smear of gun grease behind it.
“Right here,” I said. “Whoever killed the old man lobbed his shot from here, right onto the terrace. He
couldn?t even see him; he lined up his shot with some point on the pool and it blew up right in the old
man?s lap.”
1 flashed the light around the dune, looking for footprints.
“There,” the Stick said, pointing to several depressions in the side of the dune leading toward the
ocean.
We looked closer.
“Looks like Bigfoot,” the Stick said. The depressions were fairly shallow and about the size of a small
watermelon. There was no definition to them.
I pointed the light to the hard sand at the bottom of the dune. The tide was almost full. Ridges of foam
lay near the foot of the dune.
“Great,” I said. “The tide?s in. There goes any tracks on the beach.”
“Knew what he was doin?,” the Stick said. “A blind shot like that and the timing was perfect.”
“This took a little planning. He had to know the setup. He knew when high tide was. And with those
two goons down there, he only had one shot. Confident son of a bitch. We better not make too many
tracks; forensics may turn something up.”
“One Ear,” the Stick said.
“Right. Let?s get him over here.”
We went back down and told Lundy what we had found and he sent two men and a photographer up
the hill.
“Those two gorillas up there may need some medical assistance, too,” the Stick said. “They give you
any shit, book „em for assaulting an officer.”
Lundy?s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Yeah, thanks,” he said with a touch of awe.
“I?m goin? inside,” said the Stick. “See if 1 can raise Charlie One Ear.”
I joined Dutch, who was leaning on the corner of the house gnawing on a toothpick. He was obviously
impressed.
“You guys weren?t gone long to be so busy,” he said with a
I looked at my watch. It was past ten and my stomach was telling me it hadn?t been fed since noon.
“I?ve gotta fill Mazzola in and get something to eat,” I said. “Then I?m calling it a night.”
“I could use some food too,” the Stick said, rejoining us. “Charlie?s on his way and not too happy
about it. I told Lundy to keep people off the bill.”
The Stick produced a small tan calling card.
