Eureka

CHAPTER 36

The Times hit the street fifteen minutes later than usual. Thirty minutes after that, the radio stations were on the air with it. By 7:00 p.m., Riker and Dahlmus were wanted men. Before the news broke, Moriarity had roadblocks everywhere and the airport covered.

I had my own agenda. I called Culhane before the paper hit the streets and gave him the news.

I could hear a combination of relief and excitement in his tone.

Then I told him about Eddie Woods and his wife.

There was a long pause.

“I told you… Eddie would never kill a woman,” he said with a catch in his voice. “Did you find them?”

“Yeah.” And then I said, “I’m sorry, Brodie.”

“You ever sleep, Cowboy?” he said.

“It was Ski who came up with the answer,” I said. “But I still got some questions that need answering.”

“Such as?”

“Who was paying Wilma Thompson for going into hiding all those years?”

“That’s out of your bailiwick, isn’t it? You put a cap on your homicide. I’m sure the A.G. is going to be all over me, now that Riker’s frame is public knowledge.”

“They all tie together.”

“First things first,” he said. “You’ve got to nail Dahlmus and Riker.”

“We have roadblocks all over the place. On the highways, at the airport. We got pictures of Dahlmus spreading all over town. But the minute this is news, Riker’s going to turn rabbit, if he hasn’t already.”

There was silence on the line for a moment.

“Go on,” Culhane said.

“I’m betting Dahlmus is at Shuler’s Sanitarium right now, and that’s where Riker will head.”

“And then have a seaplane drop down in the morning and he’ll be on his way to Mexico,” said Culhane.

“We alerted the Coast Guard before we went public with this,” I said. “I don’t think he can take a chance on getting out of L.A. except by boat and going north.”

“So you think he’s headed for Mendosa,” he said flatly.

“It’s his safest bet at this point. I can get a judge to issue me a search warrant for Shuler’s. Want to back me up?”

“You better hurry.”

“I’ll be on my way as soon as I can get the paperwork.”

“I’ll take care of that,” he said. “Just get your ass up here.”

“How long would it take Riker to get up there by boat?”

“Three, four hours. I have friends in the Coast Guard from the old days. I’ll see if I can get a cutter to bottle up Mendosa.”

“We need Dahlmus alive, Brodie, to testify it was Riker who ordered Verna Wilensky’s murder.”

“I know that.”

“I’m on my way,” I said.

William Diehl

Eureka