When Marcus came back in the kitchen, he gasped: “What happened?”
Cait stood and shook her head. “We don’t know yet.” She grabbed her gun off the counter and hurried to the front of the house.
“Cait—” RT said.
“I’m going to look out the window.”
“Jesus,” RT muttered, slamming the back door as he went out.
“We’re lucky RT and the officers are here,” Fumié said.
Cait peeked around the window frame and swept her gaze across the vineyard, but the shooting had stopped. Minutes passed while they waited for the police to return. “They’re coming back,” she said, disappointed they were alone.
“Where’s RT?” she asked when they came in.
“He’ll be here. He wanted to look in the vineyard,” Rook said.
“Who was doing the shooting?”
“The guy in the vineyard started it. The officers returned fire,” Rook said.
Rook pulled out his ringing cell. “Find anything?”
Cait watched Rook’s expression as he listened to the caller.
“On my way.” Rook smiled. “RT found a trail of blood.”
Cait’s heart lurched. “That should slow Wally down.”
“Sounds like he got tangled in the wires and mangled one of the grapevines.”
“Serves him right,” Cait said.
Rook and the officers left and Marcus returned to his office.
Cait filled two coffee mugs and set one on the counter in front of Fumié. “Be right back.” She went into the office, where Niki was sprawled out in a patch of sunlight while Marcus attacked his keyboard.
“It sucks. I should have found the bastard when I was riding yesterday. I know this property. I wanted to find him and turn him over to the police.”
Cait’s heart went out to Marcus, but she didn’t know how to console him. Even the cave he loved was sealed after the police learned Wally had hidden in there. Marcus had protected the cave and the pictographs covering the walls since he was a kid growing up on the property. “She leaned on the edge of the desk as an idea took hold. “You’re a computer whiz. You can help by Googling John LeBow, the owner of that pickup Detective Rook mentioned. See if you can find where he works and if he has family in town.”
Marcus looked up and nodded. “And maybe find a connection to Wally.”
“Exactly,” Cait said. “Most cops aren’t as computer savvy as you. While you’re doing that, they can search for Wally.”
Marcus rubbed his chin. “That’s a kick, me helping the police.”
Cait grinned and held the palm of her hand out for a high-five.
Fumié was looking through the glossy magazine insert in the local Independent newspaper Cait seldom had time to read. She showed Cait an article about the rodeo. “You should go sometime.”
“Maybe next year.”
“I have something to tell you.” Fumié’s black eyes glistened, her long black hair silky and shiny. “Remember the lady who called and asked me to sing at her winery?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve had more offers, even for a wedding reception at Ravenswood.”
“Congratulations. But I’m not surprised. You’re talented.”
“Thanks. Since you introduced me to people from the wineries and the city chamber at the tea, I’ve been asked to entertain at the Harvest Wine Celebration in the fall and the Holiday in the Vineyards at Christmas.”
“Fumié, that’s terrific. Aren’t you excited?”
She nodded. “Sure, but I also received a letter from the park ranger school in Santa Rosa. They’re holding a place for me, but they want to know now if I plan to start in the fall. I haven’t answered it yet.”
“How far is Santa Rosa? Maybe you could do both—the wedding and festival and go to school.”
“A couple of hours.”
“Being a park ranger is your dream. When does the class start?”
“Middle of August. Classes go to mid-November.”
“There you go,” Cait said. “If this is what you want to do, then don’t toss the opportunity away. How is your mother doing?”
“She’s in remission. My parents are urging me to go to Santa Rosa.”
“Three months isn’t long,” Cait said. “Then you can apply for a job wherever you want.”
“I know,” Fumié said. “So it’s okay with you?”
Cait was momentarily at a loss for words. “Of course, but it’s not up to me. It’s your decision.” Cait set her coffee mug on the counter. “I’m going to ask Marcus to come up with a plan to build the gift shop in the theater complex. You might like to help until you leave. We don’t have a license to sell alcohol, but I want a place where people can picnic and shop for souvenirs.”
Fumié grinned. “I have a plan in mind. I told Tasha about it.”
“You’re way ahead of me. Talk it over with Marcus.” Cait opened the door for Niki.
“Going somewhere?” RT stood on the step.
“Niki wants out.”
“Got something to show you.” He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a paper clipping and handed it to her.
Curious, she unfolded it and stared at the grainy picture of her taken before she shot Hank Dillon. Exasperation crackled through her. “Where did you get this?”
“That’s you, isn’t it?”
The article was wrinkled, but she couldn’t deny it was her in uniform with her gun positioned to shoot. “Yes.”
“I found it in the vineyard. Wally must have dropped it when he got caught in the wires.”
“Someone sent it to the Columbus Dispatch. I was too busy to notice a reporter. My department kept my name out of the paper as long as they could.”
“Not unusual.”
“No, it isn’t. I was on leave during the investigation.” She returned the clipping to him. “That shooting is why I’m in the position I’m in now.”
RT tucked the paper in his shirt pocket. “Hang in there. We’ll get him.”
She’d believe it when it happened. In the meantime, she was working on a new angle. What if the reporter who took that picture was Calder Manning?