B007GFGTIY EBOK (20 page)

“What are you doing with this?” Eskdale tapped the drawing with a bony finger. “This is a restricted document.”

“What are these vessels to be used for?” Hayden tapped the drawing in Eskdale’s hands. “What’s so special that fifteen people had to die?”

“Why did my brother kill himself?” Rebecca said. “What was so terrible it made him leap from a bridge to hang himself?” She was fighting back tears.

“You two are committing a crime. You could go to prison for what you’ve done.”

“My conscience is clear,” Hayden said. “How about yours, professor?”

“Why don’t you tell us what you know?” Rebecca’s tone was hard and unforgiving.

“I’m going to tell the police and I’m going to keep this as evidence,” Eskdale said, holding up the drawing.

It was a cheap intimidation tactic and Hayden was having none of it. He snatched the drawing from him. Eskdale snatched it back. Hayden was tempted to let him have it just to see who he took it to, but Eskdale would lead them to someone regardless of whether he possessed the drawing or not. Hayden yanked the drawing away, but Eskdale grabbed at a corner, tearing a chunk off.

With the drawing lost, Eskdale seized the phone on his desk and started punching in a number. Rebecca swept her arm across the professor’s desk, sending the phone and paper-laden filing trays crashing to the floor. The handset went flying from Eskdale’s grasp.

The situation was getting away from them. Hayden had hoped they’d intimidate Eskdale into talking, but the professor was panicking. If they didn’t do something to regain control, he didn’t like to think where this would end up.

Eskdale bolted for the door, sending his chair skidding back into the wall. Hayden rounded Eskdale’s desk, blocking his escape. Eskdale ran straight into Hayden, but the diminutive man failed to knock Hayden aside. Hayden shoved Eskdale back into his chair and pinned the professor to the arms of his chair with his hands. He pushed his face in Eskdale’s.

“You’re not talking to the police or anyone else you think can help you. You’re going to talk to us first and tell us what you know.”

Eskdale writhed in his chair. Hayden put a stop to it by pressing his knee into the professor’s chest.

“Lock the door,” Hayden said to Rebecca. “Start talking, professor.”

Just as Rebecca reached the door to lock it, it opened.

Eskdale’s visitor—a tall, angular man—was reading his notes. “Kenneth, I was wondering how you were—”

What he saw rooted him to the spot. Both Rebecca and Hayden stared at him transfixed, awaiting his reaction. Everyone froze, waiting for the catalyst to start the world spinning again.

“Bob,” Eskdale managed, after a long moment. “Help.”

“Christ,” the man said. He dropped his notes and backed out of the room on legs that seemed not to have any knee joints.

“Out,” Hayden shrieked.

They released Eskdale, who popped up in his tilting chair. Rebecca charged out of the room. Hayden gathered up the drawing and chased after her. Rebecca, first out the door, bodychecked the visitor, slamming him into the corridor wall. She made room for Hayden following close behind and they both headed for the stairs, the exit, and an escape.

“You all right?” It was the third time Bob Harrison had asked Eskdale the same question.

Harrison’s concern wasn’t without warrant. Eskdale could only imagine how he looked. He might have only been in his late fifties, but the nearest thing he came to vigorous exercise consisted of writing on whiteboards.

“I’m OK, Bob,” Eskdale barked. “Stop fussing.”

He was being unnecessarily terse with Harrison, but he needed to get rid of him. He had to talk to Lockhart and he couldn’t do that with Harrison buzzing around him.

“Who were they?” Harrison asked.

Eskdale softened his tone. If he continued to take the harsh line with Harrison, he’d know something was wrong. Everyone knew him as the quiet professor. “I don’t know. Thieves pretending to be students. Probably after cash or valuables.”

“Jesus, they get bolder by the day.” Harrison started arranging scattered papers, but didn’t know where to put them. “It seemed surreal when I came in. I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing.”

“Well, these things happen.”

Harrison shook his head. “I’m not sure I would be so forgiving.”

