The Gun Also Rises

by Sherry Harris

  I started to open my mouth, worried about Stella, her cat Tux, and Ryne.

  “I’ll have backup, Sarah,” Awesome said.

  “Why don’t I just drive your squad car back to the station?” I asked. “That would save one of your officers some trouble. I could use the lights and siren.” How fun would that be? “Roger and Miss Belle could sit in the back like they’re in trouble.”

  Awesome didn’t answer, just gave me a withering look.

  “Is that a no?” I asked. Joking wasn’t lessening my stress the way I’d hoped.

  “It’s a no way. Too much liability, and right now it might not be safe for you out there, driving around on your own.”

  “Isn’t us staying at your apartment a risk?” I asked.

  “Perhaps, but it’s so late now, it’s only for a few hours. We couldn’t find a hotel close by.”

  Summer was a popular time of year in this area for tourists. While Awesome didn’t say it, I got the feeling he wanted us together.

  No one else said a word. I guess we really were too tired to argue.

  “Wait. Why can’t I go home?” I asked. “The man is after Roger, and maybe Miss Belle now.”

  “He saw you. He may know who you are. I just want to keep you safe until we have more information.”

  I didn’t like it, but I agreed with him. We heard a car pull up.

  “Okay, let’s head out,” Awesome said. “Anyone have any questions?”

  There was a knock on the door. Awesome talked into his mic. “That’s the officer who’ll watch the house tonight. Let’s move out.”

  * * *

  The transition at the station went smoothly, and soon, the three of us were crammed in the back of an SUV with dark tinted windows. No one could tell we were there. After a bit of circling, we pulled up in front of Awesome’s apartment. It was in a big complex to the north of town. He had a first-floor-corner unit. The officer who drove us went in first. After making sure the place was safe, we trotted in after him.

  Awesome’s apartment was sparsely furnished with few decorative objects. The couch was overstuffed, the coffee table sturdy, with water rings etched in its surface from glasses, and the recliner matched the dark brown of the couch. Obviously, he hadn’t had a woman living with him in some time because there wasn’t a feminine object in sight. I knew Awesome spent more nights than not at Stella’s apartment.

  “Why don’t you take the bed and I’ll sleep on the recliner?” Miss Belle said to me.

  “Absolutely not.” I wanted to be near the door in case something bad happened. Not that I had any kind of weapon beyond my purse to fight anyone with.

  “I’ll take the bed,” Roger said.

  Yeesh. I know we were all exhausted, but no one had suggested checking manners at the door. “No, you won’t. Now go, Miss Belle. Get some sleep.” I found a linen closet and grabbed a couple of blankets. I tossed one to Roger and settled in the chair with the other. I closed my eyes, but turning my brain off wasn’t as easy. What if Belle and Roger were somehow in cahoots and I’d gotten in the middle of them? And everything I’d seen so far had just been for show? But somehow, I couldn’t convince myself that was true. If it was me, I was in the lion’s den. Did Awesome suspect anything? Maybe this was some weird form of The Hunger Games, where the last person alive won, and Awesome wanted to see who came out of the place in the morning.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Snoring woke me at seven a.m. At first, I was confused, thought I was home and that CJ was there too. It didn’t take long for reality to set back in. It made me think of my marriage to CJ. We had married young. I’d thrown myself into the Air Force life and had done all the things I perceived a good Air Force wife should do to advance her husband’s career. I joined the Spouses Club, volunteered on the board, schmoozed the generals’ wives, went to dining outs, made sure one or the other of us stayed sober to drive home.

  I’d loved it most of the time. I still missed the camaraderie, the instant friendships, the we’re-in-this-together attitude. But I’d found a home here in Ellington, a place I belonged. My forever home. I hoped anyway. Part of me felt me sad this morning as I reflected on my failed marriage, Kay’s death, the scary man at Miss Belle’s house last night. I turned on my side and pulled my blanket over my head. But it didn’t begin to drown out Roger’s increasingly loud snores. I’d slept better than expected given the circumstances.

