Sheriff Gene Givens said, “You’ll have to change your routine, Judge.”

“You won’t be going to the Helen Wilkes after work every day,” McKenna said. “It’s gonna play hell with your social life, Big, but you’ll just have to put up with it, a while anyway.”

Kathy watched Gibbs. He didn’t seem too happy. Sends his wife away, he’s free to fool around all he wants, and now he’ll have TAC living with him, driving him to the courthouse. She began thinking, What if he planned to send her away?…

McKenna was saying this would go in the log and become public knowledge. “In other words the newspaper and TV people are gonna come after you. You’ll be glad to have TAC around to keep them off your back.”

Sheriff Gene Givens said, “The trouble with this kind of case, once it’s known, it can bring out the copycats. Give people ideas. That’s why we want to close it fast.”

“Before the lunatics get into it and somebody sends you a letter bomb,” McKenna said. “We’d keep it under our hat, but you can’t hide dignitary protection, the news people will find out. The advantage, it’ll be talked about and maybe one of our informants will hear something.”

“I’m not opening any mail,” Bob Gibbs said.

Looking to get a laugh, maybe beginning to like the attention. Kathy wasn’t sure. Or he was feeling no pain, all he had to drink.

“We’ll check your mail,” McKenna said, “and most likely put a wire on your phone, here and at court.”

An evidence tech came out from the living room holding up a glass that rattled as he shook it. He said, “Sheriff, four.22 longs,” placing the glass on the table. “They went through two of the cupboard doors and were in the wall, inside.”

McKenna said to Gibbs, “Is that how many you heard, four shots?”

“I believe so.”

Gibbs looked over and Kathy hesitated. She said, “There were five, but only four hit the window.”

That got them looking at her again, McKenna saying, “You sure?”

“I heard five.”

“From how far away, would you guess?”

“Somewhere in the back part of the yard.”

“Were the shots hurried or evenly spaced?”

Kathy paused. She could hear the rifle shots and saw the window again, a glass pane shattering and a glimpse of someone or something in that part of a moment. Thinking she should tell them. But what did she see? She was certain of the five shots, evenly spaced. Tell them that. But now Gibbs was talking.

“Ms. Baker was pretty scared, as you can imagine. I believe I threw her down and might’ve been a little rough.” Looking right at her as he said it with a grin, her hero. Listen to him. He said, “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

There was nothing she could say to him, nothing, in front of these people. He was finished with her anyway, looking at McKenna now.

“You want to put TAC on me, huh?”

“I’m gonna insist on it, Big.”

“I guess if you have to.”

Lou Falco came in saying, “Five.22 casings, out by the pump house. The guy fired from less than fifty meters and broke a window, if that tells you anything. You can check the casings for latents, but I doubt you’ll get any prints. They were in the mud where it’s damp there. The guy walked all over them.”

“We have a place to start,” McKenna said, getting up as the sheriff rose from the table. “How do you want to handle security here?”

“Four outside and two in the house,” Falco said.

“That’s what I need,” Gibbs said, “some boarders. Lou, how much can I charge you?”

Every one of them, Kathy noticed, smiled or laughed out loud in deference to this asshole who happened to be a judge. Even Gary, though he didn’t give it much. She saw the detective who had gone to call the Belle Glade station coming out on the porch.

He said, “Sheriff, Dale Crowe Senior’s in the hospital. He was at a dance in Clewiston the other night, got in a fight and some guy broke his jaw.” The detective telling it with a grin. “No one’s seen Dale Junior yet.”

Sheriff Gene Givens started to walk away. He stopped and said, “I seem to recall old Dale has an artificial leg.”

“Got bit by a gator,” McKenna said. “Gangrene set in and they had to take it off at the knee.”

Sheriff Gene Givens said, “I guess my question is, how’s a one-legged man do the Texas Two-Step?” He seemed about to leave again.

Kathy watched him as the boys on the porch all had another good laugh. Gene Givens turned and looked back at the hole in the screen, stared at it for several moments before telling everyone present, “The connection with the alligator is what’s gonna solve this case.”

It made an impression on Kathy, the man not saying much, but then making that point. She believed it herself, a feeling she had.

They were all leaving the porch now, going outside or into the house, all except Gary Hammond. As soon as he was standing by himself he came over to her.

“Something I was wondering about. What were you doing outside?”

“Looking at flowers.”

“In the dark?”

“You think it was my idea?”

He said, “Well, it must’ve been pretty frightening, getting shot at.”

Kathy nodded, looking up at him from the lawn chair. “It was, but I don’t think he was shooting at us.”

“That’s what the judge said. Why didn’t you back him up?”

“No one asked me.”

“You were in front of the window, the light was on…”

“No, we weren’t even that close to it. How could he see us? He’s way back in the trees.”

“Why shoot at the house?”

“Why put an alligator in the yard? You heard Givens, he thinks there’s a connection. I’ll tell you one thing, no, two,” Kathy said. “Gibbs didn’t throw me down, he froze. And I didn’t come to see him about Dale. He called, said he wanted to talk about his wife. She’s supposed to be in Orlando, but I don’t believe it.”

“Why would he want to talk to you about his wife?”

“He uses it as a way… What he wants is to go to bed with me. It’s the only reason.”

Gary said, “Oh,” giving that one some thought. “You mean he says things like his wife doesn’t understand him? They don’t get along?”

“Yeah, only there’s more to it. She thinks she’s a little black girl who died a long time ago.” Gary was giving her a funny look. “Or the little girl speaks through Leanne and it drives the judge crazy.”

“I heard her,” Gary said, “the little girl. I heard her voice. We were standing in the yard…”

“Come on, you did? What’d she say?”

Gary hesitated but kept looking at her. “We could have a lot to talk about.”

Kathy said, “I think so,” with the feeling, now this one was using the judge’s wife as an excuse. She hoped so.

He said, “You want to have a drink somewhere?”

She said, “You mind if I ask, are you married?”

He looked surprised. “No, I’m not.”

“You have kids?”

“I’ve never been married.”

She thought of asking why not, but said, “Okay, where?”