Alibis and Amethysts (16 page)

In spite of the reason she’d orchestrated and accepted the date with Adam, Jaye found
she was having a good time. His quick wit and dry delivery kept her laughing as he
described some of the locals she had yet to meet. She even started to feel a bit guilty
about leading him on. Oh, you can’t be serious, she chastized herself. Sure he’s charming
and handsome, she told herself, but he’s old enough to be your father and, more important,
there’s a really good chance he’s the one who did Peggy in. Now focus—or you could
wind up being his next victim.

“Every place has its characters and busybodies,” she said after Adam finished his
monologue and emptied his second glass of wine, “but the gossips are the worst, and
there’s nothing funny about them.” She lowered her voice to a confidential whisper.
“Back in college, I was the target of some malicious gossip, so I know what it’s like.
I understand what you’ve been going through.” She reached across the table and placed
her hand on top of his. “I give you a lot of credit for holding your head high and
ignoring all the talk.”

Adam frowned. “What talk?”

“You know—about Peggy threatening to blackmail you.” She’d thrown the opening pitch.
Now to see if he would swing at it.

He was clearly caught off guard, and for a split second his jaw tightened and his
brow lowered over his eyes. If Jaye hadn’t been watching for his reaction, she would
have missed it completely. “I think you’ve been misinformed,” he said, drawing his
hand out from under hers and picking up his wineglass.

“I know it’s hard to talk about, but—”

“Look, Jaye, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but it seems to have been wildly exaggerated.”
He took a mouthful of wine and swallowed it as if it were water. “Sure, Peggy said
some crazy things. But that was her way of trying to save face and punish me for breaking
up with her.”

“The truth doesn’t necessarily stop the gossip,” Jaye said, doing her best to sound
as sincere and wise as any of TV’s pop psychologists.

“It’s not like that around here. Everyone with half a brain knows how vindictive Peggy
was. I’m sure they’ve asked themselves the same question that occurred to me. If she
actually had something to hold over me, why didn’t she use it instead of just talking
about it?”

Maybe to leave the door open for you to come back, Jaye was thinking as she speared
a little cube of tomato with her fork. But at some point, Peggy must have realized
she wanted you to suffer more than she wanted you back.

“So,” she said aloud, “then the gossip I’ve heard about a photo that could ruin you
was—”

“Photo?” Adam interrupted, doing a fine job of looking baffled. “I don’t know about
any photo. Where did you hear that?”

“Actually, I overheard it. First from some customers who were browsing in my shop
and then again from Peggy herself. She and another woman were having dinner at a table
next to mine in Finnegan’s a few days before she was killed.”

“Well, I assure you it was only more of her babble and fabrication. In order to blackmail
someone, that person has to believe you’ve got the goods on them. Otherwise it simply
doesn’t work. So why didn’t I hear anything about this supposedly compromising photograph?”

Adam might have been trying to remain cool, but Jaye could hear anger simmering beneath
his words. When she’d mentioned the photo, she’d hit a real sore spot. He clearly
knew about it and had probably seen it. Peggy would have dangled a copy in front of
him to prove it existed. But she’d left the original hidden where he would never think
to look for it.

The waiter appeared with their lobster ravioli in champagne sauce, and Jaye waited
until he’d set the plates in front of them, refilled Adam’s wineglass and walked away.
“You certainly have a good point there,” she said with a little laugh to convince
Adam she was still in his corner. “Without proof, who would trust the word of a blackmailer?”
Or a murder suspect? Did Adam really think she was foolish enough to believe him just
because he was suave, sophisticated and said it was so? He had to deny knowing about
the photo, because knowing would have given him a perfect motive for murder. But since
innocent until proven guilty was still the law of the land, Jaye needed confirmation
that she was right.

“Peggy might have been a novice at blackmail,” she said, “but she actually did have
a photo of you. She took it out to show her friend at dinner that evening, and I got
a glimpse of it.”

Despite the wine-infused flush in his cheeks, Adam’s face went pale. “It was probably
just a harmless, candid shot that she concocted some story about,” he said with a
dismissive wave of his hand.

Jaye shrugged as if it didn’t really matter to her. “Probably. I couldn’t see much
detail from where I was sitting. By the way, I’m glad I listened to you—this sauce
is amazing.”

“I’d never steer you wrong.”

Jaye couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever used that line on Peggy when their romance
was still in its prime.

