was the killer, and his desperate drive with the tractor
had gone from being a funny story to something of
grim seriousness in the brief minutes it had taken Percy
Denning to look at Palmeiro’s fingerprints and find the
significant markers he had noted from the prints on the
bloody axe.
Her own fingers itched to call Diaz, but she kept both
hands on the steering wheel. Beside her, Jack Jamison
seemed to be on an adrenaline high, a combination of
wrapping up this homicide and the anticipation of leav-
ing for Texas next week.
“If I pass the selection and training process, they’ll
ship me out immediately, so this could be my last week-
end with Cindy and Jay for a year.”
“I’m not going to say break a leg,” she said tartly.
“How do you mean that?”
“Oh hell, Jack. I don’t really know. Both ways, I
guess. I still think you’re crazy to put yourself in harm’s
way like this, but if it’s what you want, then I really do
hope you pass and that it works out for you.”
It was after nine before the second team reached the
nursery. The woman who came to the door seemed
285
MARGARET MARON
frightened by so many police cars. Dwight recognized
her from a murder investigation back in January and the
sight of him seemed to reassure her. In halting English,
she told them that her cousin Miguel Diaz and his crew
had left for a job nearly two hours ago.
“Ernesto Palmeiro,” said Dwight. “Is he here or with
your cousin?”
She shook her head. “No here. He leave
Saturday. Go Mexico. You ask Miguel.”
“Tell me about him,” Dwight said. But she imme-
diately lapsed into Spanish and claimed not to under-
stand.
Fortunately, they had brought along a translator.
“She says he was from the village next to theirs back
in Mexico, but they did not really know him until his
wife gave birth to a badly deformed baby in January.
A baby that died. After that, the wife left and Ernesto
went crazy. He was arrested and from jail he sent word
to her brother and her cousin that they must help him,
as compatriots of the same valley. They didn’t want to,
but felt it was their duty. They gave him work, gave
him blankets and let him sleep in the shed. They also
helped him repair the damage he had done. Saturday,
her cousin Miguel gave him his wages and told him to
leave. More than that, she says she doesn’t know.”
She did give them the number for her cousin’s cell
