jg.thepartner-第21部分

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radioed　for　help；　then　sat　on　a　stump　and　watched　helplessly　as　it　burned。　The　Blazer　was　on　its　right　side　with　its　top　facing　away；　and　so　it　was　impossible　to　see　if　anyone　was　in　the　vehicle。　It　wouldn't　have　made　any　difference。　A　rescue　was　utterly　impossible。
　By　the　time　the　first　county　deputy　arrived；　the　fireball　was　so　intense　it　was　difficult　to　distinguish　the　outline　of　the　Blazer。　The　grass　and　shrubs　began　to　burn。　A　small　volunteer　pumper　arrived；　but　it　was　low　on　water。　More　traffic　stopped；　and　soon　a　nice　crowd　stood　mutely；　watching　and　listening　to　the　roar　down　below。　Since　the　driver　of　the　Blazer　was　not　among　them；　everyone　believed　that　he　or　she　was　in　there　getting　incinerated　along　with　everything　else。
　Two　larger　trucks　arrived；　and　the　fire　was　eventually　extinguished。　Hours　passed　as　Sheriff　Sweeney　waited　for　things　to　cool。　It　was　almost　midnight　when　he　first　spotted　a　blackened　clump　of　something　he　thought　might　be　a　body。　The　coroner　was　nearby。　The　pelvic　bone　ended　the　speculation。　Grimshaw　took　his　photographs。　They　waited　for　the　corpse　to　cool　even　more；　then　collected　it　and　placed　it　in　a　cardboard　box。
　The　raised　lettering　and　numerals　on　the　license　plates　were　traced　by　flashlight；　and　at　3：30　A。M。　Trudy　received　the　phone　call　that　made　her　a　widow。　For　four　and　a　half　years；　anyway。
　The　Sheriff　decided　not　to　move　the　car　during　the　night。　At　dawn；　he　returned　with　five　of　his　deputies　to　b　the　area。　They　found　ninety　feet　of　skid　marks　on　the　highway；　and　they　speculated　that　perhaps　a　deer　had　run　in　front　of　poor　Patrick；　causing　him　to　lose　control。　Because　the　fire　had　spread　in　all　directions；　any　possible　clues　as　to　what　might　have　happened　were　destroyed。　The　only　surprise　was　the　discovery　of　a　shoe　a　hundred　and　thirty…one　feet　from　the　Blazer。　It　was　a　lightly　worn　Nike　Air　Max　running　shoe；　size　ten；　and　Trudy　readily　identified　it　as　being　Patrick's。　She　wept　profusely　when　they　showed　it　to　her。
　The　Sheriff　speculated　that　the　vehicle　rolled　and　nipped　a　few　times　as　it　crashed　through　the　ravine；　and　perhaps　in　the　midst　of　all　this　the　body　was　thrown　around　inside。　The　shoe　came　off；　got　thrown　out　during　a　flip；　etc。　It　made　as　much　sense　as　anything　else。
　They　loaded　the　Blazer　on　a　flatbed　truck　and　took　it　away。　By　late　afternoon；　what　was　left　of　Patrick　had　been　cremated。　His　memorial　service　was　the　next　day；　and　it　was　followed　by　a　brief　graveside　service；　the　one　he　watched　through　binoculars。
　CUTTER　AND　GRIMSHAW　looked　at　the　lonely　shoe　in　the　center　of　the　table。　Beside　it　were　various　statements　taken　from　witnesses…Trudy；　Mrs。　Verhall；　the　coroner；　the　mortician；　even　Grimshaw　and　the　Sheriff…all　saying　exactly　what　they　were　expected　to　say。　Only　one　surprise　witness　came　forward　in　the　months　after　the　disappearance　of　the　money。　A　young　lady　who　lived　near　Verhall's　store　gave　a　sworn　statement　in　which　she　claimed　to　have　seen　a　red　1991　Chevy　Blazer　parked　beside　the　road；　precisely　near　the　point　where　the　fire　occurred。　She　saw　it　twice。　Once　on　Saturday　night；　then　about　twenty…four　hours　later　around　the　time　of　the　fire。
　Her　statement　was　taken　by　Grimshaw　at　her　home　in　rural　Harrison　County；　seven　weeks　after　Patrick's　funeral。　By　then；　the　death　was　shrouded　in　suspicion　because　the　money　had　disappeared。
