The Wrong Gun

5

Steve Winslow handed the glass tube to Russ Timberlaine. “Here’s your original bullet back. You’ll notice what’s marked on the tube.”

Timberlaine took it, looked at it. “RT dash ORIG?”

“Russ Timberlaine Original. That designates the bullet you gave me, the bullet you claim came from the original gun.”

“It did.”

“I’m sure it did. But the ballistics expert is not taking your word for it. In terms of evidentiary value, the ballistics expert is prepared to testify that this is the bullet supplied by me. Or rather, by my private detective.”

“And this seal across the top?

“On that you will find the signature of the ballistics expert. With that seal in place, the tube itself has evidentiary value. In other words, that seal validates the label RT-ORIG, and guarantees that the bullet in the tube is the one you gave me.”

“But if that seal is broken, we can’t prove it?”

“Not at all. The ballistics expert has also marked the base of the bullet and would be prepared to identify it from that.” Steve smiled. “But as long as it’s in the tube, it’s a lot easier for us to identify.”

“I see.”

Steve passed over the second glass tube. “This is the bullet fired from the gun you gave me. The gun you claim was substituted for your own.”

Timberlaine looked at it. “RT-SUB?”

“For Russ Timberlaine Substitute,” Steve said. “Now, if you’d like me to keep these bullets for you, I will. I would probably even advise it. What was your intention?”

“No,” Timberlaine said. “I’ll hang on to them.”

“Fine,” Steve said. He picked up a gun from the desk and extended the handle toward Timberlaine. “Here,” he said, and when Timberlaine reached for it, added, “Be careful, it’s loaded.”

Timberlaine drew his hand back. “What?”

“It isn’t really,” Steve said, “but you should always treat a gun as if it were.”

Timberlaine frowned. “Damn it,” he said. “I know how to handle guns.”

He took the gun, opened his briefcase and stuck it in, along with the two glass tubes. He snapped the briefcase shut.

Steve Winslow stood up.

Tracy Garvin, who had been sitting taking notes, looked up in surprise. She had expected Steve to draw Timberlaine out on the subject of who could have substituted the gun. Instead he had stood up to indicate that the interview was over.

However, the reverse psychology worked.

Timberlaine frowned. “Just a minute.”

Steve looked at him. “Oh? Was there something else?”

“Well, damn it, yes there was.”

“I beg your pardon. I thought we’d finished.” Steve sat back down. “What is it?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about who could have taken the gun.”

“Any ideas?”

Timberlaine frowned. “No, that’s the problem. I have no idea who took it. But I have a pretty good idea when it was taken.”

“Oh? When was that?”

“A week and a half ago. At the auction.”

“What auction?”

“The rare gun auction. That’s when it must have been.”

“And where was this?”

“At my house, of course. That’s how the gun could have been taken.”

“And where’s your house?”

“I didn’t tell you? Oh, no, I guess I didn’t. Well, I got a house on Long Island. Mansion, really. One of the old estates. Bought it twenty years ago. Got it for a song. Crumbling, broken down. Had it rebuilt. Anyway, I hold auctions there.”

“Why?”

Timberlaine frowned. “Why? Because I like to, that’s why. And I got the space to do it, so why not? They’re famous, my auctions are. In gun circles anyway. The top dealers show up, auction their wares. The top collectors come. From all over the country.”

“Just for one day?”

“No, the whole weekend. I put ’em up.”

Steve frowned. “You’re saying they stay with you?”

“Absolutely. I told you, it’s a mansion. I got forty-eight rooms. Sure I put ’em up. Anyway, that’s when it must have happened. Over the weekend when everyone was there and everyone had access.”

“I see,” Steve said. “And who do you suspect?”

Timberlaine hesitated a moment. “I don’t suspect anyone in particular. It’s just that’s when it must have happened.”

“You hesitated,” Steve said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You hesitated before you answered.”

“I was thinking.”

“You may have hesitated because you were thinking, but the fact is you hesitated. I’m wondering who you were thinking of.”

Timberlaine took a breath and blew it out again. “All right,” he said. “You can’t hide anything from a lawyer. All right. Melvin Burdett.”

“Who?”

“Melvin Burdett. That’s the name that flashed to mind. But it isn’t him.”

“What do you mean, it isn’t him?”

“I mean I don’t seriously think he took the gun.”

“Then why does his name flash to mind?”

Timberlaine took a breath. “All right. Melvin Burdett is a thorn in my side. You know how that is? He’s a collector. A rival collector. Accent on the word rival.”

Timberlaine held up his hands. “Understand, I’ve never done anything to him. But the man has taken it upon himself to make my life a living hell.”

“Why?”

Timberlaine shook his head. “No reason. There are just people like that, you know. Burdett’s one of them. He’s aggressive and competitive. I’m fairly well established as a collector. I have a reputation. So he’s made me his target and he’s out to get me.”

“In what way?”

“In any way. He’s always trying to annoy me, compete with me. If there’s a gun I want, he’ll make it a point to outbid me for it.”

“He has the money to do that?”

“He has money. To outbid me, no. But to bid me up, sure. If there’s a gun I particularly want, he’s quite prepared to keep bidding to the point where I either let him have it, or wind up paying more than the gun is worth.”

“I see. And you think he might be involved in the theft of the gun?”

“No, I don’t,” Timberlaine said irritably. “That’s why I didn’t want to bring it up. The man is a royal pain in the ass, but that doesn’t make him a thief.”

“Then who is?”

“I don’t know.”

“You must have some ideas.”

“No, I don’t. That’s the point. I absolutely don’t. I look back to the weekend, there must have been twenty, twenty-five people staying there. It could have been any one of them, but there’s no one I suspect.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Timberlaine frowned. “What?”

“What’s the point? I did what you wanted, you were ready to go, you made a point of staying to tell me when the gun might have been taken-which isn’t any help at all if you have no idea who took it. So what’s the point? What are you getting to?”

“That’s just it,” Timberlaine said. “I have another auction planned for this weekend. Most of the same people will be there.”

“So?”

“So, if it’s the worst case scenario, if someone took the gun to frame me or at least put me in an embarrassing position, well, that’s when it would logically happen. One, because whoever took the gun would be there. And, two, because enough people will be there that they could work undetected.”

“That’s obvious,” Steve said. “The question is, why are you telling me?”

“Because I want you there.”