Jaime and Davy Crockett came up as soon as they were adjourned and Jaime said, “I can’t figure out if this is some scam you guys are trying to pull or if we ID’d the wrong man.” Paul stood next to her.

“Did you do the DNA test yet? Or the dental records comparison?” she asked Crockett.

“We haven’t had time. We relied on the uncle,” Crockett told her. “I’ll call the uncle. I’ll talk to Dr. Rittenhauer some more.”

“I have to go,” Nina said.

“See you after lunch.” The prosecutor and his investigator left quickly, and Nina repeated to Paul, “‘Those boots take a long time to unlace.’ Is it really possible? You know, sometimes you think you have this huge surprise in a case, but then it whiffs.”

“The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone. The medical examiner said it still was. And the leather boots were practically welded to the burned feet. And the photos don’t lie. Coyote’s wearing the boots. Wish ought to know. Didn’t you have him explain who was who in each picture?”

“No. I gave him the pictures and told him he’d be authenticating them and that we were going to show that both Coyote and Danny were at the fire. I didn’t go through each one with him. I blew that.”

“So the man in Arroyo Seco-the man who chained Nate-”

“Was Danny!” Nina clasped her hands together and said, “Nate wasn’t as incoherent as he sounded, Paul. We should have given him more credit, questioned him more closely. I remember-he said his brother was gone or something.”

“We missed some bets,” Paul said, “but I forgive us.”

“Maybe Coyote and Danny exchanged shoes during the fire.”

“You lost me there. Why-”

“It doesn’t make any sense. The body was wearing Danny’s clothes.”

“Maybe Coyote and Danny exchanged clothes during the fire. That’s more likely than switching shoes, because-”

“-the boots take a long time to unlace,” Nina said again. Nina smiled, spread her hands, and said, “Wish has such a way with words. He loves his boots too.”

“What now?”

Nina looked at her watch. The Siesta Court people would be waiting in the law library. “There’s so much I still don’t understand, Paul. Maybe Danny’s dead.”

“Then who killed Ruth Frost and Brian Donnelly? Who attacked Britta Cowan?”

“Right. It has to be Danny. But why bring Wish up to the ridge that night? What was Danny’s relationship to Coyote?”

“You go to your meeting,” Paul said. “I’m going to help Crockett, whether or not he wants my help. Try to get something to eat at some point so you don’t keel over in court.”

The Siesta Court deputation waited in the law library: Debbie Puglia, Megan Ballard, Jolene Hill, and Tory Eubanks. Nina shook hands and led them into one of the drab conference rooms nearby. They sat down around the table quietly. Jolene opened her bag and took out sandwiches and Snapples.

Nina took a moment to adjust to these women, who seemed so different from her impressions at the party and the talks on Debbie’s deck. Extracted from their family lives by whatever grave business had brought them here, dressed in business clothes, they had taken on the look of serious adults. Megan, in her suit coat and slacks, seemed to be the leader of the moment. The block party-had it only been ten days or so ago? It seemed to have been years ago.

“I’m very sorry,” Nina said. “I have to tell you that I don’t have very much time right now.”

“We understand,” Megan said. “But this is so important we had to see you. This is a consultation that is protected by the attorney-client privilege?”

“Yes. Even if I don’t represent you, this initial consultation is protected.”

“What is your fee for this consultation?”

Nina said, “I don’t charge initially.”

“What if we give you information about a crime that has been committed?”

Nina thought about her answer. “That’s a complicated subject. What I can do is this. I won’t take notes. If in our discussion there comes a moment when I feel we’re getting into an area where it’s my duty as an officer of the court to break the privilege, I will immediately stop you from speaking and tell you. But understand that I’m a criminal lawyer. If my client has committed a crime, I can defend him or her and the conversations are privileged.”

“I don’t know about this, Megan,” Tory said.

“We’re out of time, Tory,” Debbie told her. “We have to talk to somebody.”

“I know.”

Jolene said, “I suggest we get down to it. Okay, everybody?” They all nodded.

Megan said, “Debbie overheard the men talking night before last. Our husbands conspired to start a fire on the Green River land. George, Darryl, Sam, and Ted. They hired a man to do the job and they each put in twelve hundred fifty dollars as a down payment. David Cowan paid the same amount too.”

“A total of six thousand two hundred fifty dollars,” Nina said. “The amount in Coyote’s bank account. A down payment.”

“This man-Coyote-did the job, but he went farther than he was supposed to and burned down the model home completely. The men got scared. Then, Coyote decided on his own to burn down the new café in the Village. The men got even more scared and mad, and they decided not to pay the rest of the money.”

She stopped and waited for Nina to react. Puzzle pieces were falling into place in her mind. “Go on,” Nina said. “So the six thousand two hundred fifty dollars was just a down payment.”

“Yes. They were each supposed to put in another four thousand dollars apiece after the job was done. But they told him no, that’s all you’re getting.

“So, what we think happened then is, he started taking revenge on the men, one by one. First he went after Ted. He set the fire on the ridge because that’s where our construction site is. He almost burned it but the wind changed and the fire came down the mountain instead.”

Nina nodded slowly. “I think he had another purpose also the night of that fire. Anyway, go ahead.”

“Then he hurt Britta, to get David.”

“He’s cruel and vicious,” Debbie said. “We think he killed Ruthie in her car because she might identify him.”

“Yes,” Nina said. “Yes, I think you’re right, Debbie.”

“We don’t know why he would kill the artist.”

“I do. His cover was blown and he needed money. It was a robbery-murder.” Debbie started to ask more questions, but Nina said, “Let’s hear the rest of what you need to tell me.”

“He told the men he’d take the children if they don’t pay. This was night before last. He gave them forty-eight hours. The men couldn’t agree what to do. Debbie heard them talking about all this. Finally Sam said he’d call and say they needed more time, but that they would pay the money. Is that right, Debbie?”

Debbie said, “David wanted to go to the police, but the rest of them wouldn’t do it.”

“Then what?”

“Then we met and decided we needed to talk to a lawyer as soon as we could.”

“What did you think I could do for you?” Nina said.

“Tell us what to do,” Megan said. “These are our families we’re talking about. The men are in jeopardy of going to jail or maybe getting killed. Our kids aren’t safe until Coyote is found.”

“Where are your children now?”

Jolene said, “George picked up the girls at noon at the bus stop. They had an early day today. Britta’s kids are at a day-care center in Carmel. Debbie’s kids are in Los Angeles. Tory’s kids are-where are they, Tory?”

“My sister’s place on El Hemmorro. I told her not to let them out of the house.”

“That’s not good enough,” Nina said. “He’s too dangerous. That’s not enough protection. You can’t just watch the children and pray for somebody else to resolve this. Do you understand that?”

Jolene sighed. “I think we all know that. But if we call the police, our husbands are involved in all these terrible things. They’ll be put in prison. We need them, but, more importantly, we-well, we love them.”