It could be one of these guys, Lucas said. But itd take guts.

Or a crazy man, Sloan said.

AT THE END OF THE TRACK THEY COULD SEE A HALFDOZEN people sitting and standing on the cabin porch, a man in a red plaid shirt talking animatedly to the others. A short man in a blue suit sat apart from them.

Whats the situation with these people? Lucas asked as they started down the slope toward the cabin. Who questioned them?

I did, and one of our investigators, Ralphthats Ralph in the blue suit.

Is he good? Lucas asked.

The sheriff thought for a minute and then said, Ralphcouldnt pour piss out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel.

Sloan asked, So how come…?

I try to keep him out of the way, but he was at the office and answered the phone this morning.

Did he collect all the guns? Lucas asked.

No, but I did, Krause said. Two of them had been firedboth people had deer to show for it. The others look clean.

I saw the deer hanging down by the cabin… Lucas said. Then: Get your crime scene guys to check their hands and faces for powder traces. And count shellsfind out what they claim to have fired, and do a count.

Im doing all that, except for the shells, Krause said. He looked up at Lucas. Im going by the book. The whole book. My problem is more along the lines of interrogation and so on. Expertise.

Lucas tipped his head at Sloan: Sloan is the best interrogator in the state.

Sloan grinned at the sheriff and said, Thats true.

Then wed like to borrow you for a while, Krause said. If you got the time.

Fine with me, Sloan said. Overtime is overtime.

Is there any possibility that you could do some running around Minneapolis for me? Krause asked.

Sloan looked at Lucas. Ive got a couple of things going

… Sherrill is doing research on that Shack thing, but shes not getting much. Maybe she could do some running around.

Lucas nodded. Ill call her this afternoon, on my way back. Anything you break out of these guys, call it down to her. Ill have her talk to Kresges wife, check for girlfriends…

Or boyfriends, Sloan said.

Or boyfriends. And Ill have her start talking to people in his officesecretaries and so on. Lucas looked at Krause. I dont want to take over your investigation…

No-no-no, dont worry about that, Krause said hastily.

The more you can do, the better. My best guys are busiern two-dick dogs in a breeding kennel… And my other guys would have a hard time finding Minneapolis, much less anybody in it.

Sounds like you have some problems, Sloan said. First Arne, then Ralph…

Were going through a transitional period, Krause said grimly. Then: Look, Im the new guy up here. I was with the highway patrol for twenty-five years, and then last fall I got myself elected sheriff. The office is about fifty years out of date, full of deadwood, and all the deadwood is related to somebody. Im cutting it down, but it takes time. Ill take any help I can get.

Whatever we can do, Lucas said.

Krause nodded. Thanks. Hed been prepared to dislike the Minneapolis guys, but it hadnt turned out that way. Actually, he sort of liked them, for city people. Sloan especially, but even Davenport, with his shoe tassels and expensive clothes. He glanced at Davenport again, quickly. From a little bit of a distance you might thinkpussy. You didnt think that when you got closer to him. Not after youd seen his smile.

He added, I dont think Im gonna get too far up here. Matter of fact, I dont think Im going to get anywhere everything about this shooting was set up in the Cities.

They were coming up to the porch, and Sloan said, quietly, So lets go jack up these city folks. See if anybody gets nervous.

THE FOUR SURVIVING HUNTERS SAT ON THE PORCH in the afternoon sunlight, in rustic wooden chairs with peeling bark and waterproof plastic seat cushions. They all had cups of microwaved coffee: Wilson McDonalds was fortified with two ounces of brandy. James T. Bone sat politely downwind of the others, smoking a cheroot.

The sheriffs investigator perched on a stool at the other end of the porch, like the class dummy, looking away from them. If one of the bankers suddenly broke for the woods, what was he supposed to do? Shoot him? But the sheriff had told him to keep an eye on them. Whatd that mean?

And the bankers were annoyed, and their annoyance was not something his worn nerves could deal with. He could handle trailer-home fights and farm kids hustling toot, but people whod gone to Harvard, who drove Lincoln and Lexus sport-utes and wore eight-hundred-dollar apre`s-hunt tweed jackets, undoubtedly woven by licensed leprechauns in the Auld Countrywell, they made him nervous. Especially when one of them might be a killer.

DAVENPORT IS THE BAD DOG, BONE SAID FROM downwind, as they watched Krause lead his parade down through the woods toward the cabin. He bit off a sixteenth-inch of the cheroot and spit it out into the fescue at the bottom of the porch. He oughta be able to tell us something.

Mean sonofabitch, by reputation, ODell said. She said it casually, looking through the steam of the coffee. She wasnt impressed. She was surrounded by mean sonsofbitches. She might even be one herself.

Just another c-cop, Robles stuttered. Robles was scared: they could smell it on him. They liked it. Robles was the macho killer, and his fear was oddly pleasing.

I talked to him a couple of times on the transfers with his IPOyou all know he used to be Davenport Simulations? Bone said. They all nodded; that was the kind of thing they all knew. He sold the company to management and walked with bettern ten, AT. He meant ten million dollars, after taxes.

So why doesnt he quit and move to Palm Springs? Robles asked.

Cause he likes what he does, Bone said.

I wish hed get his bureaucratic ass down here and do what we have to do; I wanna get back to town, McDonald grumbled. Back to a nice smooth single-malt; but hed stay here as long as the others did. Sooner or later, theyd start talking about whod be running the bank. No point in keeping us here. Weve told them everything we know.

Unless one of us killed him, Bone said lazily.

Gotta be an accident, Robles said, nervously. Opening day of deer season… I bet therere twenty of them. Accidents.

No, there arent, Bone said. There are usually one or two, and most of the time, they know on the spot who did the shooting.

Besides, it wasnt an accident, ODell said positively.

How do you know? McDonald asked. He finished the loaded coffee and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand. He could use another.

Maybe she did it, Robles said. He tried to laugh, but instead made a small squeaking noise, a titter.

ODell ignored him. Karmas wrong for an accident, she said.

Great: were talking karma, McDonald said. Superstitious hippie nonsense.

Bone slumped a little lower in his chair and a thin grin slipped across his dry face: But shes right, he said. Dan was a half-mile onto his own property. Whos going to shoot him through the heart from moren half a mile away? Nope. I figure it was one of us. We all had guns and good reasons.

Bullshit, McDonald said.

AS THEY WATCHED THE PARADE APPROACHING, ODell said, We should decide wholl speak for the bank. The boardll have to appoint a CEO, but somebody should take over for the moment. Somebody in top management.

I thought Wilson might do ituntil a decision is made on a CEO, Bone said. He looked over at Wilson Mc-Donald, whose eyes went flat, hiding any reaction; and past him at ODell. The top job, Bone thought, would go either to himself or ODell, unless the board did something weird. Robles didnt have the background, McDonald wasnt smart or skilled enough. If you think so, McDonald said carefully. This was the moment hed been waiting for.