Kevin stood up, fidgeted, and stared out his window at the distant island.

“What’s wrong now?” Melanie questioned.

“Siegfried,” Kevin said. He looked back at Melanie. “About his warning to apply Equatoguinean law to us. He reminded us that going to the island could be considered a capital offense. Don’t you think we should take that threat seriously?”

“Hell, no!” Melanie said.

“How can you be so sure,” Kevin said. “Siegfried scares me.”

“He’d scare me, too, if I was an Equatoguinean,” Melanie said. “But we’re not. We’re Americans. While we’re here in the Zone, good old American law applies to us. The worst thing that can happen is we get fired. And as I said last night, I’m not sure I wouldn’t welcome it. Manhattan is sounding awfully good to me these days.”

“I wish I felt as confident as you,” Kevin said.

“Has your playing around with the computer this morning confirmed that the bonobos are remaining in two groups?”

Kevin nodded. “The first group is the largest and stays around the caves. It includes most of the older bonobos, including your double and mine. The other group is in a forest area on the north side of the Rio Diviso. It’s composed mostly of younger animals, although the third oldest is with them. That’s Raymond Lyons’s double.”

“Very curious,” Melanie said.

“Hi, everybody,” Candace called out while coming through the door, without knocking. “How’d I do time-wise? I didn’t even blow-dry my hair.” Instead of her normal French twist, her damp hair was combed back straight off her forehead.

“You did great,” Melanie assured her. “And you were the only smart one to get some sleep. I have to admit, I’m exhausted.”

“Did Siegfried Spallek get in touch with you?” Kevin asked.

“At about nine-thirty,” Candace said. “He woke me up out of a sound sleep. I hope I made sense.”

“What did he say?” Kevin asked.

“He was very nice, actually,” Candace said. “He even apologized for what happened last night. He also had an explanation about the smoke coming from the island. He said it was from a work crew burning brush.”

“We got the same message,” Kevin said.

“What’s your take on it?” Candace asked.

“We don’t buy it,” Melanie said. “It’s too convenient.”

“I sort of assumed as much,” Candace said.

Melanie grabbed her paper bag. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Do you have the key?” Kevin questioned. He picked up the locator and the directional beacon.

“Of course I have the key,” Melanie said.

As they went out the door Melanie told Candace she’d brought some lunch for them.

“Great!” Candace said. “I’m famished.”

“Hold on a second,” Kevin said when they reached the stairs. “Something just dawned on me. We must have been followed yesterday. That’s the only way I can explain the way they surprised us. Of course, that really means I must have been followed, since I was the one who talked about the smoke situation with Bertram Edwards.”