“Thank you. Perhaps it would help to restrain your ardor if I told you that others—as well-trained and proficient as you—are interested in seeing the twins brought to justice.”

“Is that so?” Smith asked earnestly.

Stone nodded. “And they are much more likely to achieve that result without danger to themselves.”

“Who are these people?”

“They are better friends than you know, or need to know.” Stone stood up. “If you want to survive this episode in your life, it’s better that you start now. How did you travel here?”

“A friend in New York has a King Air. His pilot flew us directly to the island.”

“Can you recall the airplane?”

“Yes, if it’s not in use.”

“You should do so now. Do you have any clothing or personal effects at the inn?”

“No, we checked out a little while ago. We had planned to sleep here tonight.”

“Call about the airplane.”

Smith produced a phone and made the call, then hung up. “The airplane is in the air, returning to Teterboro from the Hamptons. They can divert and be here in an hour. I’d better explain things to Coco.”

“You can do that when you reach the airfield,” Stone said. “Let’s not waste any more time here.”

They locked the house and loaded their things, while Stone kept a watchful eye on the twins’ house.

Stone followed them to the airfield and waited with them, watching the perimeter. The King Air was late by ten minutes, but the pilot had no problem with the short field length. Stone helped them load their belongings.

“Listen,” Smith said, “we still want to close on the house. Once all this is cleared up, we can move in.”

“I’ll let you know when it’s safe,” Stone said.

They shook hands, then boarded the airplane. Five minutes later the pilot set the flaps for takeoff, revved the engines to full throttle, then, after a moment, released the brakes. The aircraft used all the runway, then lifted off and turned south.

Stone felt vastly relieved. He drove slowly back to his house and arrived to find Dino and Viv sitting in the living room, reading.

“Where are Primmy and Carly?” he asked.

“They left a few minutes ago,” Viv said.

“Left for where?”

“They didn’t say, but they took bathing suits with them.”

Outside, the skies darkened, and it began to rain. They could hear thunder in the distance, growing closer, and the rain became dense. The lights in the house went out, then came back on a few seconds later, as the generator kicked in.

“Not a good day for a swim,” Stone said.

“Thunderstorms don’t last long,” Viv said. Then, as if to confirm her judgment, the lights dimmed again, then came back bright, as the generator turned itself off. A moment later, the sun was shining again.