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“The blackmail is over,” A
Two beats of silence passed in which Damien’s face slowly lit up from within. “I want to give you something.”
Inwardly, A
A
“You were always supposed to have it,” Damien said earnestly, as if afraid she was going to give it back. “I just didn’t know till today. When I brought it up, Tinker said, ‘Look how the gray zigzags, like the gray through A
“Thank you,” A
Damien looked pleased. Behind him a noisy group of mostly teenage girls was coming up from the lodge. “Looks like your audience is arriving,” A
“I want to run and tell Tinker the good news-will you take my nature walk, A
He enjoyed the look of stark terror on her face for a moment before he said: “Just kidding.”
As A
Oscar, it seemed, could communicate telepathically over fairly good distances. The whimsy pleased A
TWENTY TWO
The week passed peacefully and for that A
Lucas Vega came by Amygdaloid on his way up from Windigo on one of his periodic tours of the island. He had a cup of coffee with A
With the time of death established, Stanton had been able to check alibis. Hawk and Holly had been cleared of committing the murder. On the night De
Unwilling to abandon his drug theory completely, Stanton still considered them possible accomplices. If De
Jo Castle had been completely cleared of suspicion. She had been alone on her wedding night but had been so distraught by what she believed to be the groom’s defection to another woman’s bed that she had spent the night on the phone to her mother. Jo’s mom corroborated the story, as did AT amp;T. The call had started near midnight and gone till nearly dawn. De
A
The Chief Ranger went on to tell A
Vega commended A
With a charming shyness, he declined a second cup of coffee. He had a di
For all the gentility of delivery, a Chief Ranger’s suggestions were orders. The last two days of A
On Monday evening, the day before her two lieu days, the 3rd Sister docked at Amygdaloid. A
She’d seen neither Hawk nor Holly since Hawk’s confession over egg salad. Feeling cowardly, she pretended not to see him walking up from the dock.
“The glamour never stops, huh?”
Mustering a smile, she turned. He stood a few yards away, out of the pit toilet’s olfactory range. “Never does,” A
“Mostly thanks to you.”
“I heard it was thanks to public drunke
Hawk laughed obligingly. A
“No squirrels. Next week. A couple out of Florida. He knows all there is to know about diving. Told Holly so on the phone. But a client’s a client. We’ve got to make hay- or payments-while the sun shines.”
A
“Stanton’s still nosing around. There are enough rumors floating on this lake to keep him interested a long while.”
“What rumors?” A
“The usual. That there’s drug traffic. Secondhand stories of wild parties out on the lake.”
“Anything to the rumors?” she asked.
“Probably. But Holly and I don’t mix enough to know where the stories point. At the moment, I think if I did I’d run and tattle to Stanton. Everybody’s got their price. Mine’s that boat.”
“And Holly.”
He looked pained and A
She could see the suggestion filtering into Hawk’s mind.
He and Holly were professional divers, the best, and they had a vested interest in the outcome of the investigation. “You’re a jewel,” Hawk said suddenly and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “If nothing else, it’ll keep us from feeling so helpless.”
“Take pictures,” A
Tuesday morning, the first day of A