“I know that, now. Dr. Harrison told me. It was an accident, plain and simple. Though sometimes I still can’t help thinking Pierce shouldn’t have been riding alone. Because he wasn’t looking good.”

“Any idea why that last week was rough for him?”

“No—and I don’t want to know. I need to put all this behind me, and this isn’t helping, so could we please stop?”

I thanked her and stood. “How far from here did the accident occur?”

“Just a ways up the road.”

“I’d like to see the spot.”

“What for?”

“To get a feel for what happened.”

Her gaze was level. “Do you know something you haven’t told me?”

“No,” I said. “Thanks for your time.”

“Don’t thank me, it wasn’t a favor.” She leaped up, walked past me to the door.

I said, “The spot—”

“Get back on 33 heading east and take the second turnoff to the left. It’s a dirt path that leads up a hill, then starts swooping down toward the arroyo. That’s where it happened. Pierce and Akhbar tumbled from the rocks that look down into the arroyo and ended up at the bottom. It’s a place Pierce and I rode together from time to time. When we did, I used to lead.”

“About Pierce’s photography.”

“No,” she said. “Please. No more questions. I showed you Pierce’s darkroom and his pictures and everything else the first time you were here.”

“I was going to say he was talented, but one thing struck me. There were no people or animals in his shots.”

“Is that supposed to be some big psychological thing?”

“No, I just found it curious.”

“Did you? Well, I didn’t. Didn’t bother me one bit. Those pictures were beautiful.” She reached around me and shoved the door open. “And when I asked Pierce about it, he had a very good answer. Said, ‘Margie, I’m trying to picture a perfect world.’ ”

CHAPTER

36

She stood by the Seville, waiting for me to leave.

I turned the ignition key, and said, “Did Dr. Harrison mention taking a vacation?”

“Him, a vacation? He never leaves. Why?”

“He told me he might be doing some traveling.”

“Well, he’s certainly entitled to travel if he wants. Why don’t you ask him? You’re going there right now, aren’t you? To check up on my story.”

“I’m going to talk to him about the unsolved case.”

“Whatever,” she said. “Doesn’t bother me being checked up on, because I’m not hiding anything. That’s the thing about not letting yourself get involved in hopeless things. Less to worry about. The shame about my Pierce was he never really learned that.”