Firebreak: A Mystery (14 page)

Otto turned around to look at Josie. “Let’s make some educated guesses on the Zaner. It obviously was used before the fire since the ash was covering the paper. I think it’s safe to bet it was used between six thirty and six forty-five. That would allow enough time for someone to kill the victim, lay him on the couch, start the fire, and take off.” He raised his eyebrows at Josie for confirmation.

“That works.”

He returned to the board and finished writing the timeline.

6:30-6:45—Zaner is used

6:45-7:00—MURDER?

7:15—Start the fire

7:20—Leave home for Austin

Otto turned to face Josie. “Give me the times again for the fire.” She consulted her notes and read the times to him as he added them to his list.

7:38—Body burned

9:30 - 10:00—Fire burns through that part of the county

2:00?—Nixes check into the Hampton

“That works. If they were checked in by two o’clock, they would have had just enough time to burn the body and escape,” she said.

“We need to confirm what time they checked into that hotel,” Otto said.

“And if they used their credit card at Gilly’s that night. We also need to know if both checked in, or just one of them. If they don’t have proof they were both there by two that morning, they’re screwed.”

“What’s the latest they could have left?” Otto said. “If they took Interstate 10 and hauled ass all the way to Austin, they could make it in six hours. Let’s say they wanted to get to Gilly’s by one thirty to make an appearance. They would have to leave by…” He calculated the time in his head. “… by seven thirty.”

“Let’s call them in for questioning.” Josie considered Otto for a moment. “Who gets Brenda?”

“Let me have a crack at her. I think Billy might do better with you. He seems to like strong females.”

“Otto. I think you just gave me a compliment.”

He ignored her smirk. “It’s already four o’clock. There’s no point calling them tonight. Call first thing in the morning.”

“We call them in tonight. What can it hurt?”

He tilted his head and looked at her like she was being foolish. “Look. We obviously can’t charge them yet. Anyone could have used the stun gun, even though it’s registered to Brenda. We’re close, but not close enough. So why antagonize them? They won’t come in without an attorney. And they won’t get an attorney here this late. Just call in the morning. Go home and clear your head for the evening. Hell, let me clear
my
head for an evening.”

*   *   *

Josie felt agitated. She wouldn’t sleep knowing a murderer was sleeping in a hotel bed downtown with the opportunity to flee at any moment. But for now, she didn’t have enough evidence to charge either of the Nixes. The Zaner hadn’t killed the burn victim, but it certainly played a part in his death. And Otto was right. Anyone could have used it if they knew where it was located. She also had to acknowledge that just because the timing worked didn’t mean the Nixes killed the man found dead on their couch. She needed Cowan to provide the cause of death, and she needed a subpoena for the Nixes’ credit card information for the night of the fire.

Josie glanced at her watch and considered Pete’s offer to watch the smoke jumpers train at Big Bend. It would be nice to spend the evening with him and watch the jumpers in action. She sent him a text and said she’d be there by five. She had brought jeans and boots to work with her that morning, just in case she was able to make it, and she changed in the office.

She thought about checking in with Dell, but figured he was entertaining his new girlfriend. He’d not called and left a message for her like she thought he would. Call her stubborn, but she’d be damned if she’d go down to his house again before he filled her in on his new arrangements. He’d always kept tabs on her relationships, offering unsolicited advice through the years that she occasionally appreciated but usually ignored. But Dell had never so much as mentioned a woman in all the years she’d known him. So what had changed?

Josie arrived at the airport and found the guys loading into the van that would take them to Big Bend. She pulled her jeep in next to where Pete was standing and rolled down her window.

“You sure you don’t need to ride with the guys?” she asked.

“Hell no! I got this all worked out.” He climbed into the passenger side of her jeep. “So, you know the area? Big Bend National Park?”

“I know it well. Dillon and I camped there a lot. It’s a beautiful place.”

“You’re the guide then. The van can follow you. We’re working out of Boquillas Canyon with the Mexicans. They have their own hotshot crew training with us. Your gear’s already loaded on the plane.”

“What gear?”

“You didn’t think I was going to drag you down there and make you watch me, did you?”

“That’s exactly what I thought.”