  Another snore blasted out of Roger, so I gave up and stumbled into the kitchen, hoping for coffee. Whew, Awesome had one of those single-user cup machines and plenty of little Dunkin’s cups. After some fumbling, I figured out how to use the thing. Minutes later, I sat at a tiny round table on a small patio. A six-foot privacy fence kept me from being seen. I was guessing that was a good thing after the day I’d had yesterday, and me without a tooth- or hairbrush. The sun warmed my head, the humidity curled my hair. I was so bleary-eyed, it took me a while to realize it was Wednesday.

  Awesome had tomato plants in pots, alongside basil and what looked like garlic sprouts. All the makings of a good bruschetta. I heard the slider open behind me and turned to see Miss Belle step out. She looked a bit more disheveled than normal too. She set down her cup of coffee.

  “Good morning,” I said as she sat across from me.

  “Today’s bound to be a better day. Don’t you think?”

  “It’s hard to imagine it being much worse.”

  We sat contemplating the plants for a few minutes, sipping our coffee.

  “Do you think we’ll find that book at your house?” I asked.

  “Yesterday morning I would have told you no way. But after your other discovery and all that went on after, I’m not so sure.”

  “Do you trust Roger?”

  Miss Belle was silent for a good long time. She finally nodded. “I can’t imagine him making up such a wild story. He’s never been fanciful or even excitable unless it was about some old book he found.”

  That didn’t necessarily reassure me. The lost manuscripts and book would be priceless. If that didn’t make a book lover nuts, nothing would. But if he was in cahoots with the guy who’d held a gun on him last night, he was quite the actor. He’d looked truly terrified. It would be hard to fake that.

  “I hate to ask this . . .” I started.

  “But you wonder if Sebastian could have stolen the manuscripts and the book, or purchased them on the black market.”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “He did love Hemingway. Growing up, his family had a second home on Key West, and Sebastian met him once.” Miss Belle stared into her coffee cup. “Sebastian was such a straight arrow, though. It’s one of the reasons . . . one of the many reasons I loved him so much.”

  My phone binged. A text from Awesome, asking if we were up. I let him know Miss Belle and I were. He said he’d swing by and pick us up in an hour. Told me there were extra toothbrushes under the sink in the bathroom and to feel free to shower. He also said the state police would be at Miss Belle’s house to interview us.

  I relayed the information to Miss Belle, who declined his offer of a shower. But I took full advantage of it. When I was done, Roger was up too.

  * * *

  By eight thirty, we were assembled in Miss Belle’s living room. I was surprised to find Stella and Ryne were there, along with three police officers, two state troopers, and Awesome.

  I sidled over to Awesome. “What kind of shifts are you working?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you be off duty?”

  Awesome looked down at me. “Not when there’s been a murder.”

  “I thought the state police were handling it.” I pointed across the room to them.

  “They need our help. Same old story. Short-staffed, too many cases. And this search for the book and manuscript is in response to the attack last night. I convinced them the two might be connected, so I have the extra officers here until they decide they’re needed elsewhere.”

  “So what are Stella and Ryne doing here?” I asked.<
br />
  “This is a big house and I needed people I trusted to help look,” Awesome said. “Fortunately, Miss Belle was agreeable to a search without a warrant.”

  “She’s amazing,” I said.

  Awesome nodded. “We’ll break into teams to search for the missing book,” Awesome said. “No one is to talk about this outside of this house. Sarah, Miss Belle, and Roger, the state police will need to talk to each of you. Roger has a photo of what the book should look like.”

  Roger took his phone around to show each of us the slim volume in its deep green leather and embossed gold writing. Awesome, Roger, and one of the cops took Sebastian’s study, the most daunting task. Miss Belle and another officer took her study. Stella and Ryne went with me and the third officer up to the attic, which was no small task either. I noticed Awesome had sent along an officer with each team. Apparently, he didn’t trust the lot of us, and I couldn’t say I blamed him because I had my doubts too.