　Sixteen
　THE　DOCTOR　was　a　young　Pakistani　resident　named　Hayani；　who　by　nature　was　a　caring　and　passionate　soul。　His　English　was　heavily　accented；　and　he　seemed　content　to　simply　sit　and　chat　with　Patrick　for　as　long　as　the　patient　wanted。　The　wounds　were　healing　fine。
　But　the　patient　was　deeply　troubled。　〃The　torture　was　something　I　could　never　accurately　describe；〃　Patrick　said；　after　they　had　been　talking　for　almost　an　hour。　Hayani　had　brought　the　conversation　around　to　this　topic。　It　was　all　over　the　papers；　since　the　filing　of　the　lawsuit　against　the　FBI；　and　from　a　medical　standpoint　it　was　a　rare　opportunity　to　examine　and　treat　one　injured　in　such　an　awful　manner。　Any　young　doc　would　enjoy　being　this　close　to　the　center　of　the　storm。
　Hayani　nodded　gravely。　Just　keep　talking；　he　pleaded　with　his　eyes。
　Today；　Patrick　was　certainly　willing　to　do　so。　〃Sleep　is　impossible；〃　he　said。　〃Maybe　an　hour　at　the　most　before　I　hear　voices；　then　I　smell　my　flesh　burning；　then　I　wake　up　in　a　pool　of　sweat。　And　it's　not　getting　better。　I'm　here　now；　home　and　safe；　I　guess；　but　they're　still　out　there；　still　after　me。　I　can't　sleep。　I　don't　want　to　sleep；　Doc。〃
　〃I　can　give　you　some　pills。〃
　〃No。　Not　yet；　anyway。　I've　had　too　many　chemicals。〃
　〃Your　blood　looks　fine。　Some　residue；　but　nothing　significant。〃
　〃No　more　drugs；　Doc。　Not　now。〃
　〃You　need　some　sleep；　Patrick。〃
　〃I　know；　but　I　don't　want　to　sleep。　I'll　get　tortured　again。〃
　Hayani　wrote　something　on　the　chart　he　was　holding。　A　long　silence　followed　in　which　both　men　occupied　themselves　with　thoughts　about　what　to　say　next。　Hayani　found　it　difficult　to　believe　that　this　kind　man　was　capable　of　killing　another；　and　especially　in　such　a　ghastly　way。
　The　room　was　lit　only　by　a　narrow　ray　of　sunshine　along　the　edge　of　the　window。　〃Can　I　be　honest　with　you　about　something；　Doc？〃　Patrick　asked；　his　voice　even　lower。
　〃Of　course；〃
　〃I　need　to　stay　here　as　long　as　I　can。　Here；　in　this　room。　In　a　few　days；　they'll　start　making　noises　about　moving　me　to　the　Harrison　County　Jail　where　I'll　get　a　bunk　in　a　small　cell　with　two　or　three　street　punks；　and　there's　no　way　I　can　survive。〃
　〃But　why　do　they　want　to　move　you？〃
　〃It's　pressure；　Doc。　They　have　to　slowly　increase　the　pressure　on　me　until　I　tell　them　what　they　want。　They　put　me　in　a　bad　cell　with　rapists　and　drug　dealers；　and　the　message　will　be　conveyed　that　I'd　better　start　talking　because　that　is　what　I'm　faced　with　for　the　rest　of　my　life。　Prison；　at　Parchman；　the　worst　place　in　the　world。　You　ever　been　to　Parchman；　Doc？〃
　〃No。〃
　〃I　have。　I　had　a　client　there　once。　It's　hell；　literally。　And　the　county　jail　isn't　much　better。　But　you　can　keep　me　here；　Doc。　All　you　have　to　do　is　keep　telling　the　Judge　that　I　need　to　remain　under　your　care；　and　I　stay　here。　Please；　Doc。〃
　〃Of　course；　Patrick；〃　he　said；　then　made　one　more　entry　on　his　chart。　Another　long　pause　as　Patrick　closed　his　eyes　and　breathed　rapidly。　Just　the　thought　of　jail　and　prison　had　upset　him　mightily。
　〃I'm　going　to　remend　a　psychiatric　evaluation；〃　Hayani　said；　and　Patrick　bit　his　lower　lip　to　suppress　a　smile。
　〃Why？〃　he　asked；　feigning　alarm。
　〃Because　I'm　curious。　Do　you　object？〃
　〃I　guess　not。　When？〃
　〃Perhaps　in　a　couple　of　days。〃
　〃I'm　not　sure　if　I　can　do　it　so　soon。〃
　〃There's　no　hurry。〃
　〃That's　more　like　it。　We　shouldn't　hurry　anything　around　here；　Doc。〃
　〃I　see。　Of　course。　Perhaps　next　week。〃
