“I checked the pill bottle. My dosage is five milligrams. The pills had been changed to ten milligrams. That would be enough to keep me down. Plus, I had a few drinks last evening. I’m still woozy.”

“Well, at least you gave us an excuse to get off the yacht. I think we’d worn out our welcome with our fellow passengers.”

“The same ones as before?”

“Nope.” Stone told him about Ozick and Holder. “Whit Saltonstall jumped ship as we were arriving, as soon as he got out of bed and saw who was joining.”

“Did you make any friends?” Ed asked.

“I don’t think so.”

“Not a chance,” Holly said. “We asked too many uncomfortable questions.”

“Will Lee called, too, just before you did, and voiced the opinion that we should get off.”

“Maybe Kate has sent a submarine to torpedo it,” Holly said.

“What a great idea!” Ed replied. “Stone, would you mind making me a cup of coffee? I can’t seem to get out of this chair.”

“I’ll do it,” Holly said. “Stone hasn’t made a cup of coffee for at least a decade.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Stone said, taking a chair. “Make me one, too, will you? And yourself?”

When Holly came back with the coffee, she had to wake up Ed. “It’s very strong.”

“That’s how I like it,” Ed said, pressing the button on his chair that returned it to a sitting position. “Now that I think of it,” Ed said, “they probably didn’t get into the archive. If they had, I doubt if I’d be alive.”

“Oh,” Stone said, “I forgot to mention that one Nelson Knott was aboard.”

“Now that is interesting,” Rawls said. “I saw the news on TV about his announcement.”

“Ozick told me that Knott had already asked him for a hundred-million-dollar donation to his PAC.”

“Did he get it?”

“I don’t think so, but Ozick is mulling it over, and I think he’ll come up with it. I mean, if he doesn’t want Kate to be reelected, what are his choices? Barry Goldwater is dead, and Pat Buchanan isn’t running. Knott told us he’d already loaned his campaign fifty million.”

“He could write that check,” Rawls said. “Forbes says he’s worth fifteen billion.”

“Holly is worried,” Stone said.

“I am,” Holly agreed. “He’s richer and smarter than the last guy, and he’s great on TV.”

“That’s half the ball game,” Ed said.

“Yeah, but the other half is going to be a lot tougher,” she said.

“Ed,” Stone said, “I think you’d better come home with us—pack a few things.”

“I don’t want to leave here.”