Chapter Twenty-One
Eva opened her eyes and saw the solicitous face bending over her. "Are you all right?" the woman asked.
And Eva remembered what had happened. She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. She was shivering violently. The woman lifted her head and gave her something to drink. Eva choked on the liquid, feeling its warmth spread through her body.
"I think I'm all right," she said at last, glancing around the small room. She was in some kind of a dispensary.
"This is the emergency room of the airport," the woman said. "I'm a nurse."
"Is he ... is he...?" Eva was unable to finish the sentence.
The nurse nodded, her face grim. "He was killed instantly."
Eva turned her face to the wall and began to sob. She didn't understand any of this, not at all. Why had Martin run? Why?
When she looked up, the nurse was still there. "Do you feel able to talk now?" she asked. "These men want to ask you some questions."
Eva glanced at the two figures standing against the wall. They were the same men who had chased Martin. "Why?" she asked. "Why did you make him do such a thing?" Eva struggled to a sitting position with the help of the nurse.
The men came forward, twisting their ten-gallon hats nervously in their hands. "We didn't want it that way, ma'am," one of them said. "It just happened."
Eva felt her head clearing slightly. "What had he done?"
The second policeman cleared his throat. "We're deputies, ma'am," he explained. "This morning we received a notice from the Los Angeles police to hold a suspect named Martin Sellers. It was thought he'd try to leave the country by way of the Vegas airport. I'm sure sorry it had to end this way," he said unhappily. "The L. A. police wanted him alive."
"What had he done?" Eva repeated.
The second deputy came forward. "He and his partner, with the help of a third man, embezzled his firm out of one million dollars in diamonds. They sold them to a fence and vanished with two hundred thousand dollars apiece."
"I don't believe it," Eva said.
"It's true all right," the first deputy said. "The trouble is that now both partners are dead. The other one ran his car off a cliff last night trying to escape the San Diego police. We needed this Martin Sellers real bad to give us the identity of the third embezzler. We thought you might be able to help us. What were you doing with him?"
For a moment Eva thought that she might become involved but as she told the whole, sordid story, it appeared that they believed her ... although their lack of respect was all too apparent.
It was dark when Eva left the terminal building. She stood on the walk a long time, her mind confused, her future uncertain. Then she called a cab. She knew what she would do.
Eva was stiff from sitting in the cramped position all night. She rolled with the motion of the bus, looking dully out of the window at the passing scenery just visible in the dawn.
What was past already seemed like a nightmare to her. She'd asked herself over and over how she could have been taken in by Martin. And what was even worse was his obvious lack of skill in planning his escape. She could have forgiven him ... and even helped him spend the money ... if he'd been smart enough to get away. But all he'd done was to run like a frightened animal, not to mention even using his real name when he'd purchased the plane tickets.
Eva shook her head, unable to understand how anyone could have been that stupid.
She knew that now that it was finished she'd have to accept it as just another affair. It had been fun while it lasted. And it made her more than a little sick to realize just how close she'd come to being a wealthy woman and having everything she wanted.
But Eva was above all things practical. Now that Martin was finished she had herself to look after. She'd done a lot of thinking last night before taking this bus. It would be possible, she supposed, to continue running and try to make a new life for herself.
But why should she? There was still Ralph. And even if the house was shabby it served as a home for her operations. There were certain advantages in having a man who isn't too bright for a husband.
Eva sighed to herself. She'd almost caught the gold ring this time. Perhaps she'd be more fortunate the next.
As the bus pulled into San Bernardino, Eva saw a red glow up in the mountains on the distant horizon. It puzzled her for a moment but she forgot it as they entered the terminal. Eva closed her eyes to wait out the stopover period.
She was lucky in one way, Eva thought to herself. With Ralph up in the moutntains he wouldn't even know that she'd been gone. Of course, Martin's capture would be in the papers. She could only hope that they kept her name out of it.
And, as Eva sat there, idly watching the new passengers filing into the bus, a thought occurred to her. Wouldn't Ralph be pleased if she showed up at the cabin?
The more Eva thought of it the more she liked the idea. If there had been any suspicions in her husband's mind, her coming to him would erase them.
Eva left her seat and hurried out of the bus.
The glow in the sky grew more intense as the cab climbed higher into the mountains. The driver glanced around at his passenger, enjoying the view of much leg and more breast protruding above the low cut blouse. "They got some fire going up here," he said, grinning. "Been burning since Friday morning. It's really doing a hell of a job in Big Bear Valley."
Eva nodded absent-mindedly. She'd seen his leering looks but she really didn't care. Her mind was on her reunion with Ralph. She had a certain amount of fence mending to do.
But even at that, Eva knew she'd been lucky to find a driver interested enough in her looks to take her into the mountains. None of the others wanted any part of the trip, not with the fire out of control. The fare would take her last ten dollars but it really didn't matter. Ralph would drive her home.
When they came to the dam at the entrance to the valley, a trooper waved them to a stop. He thrust his face in the open window. "You better turn around, buddy," he said to the driver. "All hell's broke loose over there."
For the first time Eva awakened to what was happening. Ahead of her, the mountains looked like a solid sheet of flame and smoke. The thick, acrid clouds boiled and danced on the winds, making her choke on the smell.
And at the same time a chilling realization came across her. Ralph's cabin was right in the middle of the fire. Panic nibbled at her heels. "But I've got to get through," she cried. "My husband's in there."
