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it was all your idea and that
you forced me to go along with it.”
    “You’re bluffing. The police will hardly
believe a mere surgeon had the wherewithal to intimidate the deputy
state coroner.”
    “Then I’ll tell them I knew nothing about
it. That you called, I authorized it, but you gave me false
information. I’ll tell them you told me the next of kin had
consented; that they were supportive of their loved ones’ wishes.
It will be your word against mine and if the police interview the
families…” A sly look came into Richard’s eyes and Alistair cursed
aloud.
    He hadn’t thought of that.
    Anger surged through him and he gave it its
head. “You listen to me, Richard and listen well. If I go down,
we’ll both go down. You’ll spend just as many years in a jail cell
as I will. Is that what you want?”
    Richard lifted his glass of beer and drank
quickly. His schooner was half-empty by the time he set it back
down. “Of course not,” he replied, wiping the back of his hand
across his mouth. “But what other option do I have? Like I told
you, I need the money. I have a few…debts I need to pay.”
    “So pay them. It can’t be that much. You
must earn a fortune in your job. You don’t have a wife or kids
draining every cent faster than you can earn it. What’s your
problem?”
    A dark red flush started at the base of
Richard’s neck and worked its way across his cheeks. He lowered his
head in shame. Alistair gritted his teeth and braced himself
against what he might hear.
    “I like to have a flutter on the horses and
the dogs once in a while. You know, a harmless bet here and there.
The problem is, they add up and the bookkeepers are at me to pay.”
Richard swung his head back and forth and Alistair was aghast to
notice there were tears in the other man’s eyes. “I can’t help it,
Alistair. It’s out of control and I don’t know what to do about
it.”
    “How much do you owe?” Alistair asked
quietly, his anger slipping away.
    “Sixty thousand.”
    He reeled back against his chair in shock.
“Sixty thousand ! How the hell could you have gambled away
that kind of money?”
    “I don’t know! I don’t know! It just
happened. I was shocked when they told me how much. But now they’re
threatening to break my arms and legs—or worse—if I don’t find the
money soon. That’s why you have to keep on doing it, Alistair.”
    “Even if I do, you’re never going to make
that kind of money. What are you going to do?”
    Like the wall of a dam had suddenly been
breached, Richard collapsed into a noisy bout of sobbing. Tears
streamed down his cheeks. Alistair looked around them, embarrassed,
but only one or two curious stares were thrown their way. Most
hotel patrons ignored them.
    Alistair thought back to the time when
Richard had helped him with chemistry in college. It had been the
one subject Alistair had struggled to master. For Richard, it had
come easily. For hours and hours on end, he’d patiently walked
Alistair through the concepts. Without Richard, Alistair might
never have made it through. Alistair owed Richard his career. And
that was the truth.
    With a sigh, Alistair reached into his back
pocket and pulled out a clean handkerchief. Passing it over, he
urged the man to get ahold of himself. “Stop crying, Richard.
Nothing’s as bad as all that. I’ll think of something to do.”
    Richard lifted his head. His eyes were red
and swollen, but hope flared briefly in their depths. “Really?
You’ll come up with a plan?”
    Alistair nodded, knowing what he was going
to do. “Yes, I’ll come up with a plan. In fact, I might already
have one. Listen close. I recently received a very interesting
email…”

CHAPTER
FOUR
     
    Rohan Coleridge took a moment to wipe the
sweat out of his eyes. It was nearing the end of a cold August, the
last month of winter, but he still managed to elevate his body
temperature with each swing of his arms.
    “Whew!” he said, leaning on the ax so that
he