“I wish to God we could give it to them,” Sergeant Young said.

They all sat quietly for a few minutes.

“Anybody want to go for a boat ride?” Stone asked.

“What?” Dino said.

“I’m going to take the picnic boat and circumnavigate the island, while there’s still plenty of daylight.”

Sergeant Young stood up. “I’d better get back to the land search; I’m not doing any good here.”

“Ham, do you want to come?” Stone asked.

Ham shook his head. “I want to stay here in case Holly turns up, and Ginny is still working on Esme’s diary.”

“Grab a jacket, Dino,” Stone said. “It’ll be chillier on the water.”

They met on the dock, and Stone started the engine. “Will you cast us off?” he said to Dino.

Dino undid the bow, stern and spring lines, then pushed them away from the dock and jumped on board.

“We’ve got to get you some Topsiders,” Stone said.

“Huh?”

“Wingtips don’t cut it on a boat.” Stone switched on the GPS plotter and let it warm up. A few seconds later, an image of Islesboro appeared on the screen.

“Hey, that’s neat,” Dino said.

Stone played with the image. “Yes, and you can zoom in and out, too.” He dug out a paper chart from below and studied it.

“Can we get moving?” Dino asked.

“I just want to take a look at possible hazards,” Stone said. “Maine is a rocky place.”

“Good idea.”

Fifteen minutes later they were under way. They passed the yacht club, which seemed mostly deserted.

“Where is everybody?” Dino asked.

“A lot of people have left the island,” Stone said, “and Sergeant Young says a lot of those still here are staying home until this thing is resolved.” Stone was staying close to shore, looking intently at the water.

“You looking for rocks?” Dino asked.

“No,” Stone replied.

“Oh.”

Stone continued to watch the water as they made their way toward the southern tip of the island. He hoped to God he didn’t find what he was looking for. He zipped up his jacket against the breeze.

“Besides that, what should we be looking for?” Dino asked.

“Look for places ashore where she might be hidden,” Stone replied.

“She could be hidden in any house on the island,” Dino said.

“Most of the houses are occupied by families who are spending the summer here. Look for other outbuildings—barns, sheds, that sort of thing. If we find something that looks promising, we can always get Young and his people to go search it.”

Dino looked intently toward the shore. “We’re grasping at straws,” he said.

“I know,” Stone replied. “But I don’t know what else to do.”

48