Kate rented a car at the airport and drove to Desert Grove under a vast blue sky along a desolate highway surrounded by desert and red-rock mesas. She appreciated the stark beauty of the scenery, but for someone who had spent her life in the Pacific Northwest there was too much sun and too little green. Shortly before one, Kate parked in front of a flat, modern, one-story building on the outskirts of town arnold amp; kellogg, attorneys-at-law was stenciled in gold on a plate-glass window that fronted the street. Benjamin Kellogg, a big-boned Scandinavian in his early thirties with wheat-colored hair, ushered her down the hall to his office. “Thank you for meeting with me on a Saturday,” Kate said when they were seated. “Gene wasn’t just my law partner, Ms. Ross. I’d appreciate hearing anything you can tell me that will help me understand what happened.” “Quite frankly, no one-the police, my firm, no one-has any clue to why your partner died where he did. That’s why I’m here.” “I’ll help if I can,” Kellogg assured her. “My firm is defending Geller Pharmaceuticals in a lawsuit that questions the safety of Insufort, one of its products.
Information about a study allegedly conducted by our client surfaced during a deposition. The results of the study supported the plaintiff’s claim that the drug is harmful. Soon after the existence of the report was discovered, the lab where the study was conducted was destroyed in an arson fire. Your partner’s body was found in the ruins. Was Gene Arnold or your firm connected in any way with this litigation?” “No.” “Can you think of any reason for Mr. Arnold to come to Oregon?” Kellogg looked completely baffled. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ross, but I have no idea why Gene was in Oregon. We don’t have any cases there.” “Has Mr. Arnold ever mentioned friends or business acquaintances who live in Oregon?” “No, but Gene hired me six years ago, fresh out of law school. I only made partner last year. I don’t know much about things that happened here before I moved from Phoenix, except for the murders, of course. They were news statewide.” “What murders?” “Gene’s wife and the wife of our biggest client were kidnapped and murdered. It probably wasn’t a big deal out of state, but it was major news in Arizona.” Kellogg shook his head. “It was really horrible. First, Martin’s wife was killed, then Gene’s. Neither one of them ever really got over it.” Kate leaned forward. “This is the first I’ve heard about these murders. Can you fill me in?” “I don’t know much more than what I read. Like I said, this was before I moved to Desert Grove, about seven years ago. I didn’t know Gene then, or Martin Alvarez.” “Who is Martin Alvarez?” “He’s the wealthiest man in Laurel County. A year or so before I got here his wife was murdered during a bungled kidnapping attempt. Paul McCann, a local guy, was arrested. Then Gene’s wife was kidnapped and murdered. For a while Gene was a suspect in his wife’s murder, but they dropped the charges.
It was a horrible time for Gene. He was still a mess during the first year I worked here.” “Did they ever catch Mrs. Arnold’s killer?” “No.”
“Can you give me any more details?” “Not really. It was all over by the time I started working for Gene and he never talked about it.”
“Who would know more about the murders?” Kellogg hesitated. “There’s Martin, but I’m not certain he’ll see you.” “Why is that?” “Martin worshiped his wife. He was devastated by her death. From what I hear he was very gregarious before she was killed. Everyone says that he threw the best parties; he was very active in the community and a great contributor to local charities. That all changed after his wife died. He’s very reclusive now. He rarely leaves his hacienda, even to conduct business.”