California Schemin' - Kate George [55]
“How am I going to explain why I didn’t remember these guys earlier?”
“A lot can be explained by the shock of finding a body. You won’t be the first person to remember something after the fact.”
I took the photos down to my room and taped them on the wall. I didn’t have any intention of memorizing their faces, but if I didn’t look like I was making an effort, Wallace would get suspicious. I was giving myself twenty-four hours. Then Wallace would take me to Fogel, and I’d be quit of this place. I’d get to go home.
I propped myself on the bed, facing the pictures in case anyone came in, but planning to close my eyes and take a nap. There was a tap at the door and Wallace walked in.
“I forgot something.” He handed me another picture. “Just in case you were thinking you could tell Fogel something different than what we agreed.”
I glanced down at the photo. It was Beau. He was standing on the side of a country road with the aid of crutches. The Foresthill Bridge stretched across the American River Canyon behind him.
“Where is he now?” My voice caught in my throat.
“Resting comfortably in my family’s cabin in the mountains. Too bad he can’t ski at the moment. As it is, I think he’s bored, so I sent some people up there to keep him company. Men to help him get around and a couple of pretty girls to amuse him.”
“How long has he been there?”
“A day or two. He’s staying until my name is cleared. If you need to go on the witness stand, he’ll stay until after you testify, just to keep you safe from attacks of conscience.”
Wallace left, and I laid my head back and closed my eyes. Sneaky bastard. What was I going to do now? Beau would tell me to do the right thing, but I couldn’t risk Wallace throwing him over the bridge. His chances of survival were slim, even if he didn’t have a bullet in his head. No wonder the senator was in such a good mood. He had an ace in the hole. I was screwed.
I looked at the pictures on the wall and wondered what the two men were really guilty of. Nothing, maybe. Oh, crap. I pulled the edge of the comforter up over me, rolled over and closed my eyes. Okay, God, if you’ve got a way to get me out of this mess, now would be a good time to let me know what it is.
Another tap came at the door.
“Go away.” I muttered. “No one’s home.”
I heard the door open but didn’t open my eyes.
“Bree?” Wendy’s voice was tentative. “Do you want to come run the dogs with me?”
“Where are you taking them?” I sat up in bed. I needed to get out of this house.
“If we walk along the back of the houses, we’ll come to a little dog park. There’s a kid park there, too, but they set aside an area just for dogs to run and do their business. Fiddle and Bow love to go there.”
Wendy loaned me a sweatshirt so I wouldn’t get cold, and we started out along the back of the houses, walking along the path. Wendy let the dogs off their leashes as soon as we were out of sight of the house.
“I’m not strictly allowed to have them off leash until we reach the park, but I don’t pay attention to that rule unless my dad is with me. They don’t get enough exercise, and I don’t want them to get pudgy.”
The corgis sprinted back and forth, running ahead, then running back to us. I was happy to be in the open air with no one watching me. Wendy was with me of her own free will and didn’t have the need to keep me in her sights. The air was cool, maybe fifty-five degrees, and I had only a sweatshirt to wear, but we moved quickly, and I warmed up.
It took maybe ten minutes to walk to the dog park. It was fenced along three sides to prevent dogs from taking off after jackrabbits, was my guess, and keep the poop confined to one area. There were trees planted along the fence between the dog park and the kid park. The corgis sniffed and ran from place to place while we stomped our feet and slapped our arms to keep from going numb.
I turned and scanned the backs of the houses. They all had walled yards, the same as the homes near the senator’s. There was someone watching us from the house directly behind the dog park. It had floor-to-ceiling