Presumption Of Death

“You were attacked?”

“Could I have a glass of milk and another sandwich?” Nina went into the kitchen, but she could still hear them talking.

“I guess I thought I’d be a hero,” Wish was saying, heaving a sigh. “I had a narrow escape instead. Maybe I’m not cut out to be in law enforcement after all. I think I showed bad judgment, Paul. Da

“I think there are some huge misunderstandings all around,” Paul said. “Now tell me. Da

“Yeah, we hooked up again after I came down a few weeks ago. Da

“Da

“Yeah, and he drinks. He was my best friend when we were kids, Paul. I thought I really hurt his feelings and I was feeling guilty, you know? And sad because our friendship was over.”

Nina came out and sat next to him again, setting a tray of food in front of him. She patted his hand and said, “Thanks for coming here. We’re your friends too.”

Wish drank some milk. He pulled his legs up and put his feet on the coffee table, wincing. “I was sitting in the living room with my roommates on Tuesday night,” he said. “We were watching the Giants-St. Louis game. Da

“He was all fired up. He said he needed me to go up to Robles Ridge with him. Grab some stuff and just go now, now, now. I was in for the night, but Da

Nina licked her lips and said, “What did Da

Wish stared at her. “You know. The arson fires.”

“Right,” Paul said. “The arson fires. And you went up there… why?”

“For the money.”

“The money?” Paul wore a stu

“One hundred thousand dollars split two ways,” Wish said reverently. “You know how much that is?”

“That would buy a lot,” said Paul.

“Sure would,” said Wish. “Instead, what a fiasco. And you can’t even see the worst of it!” he said darkly. “My throat is completely swollen up with poison oak! That’s why I belong back in Tahoe! I am never hiking these woods again.”

“You know, Wish, I’m trying, but help me out, will you? You went up there with Da

Wish looked at Paul as if revising a previously positive opinion. “I told you. For the reward.”

Paul relaxed back into his chair. “Ah. A reward.”

“Some people who got burned out put their money together with some money from the county, that’s why it’s such a large amount,” Wish said. “Arson causes a lot of expensive damage.”

“You followed Da

“No way,” said Wish. “We were just go

He told them what had happened after they went up the ridge, the waiting, the heat and flames, Da

“Then the firebug-he ambushed me. He came after me, knocked me down with a rock. I remembered my mom’s advice to my sisters when they went away to school, because she has a double standard, you know? With girls.”

“And that advice was…” Paul prompted.

“Grab and twist. But I was on the ground and he was too close for me to kick. Thing is, he got behind me. He thought the rock knocked me out. Even though the fire was right there licking at me, I decided to lay low. There were plenty of other rocks around.

“He stood over me for a few seconds watching to see if… I don’t know. Maybe to see if I moved-I don’t know. I felt his eyes on me. Maybe the wind shifted right then. Something went right and the fire didn’t get me while I was playing dead.

“All’s I know is, he hit me on the head with a big rock, and I fell. At the clinic they said”-his hand went to the left side of his head-“that I didn’t get a skull fracture, because he hit me from a bad angle.

“When I thought he was gone, I dragged myself up somehow and ran straight through the fire, down the mountain through burning poison oak. But he was after me again! It felt supernatural, the way he was after me, like he was some kind of animal that could smell me through the smoke!

“I have never been so scared in my whole life,” Wish went on, his voice trembling. “The firebug, he just wouldn’t give up. I had long since dropped the camera somewhere but it wasn’t the camera he cared about, it was getting me. He wanted to kill me. He almost did with that rock. Then when he found me the second time, he was relentless, crashing after me right out to the street like he didn’t even care if he got caught, just so he could kill me.

“Next thing I knew, I came out on Southbank Road and there were fire trucks everywhere, pumping water straight from the stream along the road. My car was still parked a long way down the road. I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened to Da

“I drove to Salinas and got on 101. I drove as far as I could, until I realized I was going to pass out again. Then I saw the turnoff for San Juan Bautista and drove there.”

“Did you see his face at any time?” Paul asked.

“Too much white smoke when I was trying to focus the camera,” Wish said. “My eyes were watering and stinging. I could barely see anything. The rest of the time I was ru

“What was he wearing?”

“No idea.”

“Nothing that could identify him? Think, Wish!”

“I’m thinking. I’m thinking.”

“Well?”

Wish shrugged helplessly. “Something sharp pressing against my back when he was behind me, but he had just hit me and I wasn’t thinking too straight.” An agonized expression appeared on his face. “I have to go out to Ben’s house if Da

“Let’s call again,” Nina said. She had the number memorized by now.

No answer. Wish stared at the phone. “It’s late,” he said. “They oughtta be answering.”

“All right, we’ll drive out to the Valley in a minute, buddy,” Paul said. “But I have to ask, how did Da

“Da

“What kind of a tip?”

“From a confidential source. He was pretty sure there would be a fire that night on the ridge.”

“He’d have to know the arsonist.”