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The sour smell of vomit.

“Matthew, bring John,” Mark said.

Rumbling footsteps ran out of the barn.

Romero passed out.

The next time he awoke, he was slumped in a corner, his back against a wall, his knees up, his head sagging, blood dripping onto his chest.

“We found your car,” John said. “I see you changed models.”

The echoing voice seemed to come from a distance, but when Romero looked blearily up, John was directly before him.

John read the note Romero had left on the dashboard. “ ‘Hiking and camping along the river. Back in a couple of days.’ ”

Romero noticed that his pistol was tucked under John’s belt.

“What are we going to do?” Mark asked. “The police will come looking for him.”

“So what?” John said. “We’re in the right. We caught a man with a pistol who trespassed on our property at night. We defended ourselves and subdued him.” John crumbled the note. “But the police won’t come looking for him. They don’t know he’s here.”

“You can’t be sure,” Mark said.

Matthew stood silently by the closed barn door.

“Of course, I can be sure,” John said. “If this was a police operation, he wouldn’t have needed this note. He wouldn’t have been worried that someone would wonder about the abandoned car. In fact, he wouldn’t have needed his car at all. The police would have driven him to the drop-off point. He’s on his own.”

Matthew fidgeted, continuing to watch.

“Isn’t that right, Officer Romero?” John asked.

Fighting to control the spinning in his mind, Romero managed to get his voice to work. “How did you know I was up there?”

No one answered.

“It was the reflection from the camera lens, right?” Romero sounded as if his throat had been stuffed with gravel.

“Like the Holy Spirit on Pentecost,” John said.

Romero’s tongue was so thick he could barely speak. “I need water.”

“I don’t like this,” Mark said. “Let him go.”

John turned toward Matthew. “You heard him. He needs water.”

Matthew hesitated, then opened the barn door and ran toward the house.

John returned his attention to Romero. “Why wouldn’t you stop? Why did you have to be so persistent?”

“Where’s Luke?”

“See, that’s what I mean. You’re so damnably persistent.”

“We don’t need to take this any further,” Mark warned. “Put him in his car. Let him go. No harm’s been done.”

“Hasn’t there?”

“You just said we were in the right to attack a stranger with a gun. After it was too late, we found out who he is. A judge would throw out an assault charge.”

“He’d come back.”

“Not necessarily.”

“I guarantee it. Wouldn’t you, Officer Romero? You’d come back.”

Romero wiped blood from his face and didn’t respond.

“Of course, you would,” John said. “It’s in your nature. And one day you’d see something you shouldn’t. It may be you already have.”

“Don’t say anything more.” Mark warned.

“You want to know what this is about?” John asked Romero.

Romero wiped more blood from his face.

“I think you should get what you want,” John said.

“No,” Mark said. “This can’t go on anymore. I’m still not convinced he’s here by himself. If the police are involved … It’s too risky. It has to stop.”

Footsteps rushed toward the barn. Only Romero looked as Matthew hurried inside, carrying a jug of water.

“Give it to him,” John said.

Matthew warily approached, like someone apprehensive about a wild animal. He set the jug at Romero’s feet and darted back.

“Thank you,” Romero said.

Matthew didn’t answer.

“Why don’t you ever speak?” Romero asked.

Matthew didn’t say anything.

Romero’s skin prickled. “You can’t.”

Matthew looked away.

“Of course. Last fall when I was here, John told you to bring him the phone so he could call the state police. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it.” Romero waited for the swirling in his mind to stop. “I figured he was sending the weakest one of the group, so if I made trouble he and Mark could take care of it.” Romero’s lungs felt empty. He took several deep breaths. “But all the time I’ve been watching the house, you haven’t said a word.”

Matthew kept looking away.

“You’re mute. That’s why John told you to bring