Eye of the Beholder

satisfied about what happened here twelve years ago, the sooner I'll be gone?"
    She looked at him, but there were too many shadows on the patio now for him to read her expression.
    "The other tidbit I picked up," she said very steadily, "is that, although Webster Bell may have opposed the marriage because he wanted to protect Joanna, there is another possibility."
    "I'm listening."
    Alexa took an audible breath and released it slowly. " Bell apparently needed Joanna's money to help finance the expansion of his retreat. Joanna was one of his cornerstones, financially speaking."
    Trask was surprised at the jolt her words gave him. Damn. How could he have overlooked such an obvious possibility as Webster Bell?
    He let the implications sink in for a long moment. They were not very palatable. Surely he hadn't been looking in the wrong direction all these years. But then, that was the problem with an obsession. It tended to blind you to other possibilities.
    He searched swiftly for more angles.
    "What's your strategy here, Alexa? Are you trying to point me toward Bell in the hopes that I'll forget about Guthrie and Kenyon?"
    "I knew I shouldn't have said anything." She turned her back on him and started toward the kitchen. "Have you always been this suspicious, Trask? Or is it a bad habit you've developed?"
    "I was born this way."
    "I see. Well, that's as good an argument for genetic engineering as I've heard to date."

    Alexa was right about the food, Trask thought. Southwestern fusion cuisine looked a lot like Pacific Rim fusion cuisine with the addition of tortillas and chilies. He could get used to it.
    They ate out on the patio. Moonlight poured down, mingling with the flickering lights of the candles on the table. The sky was a dark, cobalt blue bowl studded with diamonds. The air was a warm caress.
    Hard to imagine a more romantic setting, Trask thought. Too bad he'd screwed up earlier. Conversation had not been going well since he'd practically accused Alexa of trying to deflect his investigation.
    He wondered if Alexa planned to kick him out the door immediately after dinner, or if she would offer him tea first.
    He also wondered how she would react if he kissed her again. He was not particularly optimistic. Although she had not specifically brought up the subject of their encounter in the spa, he was getting the strong impression that she considered last night's lovemaking a serious mistake.
    The screen door opened again. Alexa walked out of the kitchen with a pot in her hand.
    Hope soared. It looked like he was going to get tea at least.
    She sat down and poured the brew into two cups. "What will you do now that you've stirred your cauldron?"
    "Sit back and let things boil for a while."
    Her head came up swiftly. "Are you going to just ignore the information I gave you about Bell ?"
    "No. I'll call Okuda in the morning—"
    "Okuda?"
    "Phil Okuda is the investigator I hired to do the initial background work on this thing. I'll tell him to check out the situation at the Institute twelve years ago. But my money's on Guthrie at the moment"
    She raised her brows in disbelief as she took her seat. "Just because of that little incident in the parking lot last night?"
    "Little incident?"
    "Granted, Guthrie went a bit over the top with the two goons. But you've got to admit, he's got a right to be annoyed. How would you feel if someone started digging around in your past, trying to find evidence that you'd committed murder?"
    "He's rattled. I have a hunch that if I apply a little more pressure, he'll crumble."
    "I don't think you're approaching this situation the right way."
    "So now you're an expert?" "I've lived in this town longer than you have. I understand how—"
    A distant, muffled whoomp interrupted her. They both turned to look out across the desert toward
Cliff Drive
    .
    A cold foreboding swept through Trask. He shoved his chair back. "That came from the road. Sounded like a car. I'll go take a look."
    "I'll come with you."
    He got to the edge of the patio before he saw the glow of orange flames in the distance. "Better call 911 first. And bring a flashlight, if you've got one handy."
    He vaulted the low rock wall and headed toward the fire.
    She followed hard on his heels a moment later. He realized she had grabbed her cell phone.
    "No, I don't know exactly what the problem is," she said urgently into the phone. " but there are flames. A car, I think."
    Trask turned and stretched out his hand. Alexa slapped a