Trouble at the Red Pueblo (15 page)

Austin leaned casually against the doorframe. “And?”

“I’ve come to serve notice that we’re on to you. We know about how you have extorted prime development land from unsuspecting citizens after you have driven them to financial ruin. Not only is it not going to happen to Martin Taylor, but it’s not going to happen to anyone else, either.”

Austin’s sneer became pronounced. “Extort is such a strong word. Using it borders on libel. I would be more careful if I were you.”

“You’re the one who needs to be careful.” Spider took a step back. “By the way, have you been sleeping all right?”

Austin frowned. “What is that to you?”

“I read Mary Defrain’s suicide note. She killed herself in this house just so she could haunt you. Did you know that?”

Austin’s urbanity deserted him momentarily. “She did it here?”

“Didn’t you know? You’d better watch out for the mess you leave behind. It just might trip you up.”

Austin stood up straight. “You’re the one who needs to watch out. I wouldn’t linger in any dark alleys if I were you.” He swung the door closed, staring daggers at Spider until he disappeared from view.

“Huh,” Spider grunted. He turned and walked back to the Yugo, taking a detour around the SUV to read the logo on the front. Range Rover. It must have been Austin Lee that he and Karam had seen driving down the wash yesterday afternoon. Why would this good-looking slimeball be dating Amy? Did that indicate the marvelous Jack was hiding a dark secret?

Spider got in the car and headed down off the mesa, taking mental inventory as he headed back to Kanab. The trip hadn’t turned out too badly. He’d found out enough to ponder on for a while, though not enough to figure out a way to help the Red Pueblo.

Now he needed to see if he could make peace with Laurie.

SPIDER INTENDED TO
drive to the hotel without any other stops, but as he passed the Red Pueblo, he saw Linda’s car in the parking lot and turned in. Wearing the usual canvas apron and bandana on her head, she was in the Heritage Yard talking to a visitor. Spider parked beside her car and walked to the gate, letting himself in and strolling up as she finished her conversation.

Though she didn’t divert her attention from the museum patron, Spider saw her glance flicker to him and back. He waited several paces away by the dugout.

When Linda was free, she turned to him. “Mr. Latham? Hello. We haven’t met.”

He offered his hand, appreciating her firm grasp and direct gaze. “Call me Spider.”

She smiled. “I wasn’t sure I heard your name right. LaJean said you’d probably want to talk to me.”

Spider looked around. “Is there a place we can visit without being disturbed?”

She gestured to the small structure built into a hill of dirt. “How about the dugout? I can lock the latch from the inside.”

“Sounds good to me.” Spider opened the door for her to enter and followed her in, taking off his hat. Despite the heat of the day, the interior was cool. The room, perhaps ten feet in diameter, had rock walls, a dirt floor, and a single window in the wood panel beside the door. The only furnishings were a cot, a small drop-leaf table, a potbelly stove and a straight back chair. Spider sat on the bed and set his Stetson beside him.

Linda took a wrought iron nail from above the lintel and slipped it through the latch. “This will make it so we can talk without a visitor opening the door.” She sat on the chair, clasping her hands in her lap. “What can I tell you?”

Spider figured he’d get right to it. “How about telling me about Austin Lee.”

Linda’s cheeks blazed, and her eyes dropped to her hands. “The one thing in my life I’d like to forget, and I keep having to relive it.”

“Yeah,” Spider agreed. “Those are the things we generally have to relive. Tell me about when you first met him.”

She hooked her heels on the rung of the chair and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Well, the first thing you notice is how he looks.” She flashed a smile. “Which is gorgeous. Don’t get me wrong. I think Matt is good looking, but Austin almost isn’t even real. And there he was, hanging around. Wanting to talk. With me. No one that good looking has ever given me the time of day.”

She shook her head, eyes on the floor. “If it hadn’t been for the Tiffany thing, it would have just been an interesting anomaly— something nicely strange that happened to me. It would have gone no further, and when he asked me out, I’d have said no.”