They ate quietly for a couple of minutes until Adam brought up the photo again. “Peggy
always had her camera with her,” he said with a well-executed sigh of nostalgia. “She
loved catching the ordinary moments in life. But let’s face it, a photo of me at my
desk doesn’t constitute much of a threat.”

“Then you
have
seen it?” Jaye asked with childlike innocence.

“No, no,” he said quickly, “I was just repeating what you said about it.”

That was enough for her. If he was the murderer, pointing out that she’d never mentioned
the desk might have guaranteed her a prominent spot on his to-do list.

Adam made a valiant attempt to keep up his end of the conversation, but his jokes
fell flat and his thoughts seemed to keep straying. Whatever fire Jaye had ignited
in him had clearly fizzled. Just as well, given the circumstances. When the waiter
inquired if they’d like to see the dessert tray, Adam made a show of consulting his
watch and saying that he had some business to attend to early in the morning.

“You don’t mind, do you?” he asked Jaye as the waiter left to tally their bill.

“Not at all,” she responded. “It’s been a long day.”

And she had some phone calls to make as soon as she got home.

Chapter 22

“Please, no lectures,” Jaye said once she’d summed up her conversation with Adam.
“Trust me, Sierra bludgeoned me enough for both of you.”

“I doubt it,” Daniel said. “I don’t see a single mark or bruise on you.” They were
in his car on their way to Coal Mine Canyon to meet his mother. “Don’t you get it?
If Grayson’s the murderer, he’s now aware his freedom depends on silencing you.”

“I think you’re overstating the danger. He didn’t even realize I caught him in a lie.”

“You can’t possibly know that for sure. You might not have been the only one on that
date with an agenda.”

“Date?”

“Yeah, you know the concept—two people decide they want to get to know each other
better over a meal.”

Jaye was surprised by the sarcastic undertone to his words. “Adam might have thought
it was a date, but for me it was just a fact-finding mission.” What was up with Daniel
today?

“Adam, huh?”

“Well, Mr. Grayson would have been a bit too formal since it’s not 1880 and Queen
Victoria isn’t sitting on the British throne,” Jaye said, trying to tease him into
a better mood.

Daniel stared straight ahead at the road, his profile stony.

This is ridiculous, she thought. And it’s definitely not just about the safety issue.
If she didn’t know better, she’d think Daniel was jealous. “Are you okay?” she asked
bluntly.

He didn’t answer for a minute, but when he did, he seemed to have shaken off his pique.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he said, turning to her with a halfhearted smile. “Sorry. When I
called my mother this morning, she was in the middle of another shouting match with
my grandmother. Not the best way to start off the day.”

The truth or a quick cover-up when he realized his reaction was over the top? Whatever
the reason, Jaye was glad the mood had passed. “They fight a lot?” she asked.

Daniel nodded. “And always about the same thing. You’d think after all this time they’d
realize neither one of them will ever change or concede.”

Jaye couldn’t imagine what issue could come between a mother and daughter when they
were beyond lucky just to have each other. “Is it something you’d rather not talk
about?”

“I have no problem with it, but they don’t like outsiders knowing their business.”

“At least they agree on that.”

Daniel laughed. “I guess I should be grateful. Look, since you’re not an undercover
reporter writing an exposé for the
Arizona Republic
, I don’t see any reason not to tell you.”

“Wait a sec while I turn on my tape recorder,” Jaye said, reaching into the pocket
of her jeans.

“You do realize that now I’ll have to strip search you to make sure you’re joking.”

“As terrific as that sounds, I hereby give up any and all journalistic ambitions.
Feel free to unburden your soul.”

“It’s simple really. My grandmother is old school; my mother isn’t. She doesn’t believe
in living by the old ways. In another family that might not be such a big deal, but
Doli Joe comes from a long line of medicine women with special insights and abilities.
Unfortunately, the line seems to have come to a dead end with my mother. Doli Joe
blames her for it, says the gifts have been denied to her because she abandoned the
old ways. My mother thinks it’s all a bunch of nonsense and refuses to live in a house
without indoor plumbing and electricity. Lately, when they argue about it, she’s started
calling my grandmother Amish, which drives her completely crazy.”

A giggle escaped from Jaye before she could stop it. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It was
the Amish remark.”

“Yeah, it cracked me up the first time I heard it too. Can’t you just picture my grandmother
in Amish getup?”

“So where do you stand on the issue?” Jaye asked, trying to tamp down the urge to
keep giggling. It was one thing to lighten the mood with humor, but she didn’t want
to trivialize a problem that had no doubt been a source of pain all of Daniel’s life.

