As he watched, the yellow dot that was Gala’s phone approached the house along the river, then made a turn toward the wood on the property. Tirov’s green dot also headed in that direction.

Stone tried Gala’s number again, but still got no reply. Then the two dots both approached the wood and a moment later, stopped. They had converged. Stone watched, horrified. The two dots remained together. He picked up the phone and ordered his horse. “Now,” he said.

He changed hurriedly and ran down the stairs and out the front door, where the groom awaited, holding his usual gelding. He mounted quickly and galloped off toward the neighboring property. He took the stone wall at a dead run and headed for the wood. As he approached, a golf cart drove out of the wood toward the house, moving fast. There was one man aboard, and Stone couldn’t make out who at that distance. He slowed and rode into the wood.

Shortly, he came to a clearing and found Gala mounting her horse from a large rock. She started at the sight of him.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes,” she said. “Did you finish your work?”

“I did, and as I approached, I saw someone ride away from the wood in a golf cart. Anybody we know?”

“It was Boris,” she said. “He saw me from a window at the hotel and gave chase, I guess you’d say.”

“And did he catch you?”

“He did. I stopped to pee in the woods, and when I came back he was there.”

“What was the tenor of your meeting?”

“Uncomfortable. He wanted to engage in conversation, but I wouldn’t talk to him. I led my horse away, looking for something to stand on to mount, and I heard his golf cart drive away. Then you turned up.”

“I tried to phone you, but you didn’t answer.”

She took her phone from her jacket pocket and looked at it. “It’s on mute,” she said. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No harm done. Are you ready to go back to the house?”

“I think I’ve had enough for one morning,” she said.

“Then I’ll ride back with you.”

“I’ll race you,” she said, and spurred her mount to a run.

They took the wall flying and were neck and neck when they reached the stables. The groom took the horses.

“Cool them down for a bit before you stable them,” Stone told the man, and they walked back to the house.

—

They lunched in the library, and Gala was uncharacteristically quiet.

“What would you like to do this afternoon?” Stone asked

“I think I’ll work for a while. I had an idea for a couple of scenes this morning, and I want to get them on paper. You?”