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isintegrated dashboard； and the scant remains of the body。 Six photos were of the corpse； such as it was…a small pile of charred matter with half a pelvic bone protruding。 It had e to rest on the floorboard of the passenger's side。 The Blazer had flipped several times after it left the highway and barreled down a ravine。 It burned on its right side。
Sheriff Sweeney had kept it for a month； then sold it for scrap with three other abandoned wrecks。 Later； he wished he hadn't。
There were half a dozen photos of the site around the vehicle； trees and shrubs burned black。 The volunteers had fought the fire for an hour before extinguishing it。
How convenient that Patrick wanted to be cremated。 According to Trudy （and they had a typed statement given by her a month after the funeral）； Patrick had suddenly decided he wanted to be cremated with his ashes buried in Locust Grove； the loveliest cemetery in the county。 This decision was made almost eleven months before he disappeared。 He'd even changed his will and included language directing his executor； Trudy； or in the event she died with him his alternate executor； Karl Huskey； to carry out the cremation。 He also included specific details about his funeral and burial。
His excuse for doing this had been the death of a client who had not planned well。 The family had fought viciously about how to bury the client； and Patrick had been pulled into the fray。 He even made Trudy pick out her cemetery plot。 She picked one next tq his； but both knew she would quickly move it if something happened to him first。
The mortician later told Grimshaw that ninety percent of the cremating had been done in the Blazer。 When he weighed the ashes after cooking the remains for an hour at two thousand degrees； the scales registered just four ounces； by far the smallest amount he'd ever registered。 He could tell nothing about the body …male； female； black； white； young； old； alive or dead before the fire。 There was simply no way。 He didn't really try； to be honest about the whole thing。
They had no corpse； no autopsy report； no idea who John Doe was。 Fire is the surest way to destroy evidence； and Patrick had done a splendid job of covering his tracks。
HE'D SPENT the weekend in an old hunting cabin near the small town of Leaf； up in Greene County； at the edge of the De Soto National Forest。 He and a law school friend from Jackson had bought the cabin two years earlier with modest plans to make small improvements。 It was quite rustic。 They hunted deer in the fall and winter； and turkeys in the spring。 With the ups and downs of his marriage； he was spending more and more weekends at the cabin。 It was only an hour and a half away。 He claimed to be able to work there。 It was very remote and quiet。 His friend； the co…owner； had all but forgotten about it。
Trudy pretended to resent his weekends away； but Lance was usually lurking nearby； just waiting for Patrick to leave town。
Sunday night； February 9； 1992； Patrick called to tell his wife he was leaving the cabin。 He'd finished a plicated brief for an appeal； and he was tired。 Lance lingered for another hour before easing into the darkness。
Patrick stopped at Verhall's Country Store on Highway 15 at the divide between Stone and Hanison counties。 He bought twelve gallons of gas for fourteen dollars and twenty…one cents and paid for it with a credit card。 He chatted with Mrs。 Verhall； an older lady he'd bee acquainted with。 She knew many of the hunters who passed through； especially the ones who liked to linger and brag of their exploits in the woods； like Patrick。 She said later that he was in good spirits； though he claimed to be tired because he had worked all weekend。 She remembered thinking that this was odd。 An hour later she heard the police and fire trucks race by。
Eight miles down the road； Patrick's Blazer was found engulfed in a raging fire at the bottom of a steep ravine； eighty yards from the highway。 A truck driver saw the fire first； and managed to get to within fifty feet of it before his eyebrows were singed。 He radioed for help； then sat on a stump and watched helplessly as it burned。 The Blazer was on its right side with its top facing away； and so it was impossible to see if anyone was in the vehicle。 It wouldn't have made any difference。 A rescue was utterly impossible。
By the time the first county deputy arrived； the fireball was so intense it was difficult to distinguish the outline of the Blazer。 The grass and shrubs began to burn。 A small volunteer pumper arrived； but it was low on water。 More traffic stopped； and soon a nice crowd stood mutely； watching and listening to the roar down below。 Since the driver of the Blazer was not among them； everyone believed that he or she was in there getting incinerated along with everything else。
Two larger trucks arrived； and the fire was eventually extinguished。 Hours passed as Sheriff Sweeney waited for things to cool。 It was almost midnight when he first spotted a blackened clump of something he thought might be a body。 The coroner was nearby。 The pelvic bone ended the speculation。 Grimshaw took his photographs。 They waited for the corpse to cool even more； then collected it and placed it in a cardboard box。
The raised lettering and numerals on the license plates were traced by flashlight； and at 3：30 A。M。 Trudy received the phone call that made her a widow。 For four and a half years； anyway。
The Sheriff decided not to move the car during the night。 At dawn； he returned with five of his deputies to b the area。 They found ninety feet of skid marks on the highway； and they speculated that perhaps a deer had run in front of poor Patrick； causing him to lose control。 Because the fire had spread in all directions； any possible clues as to what might have happened were destroyed。 The only surprise was the discovery of a shoe a hundred and thirty…one feet from the Blazer。 It was a lightly worn Nike Air Max running shoe； size ten； and Trudy readily identified it as being Patrick's。 She wept profusely when they showed it to her。
The Sheriff speculated that the vehicle rolled and nipped a few times as it crashed through the ravine； and perhaps in the midst of all this the body was thrown around inside。 The shoe came off； got thrown out during a flip； etc。 It made as much sense as anything else。
They loaded the Blazer on a flatbed truck and took it away。 By late afternoon； what was left of Patrick had been cremated。 His memorial service was the next day； and it was followed by a brief graveside service； the one he watched through binoculars。
CUTTER AND GRIMSHAW looked at the lonely shoe in the center of the table。 Beside it were various statements taken from witnesses…Trudy； Mrs。 Verhall； the coroner； the mortician； even Grimshaw and the Sheriff…all saying exactly what they were expected to say。 Only one surprise witness came forward in the months after the disappearance of the money。 A young lady who lived near Verhall's store gave a sworn statement in which she claimed to have seen a red 1991 Chevy Blazer parked beside the road； precisely near the point where the fire occurred。 She saw it twice。 Once on Saturday night； then about twenty…four hours later around t