Pete stuck his arm out the window and gave the “OK” sign to the driver of the van, who waved back. “Head out. They’re ready.”

Josie, still reeling from his comment, backed the jeep up and said, “You’re talking about me parachuting?”

Pete laughed. “I already got this cleared with my crew boss. He owes me a favor. He’s got the gear. He said he’ll let you tandem jump with me today.”

“It’ll be dark by the time we get there!”

“Sunset’s at nine. We’ll be there by eight. No excuses.”

“I’ve never parachuted! I don’t have any idea how to jump.”

“This isn’t something you’d normally do,” he said.

She laughed. “Obviously! I’ve never even had a lesson!”

“I got this figured out. I call it jump therapy. Someday I’ll patent my idea and make a million. My old shrinks will be furious.

“Here’s the trick. You go live a little. You do something that gets you completely out of your head. You break free of whatever nightmare you’re living. Even if it’s only for ten minutes, it’s a start. And, suddenly, you want ten more minutes. And ten more minutes after that. And one day you realize you’ve moved on from whatever hell you’ve been living.”

Josie laughed. “I don’t think it’s quite so easy as that.”

“How’s that shrink working out for you?”

“She’s not a shrink. And she’s trying to get me to see the situation from a different perspective. To change my thinking.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing for you. Except I’m free. And I’m a hell of a lot more fun.”

*   *   *

After a three-hour drive along FM-170, and a nonstop stream of Pete’s observations about life and love, they approached the far east side of Big Bend National Park.

“You get into this?” Pete asked, pointing out at the miles of sunbaked hills and mountains.

“Get into what?”

“All this desert and rocks and sun? We’ve driven over two hours on a marked road and not passed one car. Not one. That doesn’t happen anywhere. And I live in the boondocks.”

“That’s the beauty of it. You want to get lost? Come to West Texas.”

Pete was quiet for a time, taking in the canyons and the vast sky and the lack of people. “I guess I can see you here. In a quiet place. You were always the quiet one.”

She smiled at his reference to their high school years. “You made enough noise for all of us.”

“Don’t you miss that old pickup truck?” he asked.

“All four of us crammed into the front seat. I’m not sure how I’d have survived high school without you guys,” she said.

“It’s a wonder we all made it out alive.”

“You and Dave got us into some crazy situations.”

Pete propped his feet up on the dashboard and pointed at her. “You were no angel. Me and Dave would come up with some dumbass idea, Lisa would try and talk us down, and then you’d convince Lisa to do it. You were the one who convinced Lisa to swim in the town water tower.”

Josie grinned and looked over at Pete. “That was fun. You have to admit.”

“Even if it was stupid-crazy, if you said we’d be okay, we all believed you.”

They drove for thirty minutes through Big Bend, reminiscing about high school, before they reached the turnoff for the border crossing to Boquillas, Mexico.

Pete pointed to the sign. “You got a border crossing in a park?”

“It’s an unmanned border crossing. You park and cross by boat.”

“What’s in Boquillas?”

Josie smiled. “About eighty people. Maybe more now that they opened up the crossing again. It’s a hard town to earn a living in; no industry, and ranching is tough. Some of the people that live there cross the river and set up their art around the canyon trail with coffee cans to collect money. They make money from the tourists that come through. They use the honor system to collect the money people leave when they buy the trinkets.”

“Tough way to live.”

“A good friend of mine is a river guide on the Rio. He and his wife both guide. They don’t make much money. Hot as hell in the summer. Four-hour drive to any major shopping. Scarce water, power outages. But they wouldn’t trade it. He lives on his own terms.”

Pete looked at her, his expression skeptical.

“He’s got his own irrigation system rigged from the creek behind his house. He shares his food with others. For him, it’s not about a fancy house. It’s about the outdoors that stretch around him for miles, and the plot of land he and his wife cultivate. He sees beauty in the rock formations, not in a ten-thousand-dollar slab of polished granite countertop.”

Josie could feel Pete staring at her, and she grinned, realizing she sounded like a zealot. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d be happy to have a granite countertop in my kitchen. But I get where he’s coming from. People think living like this is crazy, but this is paradise to others.”

