Daniel was so stunned at the speed with which his bail hearing ended that he barely heard the legal arguments. As soon as the judge ruled, the guards took him back to jail, where he waited to be processed out. Daniel had spent the past week tamping down his emotions, but he finally let himself believe that he would soon be out of jail. When the numbness wore off he became euphoric and he stayed high until it dawned on him that he was still the defendant in a murder case. He had been freed because there was no corroboration for April Fairweather’s testimony, but what would happen when the police talked to Renee Gilchrist? Would she tell them about his phone call on the afternoon of the murder? Was that enough evidence to change the judge’s mind about bail? By the time Daniel’s property was returned, depression had set in. Amanda had arranged to have the jail release Daniel through the garage so he could avoid the press. She told him that someone would be waiting for him. Daniel expected to see Amanda’s investigator, but Kate Ross was standing in the shadows of the garage when he walked out of the jail. She flashed a big smile and Daniel’s depression evaporated as soon as she hugged him. “You don’t smell too bad,” Kate joked after she let him go. Daniel’s face split with a huge grin. “Neither do you.” “Come on. Let’s get something to eat,” Kate said. Daniel had not thought about food all day, but he was suddenly famished. “You up for baloney on white or something a little more exotic?” Kate asked. “I’m up for anything that is not baloney on white.” Kate’s car was parked a block away. As they walked to it Daniel savored the heat of the sun, the brush of the breeze on his face, and the knowledge that he could walk to Kate’s car or not, as he chose. “How are you feeling?” Kate asked when they were on the road.
“Okay. I sort of shut down when I was in jail. It’s going to take me a while to believe I’m really out.” “Amanda’s good,” Kate reassured him.
“She’ll keep you out.” “I’ll say she’s good.” Then Daniel remembered Amanda’s cryptic remark. “When I thanked her for winning the bail hearing Amanda said that I have a guardian angel. Do you know what she meant?” Kate’s smile disappeared. “Yeah, I do. We talked about it this morning. Amanda destroyed Fairweather because she received a videotape of a speech Fairweather gave a few years ago. She was talking to a group of so-called satanic ritual abuse survivors and she told them that she had been a victim of a satanic cult. Most of what Amanda used in her cross was in Fairweather’s speech.” “Who gave Amanda the tape?”
“It was sent anonymously. She thought that I sent it.” “But you didn’t?” “I’ve seen the tape. It was in Fairweather’s case file at the office,” Kate said in obvious distress. “I wanted to tell Amanda about it, but I couldn’t for the same reason I couldn’t investigate Fairweather for Amanda.” “Hey, you’ve done more for me than anyone could,” Daniel reassured her. “I’d still be in jail if you didn’t ask Amanda to take my case.” “Then you understand? Fairweather is a client. There’s a conflict.” “I would have thought less of you if you’d violated your trust.” Kate looked relieved. “Does Amanda have any idea who sent the tape?” Daniel asked. “No, but everyone at the conference knew about it. So did everyone at Reed, Briggs who was working on the case and anyone they told. Then there’s Aaron Flynn and the people in his firm. I don’t know if they were aware of the tape before the hearing, but Flynn’s investigators are good.” “Boy, you’ve certainly narrowed the number of suspects.” Kate smiled, relieved that Daniel was not mad at her. Daniel became quiet. “What are you thinking?” Kate asked. “That this isn’t the first anonymous message someone has sent recently.” “You’re talking about the Kaidanov study.”
Daniel nodded. “I thought about that,” Kate said. “We don’t know that the same person sent both packages. Is there a connection between the Insufort case and Fairweather’s?” “I can think of two. Briggs was the defense attorney in both cases. He told Fairweather to come to the cottage at eight-fifteen and he wanted me there at eight, which means he wanted us there at the same time.” “What’s the other connection between Fairweather and the Insufort litigation?” “Aaron Flynn. He represents the plaintiffs in both cases.” Daniel suddenly noticed that they were almost at Kate’s house. “I thought we were going to lunch.”
“We are. Amanda didn’t want you out in public, so we’re eating at my place. You’re staying with me, too. Your place is a mess. The cops trashed it when they searched. I didn’t think you’d want to spend your first day of freedom with a mop and dustpan. I’ve got a nice guest room and Herb Cross brought over a valise with clothes and other things. You’ll even be able to use your own toothbrush.” Kate pulled into her driveway and parked. “You’re a good friend,” Daniel said warmly. “That I am, and you’ll need a few if we’re going to get you out of this mess.” • • • Daniel showered and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. When he opened the bathroom door he smelled brewing coffee. He followed the aroma into the kitchen and found Kate reading the afternoon edition of the newspaper. She looked up and smiled. “Can I fix you some eggs and toast?” “Yeah, thanks.” Kate walked to the stove. “How do you like your bacon?” “On a plate,” Daniel cracked.
Kate’s laugh brought Daniel an unexpected degree of pleasure. Kate took three thick strips and laid them in a pan. Daniel sat at the kitchen table and read the story about his case in the late edition of the paper. “I thoughtThe Oregonian was fair,” Kate said as she scrambled the eggs. “They wrote that Amanda cast serious doubts on Fairweather’s identification and they pointed out that there wasn’t any other evidence connecting you to the murder.” That should have made Daniel happy, but it didn’t. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop when the police interviewed Renee. Kate placed a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of Daniel, then brought him a cup of coffee. “I’d never guess that you had this domestic streak,” Daniel joked. “Don’t get used to it,” Kate answered, tossing a set of keys next to Daniel’s plate. “You’re on your own after tonight.” “What are these?” “A spare set of keys to my house. I’m going to be away for a few days and you’ll need them.” “Where are you going?” “To Arizona.”
Daniel looked confused. “While you were getting yourself arrested the cops found out the identity of the dead man at the lab. It wasn’t Dr.
Kaidanov.” “Who was it?” “An Arizona lawyer named Gene Arnold.” “What was he doing at the lab?” “No one knows. His partner doesn’t even know what he was doing in Oregon. Arnold went to New York on business, saw a photograph in an art gallery of two people walking across Pioneer Square, and flew here. He checked into the Benson and disappeared. Now we know where he went, but not why. I’m betting the answer is in Arizona.”