“How would I know? Ask Mr. Goshen.”

“You’re being uncooperative, Mr. Tirov.”

“Oh? Tell me a question I haven’t answered. How am I uncooperative?”

“Well, you’re pretty surly.”

“I have a gunshot wound, and I’m in pain, and since nobody in this company has a pain pill, I’m substituting bourbon. And there’s no law that says I have to be polite to a cop.”

“I’m sorry for your pain. We’ll go talk to Mr. Goshen.”

“Good luck with that. Between takes, he goes into his trailer and I’m told does some pretty weird stuff.”

“Stuff? What kind of stuff?”

“I don’t know what it is—some kind of yoga or meditation or something. The entire company is on standing orders not to knock on his door until we’re ready for a take.”

“We still need to talk to him.”

“If you start messing around with our star, we’re liable to lose a day’s shooting. Do you know what that costs?”

“No, sir.”

“Several hundred thousand dollars. I can tell you that Brad Goshen didn’t shoot at me. I was looking at him at the moment I got hit, and he was doing his job. The bullet came from behind him somewhere, so he couldn’t have seen the shooter. And he wouldn’t have anything but blanks in his gun, because he didn’t load it, our armorer did, so why don’t you just leave the kid alone. Talk to the armorer, if you like.”

“What’s his name?”

“Frog.”

“Frog what?”

“Frog the armorer—how do I know? Ask the production manager—that’s who he reports to.”

“What’s the production manager’s name?”

“Al.”

“Al what?”

“I don’t know that, either. I don’t talk to the crew, I talk to the director or his assistant or the line producer, and they talk to everybody else. Ask the first person you see when you leave, which I’d like you to do right now.”

“We may have more questions for you later.”

“Not today, you won’t. Now please leave my trailer, and don’t let the doorknob hit you in the ass on your way out.”

“Thanks so much for your help, Mr. Tirov.”

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Sheriff.”

“Detective.”

“It doesn’t suit you, either, Detective. Next time, try charm.”

“I don’t do charm,” the detective said, and slammed the door hard behind him. “Let’s go find this Brad guy and annoy him,” he said to the deputy.

“Sounds like fun.”

“And if we don’t start getting some joy around here, I’ll get a search warrant and we’ll turn over every trailer and truck in this goddamned cardboard town until we find that weapon.”

“Can I watch?”