She looked at her watch. “I better get going. I’m meeting Alex for a drink.”
Monty yawned and Charlie stood up. It wasn’t long before Sunny closed the door after all three of them. She went back to the couch, put her feet up on the coffee table, and looked at Wade, the only one left. “Do you want to watch a movie?” she asked.
“Did you get a television?”
“No. I just wondered if you wanted to,” she said, smiling at him.
“You are insane.”
“What’s up? You’ve been preoccupied all night. Is it this business with Steve Harvey?”
“You could say that.” He leaned in and poured himself more coffee, then went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of bourbon. “This coffee needs a little something. Fix you up?” he asked, raising the bottle.
Sunny shook her head.
Wade settled back into the leather chair. “After you called, I thought about it and decided you were right. The best thing to do was take the bull by the horns and just give them the gun. I figured they’d be back for it before long, anyway.”
“Is that what Harry suggested?” asked Sunny.
“I didn’t get to talk to Harry. I left him a message but he hasn’t called back.”
Sunny kept quiet despite the urge to pepper him with questions.
“I got nervous just waiting around,” said Wade. “So I went down to the winery to get the gun. I was going to call Steve and ask him if he wanted to pick it up or if I should bring it in.”
“And?”
“Well, it wasn’t there.”
“Your rifle was gone?”
“My rifle was gone.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you left it out.”
“I’m sure. I looked everywhere, all over inside the winery and in the workshop. I looked everywhere in the house. I’ve kept that gun in the same place for at least six years. You know where I always put it, behind the fermentation tank in the corner. You wouldn’t see it if you didn’t know to look behind the tank. Even then, you can’t really see it. You have to feel around.”
“Maybe you put it back somewhere else this time.”
“I may be pushing fifty, but I don’t think I’ve lost it completely yet. I know where I put that gun.”
“You’re pushing sixty and you don’t have to lose it to misplace something. You know how it is. I’ve found things that I put away in odd places before. It’s late, you’re tired, distracted by the harvest, maybe you just put it down somewhere and forgot about it. Maybe you even put it somewhere totally different, like in a closet.”
“No, I’m always careful. I have a system. I always clean it on the first Monday night of the month. Then I put it back in the case with the safety on, in exactly the same place, a place where I didn’t think a thief would find it. I shot that gun last night at nine o’clock. Twice. I put the safety on, zipped it back into the case, and put it where I always keep it. I put the spent casings in the garbage and the extra cartridges back in the box. I always do it exactly the same way. Today when I went to get it, it wasn’tthere.” He scrubbed at his hair until it stood on end. “Sunny, do you know what this means? Well, I guess you and I both know.” He tapped a weathered finger on his knee. “Somebody knows where I keep my gun, somebody who has been to my house.”
He didn’t finish. Sunny was suddenly acutely aware of the picture window in the living room, a massive rectangle of black from the inside, a lighted portrait of her and Wade from the outside. Maybe the killer was watching them right now. “Let’s not panic and jump to conclusions,” she said.
“I’m not panicking, but the conclusion is fairly obvious.”
“Unless you misplaced it.”
“Unless I misplaced it, which I didn’t.”
“I think we should forget about it for tonight. I don’t see what we can do about this right now. I know I’m exhausted and I have a feeling you are, too. I think you should stay here. I’ll make up the couch and in the morning we’ll go over there and
Monty yawned and Charlie stood up. It wasn’t long before Sunny closed the door after all three of them. She went back to the couch, put her feet up on the coffee table, and looked at Wade, the only one left. “Do you want to watch a movie?” she asked.
“Did you get a television?”
“No. I just wondered if you wanted to,” she said, smiling at him.
“You are insane.”
“What’s up? You’ve been preoccupied all night. Is it this business with Steve Harvey?”
“You could say that.” He leaned in and poured himself more coffee, then went to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of bourbon. “This coffee needs a little something. Fix you up?” he asked, raising the bottle.
Sunny shook her head.
Wade settled back into the leather chair. “After you called, I thought about it and decided you were right. The best thing to do was take the bull by the horns and just give them the gun. I figured they’d be back for it before long, anyway.”
“Is that what Harry suggested?” asked Sunny.
“I didn’t get to talk to Harry. I left him a message but he hasn’t called back.”
Sunny kept quiet despite the urge to pepper him with questions.
“I got nervous just waiting around,” said Wade. “So I went down to the winery to get the gun. I was going to call Steve and ask him if he wanted to pick it up or if I should bring it in.”
“And?”
“Well, it wasn’t there.”
“Your rifle was gone?”
“My rifle was gone.”
“Are you sure? Maybe you left it out.”
“I’m sure. I looked everywhere, all over inside the winery and in the workshop. I looked everywhere in the house. I’ve kept that gun in the same place for at least six years. You know where I always put it, behind the fermentation tank in the corner. You wouldn’t see it if you didn’t know to look behind the tank. Even then, you can’t really see it. You have to feel around.”
“Maybe you put it back somewhere else this time.”
“I may be pushing fifty, but I don’t think I’ve lost it completely yet. I know where I put that gun.”
“You’re pushing sixty and you don’t have to lose it to misplace something. You know how it is. I’ve found things that I put away in odd places before. It’s late, you’re tired, distracted by the harvest, maybe you just put it down somewhere and forgot about it. Maybe you even put it somewhere totally different, like in a closet.”
“No, I’m always careful. I have a system. I always clean it on the first Monday night of the month. Then I put it back in the case with the safety on, in exactly the same place, a place where I didn’t think a thief would find it. I shot that gun last night at nine o’clock. Twice. I put the safety on, zipped it back into the case, and put it where I always keep it. I put the spent casings in the garbage and the extra cartridges back in the box. I always do it exactly the same way. Today when I went to get it, it wasn’tthere.” He scrubbed at his hair until it stood on end. “Sunny, do you know what this means? Well, I guess you and I both know.” He tapped a weathered finger on his knee. “Somebody knows where I keep my gun, somebody who has been to my house.”
He didn’t finish. Sunny was suddenly acutely aware of the picture window in the living room, a massive rectangle of black from the inside, a lighted portrait of her and Wade from the outside. Maybe the killer was watching them right now. “Let’s not panic and jump to conclusions,” she said.
“I’m not panicking, but the conclusion is fairly obvious.”
“Unless you misplaced it.”
“Unless I misplaced it, which I didn’t.”
“I think we should forget about it for tonight. I don’t see what we can do about this right now. I know I’m exhausted and I have a feeling you are, too. I think you should stay here. I’ll make up the couch and in the morning we’ll go over there and
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