　〃Maybe。　Or　the　week　after。〃
　THE　BOY'S　MOTHER　was　Neldene　Crouch。　She　now　lived　in　a　trailer　park　outside　Hattiesburg；　but　at　the　time　of　her　son's　disappearance　she　lived；　with　him；　in　a　trailer　park　outside　Lucedale；　a　small　town　thirty　miles　from　Leaf。　According　to　her　recollection；　her　son　had　been　missing　since　Sunday；　February　9；　1992；　precisely　the　same　day　Patrick　Lanigan　died　on　Highway　15。
　But　according　to　Sheriff　Sweeney's　records；　Neldene　Prewitt　（her　married　name　then）　had　first　called　his　office　on　February　13；　1992；　with　the　news　that　her　son　was　missing。　She　was　calling　all　the　surrounding　sheriffs；　as　well　as　the　FBI　and　the　CIA。　She　was　quite　disturbed　and　at　times　near　hysterics。
　Her　son's　name　was　Pepper　Scarboro…Scarboro　being　the　name　of　her　first　husband；　Pepper's　alleged　father；　though　she'd　never　been　certain　precisely　who　the　father　was。　As　for　his　first　name；　no　one　could　remember　exactly　where　Pepper　came　from。　She　had　named　him　LaVelle　at　the　hospital；　a　name　he'd　always　hated。　He'd　picked　up　Pepper　at　a　young　age；　and　had　vigorously　asserted　it　as　his　legal　name。　Anything　but　LaVelle。
　Pepper　Scarboro　was　seventeen　at　the　time　of　his　disappearance。　After　successfully　pleting　the　fifth　grade；　after　three　attempts；　he　dropped　out　of　school　and　pumped　gas　at　a　local　station　in　Lucedale。　An　odd　child　who　stuttered　badly；　Pepper　discovered　the　great　outdoors　as　a　young　teenager；　and　loved　nothing　better　than　to　camp　and　hunt　for　days；　usually　alone。
　Pepper　had　few　friends；　and　his　mother　rode　him　constantly　for　an　assortment　of　shortings。　She　had　two　smaller　children　and　various　men　friends；　and　she　lived　with　the　rest　of　her　family　in　a　dirty　trailer　with　no　air　conditioning。　Pepper　preferred　to　sleep　in　a　pup　tent　deep　in　the　woods。　He　saved　his　money　and　bought　his　own　shotgun　and　camping　gear。　So　Pepper　spent　as　much　time　as　possible　in　the　De　Soto　National　Forest；　twenty　minutes　but　a　thousand　miles　away　from　his　mother。
　There　was　no　clear　evidence　that　Pepper　and　Patrick　had　ever　met。　Coincidentally；　Patrick's　cabin　was　situated　in　the　general　vicinity　of　the　forest　where　Pepper　liked　to　hunt。　Patrick　and　Pepper　were　both　white　males；　roughly　the　same　height；　though　Patrick　was　much　heavier。　Of　much　greater　interest　was　the　fact　that　Pepper's　shotgun；　tent；　and　sleeping　bag　were　found　in　Patrick's　cabin　in　late　February　of　1992。
　The　two　disappeared　at　approximately　the　same　time；　from　about　the　same　area。　In　the　months　after　their　joint　disappearances；　Sweeney　and　Cutter　had　determined　that　no　other　person　in　the　state　of　Mississippi　had　turned　up　missing　around　February　9　and　remained　so　for　more　than　ten　weeks。　Several；　most　of　them　troubled　teens；　had　been　reported　missing　in　February　of　1992；　but　by　late　spring　all　had　been　accounted　for。　In　March；　a　housewife　up　in　Corinth　evidently　fled　a　violent　marriage　and　had　yet　to　be　seen。
　Working　with　FBI　puters　in　Washington；　Cutter　had　determined　that　the　nearest　person　reported　missing　shortly　before　Patrick's　fire　was　a　shiftless　truck　driver　from　Dothan；　Alabama；　seven　hours　away。　He　had　simply　vanished　on　Saturday；　February　8；　leaving　behind　a　miserable　marriage　and　lots　of　bills。　After　investigating　this　case　for　three　months；
　Cutter　was　certain　there　was　no　connection　between　the　truck　driver　and　Patrick。
　Statistically；　there　was　strong　evidence　that　the　disappearances　of　Pepper　and　Patri