“It’s the way of the world these days.”

“Do you want me to call the police?”

“No, I’ll do it. Bob, will you leave that?”

Harrison looked hurt.

“Bob, I know you mean well, but you don’t know where everything goes. I’ll put it away.”

“Are you sure?”

Eskdale smiled. “Yes, I’m sure. I can take things from here. I’m just glad you turned up when you did.”

“So am I,” Harrison said. “I wish I had done more, instead of just standing there like an idiot.”

“You did enough. They’re gone.” Eskdale wiped a hand over his forehead and widow’s peak. It surprised him to find it slick with sweat. “Anyway, what did you need me for?”

“It doesn’t matter right now. You get yourself straight and I’ll come back later.”

Eskdale smiled again. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Harrison flashed Eskdale a concerned look and let himself out.

The moment the door closed, Eskdale sank back in his chair. What the hell was going on? First Chaudhary had called him. He’d put two and two together and was going to blow the whistle on him and the work at MDE. Now he’d been roughed up by these two. He hadn’t signed on for this. Lockhart had promised him privacy. He was the silent partner. The science. The technology. Not the target of every leak to come out of MDE. MDE was Lockhart’s problem. Not his.

He tried to stand and became light-headed. He dropped back down in his seat and leaned forward to put his head between his legs. Pinpricks of blinding light filled his vision, followed by a wave of nausea. The sensation passed just as quickly as its onset and he sat up, careful not to reignite the nausea.

He eyed the phone on his desk. He needed to call Lockhart. Lockhart would take care of this. He’d taken care of Chaudhary. He’d used Eskdale’s science to do it, but he’d killed Chaudhary without hesitation. It frightened him how easily Lockhart had disposed of Chaudhary and everyone else who stood in his way. He didn’t want Lockhart viewing him in the same light.

He wondered if he’d ever get to see the money Lockhart had promised him. He promised him he’d have it before the month was out. The money hardly seemed worth it, especially after today.

He eyed the phone again. He couldn’t call Lockhart, but he could call Beckerman. Lockhart had told him to call Beckerman if anyone like Chaudhary ever bothered him again. He picked up the phone. Lockhart had made him memorize Beckerman’s number. He wasn’t to leave a trace of its existence. He tried to remember the number, but couldn’t. Adrenaline jumbled the numbers and inserted ones that shouldn’t have been there.

Relax, he told himself. He closed his eyes, pictured the number, and dialed it.

“Yes.” Beckerman’s emotionless voice answered.

Eskdale wondered what it took to raise his blood pressure.

“It’s Eskdale. I’ve just had two people break in here and demand to know my part in the deaths at MDE. They had drawings. They knew I was a consultant.”

“Did they give you any names?”

“Yes. Hayden Duke and Rebecca Fallon. Do you know them?”

“I know who they are. I’ll get clearance from Mr. Lockhart and have them taken care of.”

“How did they know about me?”

“That’s not your concern. I have it covered.”

“My part was supposed to be secret. Ever since Chaudhary came asking questions, I’ve been afraid to read the newspapers.”

“Forget it. I’ll take care of this for you.”

“But, Beckerman…”

Beckerman had hung up.

Eskdale let his head fall into his hands and did something he hadn’t done since he was a child—wept. And he wondered how long it would be before this was over.

T
he moment they burst from the building, Hayden and Rebecca stopped running and dropped their pace to a fast walk. Hayden hoped they looked like a couple of students late for a class and not two people fleeing an assault on a college professor.

What had they just done? He couldn’t lie to himself. If Eskdale pressed charges, it was assault. No two ways about it. He’d been willing to beat the answers from the man. If they hadn’t been disturbed, he might have gone too far. What the hell was wrong with him? Were the stresses of witnessing Shane’s death and the deaths of all the people at MDE getting to him? Yes, but it wasn’t an excuse.

Hayden shot a glance over his shoulder. No one was pursuing them. It made sense. If Eskdale was tied to anything untoward at MDE, he wasn’t about to cry for help. His not calling the alarm just proved he was involved. He and Rebecca were safe for now.

