been open at the time. The third shot was fatal. They removed it from his heart during the autopsy.”
“Could they guess the height of the shooter by the angle of the shots?” asked Jake.
“Not enough distance between Hill and the shooter to say with any accuracy. They think the shooter was standing just inside the door. The odd man out is the shot into the wall.”
“Could Steven have fired it? Maybe in self-defense?” asked Emma.
“And then turned his back on the shooter? Not likely.”
“But the shots were all from the same gun?”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“That makes no sense at all,” said Emma.
“Unless they weren’t fired at the same time,” observed Grace. “Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that everything that happened at a scene, happened at the same time.”
“But that would mean that the gun…” Emma began.
“Belonged to Steven Hill,” Grace finished.
Matt looked at Jake and smiled. “She’s good. I hope she doesn’t ever want my job or I’m in trouble.” He turned to Grace. “You are absolutely right. Remember, Steven Hill was in Cheyenne on business and came home to discover the break-in at his parents’ house. While he was down south, he bought a Glock 19 and a box of 9 mm ammunition.”
“Was he afraid of someone?” asked Grace.
“That’s something we need to find out.” Kristy wrote the question on the board.
“If he bought the gun in Cheyenne, it wouldn’t have left much time for him to shoot a hole in the wall, then be shot with his own gun.” Grace frowned. “Didn’t anyone hear the shots?”
“Not according to the police report. Officer Altrez had a team canvass the neighborhood that afternoon.”
“Wouldn’t you expect people to have heard them? How much noise would the shots have made?”
“It’s not a quiet gun,” mused Jake, “but it was a cold morning. People would have been inside with the windows closed, listening to the ‘Pokes game or watching TV. The nearest neighbors, maybe, but a few houses down, probably wouldn’t have carried that far.”
“Where’s the gun?” asked Kristy, writing her question on the board as she said it.
“If the killer used Steven’s gun,” said Jake, “it wasn’t pre-meditated.”
“Spoken like a defense attorney,” teased Emma. “If you’re going to be County Attorney, you’d better start thinking like a prosecutor.”
“He’s thinking like a detective, Emma,” said Matt. “I agree with Jake. We’re not looking for someone who went there to kill Steven Hill. That’s another reason why it could be the same person who broke into Roger Hill’s house. He may have watched Maddie leave and assumed the house was empty. When Hill surprised him, he grabbed the gun and shot him.”
“Who leaves a gun just laying around?” asked Emma. “Jake keeps his in a gun safe.”
“Hill just bought the gun,” said Jake. “Maybe he didn’t have a gun safe.”
“No, he had one. It was in the closet,” said Matt. “Which was standing open, as was the door to the gun safe.”
“Look, see if this makes sense,” said Jake. “Maddie leaves so Steve goes into his office. He takes out his new gun and is checking it out, loading it…”
“Drooling over it,” added Emma.
“If he’s anything like me, yes. He’s fooling around with it and the gun discharges into the wall. He puts it down, goes to look at the damage and…I don’t know what exactly, but that gets us the first shot and the gun laying out.”
“Were any of his other guns missing?” asked Grace. “I assume if he had a safe, he had other guns.”
“He did, and according to Maddie and the insurance company, they were all in the safe.”
“If your burglar theory is correct, Matthew, and the burglar is looking for small items, easily sold, why leave an open safe full of guns behind?” Grace asked the question but no one had any answers. “Was anything else in the house missing? Did they have a safe that was
“Could they guess the height of the shooter by the angle of the shots?” asked Jake.
“Not enough distance between Hill and the shooter to say with any accuracy. They think the shooter was standing just inside the door. The odd man out is the shot into the wall.”
“Could Steven have fired it? Maybe in self-defense?” asked Emma.
“And then turned his back on the shooter? Not likely.”
“But the shots were all from the same gun?”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“That makes no sense at all,” said Emma.
“Unless they weren’t fired at the same time,” observed Grace. “Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that everything that happened at a scene, happened at the same time.”
“But that would mean that the gun…” Emma began.
“Belonged to Steven Hill,” Grace finished.
Matt looked at Jake and smiled. “She’s good. I hope she doesn’t ever want my job or I’m in trouble.” He turned to Grace. “You are absolutely right. Remember, Steven Hill was in Cheyenne on business and came home to discover the break-in at his parents’ house. While he was down south, he bought a Glock 19 and a box of 9 mm ammunition.”
“Was he afraid of someone?” asked Grace.
“That’s something we need to find out.” Kristy wrote the question on the board.
“If he bought the gun in Cheyenne, it wouldn’t have left much time for him to shoot a hole in the wall, then be shot with his own gun.” Grace frowned. “Didn’t anyone hear the shots?”
“Not according to the police report. Officer Altrez had a team canvass the neighborhood that afternoon.”
“Wouldn’t you expect people to have heard them? How much noise would the shots have made?”
“It’s not a quiet gun,” mused Jake, “but it was a cold morning. People would have been inside with the windows closed, listening to the ‘Pokes game or watching TV. The nearest neighbors, maybe, but a few houses down, probably wouldn’t have carried that far.”
“Where’s the gun?” asked Kristy, writing her question on the board as she said it.
“If the killer used Steven’s gun,” said Jake, “it wasn’t pre-meditated.”
“Spoken like a defense attorney,” teased Emma. “If you’re going to be County Attorney, you’d better start thinking like a prosecutor.”
“He’s thinking like a detective, Emma,” said Matt. “I agree with Jake. We’re not looking for someone who went there to kill Steven Hill. That’s another reason why it could be the same person who broke into Roger Hill’s house. He may have watched Maddie leave and assumed the house was empty. When Hill surprised him, he grabbed the gun and shot him.”
“Who leaves a gun just laying around?” asked Emma. “Jake keeps his in a gun safe.”
“Hill just bought the gun,” said Jake. “Maybe he didn’t have a gun safe.”
“No, he had one. It was in the closet,” said Matt. “Which was standing open, as was the door to the gun safe.”
“Look, see if this makes sense,” said Jake. “Maddie leaves so Steve goes into his office. He takes out his new gun and is checking it out, loading it…”
“Drooling over it,” added Emma.
“If he’s anything like me, yes. He’s fooling around with it and the gun discharges into the wall. He puts it down, goes to look at the damage and…I don’t know what exactly, but that gets us the first shot and the gun laying out.”
“Were any of his other guns missing?” asked Grace. “I assume if he had a safe, he had other guns.”
“He did, and according to Maddie and the insurance company, they were all in the safe.”
“If your burglar theory is correct, Matthew, and the burglar is looking for small items, easily sold, why leave an open safe full of guns behind?” Grace asked the question but no one had any answers. “Was anything else in the house missing? Did they have a safe that was
Similar Books