  The attic looked the same as the last time I was up here. I’m not sure what I was expecting. I guess a small part of me was worried the guy from last night could have sneaked up here and torn the place apart.

  Ryne pointed toward a stack of books. “Are those Hardy Boys books?”

  “Yes,” I said, smiling at the boyish enthusiasm in his voice.

  “I’ll head over there, then,” he said.

  “Where do you want me?” Stella asked.

  I looked at the officer, but he shrugged. I knew Stella was a big fan of the PBS series Vera, based on books by Ann Cleeves. “How about over in the right corner? There’s a bunch of Ann Cleeves books over there.”

  “I love her books. I haven’t read her in so long.” She looked at the police officer. “Raven Black is my favorite. I wonder if there’s a copy of it.”

  That would also put her over near Ryne, so they could chitchat while they searched. At least I hoped they’d search. Ryne was already flipping through one of the Hardy Boys books.

  “Look, Stella, it’s What Happened At Midnight.” A big smile spread across his face.

  The officer ambled off to a section near Stella. I looked around for a minute, trying to figure out where I’d stash something so valuable. Something I might want access to, so I could come visit it on occasion. I started with the other suitcases in the stack I’d abandoned as soon as I’d found the manuscripts yesterday morning. I found lots of books and organized them by author as I went along—Ruth Rendell, P. D. James, and more Ann Cleeves—but I didn’t find the book.

  I stood and stretched a little after nine. “I’m going to go look in Kay’s room.” No one said I couldn’t. In fact, Awesome had said the attic, not one specific area of it. I was curious about Kay and wondered what actions she’d taken that had led to her death.

  The police officer assigned to us got a panicked look on his face. He couldn’t watch me and the others all at the same time. It confirmed my suspicion that Awesome thought there could be a thief among us. I wondered who he thought it was. I was guessing he didn’t think it was me or anyone else up here. He wouldn’t have asked Stella or Ryne if he didn’t think they were trustworthy.

  “I’ll leave the door open,” I said to the cop. “You can pat me down after.” As I walked out of the room, I heard him speaking into his shoulder mic.

  Kay’s room was a decent size and really lovely. The big windows let in lots of light. The telescope gave it additional romantic appeal. It didn’t look like the room of a criminal. I started with the bookshelves below the window seat. Sometimes hiding something in plain sight was the best strategy. She had volumes of poetry and some classics like Austen, the Brontë sisters, Shakespeare. I wondered if these were her books or came with the room. There weren’t any volumes of A Life of Crime for Dummies or How to Steal from Your Employer.

  It was so hard to believe she was dead. Did she have loved ones who were mourning her loss? I’d have to ask Miss Belle more about her when I got the chance. She’d mentioned something about calling the agency to replace her. I’d never heard of such a place here in Ellington. I sat down in front of the shelf, started taking books off the shelf, opening them, and stacking them to the side. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything hidden behind them.

  “Ahem.” Awesome stood behind me in the doorway.

  Rats. Caught all on mine own. “How’s it going downstairs?”

  “Very slow. But we’re supposed to be on the buddy system and you’re in here alone.”

  “Yeah, if your buddy is a cop.”

  “You figured that out, did you?”

  “We’re tired, not stupid. I’m sure everyone figured it out.” I took out a thick book and flipped it open to make sure it wasn’t a container of some sort. A pink flower petal fell out, but, sadly, no book. I handed the petal to Awesome. “Besides, I’m fairly certain you know it wasn’t me. Because if it was, no one would have known I’d found the short stories, right? I would have kept them for myself or taken off with them.”

  “Yes. You’re off the list of suspects.”

  “But Miss Belle and Roger aren’t?”

  “No.”

  Maybe the thought that Miss Belle could have been involved had been whirling around in my head. But I’d kept pushing it aside. What if she’d faked being injured, or had Kay or Roger do it deliberately? She could have sent me out there to get whacked before I had a chance to tell anyone else about my find. Whacked? I was starting to sound like an episode of The Sopranos. Maybe I’d spent too much time with, or at least thinking about, Mike “the Big Cheese” Titone.