He caught her arm. “It’s OK. No one’s coming.”

She turned to him, panic clear in her expression. She didn’t believe him. She whipped her gaze around her, looking at every window and exit. When she saw no one, the stiffness went out of her body.

He slipped his arm through hers. “We’re a couple students finished for the day. We’re returning to the parking lot to pick up our car and go home.”

“Yeah,” Rebecca said and nodded.

Hayden relaxed even more when they fell in among other students leaving their classes. Crowds were their friend.

“Hayden, Eskdale knows you have copies of MDE’s drawings. He’s bound to tell someone.”

Who would Eskdale tell? The arsonist who’d left him to burn? Hayden felt the arsonist possessed other skills beyond starting fires. If Eskdale went to him, he was in no more jeopardy than he was an hour ago. The arsonist knew exactly who he was and probably where to find him. He and Rebecca would have to work fast to avoid another visit from him.

“We can’t worry about that now. What’s done is done.”

They threaded their way through the campus back to the parking lot. A flush of relief swept over him at the sight of his car. His Mitsubishi had never looked so good. He whipped out his car keys and pressed the remote on his key chain.

“Look who we have here,” a familiar voice remarked.

Hayden cursed silently. They’d almost made it. They had the car doors open. It was just a matter of getting in and driving away.

Hayden turned to see Santiago and Rice emerge from their unmarked Crown Victoria parked under the shade of a tree, three rows over from his Mitsubishi. The detectives approached with the delicacy of a storm. Hayden had been so focused on getting to his car, he’d developed tunnel vision. He hadn’t spotted Santiago and Rice staked out there.

Hayden felt the heat of Rebecca’s stare on him and turned to her. Panic was alive in her eyes. “Eskdale?” she whispered.

Hayden didn’t think so and shook his head. Santiago, like them, was a long way from home. He hadn’t been called in. He either followed them or had business here.

“Like minds think alike.” Santiago stopped behind the Mitsubishi with Rice at his shoulder, ever the shadow. “I have to say that’s a nice car, Mr. Duke. I bet it’s a lot more fun to drive than what the county issues us. The problem is that I seem to see your car at places where it shouldn’t be.”

“What can we do for you, detective?” Rebecca asked, drawing attention away from Hayden.

“I spoke to Mrs. Fuller. She told me that you two visited her this morning and asked her some unusual questions. She also told us that her husband had contacted you and that you met with him. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t know we had to,” Hayden said. “Since when is talking to someone a crime?”

“Mr. Fuller was a missing person,” Rice interjected.

“We didn’t know that,” Hayden said. “We’re not mind readers.”

“No, you’re not,” Santiago said. “Silly of me to think you were. But I would have thought you would have guessed when Ms. Fallon spoke to Mrs. Fuller the first time about two days ago. Did you find him?”

Santiago’s accusation coldcocked Rebecca and surprise escaped with her words. “I…I…tried, but I…did…didn’t find him,” she stammered.

“What is it you want?” Hayden demanded, trying to cut the interview short. Santiago was cutting into their getaway. If Eskdale was sounding the alarm, someone was already on their way.

“Mr. Duke, your interference disturbs me. It doesn’t sit right in my gut.” Santiago clutched his stomach as if it ached. “And now you’ve got Ms. Fallon involved.”

“No one’s gotten me involved in anything,” Rebecca snapped. “I’m here because I want to be.”

Santiago smiled at her politely. “I think we should go somewhere quiet and have a chat. How’s that sound?”

Hayden glanced back at the university again. It sounded good. And bad. Going with Santiago and Rice got them off campus, but if Eskdale did decide to call the cops, they were bound to pick up Eskdale’s assault on the radio. They’d given their names, their real names. Stupid. Stupid. Scaring Eskdale only added to Hayden’s tab with the police. Neither of his options had an enviable ring.

“Where do you suggest?” he said.