*   *   *

Once they finally arrived at Boquillas Canyon, things moved quickly. The plane was already prepared for takeoff. Since it was a practice run the guys moved rapidly, as they would during a real fire run. Josie stepped into the harness Pete gave her and tried to focus on the good-natured banter of the smoke jumpers standing around her. They’d made hundreds of jumps together and were obviously a close-knit group.

“It’s like riding a bike. But it’s easier. Pete’ll do all the work for you,” one of the guys said. She tried to smile and nod, to not look terrified. She would be strapped to Pete’s chest, staring down at the earth some fifteen thousand feet below them, free-falling for almost a full minute before Pete pulled the cord.

She adjusted the harness around her legs and groin and straightened to find Pete smiling. He tightened the harnesses around her chest. The other men were wearing padded jump jackets and pants that looked like a set of Carhartts, but Pete had said they were lined with Kevlar to protect the men when landing in rough terrain. Each man had two bags strapped to the front of him, and another on his back. She figured they were wearing close to a hundred pounds of gear.

Pete stepped back and examined her equipment. On the drive to Big Bend, he had spent ten minutes explaining how the tandem jump would work. Basically, she would be a passenger for the trip down. Enjoy the ride. Nothing to worry about. She had repeated that phrase in her mind over and over. She rarely flew. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but this was beyond high.

“So, here’s a summary,” Pete said. “We’ll get up to about three thousand feet and the pilot will circle the canyon and drop a couple sets of drift streamers to watch how they fall. The wind coming out of that canyon can be tricky. We also have a crew from Mexico that’s training across the river. They’ll be observing, communicating with our pilot. You’ll get to watch the crew jump. Then we’ll get out to the open field and get up to about fourteen thousand feet to make our jump.”

“That’s almost three miles high.” Josie felt a surge of panic.

Pete smiled but ignored her comment. “My gear will get dropped separately with the heavier tools since you’ll be strapped to me for the jump. One of the van drivers will pick us up and take us over to the training area when we’re done.”

He talked on about the jump and what to expect, obviously trying to keep her mind occupied. She was glad for the effort.

She pointed to a pouch strapped around Pete’s calf. “What’s the bag on your leg?”

“That’s my let-down rope. You land in the top of a hundred-foot pine tree, you need something to rappel down with.”

She laughed. “You guys are insane.”

“I’ve been told that my whole life.” Pete patted her roughly on the arm and motioned toward the plane the other men were boarding. She took a long breath and blew out slowly. She tried to look the part of the confident tagalong, hitching a ride for a free fall.

She climbed a rusted ladder and through a large door that opened into the belly of the Cessna. The engines were roaring and it was almost impossible to hear. Pete sat first on the floor of the airplane and then gestured for her to sit down between his legs. The other men sat along the sides of the plane, apparently in a predetermined order. The plane shuddered and groaned as it gained speed down the makeshift runway. Once in the air, she could see out the door to the land beneath them, spread out like a patchwork quilt of brown and beige shapes.

Pete yelled into her ear, “Two thousand feet.”

Josie tried to distract herself as the plane continued its ascent. And then someone yelled “Three thousand” and everything began happening fast. The men were up and moving, with two men approaching the door, heads out, watching, and then disappearing, then another in quick succession, each one getting a hard tap on the back of his calf from the crew leader. With the crew gone, the plane made its ascent higher into the sky. The jumpmaster held a hand in the air with his fingers spread, indicating five minutes. Pete yelled something in her ear but the engine noise and the roar of the wind were so loud she couldn’t hear. Pete began tightening the already snug harness. She felt constricted, her clothes and equipment tight and bulky, and then Pete pressed the front of his body up against hers. He yelled, “Three minutes.”

Finally, they moved up to the opening and she realized it was going to happen. She was strapped in and facing a three-mile fall from the sky, the earth impossibly small beneath her. The next moment Pete was moving behind her, yelling something, and they were out the door, falling into a cushion of air, the wind roaring by, her mind full of everything and nothing all at the same moment. She clutched the harness at her chest but had the powerful sensation of needing to reach out and grab something. It was the sensation of falling. Her mouth was dry and her eyes watered under the goggles as warm air blasted her face. For brief moments she thought they were going to spin out of control all the way to the ground.