“I don’t honestly know anymore. Over the years I’ve gone back and forth between the
two sides. I’ve seen my grandmother’s visions come true. I’ve seen her heal the sick.
But it’s hard to believe that my mother’s choice of living conditions is the reason
she can’t do those things. I mean, maybe it’s a matter of genetics. Maybe something
in my grandfather’s DNA canceled out the magic gene that came from my grandmother.”

“But that would mean it was Doli Joe’s choice of husband that’s to blame,” Jaye said.

“Exactly,” Daniel said with a wry smile. “Have any idea how well that would play?”

“I’m beginning to.”

“I used to think, okay, this will eventually die with my grandmother. But that was
naive. My mother will carry the argument and guilt inside her for the rest of her
life, although she’ll never admit it.”

Jaye was at a loss for words. She put her hand on Daniel’s arm and gave it a gentle
squeeze to let him know she was there for him. They rode in silence for several minutes,
until she remembered the question that had been poking at her mind earlier. “Did your
mother ever say why she wants us to meet her at Coal Mine Canyon?”

“Just that there was something she wanted to show us. She refused to tell me more
ahead of time. With things like this, it’s just easier to wait until she’s ready.”

“Strong-willed women in your family.”

“Yeah, you’d fit right in.”

“Very funny. Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked a moment later. “I
haven’t seen a single sign for the canyon.”

“Yes, we’re going the right way, and no, there are no signs.”

“Then how do they expect people to find it?”

“You’re assuming they want people to find it.”

That hadn’t occurred to Jaye. “Is it some kind of sacred tribal place?” she asked,
her mind busy conjuring up mystical rites performed by the light of a full moon. Get
a grip, she scolded herself.

“That would be way more interesting, but I suspect the truth is they don’t feel the
need to make every square inch of our land into a tourist attraction. Look out there—you
can see part of the canyon now.”

Ten minutes later, they left the highway and turned onto a dirt road down which they
bumped along past an old windmill and a water tank before coming to a parking area.
Daniel stopped the Jeep near a forlorn-looking picnic area with concrete tables and
the debris of past picnics littering the ground.

“It looks better in the summertime,” he said, getting out of the Jeep. He reached
into the backseat and withdrew a knapsack that he hoisted onto his back.

When Jaye stepped out of the car, a cold gust of wind snatched the open halves of
her denim jacket as if trying to rip it off her. She grabbed the sides and fastened
the copper buttons

Daniel came around the Jeep to join her. “It can get real windy and cold out here.”

“Right, thanks for the heads-up,” she said with a shudder.

“Hey, at least I remembered to tell you to wear hiking boots.”

Before Jaye could reply, Kyah’s old green SUV pulled into the lot, stirring up a gritty
cloud of dust. She parked a few feet away, turned off the engine and jumped down.
She was wearing a fleece jacket over what seemed to be her standard shirt and jeans.
She embraced Daniel first, then opened her arms to Jaye for an unexpected hug.

“How did you let her come out here dressed so lightly?” she demanded of her son. “You
know how cold it can be.” She muttered something Jaye couldn’t understand and ran
back to the SUV.

Jaye looked at Daniel. “What did she say?”

“The closest translation would be ‘Men are useless.’”

Jaye was glad he had the decency to look a bit abashed, but she couldn’t resist teasing
him anyway. “I guess some truths are universal.”

Kyah returned with a gray sweatshirt that had seen better days. Whatever had been
written on it had mostly flaked off, leaving scraps of letters that were like some
indecipherable ancient alphabet. “You won’t win any style awards wearing this,” she
said, holding it out to Jaye, “but you’re going to be glad you have it on.”

Jaye thanked her and immediately pulled the sweatshirt over her head. It was soft
from countless washings and snuggly warm. She already felt a whole lot better.

“We women have to look out for one another,” Kyah murmured to her as she led their
little expedition out of the parking lot and along the rim of the canyon. As they
walked, Daniel pointed out an old abandoned Mormon coal mine and started to explain
the reason for the multicolored strata of the canyon before remembering that Jaye
was a geologist. But in spite of her background, she was so thoroughly enchanted by
the strange spires and hoodoos rising from the canyon floor that she almost forgot
the reason they were there.

They’d been walking along the rim for a while when Kyah stopped at what appeared to
be an old trailhead leading down into the canyon. A sign posted there by the Navajo
Nation made it clear that hiking anywhere but on the rim was strictly prohibited.