Santiago smiled. “Follow me.”

Hayden followed the detective the short distance into downtown Arcata. The downtown was small and home to mom-and-pop businesses. Big corporations could come in and sweep them away, but there wouldn’t be much point considering the area’s meager potential.

Santiago pulled up in front of what must have been the last traditional drugstore in California. The owners had to be aware of their status since the place was aptly named “The Drugstore.” That side of the business was gone, replaced by sandwiches and pastries, but a soda jerk manned the soda fountains behind the counter, keeping the place’s authenticity.

Hayden and Rebecca filed inside after Santiago, with Rice bringing up the rear. Hayden wondered if this was to ensure he and Rebecca didn’t make a break for freedom.

The tile floor looked original. It was made up of tiny octagonal tiles no more than an inch across. Santiago went up to the counter and put his foot on the brass rail curling around it.

The soda jerk was an attractive brunette in her twenties. She sported a barbell through her right eyebrow instead of the traditional paper hat and bow tie. She approached Santiago with a smile.

“What’s everyone having?” Santiago asked. “It’s a hot day and I’m buying.”

The brunette ran through the variety of ice-cream concoctions. Hayden felt like he was a child on a day trip with his grandfather instead of on the verge of a police interrogation. Maybe this was how Santiago operated. He confused his suspects into confessing. Hayden ordered a root beer float, just like everyone else.

Santiago ushered them over to a window table. The four of them crowded around a circular table best suited for two people. They didn’t have to worry about being overheard. They were the only customers in the place and the music insulated them from the brunette behind the counter.

Santiago sucked on the straw in his drink, then wiped ice cream from his mustache with a napkin. “Let’s get down to business. I’m getting pretty sick of you two. Tell me, what sent you scurrying all the way up here?”

Hayden and Rebecca exchanged glances.

Santiago pounced on the hesitation. “No conferring, people. This isn’t a game show, although today’s prize is avoiding a spell in a prison cell.”

Hayden knew Santiago was running his mouth about a prison cell to scare them. He didn’t have anything on them to hang criminal charges on, but it wouldn’t take much to find something. Santiago only had to check in with Eskdale for an assault-and-battery rap.

His and Rebecca’s run-in with Eskdale had finally brought it home to him. He’d been incredibly stupid. He was totally out of his depth and had gotten himself embroiled in something he didn’t understand. Someone had almost killed him. People were dead. Murdered. Someone out there believed he knew something. Chasing down someone like Eskdale only gave the impression that he did know something. Worse still, he’d dragged Rebecca into this along with him. She should have been grieving for Shane, not playing detective. All he had in his defense was he’d done all this for a friend. Shane had confessed his sins to him. The confession meant nothing if he didn’t understand the sin. He’d just wanted to honor his friend’s memory and provide closure for himself and Rebecca. It had seemed like such a simple task. Somehow, it had gotten complicated.

Santiago eyed him with hunger. Despite everything, he trusted the detective. He would be fair, but fairness wasn’t the concern here. Could Santiago protect them? Hayden had seen the inside of the investigations unit for Marin County. It was small. Whatever it was people were covering up at MDE was big. The person who’d torched MDE was ruthless. If someone feared he and Rebecca knew too much, they wouldn’t stop at anything to silence them. Santiago would be swept aside without a second’s thought. But with or without Santiago, that threat still loomed over him and Rebecca. Telling Santiago everything at least gave them an ally. It would be nice to have someone watching their backs. It was time to talk and he felt a weight slide off his shoulders. He looked over at Rebecca and nodded at her. She nodded back and smiled.

“OK. What do you want to know?”

“It’s about time you saw sense. You’re an idiot, but at least you’re improving.”

Hayden smiled. This sounded like a compliment from Santiago.

“Why are you up here visiting Kenneth Eskdale?”

“According to Malcolm Fuller’s wife, Eskdale was a consultant for MDE. Malcolm had mentioned to her that Chaudhary and Eskdale had fought over the project’s aims.”

