Kate looked at Haynes, who was teary and trembling. Ask your staff geologist. Or should I call her your mine squeeze?

Kate, Jim said sharply.

Ignoring Jim, Kate said to Truax, Your girlfriend there killed your favorite employee.

I didn‘t mean to, Haynes said, still looking up at Truax. It was an accident.

Twenty-two

Jim had cuffed and stuffed Haynes into the back of the Cessna, where she rode next to a very attentive Mutt. In Niniltna, Jim transferred her to one of the cells. He read her her rights, and the last thing Truax had said to her was, Sit tight and keep your mouth shut until the lawyer gets there. Of course Truax might change his mind about the lawyer when he learned that Holly had taken up data sales where Rick Allen had left off.

Regardless, Haynes was talking. Jim set up the video camera and reminded her once every couple of minutes that she had the right to remain silent, making sure the camera picked it up. She‘d stopped trembling and her eyes were dry. She spoke directly to Kate, standing outside the bars of the cell.

I didn‘t mean to kill her, she said for what was maybe the tenth time. I just wanted her to be sick enough so we could medevac her to town. Get her out of the way so I could have a little breathing space and figure out what to do next. She fixed Kate with the same pleading stare that hadn‘t worked on Truax. You understand, don‘t you? You‘ll help me make everyone else understand, won‘t you? Jim crooked his finger at Kate and let her take his seat opposite Haynes. In a low voice into the mike on the camera he said, Kate Shugak, private investigator, contract employee, taking over the interrogation at—he looked at his watch—two fifty-four P.M. He folded his arms and leaned against the bars.

Haynes didn‘t even notice the switch. Later, when her attorney pointed out that there had been nothing but circumstantial evidence against her and that all Jim had to swear out an arrest warrant was her detailed confession on videotape, she would be very sorry indeed that she had been so forthcoming. Kate was glad she didn‘t have to take notes, she never would have been able to keep up.

You‘ll help me, won‘t you? Haynes said.

Sure, I‘ll help you, Kate said. The image of Lyda Blue standing next to Haynes was as clear as Haynes herself, unsmiling, intent, bearing witness. Let‘s start at the beginning, shall we?

It took two hours because Haynes rambled and backtracked, and because she was determined to justify every single one of her actions. Sleeping with a married man, selling core sample data, intercepting the cookies Jules made especially for Lyda, soaking them in the peanut oil she‘d bought at Bingley‘s store, delivering them to Lyda‘s door, carrying them inside her room. Taking a seat and watching Lyda bite into the first one.

She had seen Allen go into the admin building late one night in March. It was the first week we were on the job, she said in disbelief, like it should have taken longer, as if in decency Allen should have had to work up to outright theft. Of course I figured out right away he was selling it.