Stuart Woods - Santa Fe Dead

“The will says she has to be convicted, but what the hell, she can sue us.”

“Please don’t do this,” Eagle replied.

“Why not? Do you think she’ll pursue it through the courts?”

“Yes, but more important, I think you would be placing your life in danger. If she has already had Joe killed, do you think she would hesitate to go after you? She’s a very angry woman.”

Hight looked worried. “I hadn’t got that far in my thinking,” she said.

“My advice is to continue to make the payments, and as soon as she’s convicted, stop them.”

“I guess that’s good advice,” Hight said. “I’m just so fucking angry about this, I’m not thinking straight.”

“Sandi tells me Joe made you a partner last week. Do you have that in writing?”

“Yes, Joe took care of that.”

“Then go run your law firm and don’t worry about Mrs. Keeler. Let the police do that.”

“All right, Mr. Eagle. I’ll do that.”

“And if I were you, I’d get a gun permit from your local police department, take some instruction, and carry it until Mrs. Keeler is locked safely away.”

“I think that’s good advice, too,” she said.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, Eagle called Cupie Dalton.

“This is Cupie.”

Eagle told him about Wilen’s murder.

“Man, she’s something, isn’t she?”

“Yes, and she’s probably in L.A.”

“So I should watch my ass?”

“So you should watch your ass.”

“Do you know where she is in L.A.?”

“Probably at her friend Jimmy Long’s house.”

“I could tail her.”

“Better somebody she doesn’t know. I’m going to speak to the chief of police about that; maybe he’ll authorize surveillance. God knows, the D.A. would like another crack at her.”

“Good idea.”

“You might look into who the hit man could be, Cupie. My guess is that Jimmy Long found somebody for her, since she doesn’t really know a lot of people in L.A.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Eagle said good-bye and hung up. Next, he called his friend, the Los Angeles Chief of Police, Joe Sams.

“Hello, Ed, how are you?”

“I’ve been better, Joe. You remember my former wife, Barbara?”

“The double murderess? How could I forget.”

“Well, she’s done it again.”

“Not in L.A., I hope.”

“No, in Palo Alto. I believe she hired someone from L.A. to kill a lawyer named Joe Wilen.”

“Why from L.A.?”

“Because she doesn’t know anybody in San Francisco, where she’s now living. A couple of weeks ago, she married a very rich retired businessman named Walter Keeler.”

“I knew Walter; I read about his death in the papers. Did she have anything to do with that?”

“No, it was a traffic accident.” Eagle explained about the terms of Keeler’s will and Wilen’s part, as well as his own part in preventing her from inheriting everything.

“So she got Wilen, and you’re next?”

“Probably. Don’t worry, I’m carrying, thanks to your help with my license.”

“Do you have anything on the woman that would give me probable cause to arrest her?”

“No. I think what your people could do best would be to find out who she hired to do it.”

“And where do we start?”

“She has a friend named Jimmy Long, a successful movie producer. He was her alibi at her trial, and it was his story that got her off. He’s her only friend here, as far as I know, so she might have turned to him to help her find a contract killer.”

“Would this Jimmy Long be likely to know a contract killer?”

“He’s in the movie business, Joe.”

“Oh. All right, I’ll assign some people to track down his connections and see if a likely hit man turns up. Anything else I can do?”

“If I can think of anything, I’ll call you, Joe. Thanks for your help.” Eagle hung up.

“You’re carrying?” Susannah asked.

“You know I usually do, especially when I’m in L.A.”

“Should I be carrying?”

“Maybe so. Barbara saw you at the trial, and she may have recognized you from the movies. Do you have a license for L.A.?”

“Yes. So you think she would really come after me?”

“Yes, because she knows it would hurt me.”

DETECTIVE ALEX REESE found the apartment building in West Hollywood where Tina López and her roommate, Soledad Rivera, lived and rang their bell.

The door was opened by a short, plump, pretty woman. “Yes?”

Reese flashed his badge. “I’m Detective Reese, Santa Fe Police Department. Are you Tina López or Soledad Rivera?”

“I’m Soledad,” she replied. “What do you want?”

“I’d like to ask you and Ms. López some questions regarding an investigation I’m conducting. Is she here?”

“Maybe.”

“May I come in?”

“What do you want to know?”

Before he could reply, another woman came down a hallway and approached the door. She was taller and quite beautiful, wearing low-cut jeans that exposed an expanse of belly from well below her navel to just below her deeply cut cleavage.

“Are you Tina López?”

“He’s a cop from Santa Fe, Tina,” Soledad said.

“What do you want?”

“I’d like to ask both of you some questions concerning an investigation I’m conducting. May I come in?”

“I guess so,” Tina replied.

Reese took a seat in the small living room. “It’s my understanding that you were both in Tijuana for the bullfights recently.” He gave them the dates. “Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Tina replied.

“Who were you with?”

“Grif Edwards and Jack Cato,” Soledad said quickly.

“And where did you stay?”

“At the Parador,” Soledad said.

“Before I ask you the next question I should tell you that my investigation is of a double murder, a mother and her son, in Santa Fe, and that anyone who gives false information to me with regard to those killings is liable to be charged as an accessory. Being an accessory to murder carries the same prison sentence as that for the actual murderer. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Both women stared at him blankly, and he thought he saw tears begin to well in Soledad’s eyes.

“Do you understand?”

“We don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Tina said.

“Grif and Jack weren’t with you in Tijuana, were they? It was two other men, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t…” Soledad began, but Tina elbowed her.

“We don’t want to talk to you anymore,” Tina said again.

“In that case, I’ll have to have the Los Angeles police take you to police headquarters, and we can start all over again with a written record of your questioning.” Reese changed his tone. “Ladies, let me give you some good advice: You don’t want to go to prison for protecting these two guys. They’re not worth it.”

Soledad turned and looked at Tina, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Shut up, Soledad,” Tina said. She turned to Reese. “Now you get out of my house.”

“I’ll see you at the police station,” Reese said, “and if I were you, I’d get a good criminal lawyer, and that’s going to be expensive.”

Soledad began to bawl.

Reese turned to her. “Soledad, do you want to talk to me and save yourself a lot of grief?”

“I told you to get out!” Tina cried.

“Soledad hasn’t asked me to leave.”

Soledad continued to cry loudly.

Tina jumped to her feet, went to the door and pointed outside. “Get out!”

Reese got up, taking his cell phone from his belt. As he walked to the door he made a show of calling a number. “LAPD? I’d like to speak to the chief of detectives, please.” The door slammed behind him.