“Did Eskdale confirm any of this?” Rice asked.

An image of him pinning Eskdale to his chair flashed across his mind. “No.”

“Back up,” Santiago said. “How did you get to Fuller’s wife in the first place?”

Hayden and Rebecca told Santiago and Rice the story in reverse. They began with Eskdale and worked backward to Debbie Fuller, encounters with Fuller at the farm and the market, but stopped short of the e-mail attachment. Hayden wanted something in reserve.

“Do you have any idea how stupid it was going after Fuller alone, Rebecca?” Santiago said. “You’re lucky he didn’t take you with him.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Santiago paused for a moment. “I’m sorry too, Rebecca. You should have brought me in. I could have stopped Fuller before he did what he did.”

Rebecca made no attempt to defend their actions and neither did Hayden. They had made a mistake. If they’d saved Fuller, they would have had some answers. But images of Shane popped into Hayden’s head. There’d been no saving Shane, and he’d been right there. There might not have been any way of saving Fuller either, but they’d never know for sure. That would stick with them forever.

“Fuller’s suicide doesn’t feel right,” Hayden said. “He was paranoid and believed he was running for his life from some guy who was following him. That doesn’t sound like someone on the verge of suicide. That’s someone trying to save his skin.”

“Have either of you felt that you were being followed?” Santiago asked.

“Only by you,” Hayden said.

Santiago smiled. “I can’t make out if you two are blessed or just plain lucky.”

“Lucky,” Hayden ventured.

“You should have come to me with all this earlier,” Santiago said.

“Most of this is hearsay. We would have been wasting your time.”

“That’s not for you to decide. And fifteen dead people tend not to make any of this seem like a waste of my time.”

Guilty as charged, Hayden thought and conceded the point to Santiago.

Santiago leaned back in his seat and his eyes glazed over. The gears were turning. He was putting all he’d been told into context. His expression hardened. He turned his focus to Hayden. “You kept something from me the night Shane died. You’re still keeping it from me. What is it?”

“Tell him,” Rebecca said. “It’s OK.”

“If I tell you, you’ve got to tell us what you know. And I don’t want to hear about standard operating procedures, blah, blah. We’re at the center of this. Someone tried to kill me. If you want something from me, I want something from you.”

“Mr. Duke, this isn’t a business transaction. You are involved in a criminal investigation and you are obligated to give us any information that you may have in connection with a crime. If you don’t, it’s obstruction.”

“What criminal investigation? Your investigation into the three suicides is over. You have Bellis on the rack for the fire and murders at MDE. Everything is tied up with a silk ribbon. It’s over, but you’re still sniffing around. So there’s got to be something worrying you to go to all this trouble to follow us up here. We’ve put up. Now it’s your turn.”

Hayden watched Santiago squirm under his ultimatum. The detective’s expression darkened. Hayden doubted Santiago normally got squeezed by witnesses

Santiago exchanged a glance with Rice.

“No conferring, people,” Hayden said. “This isn’t a game show, although today’s prize is improving your crime stats.”

“OK,” Santiago said. “You’ve earned a one-time pass. Now tell me what you’ve been holding back.”

For the first time, Hayden didn’t feel the weight of suspicion loaded onto his back. Santiago was treating him as a material witness and not a suspect.

“The night Shane died he sent me an e-mail with an attached file. When I asked him about it, he told me to delete it. He acted cagey, so I went over there and the rest you know.”

“That’s it?” Santiago barked. “You lied about a damn e-mail? What’s on it?”

“I don’t know. It’s password protected. I had someone try to crack the password and it self-destructed.”

“Do you have a copy?” Rice asked.

Hayden nodded.

“I want one,” Santiago demanded.

“Later. You’ve had your shot. Now it’s my turn. Do you think Trevor Bellis killed those people?”

“No,” Santiago replied tersely. “Gasoline was used as an accelerant. No gasoline traces were found on him or his vehicle. He has an alibi, too. He was with his wife at the time the fire started.”