THEY HAD JUST FINISHED LUNCH when Stone’s phone rang. The calling number was blocked.

Stone turned on the speaker so Holly could hear. “Hello?”

“It’s me. You called?” Will Lee said.

“I did. The kettle is coming to a boil around here.”

“Are you in the north?”

“Yes. Last night two men in suits and ties were observed taking a close interest in my house, and this morning, two such men rang my doorbell and introduced themselves as FBI agents. Do you know why the FBI would have any interest in me?”

“No. What did they want?”

“They said they were investigating a report of the theft of a piece of luggage, and they mentioned our friend on the mountainside and asked about our conversation.”

“Who have you been talking to around there?”

“Here’s a complete list—a female person of your acquaintance, a former government employee who lives here, Whit Saltonstall, the editor of the New York Times, and the publisher of Vanity Fair, all of whom I saw at dinner last evening on the yacht belonging to Christian St. Clair.”

“What an interesting group.”

“Yes, they were.”

“At the dinner, did anyone inquire about the luggage?”

“No.”

“Did our friend’s name come up?”

“Only when we learned of his death.”

“Yes, we’re very sad here about that.”

“Was there anything unusual about his death?”

“He collapsed in his garden after breakfast yesterday. The local medical examiner said the cause of death was neurological damage associated with Alzheimer’s.”

“Do you know if that is a typical cause of death in someone at his stage of the disease?”

“I know it’s a neurological illness, and that eventually some, perhaps many, Alzheimer’s victims die of it.”

“Can you think of anyone to whom our friend’s existence might have been a threat?”

“Among politicians he had fewer enemies than most. Still . . .”

“Does a name come to mind?”

“Anyone, I suppose, who fears that the contents of the package might become known. Is it secure?”

“Yes. I have obtained the means to open it. Should I?”

“I suggest not. Your situation might become more dangerous if it were thought that you were familiar with the contents.”

“Why didn’t you mention that at the outset?”

“I’m very sorry, this was to have been a simple matter, and I did not anticipate the ensuing complications.”

“Can I send it to you?”

“Absolutely not. It would have to pass through too many layers of inspection. Also, it should not be mailed or sent by commercial shipper.”

“Can you send someone to relieve me of it?”

“I have no such person at my disposal.”

“So I’m stuck with it?”

“I’m sorry, but yes, for the time being.”

“How about if I just dump it in Penobscot Bay?”

“It would send out a signal that would trigger alarms.”

“Swell.”