The trooper shifted his glance to the cab's passenger, his face suddenly concerned. "Are you sure."
Eva fought back the tears. "Yes ... yes. He came up here for the week-end."
"What's his name?"
"Ralph Hobson."
The officer flipped through a small note book. When he looked up again his eyes were concerned. "You're right," he agreed. "We've got a list of all the people known to be in the valley when the fire started. He was seen in the village early Friday morning. Who are you?"
"I told you," Eva snapped. "I'm his wife."
The trooper consulted his book again. This time when he looked up he was puzzled. "I'm sorry, miss," he said slowly. "But that's impossible. My notes tell me that Mr. Hobson's wife was with him in the village."
Eva's mouth went dry. She didn't understand what she had just heard. "But I'm his wife," she insisted. Your notes are wrong."
"That could be," the officer admitted. He looked back at the driver. "You'd better follow me. We'll get this straightened out."
The cab moved slowly down the south side of the lake which so far had prevented the fire from coming this far. At the far end they crossed to the other side on a small road and entered the village which had been saved by backfiring.
The officer left his cruiser and opened the door for Eva. "Come with me," he said.
Together they entered a small wooden building with the name, SHERIFF OF BIG BEAR painted on the door. Inside was organized confusion as a half dozen men worked frantically, trying to direct the campaign against the fire.
"This woman claims to be Hobson's wife," the trooper told a stolid looking man behind a scarred desk.
The sheriff grunted and fumbled through a sheet of papers, finally selecting one and staring at it for what seemed to Eva like forever. At last he looked up. "What are you trying to pull, honey?" he snapped. "You a photographer for a big shot paper trying to get some exclusive stuff?" He glanced at the trooper. "Check the cab for a camera. She sure as hell ain't got one on under that outfit."
Eva felt the floor bend slightly beneath her feet. Everybody had gone stark raving mad. "But I am Ralph's wife," she cried.
"In a pig's eye you are," the sheriff spat. "I know Ralph. He and I been fishing almost since he started coming up here with his wife four years ago. Ruth's cooked meals for us out at his place many a time."
"Ruth?" The name escaped her lips before Eva could stop it. Something horrible began to make sense.
But the sheriff broke into her thoughts. He tossed a piece of paper across the desk. "There's a picture of the three of us if you want more proof."
Eva's hands shooks as she looked at the print. She had to smother a gasp as the woman's face came into focus. She was beautiful, her hair draping down across her shoulders, the light features soft and gentle. And there was no doubt about it, the woman in that photograph was her sister. The truth exploded in Eva's face.
Ruth had been coming up here with Ralph all these years and posing as his wife. No wonder that woman in the tavern had called her by name from the rear that day. Eva licked her dry lips, trying to make some sense from the madness.
But again the sheriff cut in. "You should be glad you're not his wife," he said unhappily. "For two reasons." He waved at the fire visible through the single window of the office. "First, the poor kids are probably dead by now." He slammed his desk angrily with his fist, getting to his feet. "In a way I hope they are."
"Why?" Eva asked, almost afraid of what was coming.
The sheriff looked her directly in the eyes. "Because I got a warrant for Ralph's arrest Friday. It seems he helped a firm juggle their books so that the partners could escape with over two hundred thousand dollars apiece."
And now Eva knew. Her husband had been the third man. She walked to the window and watched the fire consume the mountain. Her sister and Ralph, something she'd never dreamed of.
And, as Eva studied the billowing smoke, she became certain of something else. When the fire was out and the police arrived at the cabin, there would be no bodies. Ralph had planned this, right down to the last detail. It was he who had set the blaze to cover their escape. Right now both of them were probably far away, enjoying the money she'd almost had a piece of.
In that moment, at the window, a lot of the past years flashed through Eva's head. No wonder Ralph had gone cold, he'd returned to Ruth. And he'd probably known about the men his wife had been seeing, not caring, hoping one of them would take her away.
And when, they didn't, Ralph had seen to it that Martin had to come to their house, knowing full well what might happen when they met.
Eva sighed heavily, feeling the weakness of her body, amazed at her own stupidity. And she'd thought Ralph was dumb. It was funny ... but she didn't feel like laughing. No wonder Martin had warned her that she had a smart husband.
The sheriff came up beside her, waggling the picture he'd taken from his wallet beneath her nose. "You still claim you're Mrs. Hobson?"
Eva drew in a long breath, staring into the lawman's beady eyes. What good would it do to tell him her suspicions? She shook her head sadly. "No," she said, her voice but a whisper. "You're right. Ralph's wife is dead."
"In that case you'd better get the hell out of here," the sheriff exploded. "We got enough work to do without having cranks on our necks."
Eva left the office, walking back to the cab in a trance. The driver grinned as he looked at her. "Get it straightened out?"
Eva nodded. "I did," she said wearily. "You can take me back down the mountain." She remembered something, adding, "I'm afraid that I don't have enough money for the return trip."
The hackie chuckled, staring down at the exposure as Eva purposely pulled her skirt to the waist sliding onto the back seat. "That's all right," he said. "We'll just take it out some other way."
Eva nodded agreement. Perhaps she'd go back to Las Vegas and accept Max's offer.
She had the merchandise. There was nothing left for her to do but sell it.