Monday 11th October

The Barber Shop, Main St, Bethlehem

Goren sat or more stretched out in the chair like that of a dentist. Most of his hair and a lot of the beard on the floor being swept up as he waited with a hot scented towel wrapped around the remains. He might have gone into court on Friday looking like two parts of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" but this afternoon he had every intention of going as just the third. At least the closest possible to it, given the cards his genes had dealt him. And John Stephen tailoring usually worked in his favour.

Without the medical reports on Sonny Harkness he and Eames would never have worked out he did not cut that switch. The fall from the tree as a kid had badly broken his upper right arm and his shoulder. So he couldn't lift the hand that side higher than ninety degrees to the ground. Would have had to cut that switch left handed to ever reach it and even then it would be a stretch for a man only five feet nine.

As Drummond had said, Sonny would have chosen a lower switch of juniper, except they lacked such dense needles to be so effective. But for a man closer to six feet it was a much easier "reach". His on-going enquiries meant Art was right to say nothing else, but he and Eames reckoned they could explain it in two possible ways.

By daylight Tuesday morning Belray found the hair in the wire and then made sure there was evidence on the ground for Drummond to find. Evidence of a man "covering his tracks" away from the body and which led all the way to the fence where the fair hair was. Perhaps better "sign" than a 140/150 pound Sonny might have left with his shoes. Except Drummond never saw that on Tuesday.

Perhaps because it wasn't there then? Which left the other possibility. When the Sheriff went off convinced it was "the size 13's" who did it, Belray did it subsequently. He knew the case against Goren was falling apart and needed to make sure everything pointed to Sonny. Not anyone on the ranch. He knew full well his uncle would find that and he could fool the old man. Eames said she no longer believed a word Belray said when he made out he knew little or nothing of tracking. And it was he, after all "found" that switch so helpfully for them all on Saturday morning.

As the razor began to glide over his skin, Goren pondered what was quite a common feature with some killers. That they would insert themselves into the scene and the investigation. He lost sight of that with Belray almost as much as Eames had. He tried to tell her that and just hoped Alex would see that in time and "forgive" herself. She had paid a very high price to come to Arizona and help him.

At the counter he got that "anything else sir" hint as he smiled and said "No". Thinking of the nice parts about those Saturday trips to Ducatti's with Dad and Frank. Then he stepped outside. Not to the ice-cream parlour or toyshop, but into the SUV where Caro waited for him.

Delta Flight 1570/530 (Phoenix/LAG, New York, via Atlanta)

As she asked the cabin steward for a second drink, Eames wondered briefly how that business over Doug Kersey's watch might have panned out. She never thought to ask Danny Ross and ironically, if only briefly via some tarmac, she was getting to visit Georgia after all.

Closer than Bobby had yet got to Ty Cobb's home turf anyway. Though when this trip was over maybe he would finally make the time to go see the resting place of The Georgia Peach. How long before that bastard Belray got chance to travel again still seemed very uncertain. Thanks to all that had gone on, getting a murder conviction on him could prove to be very difficult.

It all fit so well but as Ron had reminded Goren last evening, "knowing" as a cop and "proving" to a jury could be a long way apart. And as she sipped what she had no intention of seeing as a real answer to her problems, Eames just hoped in a few months time they would not be back in Arizona. As witnesses having to help build a weak case for a DA had better be sharper than that Tim Bayard. She didn't want to look that smiling face again and have to tell the world she'd coupled like a bitch in heat with a drug-dealing killer. And enjoyed every damn minute of it at the time.

In time perhaps, she would have to consider more formal ways of dealing with the issue of how that felt. How she felt her judgement and her credibility as a cop was seriously undermined. That she didn't "see" things she should have, might have. Knowing Bobby and Ron did not either was no help. Caro was out or would count herself out as a therapist, for obvious reasons. But she might know of someone in New York would suit her. Someone she should probably speak to about other issues too. Ones Eames knew she had avoided thinking too hard about or saying out loud to anyone.