  However, Miss Belle could be faking things. Maybe my return had ruined her plans. It was a terrible thought. I’d spent the night alone with Miss Belle and Roger.

  Awesome came over and sat down on the floor beside me. “I know you didn’t take the manuscripts. But I have to keep up appearances.”

  I moved and felt a board give under my leg. “Awesome, there’s a loose board here.” I scooted over a little and pushed on it. The end closest to Awesome popped up. He pulled it loose and leaned over the space.

  “Is there anything in there?” I asked. My heart pounded.

  “See for yourself.”

  I looked in, but nothing was there. It was just a loose board.

  We cleared the shelves and didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

  “Any luck getting a photo of whoever attacked Roger?”

  Awesome shook his head. “I’m setting up a meeting with a sketch artist in Boston later today. Hopefully, that will yield something.”

  “How about a cause of death for Kay?”

  “You know I can’t—”

  “Come on, Awesome. Someone took a shot at me out there.”

  He nodded. “Unofficially, the limb fell and hit her, causing an internal injury that caused her to die.”

  “So it was a freak accident?”

  “No. There were bullet holes in the tree where the limb splintered off. We think that caused the limb to fall. I’m not saying anything more.”

  Had someone tried to kill me the same way yesterday? Death by shot-off branch. Why not just shoot me? I thought about that for a few seconds. “Let’s keep searching.” I wanted answers, and I was sure Awesome did too. I was surprised to get even that little nugget of information from him.

  We took different sides of the room, then together stripped the bed, lifted off first the mattress and then the box springs. Nothing. The closet didn’t yield any clues either. To say I was disappointed was the understatement of the century.

  I looked at Awesome. “I assume the police went through here after Kay’s body was found. Maybe the book disappeared then.”

  Awesome didn’t look happy. “You’re accusing someone on the force of stealing?”

  Put that way, it didn’t sound so good. “Maybe.”

  “How would anyone know how valuable that book is or to even look for it? At that point we were focused on the manuscripts.”

  “I’m assuming people on the force read.”


  Awesome tilted his head. “Of course they do. But with all the books in this house, why that one?”

  “It was just a thought.”

  “Anything taken out of here would have been on an inventory list. How do we even know the book is really here?”

  “You’re right, we don’t,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted and scared.” I hated admitting to being afraid. It made it all too real.

  “When I talked to Belle, she said she wasn’t even sure they had such a book. She doesn’t remember it.”

  Belle had told me the same thing. When the search was over today, I’d talk to her about that again. And pointing out that she probably didn’t know every book that was in the house wouldn’t help, because it seemed as if anyone would remember owning a priceless edition of The Sun Also Rises.

  As we headed out of the room, I glanced back toward the books I’d stacked on the window seat. I grabbed Awesome’s arm. “Look.” I pointed at the wooden shelves. From this vantage point, I could see a faint line in the shape of a square on the back of the shelf under the window seat. “What’s that?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Awesome squinted. “It looks like someone cut a space out of the back of the shelf at some point and then painted over it. I guess we were so focused on the books, we didn’t notice.”

  “The lighting is different from this angle too,” I said.

  We hustled back over, got down on hands and knees, and Awesome pushed on one side of the square. Nothing happened. He pushed harder. A piece of wood about six by six inches popped out. Behind it, I could see the wall just a few inches away. But I couldn’t see how deep the hole was. We knocked heads trying to peer in.

  “Do you mind?” Awesome asked.

  I did, but he was here in an official capacity and I could be sent home at any minute. I backed away a smidge. “Here,” I said. I flipped on the flashlight on my phone and held it toward the hole. Nothing was visible from this vantage point.

  Awesome put his hand in the hole and fished around. He pulled his hand back out and it was draped with a couple of cobwebs. Better him than me. “There’s nothing in there.”