“Sig-Sauer P232,” she said, hefting it. “Nice. Thanks, Ham.”
“The magazine’s full, and there’s one in the chamber. The rest of a box of cartridges is upstairs, when you need it.”
“How’d you manage to get it here?”
“I showed the airlines my badge and declared the weapons. They were locked in a little case inside my bag.”
“What badge?” Stone asked.
Ham put a wallet on the table.
Stone opened it. “Lieutenant, Orchid Beach PD?”
“Ham’s kind of a consultant,” Holly said. “Dollar-a-year man.”
“Good idea. Makes carrying firearms easier, doesn’t it? What are you packing, Ham?”
Ham reached under his tweed jacket and put a Beretta 9mm on the table.
“Can you hit anything with that?” Stone asked.
“I fired expert in the army with the old automatic,” Ham said.
“I couldn’t hit a wall with that thing,” Stone said.
“Ham fired expert with everything the army had,” Holly said. “He’s the best shot in the world.”
Ham shook his head. “No, just the best shot you ever saw.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Stone said, glancing at Holly, who made a face at him.
“Be nice to my little girl,” Ham said.
Stone turned to Holly. “See?”
“Oh, Ham, shut up,” Holly said. “Don’t go scaring the men off.”
“I’m just saying,” Ham said.
“It’s all right, Ham,” Stone replied. “I understand.”
“Good. Good spaghetti, too,” he said.
“It’s penne, actually.”
“It’s all spaghetti to me.” He stuffed another forkful into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
“Did you do anything about my house?” Holly said.
“I got you a new door and installed it. Ginny was cleaning up the place when I left for the airport.”
“So you came up here to rescue me?”
“I just thought you might need somebody to watch your back.”
“The Feds seem to be doing that,” Stone pointed out. “After all, she’s the one who’s dogging their witness.”
“Any luck?” Ham asked.