Consolation, if not solution, would be to see that bastard locked up the rest of his life. Drummond had hinted at something in Sonny's weird "journal". Implied he saw something that night might point to Johnnie Belray. It suggested that as he left the scene, Sonny had seen Belray in the area.

So frustrating not to know what it was, though when they talked about it they all knew the ravings of a self confessed sexual deviant could be made into chopped liver by a smart defence attorney. But it was strange what Lewis told Drummond in the VW. Something he had been thinking about from time to time and especially since Belray turned out to be "a bad man" as he put it.

That phrase "bright white" that Sonny had yelled once or twice just before he was shot. Almost as if "bright white" was another "person" like "Billy". What Lewis had been wondering was if Johnnie saw Sonny, if Sonny saw Johnnie. Or rather his truck, heading up the ranch road towards the yard. Because Lewis knew something about that truck no one else did until that moment.

On Monday night the onside tail light reflector was bust. It had to be because he noticed it Tuesday when he and Bobby borrowed it. And before they left the Navajo Nation land and not wanting to get stopped in the darkness by a cop, he'd done a temporary fix. They all sat silent in the VW as he explained.

How he had his tool kit with him in case he had to strip out a replacement water pump. Lewis and his toolbox were like Goren and his leather folder. They almost went everywhere together. So while Goren was off looking at sweat lodges or something, he'd fixed over one of the pieces of thick plastic film he always carried for such events. So when he left the Dodge in the yard for Johnnie the light would be shining red, not the "bright white" it would have been the previous night. The way it would have looked to Sonny, if he saw it drive away along the ranch road.

Eames could see Drummond looked sceptical, but the only other thing they knew was Belray was wearing a distinctive white shirt that night around the time of the murder. Was wearing it under a jacket when he arrived at the yard to see Bobby and Lewis and that had been found at the cottage. It was being examined for any blood evidence. Though it was hard to understand why he didn't just burn it.

Except Eames had a fair idea. When she heard what the shirt was like. It was one he was wearing in a picture taken with his son. Apparently had been the birthday gift from the boy and maybe it was sentiment on that bastard's part he could not get rid of it so easily.

She swallowed the last of the drink and rested her head back, thinking it was hard to believe that "smiling villain" didn't know about what bleach did to blood evidence. The only thing to smile inwardly about? The expression on Lewis' face when he finished speaking to Sheriff Drummond and Bobby told him he had better go now and make a proper statement about that at the police station.

The Courthouse, Rider Park

Judge Thomas had scheduled the bail hearing on John Jenkins Belray just ahead of his own formal dismissal. Goren had no wish to be there any more than Caro and Lewis, who waited outside in the hall with him. There were a clutch of local people came out when it was over and there was quite a buzz amongst them.

Someone Goren did not recognise came over to tell them "he" was remanded to custody. No surprise given the ongoing investigation of what money Belray might have stashed where and according to the elderly bow legged man, "the legal fella said other arrests is pending". That would fit with the indication they had Belray kept notes of distributors and the like in his place.

Goren was never sure with guys like Johnnie. Whether that did speak to an arrogance they would not get caught or proof of stupidity underlying it all. Why, for one thing, would Belray ever have got someone as unreliable as Whitney seemed to be, to work for him? It was the old timer before he left, also told him mention was made of "other serious charges and investigations". The good folk of Bethlehem had put two and two together from that and now wondered if Whitney was going to be added to the tally in time.

As he walked into court where a small group still waited, Goren concluded maybe the Sheriff's office wasn't leaking so hard as it was last week and one reason for that was still in court. Former Deputy, now unemployed Gary Newcombe, took a moment to recognise him as he took the end seat, front row left after ushering in Caro and Lewis ahead of him.

Judge Thomas when he appeared made some remark he now looked more the part of what he was. And judging by that suit, they did pay New York cops too much. But what mattered to him were the words "you are a free man Detective Goren" and the ones of apology for all that had happened. Wished him well on the rest of his trip as the court rose and finally it was all over.

Or so Bobby thought.

To be continued…