That's what I really wanted to talk to Steve about.'
'What happened?'
'They found the murder weapon and they've linked it to Gary.'
'Oh no.'
Donna's hand flew to her mouth. She looked stricken.
'Don't cry,' Peter said when he saw Donna's shoulders start to shake. She tried to control herself, but she couldn't.
'I'm sorry,' she sobbed. 'It's just too much.'
Peter didn't know what to do. He wanted to hold Donna, but he felt awkward. Donna was Steve's wife and this was Steve's house. He settled for handing her a handkerchief and stood red-faced while she dabbed at her eyes and tried to stop crying.
'It just seems like it's one thing after another.' Then she was in Peter's arms, her body trembling as she sobbed into his shoulder. He let her lean against him, but he was afraid to hold her. He could smell Donna's hair and feel her breasts pushing against him. Peter held his breath and ended by giving her a few feeble pats on the back.
'I'm sorry,' Donna managed, suddenly pulling away.
'Everything will be okay,' he replied lamely.
'I've got to get ahold of myself,' Donna answered, as she wiped at her eyes. Then she stopped and took Peter's hand.
'I want you to know I appreciate how hard you're working for Gary. He really trusts you.'
Donna squeezed Peter's hand and held it for a moment before releasing it. Her hand felt warm and her proximity evoked in him a combination of embarrassment and sexual desire. Peter felt himself flush. They both looked down. Donna stepped back.
'Tell Steve what happened,' Peter said. 'I need to see him as soon as he gets back.'
'I'll call him at his motel.'
The Mancinis only lived a short distance from Peter and he had walked over.
It had cooled down since his run and the air was pleasant. It took a few blocks to shake off his sexual excitement and refocus on Gary's problem, but every so often Peter's thoughts would drift back to Donna.
Chapter EIGHTEEN.
'What did he say?' Earl Ridgely asked the man in the gray pinstripe suit.
'What did you expect, Mr. Ridgely?' Frank Ketchell answered. Ketchell, an investigator with the State Department of justice, was tall and gray-haired with a square jaw and bright blue eyes that wowed the ladies, but his good looks had not done him a bit of good with Elmer Maddox. After spending Saturday morning talking to the man who had set Kevin Booth on fire, Ketchell bad driven to Whitaker for this late afternoon meeting.
'Maddox thought the whole thing was a big joke. He kept cracking up when he described the way Booth hopped around and rolled on the floor while he was burning.'
'Jesus,' Becky O'Shay said, shaking her head with disgust.
'The only thing that upset Maddox was that the guard shoved him back in his cell before helping Booth.
They found a shiv when they searched him. I guess he was going to finish off Booth when the guard went into the cell to put out the fire.'
'How did he expect to get away with this?' O'Shay asked in disbelief.
'I don't think it occurred to him. Like he said to me when I offered him a deal, 'What are you gonna do if I don't cooperate? Give me more time?'
Maddox and a buddy were on a spree for over a year, running around the country knocking off banks and killing people. He's already serving three consecutive life terms in Tennessee, he's got a consecutive federal bank robbery for a job in Idaho, he's facing the death penalty for a robbery-murder in Stark and there are four other states waiting in line to get their hands on him.'
'Why did he do it, then?'
Ketchell shrugged. 'He's got a wife and family , in Washington State. I hear he loves his kid. Maybe someone promised to take care of them.'
'Who 'I've got no idea. I know you want Gary Harmon to be involved. The feds would love to hear that it was someone in the organization that Rafael Vargas works for. But I've got to tell you that there's no evidence connecting anyone other than Maddox to this right now.'
'Someone smuggled in the lighter fluid and the matches.'
'Oh, yeah. But Maddox could have set Booth on fire for his own amusement or for some real or imagined slight.'
'How did he get the lighter fluid, matches and shiv into the security block? What kind of security do they have in Stark?' O'Shay asked.
.4 'Human security.'
Ridgely sighed. 'I guess finding out who gave Maddox the stuff would help.'
'And we're looking into it. There are only a few guards who could have done it, and a few prisoners, but we haven't cracked anyone yet.'
'How is Booth doing?' Ridgely asked.
Ketchell consulted a small notebook before answering.
'He was flown to the burn center in Portland as soon as possible. I talked to Dr. Leonard Farber, who's treating Booth. Farber says he's in critical condition with burns over thirty-five percent of his body. Seventy-five percent of the burns are full thickness, which means he'll need skin grafts. Additionally, Booth's bedding caught on fire and he suffered minor smoke inhalation injuries.'
'Will he be able to testify?' Becky asked.
'Farber thinks he might be up to it, but not right away. Booth will be operated on about three times in the first three to four days. They use as much of his skin as they can for the grafts and pigskin for the rest. Two weeks later, they'll use more of his skin to replace the pigskin. He can't be moved back to Whitaker for at least four weeks because they're afraid of losing the grafts.'
'Damn,' O'Shay swore angrily. 'I need Booth. He's my key witness.'
'You can always ask for a continuance,' Ridgely suggested.
'I know I can, but I don't want to if there's any chance Booth can testify now. Think of the sympathy he'll evoke in his condition.'
Ridgely was taken aback by O'Shay's callousness, but she did not notice because she was lost in thought.
'Frank,' she said, 'as I understand it, Booth can't he moved back to Whitaker because they're afraid of endangering the skin grafts.'
'Right.'
'Call Dr. Farber for me and ask him how soon Booth could testify if we held court in Portland.'
Peter was at the office on Sunday afternoon when he heard the front door open. He walked into the corridor and saw Steve Mancini checking his messages at the reception desk.
'Am I glad to see you,' Peter said.
For a moment, Mancini looked as if he was not happy to see Peter. Then, his face changed rapidly and he smiled.
'How's the trial going?'
'We've got our jury and Becky's putting on her first witness on Monday.'
'Donna called and told me about Booth.'
'Then you know what's going on. Can we talk?'
Mancini looked at his watch. 'I'm really pressed for time. I haven't even been home yet. I drove right here from Salem.'
'Please, Steve. I'm afraid I'm getting in over my head and I need your advice.'
Mancini clapped Peter on the back and started for his office. 'You have any coffee up?' he asked.