“Tell me about the Tiffany thing. How did it appear to you?”

“Ha! How did it appear to anyone? Matt fell head over heels for an overly-made-up, show-off-your-money, blonde from California.”

“Is that what you think?”

She blinked. “That he fell for her? Have you seen him with her?”

“Well, yes, and at first I thought it was obvious, too. And then…”

“What?” Her clasped hands were under her chin now.

Spider looked away, uncomfortable seeing the raw need in her eyes. “Yesterday morning when he drove away with her, he looked back at you. It was…”

“Yes?”

“I’m trying to find the word. He looked broken.”

She stared at Spider a moment and then wiped away a tear with the heel of her hand. “He hates me.”

“He doesn’t. I talked to him yesterday. He’s having a hard time because he thinks you told someone about the Lincoln Letter.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Is that what he meant when he said I betrayed him?”

Spider nodded. “The museum is being sued by a descendant of Oscar Goodman. Only a person who knew about the Lincoln letter would know that name was connected to the cache. You’re one of the six people who knew about it, and all the rest have kept mum.”

Color drained from Linda’s face. She covered her mouth with her hands and began to rock forward and back, murmuring, “Oh-dear-oh-dear-oh-dear-oh-dear.”

“What’s wrong?” Spider asked, though he knew what was wrong.

“I think I told Austin Lee.”

“About the letter?”

She folded her arms and held them tight against her midsection. “No, but I was bragging a bit and told him something valuable was found in the cache.”

“Not the name?”

She shook her head. “But he knew I was doing research on Oscar Goodman. He could have figured it out.” She frowned. “But how did that turn into Alyssa Goodman filing suit?”

“Austin’s clever and charismatic. He’s also cold blooded and calculating. I imagine he found someone with that surname and convinced her to file.” Spider leaned forward and looked Linda in the eye. “I’ve just come from talking to a mother whose daughter got tangled up with Austin Lee. He ruined the family financially and got their valuable real estate for himself. The daughter felt it was her fault, and she killed herself.”

Linda’s eyes got wide. “Oh, no!”

“You’re not the only young woman he’s preyed upon. In fact, I’m going to go talk to another one tomorrow. Now, things look bad for Matt’s family, but there’s no use in compounding your mistake by breaking and running. That doesn’t help anything.”

“Even if
that woman
is dangling a quarter million dollars in front of Matt?” She slumped back in her chair. “Jealousy is just caustic. It’s like lye, eating holes in everything it touches. How do you deal with that?”

“You hold tight to love.”

“I tried, but it looks like my love is slipping away.”

“Is Matt an honorable man?”

“Yes.”

“You know that for sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then hold on to that.” Spider stood. “There’s no chance of you doing anything to harm yourself, is there?”

She smiled wryly. “I wouldn’t know how. I might be able to do some damage with an Anasazi ax, but it would be easier to hurt someone other than myself.”

“Good. We can talk more in a day or two.” He picked up his hat. “By then I’ll have more of the lay of the land and maybe even a plan.”

She stood and pulled the nail from the latch. “Thank you for talking to me. It was good to sit in here with you and talk about Austin. It chased away some ghosts.”

“Ghosts?”

She sat down again, fiddling with the nail and compressing her mouth as if to keep her lower lip from trembling. “Yes. The last time Austin was here, I had just finished working with Matt on one of our presentations. Austin said hello to Matt and then put his arm around me and walked me here. We had been in the dugout before, and that time, I let him kiss me.”

She looked down at the nail and then laid it on the table. “He took off his shirt and hung it over the window.” She gestured at the small pane of glass letting in a meager shaft of light. “I knew what his intentions were, and I think the thought of doing it here, on Matt’s territory, so to speak, was what was appealing to him. It didn’t have anything to do with him caring for me or wanting me, you know, in that way.”

“Is that what you thought at the time, or is that something you’ve figured out since?”

