. She won’t see the sun for ten years!”
“Thank you very much.” Ben pulled his hand out of his coat pocket to reveal a tiny Sony tape recorder. “I agree that I would’ve had a hard time making the charges stick just based on Zak’s word. But your confession might do the trick.”
Granny’s eyes went wide. Her face was a vivid red. “Confession? I didn’t confess-”
Ben smiled, then rose to his feet. “We’ll let the U.S. Attorney decide about that, okay?”
Granny ran around her desk. “Give me that tape, Kincaid.”
“No chance.”
Her face twisted up in a knot. “You’ll give me that tape if I have to beat you to a bloody fucking pulp.” She looked like she could do it, too.
It was Ben’s turn to feign a yawn. “A threat of violence. It’s just too trite.”
She clenched up her fist. “I’ll show you trite-”
“Loving?”
From just outside, Ben’s enormous investigator poked his head through the door. “Need somethin’, Skipper?”
“I don’t know.” He smiled at Granny. “Do I?”
Granny’s face was livid. She looked as if she might explode at any moment. But she kept her mouth shut.
Ben ga
thered his briefcase and headed toward the door. “See you in court, Granny.”
Chapter 76
Ben stood at the crest of the hill and gazed out at the forest all around him. This was the same location to which he had been brought by force only a few days before, but now everything was different. The landscape was so changed that an unknowing observer gazing at Before and After photos would never have guessed they were of the same site. Probably wouldn’t have guessed they were of the same planet.
The shack was entirely gone, burned. All that was left was blackened rubble-and not much of that. A thick gray ash powdered the hillside.
The verdant view that once crested the hill was now black. Black and black and black. Burned beyond recognition. Plants, ground cover, trees. The fire had spread hundreds of feet in all directions before the team from the Forest Service had managed to extinguish it. What once had been a thriving example of nature’s wonder in all its bounty was now nothing but charred desolation.
As Ben had said before, he was no nature lover. But gazing out at this waste, this ruin, this spoilage-it just made him want to cry.
But he held it back. He didn’t have time for such indulgences. He had work to do.
He saw Maureen drive up the blackened road, park, climb out of her Jeep. He hadn’t visited her since he left the infirmary. He was glad to see her again; she looked much better now.
And a few minutes after that, Ben saw a bright red pickup driven by Jeremiah Adams-head foreman of the Magic Valley sawmill, lifelong logger, supervisor, and father of the former Magic Valley district attorney.
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