court is in session.'
Quiroz nodded.
'Well, there's a computer disk in the machine that acts as a backup. When a lawyer needs a transcript, the court reporter puts the disk in her computer and uses a software program that translates the stenographic notes into English. Flynn needs to get started on Paul McCann's appeal. He called up Judge Schrieber to find out who's going to prepare the transcript of McCann's trial now that Melissa Arnold is missing. A couple of other lawyers had the same question about their cases because Melissa was their court reporter. The judge told Flynn that he'd arranged for another court reporter to prepare the transcripts, but she can't do it because they can't find the disks or Melissa Arnold's notes. They've checked her office at the courthouse and they called Gene. He says they're not in his house. The judge thinks they could be in Melissa's car, but the car is still missing. The notes are essential, right?'
'Sure. When you appeal a conviction the appeals court looks through the record to see if the judge made a mistake during the trial that could have affected the verdict. Without the record, there can't be an appeal.'
'Okay. I want to search Gene's house and that little cabin he keeps by the Meander River for Melissa's notes. That will make the search legal because they're government property.'
'Why don't you just ask Gene to let you look around?'
'I don't want to alert him. Gene's become a suspect.'
'You're not serious.'
'There's nothing concrete yet. The neighbors say that Gene and Melissa have been arguing pretty heavily recently. She may have been thinking of leaving him.'
'You think he killed her and faked everything?' Quiroz asked incredulously. 'Martin was there when he talked to the kidnappers on the phone.'
'He was there when a call came in, but he didn't hear the other side of the conversation. Gene could have arranged for someone to call him, then he could have gone upriver to Angel Ford and rafted downriver to the drop.'
Quiroz shook his head. 'What if Martin had gone back to Gene's immediately, instead of waiting? Gene wouldn't have been there. It would have given the whole plot away.'
'No. He'd just tell Martin that the kidnappers called, told him where to find Melissa, he drove there, and his wife wasn't where they said she would be, or something like that.'
'So do you think that Gene was involved in the Alvarez kidnapping?'
Chisholm thought for a moment before shaking his head.
'No, that was Paul McCann, all the way. But Dobbs got everyone thinking that there was a third conspirator out there, and maybe that gave Gene the idea for his fake kidnapping.'
'I don't buy it. I know Gene. He couldn't kill someone, and he worshiped Melissa.'
'Ramon, you've been in this business long enough to know that anyone can kill under the right circumstances. Anyway, I'm not saying that Gene's guilty, but he is a suspect. Maybe this is a wild-goose chase, but I wouldn't bet on it.'
11
Two days later, at nine in the evening, Martin Alvarez's phone rang. It was Gene. He sounded on the verge of hysteria.
'I'm in jail. They're saying I killed Melissa.'
'Try to calm down, Gene. Is anyone with you who can hear what you're saying?'
'Ramon, Norm Chisholm. I know these guys. I can't believe they're doing this.'
'I'm coming down now to see you. Be strong and do not say anything. If they try to talk to you ask for the Miranda rights. Do you understand?'
'Yes. Thank you, Martin.'
'Put Ramon on.'
A moment later the DA was on the phone.
'What the fuck are you doing, Ramon?'
'This is hard for me, too, Martin, but we've got evidence.'
'That Gene murdered his wife?'
'Yes.'
'Bullshit. Gene's the gentlest person I know. You fucked up.'
'We searched Gene's cabin, the Meander River place. The clothes Melissa was wearing on the day she disappeared were stuffed into a dresser drawer. They were covered with blood. We haven't done a DNA test yet, but the lab's done some preliminary tests. It's Melissa's blood type. We also found her car parked behind the cabin.'
'Then someone planted the stuff. Gene's not stupid. If he killed her he'd never leave incriminating evidence around.'
'I'm not going to get into this with you, Martin. I'm the elected DA in this county and I've got to do my job.'
Martin held his tongue. Ramon was right. It would just get Quiroz's back up if he tried to throw his weight around.
'Can I visit Gene?'
'Yeah, but you'll become a witness if he talks to you about the case.'
'I'll keep that in mind. What about you? Are you going to grill him?'
'No. Gene's so messed up right now that a judge would toss out anything he said. If he killed Melissa I'll nail him, but I want to do this right.'
_ _ _
They were keeping Gene away from the other prisoners at the end of the cell block. The sheriff had put a suicide watch on him and a guard was sitting outside his cell. Arnold was lying on a metal cot, staring at the ceiling. The guard let Martin into the cell door and he sat on the edge of the cot.
'I didn't kill her.'
Martin put his hand on his friend's shoulder. 'I know that, Gene.'
'She was everything to me.' His eyes watered. 'My life's . . . I mean, Jesus, Martin . . .'
Gene sobbed so hard that his body shook. He drew up his knees and rolled into a fetal position facing the concrete wall.
'She was going to leave me. She said she was bored, that I bored her. I told her I'd go anywhere, just to be with her.'
'Ah, Gene.'
Martin reached for Gene's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Gradually, Gene's breathing steadied and he wiped his eyes, but he still wouldn't look at Martin.
'I don't care what they do to me.'
'You've got to care. You didn't kill her. If you don't fight, the real killer will get away.'
'It doesn't matter. They showed me her clothes. They were drenched with blood. She's dead. Finding who killed her won't bring her back.'
'Listen to me, Gene. Nobody knows how you feel better than I do. Nobody. But you can't give up. You've got to fight.'
Gene didn't answer.
'Do you have any idea what happened, why the clothes and her car were found at the cabin?'
Gene shook his head.
'The cabin is almost two hours away. If the kidnapper was some stranger he wouldn't know about the cabin.'
That got Gene's attention.
'There . . . there was someone else. She had a lover.'
'Do you know who?'
'She wouldn't say.' Gene leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. 'She could be cruel, Martin.
