The second was from Hardwick, who, through a profusion of obscenities, managed to convey that he was stuck on I-81 in a mammoth traffic jam due to roadwork in progress, “except there isn’t any fucking work actually in progress, just miles of fucking orange cones blocking two of the three fucking lanes”—so he wouldn’t be delivering the camera equipment from SSS to Walnut Crossing until “bloody fucking midnight. Or bloody fucking whenever.”

The logistics delay was an inconvenience for Hardwick but not really a problem, since they hadn’t planned to set out the cameras until the following morning anyway. Gurney listened to the third message, another from Esti, broken up and finally fading away altogether, as though her battery was dying.

He was about to call her back when he heard a sound in the hallway. Kyle appeared at the den doorway in jeans and a T-shirt, his hair wet from the shower.

“Hey, Dad, what’s up?”

“I was out for a while. Went to see Madeleine. I was surprised to see your bike outside. I didn’t expect you back here at the house. Did I miss a message?”

“No, sorry about that. My plan was to go straight to the fair. Then, when I was passing through the village, I got the idea to stop for a quick shower and change my clothes. Hope you don’t mind.”

“It was just … unexpected. I’m more focused than usual on anything out of the ordinary.”

“Hey, speaking of that, is your neighbor down the road some kind of hunter or something?”

“Hunter?”

“When I was coming up the road, there was a guy down in the pines by the next house, maybe half a mile down from your barn—with a rifle, I think?”

“When was this?”

“Maybe half an hour ago?” Kyle’s eyes widened as he spoke. “Shit, you don’t think …”

“How big a guy?”

“How big? I don’t know … maybe bigger than average. I mean, he was way back from the road, so I’m not sure. And he was definitely down on your neighbor’s property, not yours.”

“With a rifle?”

“Or maybe a shotgun. I only saw it for a second, as I was riding by.”

“You didn’t notice anything special about the gun? Anything unusual about the barrel?”

“Jesus, Dad, I don’t know. I should have paid more attention. I guess I figured everyone up here in the country is some kind of hunter.” He paused, looking increasingly like he was in pain. “You don’t think it was your neighbor?”

Gurney pointed to the light switch by the doorway. “Turn that off for a second.”

With the light off, Gurney lowered the blinds on both of the den windows. “Okay, you can switch it back on.”

“Jesus. What’s going on?”

“Just another precaution.”

“Against what?”

“Probably nothing tonight. Don’t worry about it.”

“So, who … who was that guy in the woods?”