Tables of food have been set up for family and friends of the deceased. Three dozen guests mill about, talking, eating, telling stories—doing whatever they can to comfort each other.

Dominique and Edie sit alone together on a cushioned bench facing the Gulf, watching the sun as it begins to set along the horizon.

A half mile offshore, a fisherman aboard the fifty-two-foot Hatteras struggles to net his catch.

Edie nods. “Looks like they finally caught something.”

“That’s all they’ll catch.”

“Doll, promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

“And you’re sure you know how to operate that minisub?”

“Yes, Iz showed me—” Her eyes tear up at the memory. “I’m sure.”

“Sue thinks you should take her gun.”

“I didn’t go to all of the trouble of helping Mick escape just to shoot him.”

“She doesn’t think you should be so trusting.”

“Sue’s always been paranoid.”

“And what if she’s right? What if Mick really is a psycho? He could become violent and rape you. After all, he’s been locked up for eleven years and—”

“He won’t.”

“At least take my stun gun. It’s small; in fact it looks just like a cigarette lighter. It’ll fit right in the palm of your hand.”

“Fine, I’ll take it, but I won’t need it.”

Edie turns to see Dory Simpson approach, her daughter Karen heading for the house.

Dominique stands and gives the woman a hug. “Would you like something to drink?”

Dory sits down next to Edie. “Yes, a diet soda would be nice. Unfortunately, we can’t stay long.”

Aboard the Hatteras, Detective Sheldon Saints watches Dominique head toward the house through high-powered binoculars set upon a tripod inside the boat’s main cabin.

Another detective, dressed in jean shorts and a Tampa Bay Buccaneers tee shirt and baseball cap enters the cabin to join him. “Hey, Ted just caught a fish.”

“It’s about fucking time. We’ve only been sitting out here for eight goddam hours. Hand me the night glasses, it’s getting too dark to see.”

Saints fixes the ITT Night Mariner-260 binoculars to the tripod and peers through, adjusting the optic which turns the fading light to shades of green, allowing him to see. Five minutes later, he observes the beautiful female suspect with the long, black hair emerge from the house, carrying a can of soda in each hand. She approaches the bench, offering a soda to each woman, then sits down between them.

Twenty more minutes pass. Now the detective sees the tan blonde in the aqua dress emerge from the house to join the three women. She hugs the Axler woman, then helps her mother up from the bench, leading her around front.

Saints watches for a moment, then returns his focus to the bench, where the older woman and the dark-haired beauty remain, hand in hand.