Hour Game

Todd Williams rose from beside the body and nodded. Sylvia came forward to examine Sally while the forensics team searched for clues. Chip Bailey stood next to the stable's double door and watched the proceedings as Williams joined him.

"How's Eddie?" asked Bailey.

"He's still unconscious. I don't know if he's been poisoned or what. I don't know what the hell is going on anymore. I mean, who would want to kill Sally and Eddie?"

"I didn't think the girl had anything to do with any of this."

Sylvia rose from the body after a few minutes and joined the two lawmen.

"Her throat was cut from ear to ear almost. The blood loss was horrific. Death would have been in a minute or so. And then her face was smashed to a pulp."

"So you're sure her throat was cut first?" asked Bailey.

"Yes. She was dead when the blows hit her."

"Time of death?"

"No more than four hours or so. I did a rectal temp, and the minimal degree of rigor mortis substantiates that."

Williams checked his watch. "So about five-thirty this morning."

"Looks to be. There's no sign of rape or sexual assault. Whoever killed her struck from behind and is right-handed. The throat slash was executed left to right."

"And Savannah found her?" said Bailey.

"She was going riding and came upon the body," said Williams. "At least that's what I think she said. She was crying so hard I really couldn't be sure."

"And she went to the carriage house to get help?" said Bailey.

"It's situated closer to the stables than the mansion or the house where Sally stayed," pointed out Williams.

"And Dorothea answered the door, tried to rouse Eddie and then called for help."

"Right."

Bailey mulled this over. "So Dorothea and Eddie were in bed together. Dorothea was okay, but Eddie had been given some poison or other."

"I haven't taken a complete statement from Dorothea yet," said Williams.

"I think you'd better."

"No, what I think I'd better do is call Sean and Michelle," said Williams. "They phoned about Sally this morning, before we got the call from Dorothea. They obviously know some things we don't."

CHAPTER 71

AS KING WAS WAITING FOR THE call from Williams, Michelle came in carrying a tray balanced in her one good arm.

He frowned at her. "I should be waiting on you."

"Here, this'll be good for you." She arranged the tray and pointed out its contents. "My famous mega-power shake, dry cereal with sliced banana and as a little treat, low-carb bread with avocado spread."

"What's in the power shake? No, never mind, I don't want to know." He took a tiny sip of the shake and quickly put it down. "I think it needs to breathe a bit."

"It's not wine, Sean."

"No, it's certainly not," he said firmly. He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I never got around to asking why you were coming to my house so late last night."

"Oh, damn, I forgot all about it. Billy Edwards, Battle 's ex-mechanic, called from L.A. "

King sat straight up. "What did he say?"

Michelle filled him in about the damage to the Rolls. Before she'd even finished, King was out of the bed and grabbing his clothes.

"What are you doing?" she asked in amazement.

"We've got someone to see, and fast."

"Who?"

"Roger Canney."

They arrived at Canney's house only to find no one home. They peered in the darkened windows and tried all the doors, but they were locked. King noted the morning's newspaper on the front steps. They were standing in the driveway when a man came by walking two large basset hounds-or rather, they were walking him.

"He's not home," called out the man, who was wearing a Maryland Terrapins basketball cap. "Saw him leave, oh, about two hours ago when I was doing my jog."

King looked at his watch. "Pretty early."

"He had some bags with him he loaded in the car. Guess he's going on a trip."

"Which car? Beemer or Range Rover?" asked Michelle.

"Range Rover."

"Did he say where he was going?"

"Nope. Blew out of here so fast he almost ran me over."

They thanked the man, climbed in Michelle's truck and drove off.

"I'm going to call Todd and tell him to put out an APB on Canney," said King.

"Sean, what's going on?"

"Think about how Mrs. Canney died."

"She was drunk and died in a car accident. But you suggested she might have been murdered."

"Right. Murdered and knocked back into that ravine when her car was hit by a very heavy Rolls-Royce driven by Bobby Battle. Both events occurred about three and a half years ago."

"You're saying Bobby Battle killed Mrs. Canney. Why?"

"What if it wasn't Roger Canney who first initiated a blackmail scheme against Battle? Maybe it was Mrs. Canney who threatened to reveal Battle as her son's father, and Battle didn't respond the way she'd intended or he got tired of paying. Then Roger Canney blackmails Battle over his wife's death."

"But how would Roger Canney have known Battle was involved in his wife's death?"