“Watch your step,” Kyah said as she started down the steep path without even glancing
at the sign.

When Jaye hesitated out of concern for the law, as well as a burning desire to keep
her body intact, Daniel coaxed her to go on. “You’ll be fine; it’s not as hard as
it looks. I climbed all over this place when I was a kid.” The legal issue didn’t
appear to bother him any more than it did his mother. Maybe the sign was meant only
for those who weren’t Navajo, but Jaye doubted it. In any case, she decided she was
less worried about leaving the canyon in a police car than she was about leaving it
in an ambulance. She gave herself a quick pep talk. If Kyah can do this at her age,
you can too. You didn’t take time away from finding the murderer to chicken out now.
Besides, if there’s something to be learned about the not-a-cat, you need to see it
for yourself. She took a deep, nearly steadying breath and started down the path after
Kyah. Daniel brought up the rear, offering encouragement whenever they came to a section
of the trail that was more difficult to navigate. By the time they were three quarters
of the way to the canyon floor, they’d made it past the hardest parts of the hike,
and Jaye had gained a good helping of self-confidence. Her heart had finally eased
out of her throat and settled back into its proper place in her chest, and she was
actually enjoying the exertion.

A moment later her right foot slid out from under her on the soft sandstone gravel.
She cried out in surprise and panic. Her arms windmilling like crazy, she tried to
recover her balance, but gravity was tugging at her like a lion bent on taking down
its prey. Her hand flew to the cliff wall on her right, scrabbling over its surface
to find purchase, but the sandstone had been worn smooth, leaving nothing to grasp.
Another scream was racing up her throat when Daniel grabbed her and pulled her back
against him. He held on to her while she tried to catch her breath and stop shaking.
“You can’t shuffle your feet on this stuff,” he said, the tightness in his voice confirming
just how close to disaster she’d come. Once he was satisfied that she was steady on
her feet, he shrugged off the knapsack, unzipped it and handed her a bottle of water.
“Here, drink.”

Jaye didn’t think she was thirsty, but once she started drinking she didn’t stop until
she’d downed two thirds of the bottle.

Having heard the commotion behind her, Kyah had quickly backtracked to reach them.
“What happened? Jaye, are you all right?” she demanded, giving her a careful once-over.

“I slipped a little, but I’m fine,” Jaye said, wishing her voice sounded as sure as
her words. It was bad enough that Daniel had seen how clumsy she was, but it was mortifying
to appear like such an uncoordinated oaf in front of Kyah.

“There’s no such thing as slipping a little when you’re climbing down a canyon like
this,” Kyah said. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid this was not a good idea.”

“No, I just got overconfident and lost my focus,” Jaye insisted. She didn’t want Kyah
to blame herself or Daniel, and she had no intention of giving up before she’d seen
what Kyah wanted to show them. “I guarantee that will never happen again.” There—her
voice had stopped trembling.

Kyah turned her gaze on her son. It was clearly a look he understood, because although
his mother hadn’t uttered a word, he answered her. “She’ll be okay. We’ll keep going.”

Jaye could have hugged him for the vote of confidence. If Kyah didn’t agree, she accepted
his answer without further comment. She took the lead again, but moved more slowly.
Jaye followed, concentrating on each footfall, and they made their way to the bottom
without further incident. As she left the path, Jaye was almost dizzy with relief.
She felt like doing a little end zone dance to celebrate her victory, until she remembered
they hadn’t yet reached their destination and, more soberingly, they still had to
climb back up to the canyon’s rim.

“It’s not far now,” Kyah said, stopping on the level ground to give Jaye a couple
of minutes to catch her breath. As they struck out across the canyon floor, Jaye could
feel the curiosity and anticipation building up inside her. Ten minutes later, Kyah
stopped at the base of one of the cliff walls and pointed to a low arch that had been
formed when the sandstone beneath it had been carved away by the elements.

“In there,” Kyah said without fanfare.

All Jaye could see beneath the arch was darkness. “Is it a cave?”

“Personally, I think it’s too shallow to be called a cave,” Kyah replied. “I doubt
anyone ever lived in it, but someone might have taken shelter there in a storm.” She
pulled a small flashlight from the pocket of her fleece jacket and hunched over so
she could pass beneath the archway. Jaye and Daniel followed. The space was barely
wide enough to accommodate all of them, and with the ceiling less than five feet at
its highest point, they were forced to squat or sit on the ground in order to look
around.