Stuart Woods - Short Straw

Wolf sighed. "I'm so glad my life isn't as interesting as yours."

The phone rang, and Eagle picked it up. "Yes?"

"Russell Norris on the phone."

Eagle pressed the button. "Russell?"

"Hi. I just left the bank, and we got really lucky. The balance in the Mexico City account is being wired back to the Santa Fe account from which it was sent, less a few hundred dollars for the investigator and administrative fees."

"Russell, you're a jewel. Take a couple of days in Mexico on me, then send me your bill."

"Thanks, but I've gotta get back to my office; I'll fax you a bill tomorrow."

"You have my gratitude; if you ever need a reference, use my name." Eagle hung up. "Now there's some good news: I'm getting seven hundred and something thousand back from the Mexican bank."

"That's terrific. Now all you have to do is not get killed tomorrow, divorce your wife and you're in great shape."

Eagle looked at his watch. "I've got a hearing in half an hour."

Both men stood up and shook hands. "Call me for some golf, if you're still alive," Wolf said.

"I'll do that."

EAGLE ARRIVED in the courtroom, and the bailiff told him his client was waiting in a holding cell.

"The judge is going to take a thirty-minute recess in a few minutes, and then he'll hear your motion," the bailiff said.

Eagle nodded and took a seat in the front row. Bob Martinez was questioning a witness and, apparently, getting nowhere.

A man came over and sat down next to Eagle. "Mr. Eagle, I'm Tom Cartwright, your witness."

Eagle shook his hand, got up and led the man out into the hall.

"Mr. Cartwright, I really appreciate your coming, and so does Joe Big Bear."

"The guy did a good job on my car; it's the least I can do for an innocent man."

"Let me ask you some questions, now, the same ones I'm going to ask when you're on the stand."

"Shoot."

Eagle took him quickly through his testimony, then sat him down on a bench in the hallway and went back into the courtroom as Martinez finished questioning his witness.

"Mr. Eagle?" the judge said.

"Ready, Judge. He took a seat at the defense table, as Joe Big Bear was led into the courtroom, wearing an orange jumpsuit.

"Mr. Martinez?" the judge said.

"Ready, your honor."

Eagle had Big Bear sworn and took him through his testimony, establishing his story, then he called Cartwright, who was duly sworn.

"Mr. Cartwright, are you acquainted with Joe Big Bear?"

"I certainly am. He fixed my car; did a good job."

"Did you ever know him before that day?"

"No, I got his number off a bulletin board at Pep Boys parts shop."

The mention of Pep Boys jogged something in Eagle's head, but he couldn't place it, so he continued. "Mr. Cartwright, on the day in question, what time did Mr. Big Bear arrive at your house?"

"Around one-thirty."

"And what time did he finish his work and depart?"

"Four-thirty, quarter to five."

"Was he there for the entire time?"

"He was."

"How do you know?"

"Because I was in my home office all afternoon, and I could see him out the window, working on my car in the driveway."

"Your witness," he said to Martinez.

Martinez stood up. "Mr. Cartwright, you said you didn't know Mr. Big Bear before that day?"

"That's right; never set eyes on him before, until he came to my house that day."

"Are you related to Mr. Big Bear by blood or marriage?"

"No, sir."

"Were you acquainted with Mr. Big Bear's girlfriend?"

"Didn't know he had one, until I read it in the New Mexican ."

"No further questions." Martinez sat down.

"Mr. Eagle, you have a motion?"

"Yes, your honor." He reached into his briefcase and removed the coroner's report. "Judge, the coroner has established that the murders in Mr. Big Bear's trailer occurred between two and four in the afternoon. Every minute of Mr. Big Bear's day has been accounted for-I'm sure the district attorney's investigators can confirm that-and, in particular, Mr. Cartwright's testimony has confirmed that Mr. Big Bear could not possibly have committed these murders. Therefore I move for dismissal of all charges and the immediate release of Mr. Big Bear."

"Mr. Martinez?" the judge said.

"No objection, your honor."

"The charges are dismissed for lack of evidence. Mr. Big Bear, you'll be returned to the Santa Fe County Correctional Center and processed out today."

Joe Big Bear pumped Eagle's hand. "Thank you, Mr. Eagle!" he said.

Eagle took him to one side of the courtroom and spoke to him quietly. "Joe, let's talk about my fee."

"I'd like to work it off, or pay you overtime," Big Bear said.

"There's an easier way," Eagle said. "Do you own a gun?"

"Yessir, I've got a shotgun-or at least the police have it-and I've got a handgun under the seat of my truck."

"This hired killer you told me about is getting out of jail at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, right?"

"That's what he said."

"And he's going to meet this woman in the parking lot who's going to give him some money?"

"That's right."

"After that's done, I'd like you to meet this gentleman and persuade him not to carry out his contract. You think you can do that?"

"One way or another."

"Joe, I don't want you to commit any crimes in the process; we just got you out. Now let's keep you out, all right?"

"I got you, Mr. Eagle."

"I wanted to know if you had the gun only for purposes of self-defense."

"I understand."

"Then I want you to ask this fellow who it was who hired him and when he's getting out, and when he does, I want you to have a similar conversation with him. Tell him he can keep the money, because my wife isn't coming back to Santa Fe. In both cases, you can use the threat of calling the police on them, since you overheard their conversation."

"I understand."

Eagle pressed five one-hundred-dollar bills into Big Bear's hand. "This will cover your expenses, including cab fare back to your truck. Keep me posted on your progress, will you?"

"Yessir."

"When this is done, you won't owe me a dime."

"Thank you, Mr. Eagle."

Eagle shook his hand and left the courthouse, relieved that the situation had been taken care of.

CUPIE AND VlTTORIO LANDED AT ACAPULCO AND WENT to the airport car rental counter. The only thing available was a huge Toyota 4Runner.

"I hate cars this big," Cupie said, hoisting himself into the front passenger seat.

"Truck," Vittorio replied.

"Whatever. How do we know Barbara is really on her way to Acapulco?" Cupie was flexing his left shoulder.

"The woman knows nothing about Mexico," Vittorio said, "just the hot spots. Eagle said Puerto Vallarta was the only place here she'd ever been, but she's heard of Acapulco, and since we've got her clothes, she needs a place with fancy shops. I think this is where we'll find her."

"Good point. Let's make the rounds of a few hotels and buy some desk clerks, so we'll get a call when she checks in." Cupie took off his sling and flexed his shoulder some more.

"How's the shoulder?" Vittorio asked.

"Better," Cupie replied. "I need to stretch it some, so I'm ditching the sling. I also need a suit without a bullet hole in it. The hotel in Mexico city sent it to the cleaners, but they didn't fix the hole."

Their first stop was the Acapulco Princess, in one of whose shops Cupie found a seersucker suit and waited while the trouser bottoms were hemmed. Then they continued to another few likely hotels, leaving a trail of Ed Eagle's hundred-dollar bills.

"I just thought of something," Cupie said.

"What?"

"If somebody at Barbara's bank made a call to the kidnappers about her three hundred grand, I'll bet the same party has already made another call. I mean, she's still got the three hundred grand, and she doesn't even have to get it out of the bank; all she has to do is countersign the traveler's checks, and the kidnappers can probably persuade her to do that."