Page 49 of Wild Sentinel

I pointed to the sewer. "It's down there in the catch basin.”

"You want to do the honors?" Sharon asked Ridley.

"You go right ahead,” he said with a smile.

She gave him a flat look, pulled on a pair of nitrile gloves, then climbed into the sewer. I don't think she liked the idea of getting her designer suit dirty. Her voice echoed, "Yep, that's a pistol, alright.”

She snapped a few photos before climbing out of the sewer. She pulled the gloves off, then dusted her pants. Sharon gave me an annoyed look. "Gentlemen, I appreciate you bringing this public safety hazard to our attention. We'll take it from here.”

"What are you going to do with the pistol?"

"I'm going to call the criminalist to collect the weapon and log it into evidence. The lab will run ballistics, and we’ll cross-reference it against the database. Standard operating procedure.”

"I would appreciate it if you kept me in the loop.”

Ridley scoffed. "You boys are way, WAY out of your jurisdiction. There is no loop.”

I tried not to make my glare so obvious.

"How the hell do we know you didn't plant the damn thing?”

"Now, why would I do something like that?”

"Who knows? Why the hell are you investigating this case anyway?”

"That's obviously the gun that killed Vivian,” I said. “The shooter waited for her to come home, took her out, then dumped it in the sewer when he left.”

"That’s all speculation.”

"Of course it's speculation. I didn’t see it with my own eyes. But I think somebody did."

The two of them shared an uncomfortable glance.

"I don't know if you’ve put the pieces together yet, but Lucas Reed robbed Jeff’s house. Lucas was in a bind. He needed money. He took a gun and some jewelry. A 9mm Luger. The one you have in custody. When he left the house, I think he saw the murder.”

That hung there like smoke.

“The assassin headed south on Canton and dumped the pistol here,” I said, pointing to the sewer. “Lucas panicked. He couldn't go to the cops and recount what he had just seen. He knew if he got caught for the burglary, he might be linked to the murder as well. That’s why he tried to pawn off the weapon on Seth until he could find a buyer for it.”

Ridley laughed again. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

I looked at him like he was an idiot. "I think that's the best explanation so far.”

Ridley shook his head. "Lucas robbed the house and shot Vivian when he fled. It’s simple. Open and shut.”

“Why?”

“Because she witnessed him leaving the Baxter residence.”

“He couldn’t be identified. He was wearing a surgical mask,” I protested. “I’ve seen the footage.”

“How do you know who that masked figure is?”

“Because he has a limp, and so did Lucas.”

“You’re proving my point,” Ridley said. “He shot Vivian in a panic because he worried she could ID him. End of story.” After a frustrated pause, he said, “I don't know how they do things in Florida, but we make arrests based on hard facts. I’m sure you don't see a lot of this kind of thing where you're from. But we’ve got a lot of experience. People kill each other every day around here. How ‘bout you let the professionals handle it?”

I tried to contain myself. “You're right. We’re just a bunch of bumpkins. Gaw-lee, we ain't never been to the big city before," I mocked in an accent.