She met his eyes. “I think I knew it then in my heart, but it hadn’t got to my head.”

“What did you do?”

“I said no, but that didn’t do any good. He was determined. And strong.”

“Did he—?” Spider felt his cheeks getting red. Dang. He hadn’t blushed since he was seventeen. “Did he succeed?”

She shook her head. “Thankfully, no. Isaac walked by and heard the commotion. He said he thought it was kids wrestling in here, but I’m sure he knew what was going on.”

“What did he do?”

“He knocked on the door and told us to stop the horsing around. Then he waited for us to come out. Austin had to put on his shirt, and he buttoned it wrong.” She smiled but covered her mouth as if to hide it. “I noticed, but I didn’t say anything.” With her hand still covering her mouth, she looked away. “The next time he called, I blocked him, and I haven’t seen him since.”

She sat silently for a moment and then stood, picked up the nail and put it where it belonged. “Now you know everything.”

Spider stood as well. “Thanks for talking to me.”

“I should thank you. You’ve given me hope.” She opened the door, stepped into the yard, and walked briskly away.

Spider followed her out of the cool dimness into the blazing afternoon and put on his hat to shade his eyes. He watched her tall, erect form as she strode toward the side door of the museum. She looked back over her shoulder at him, smiled and waved. Raising his hand, he returned the smile.

“Hey, Spider!”

Spider turned toward the parking lot and saw Isaac’s SUV pulling into a parking lot. Karam jumped out and waved. “Hey, Spider,” he repeated, trotting over to the fence.

Spider met him at the gate. “Afternoon, Karam. Been learning about cisterns?”

“Oh, yes. It has been most fascinating. We were on our way to Kanab when we saw your car. Can I ride back with you? Isaac has to stay here until five.”

“Sure. You ready to go right now?” Spider spoke to Karam, but he watched Isaac come limping across the parking lot from where he had parked his car.

“Yes.” Karam helped the older man up on the curb. “Thank you, Isaac, for showing me the water system. I enjoyed our day together.”

“Don’t mention it.” Isaac shook Karam’s hand and then spoke to Spider. “How’s it going?”

Spider opened the gate and stepped through. “I know more today than I did yesterday.”

“Not to pressure you or anything,” Isaac said, sticking his thumbs in his suspenders, “but the first hearing is the end of next week.”

Spider’s eyes crinkled. “Ah. Brick mentioned a deadline, but I hadn’t heard what it was yet. You coming into the yard?”

Isaac shook his head. “I’m at the front desk.”

“Okay.” Spider let the gate swing closed. “Then we’ll be off. See you tomorrow or the next day, Isaac. How’s Martin doing, anyway?”

Isaac grimaced. “He’s just not bouncing back. Looks, frail, you know?”

“Well, I hope to have something positive to report in a couple days.” Spider pulled out his keys and motioned for Karam to follow.

They got in the Yugo and were soon on the highway going north. Spider adjusted the air, so it was at maximum strength and looked at his companion. “What did you learn today?”

“I learned that these early settlers were very ingenious. Their water catching system was built, so the rain washed the roof first. Only when the roof was clean did the water go into the cistern.”

“Is that so? Huh.”

“And what did
you
learn today?”

The question surprised Spider, but it had obviously been a serious one, and he thought for a moment. “I learned that jealousy is corrosive, that it eats away at everything it touches.”

“How did you learn that?”

“Linda told me. The gal who wears the bandana and apron— have you met her? She was engaged to Matt Taylor, but some rich lady came promising money to the museum, and when Matt started wining and dining her, Linda got jealous.”

Karam cocked his head. “A wise man once said that jealousy contains more of self-love than of love.”

“Huh.” Spider considered the statement. “That another quote from Mohammed Ali?”

“Actually, it’s from a seventeenth century French nobleman, Francois de La Rochefoucauld.”

Spider sent Karam an appreciative glance. “You pronounced that like a native. Do you speak French?”