“Good luck,” Holly said. “Call me on my cell if you want to bounce anything off me.”

“Will do.” Stone hugged Holly and shook Lance’s hand.

“I’m still on this,” Lance said, “and I’ll be in touch if I come up with anything. Please keep Dick’s little office locked until I can get somebody up here to remove the equipment.” He handed Stone the key.

“Sure.” Stone shook Dino’s hand. “Let me know what’s happening, and give Elaine a kiss for me.”

A moment later, they were driving away, and Stone went back into the house. It seemed suddenly very empty.

Mabel came into the room. “Stone, what should I do about all the clothes upstairs?”

Stone thought about it for a moment. “Take anything that you and Seth want, then pack it all up and give it to some local charity.”

“The church has a clothing drive every summer,” she said.

“That’s perfect.” Stone called Joan and told her to expect Dino. As he was hanging up, the doorbell rang. He opened it to find Caleb Stone standing on the doorstep.

“Come in, Caleb,” Stone said, offering his hand.

“Can I talk with you for a minute?” Caleb asked.

“Sure, come on into Dick’s study. You want a drink?”

“I wouldn’t mind a Scotch.”

Stone poured the drink, and they sat down in the big wing chairs before the fireplace. Stone waited for Caleb to speak.

“I owe you an apology,” Caleb said.

“What for?”

“First of all, for the way I behaved that summer when you were up here.”

“That was a long time ago.” It may have been a long time ago, he reflected, but every time he saw Caleb he felt a flash of anxiety and anger at the way Caleb had treated Dick and him that summer.

“It’s been on my mind. Also, for the way I behaved when you told me about Dick’s will.”

“I know it came from out of the blue,” Stone said. “You had a right to be upset. Caleb, I wish I had some leeway in disbursing the estate, but I just don’t. As I’m sure you’ve noted, Dick’s will was so explicit as not to allow any other interpretation.”

“I understand that,” Caleb said, “and I’ll just have to learn to live with it. How did the inquest go? I couldn’t bring myself to be there.”

“You’ve another shock in store, I’m afraid. There’s little doubt in my mind that Dick, Barbara and Esme were all murdered by some unknown person. Dick didn’t kill his family or himself.”

Caleb looked stunned. He took a deep swig from his drink. “Well, that’s both a shock and a relief. I couldn’t imagine that Dick had done that, but I can’t imagine that there’s anyone who’d want them dead, either.”