“He said to throw a net over you before you can get away.”

“You do that. I’m giving Ed Rawls a power of attorney to represent me at the closing, and you’ll have a wire transfer for three million and change on Thursday.”

“I wish all my clients were as decisive as you,” Billy said, then hung up.

4

Stone got to Patroon first, ordered a drink, and phoned Ed Rawls.

“Speak to me.”

“Ed, it’s Stone. I’ve just signed a power of attorney for you.”

“Do I get all your money?”

“No, you just get to show up at the Dark Harbor Shop on Friday morning and sign all the documents for me to buy the Stone property.” Stone filled Ed in on what he’d learned from Jack Keegan about the Stone twins’ upcoming parole.

“You beat the boys to the punch?”

“By a whisker.”

“My recollection of the twins tells me they are not going to react kindly to the news.”

“It’s their fault for not getting their offer in soon enough.”

“Tell me, where do two convicts get the money to buy such a place?”

“From their grandmother’s estate. She died before they plead guilty, and they came into something like sixty mil.”

“Then they’re more dangerous than ever.”

“If they get paroled in a couple of days.”

“How are you going to prevent that?”

“I have two plans: one, I have no idea. Two, if that doesn’t work, I’ll try to see that they violate parole and are stuck back inside promptly.”

“I prefer plan two.”

“I prefer plan one, which involves preventing them from being paroled.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“I told you, I don’t know. Yet. I’m having dinner with Dino right now, and I’m going to let him worry about it. Good evening.” He hung up as Dino slid into the booth. They got him a drink.

“Now, let me tell you everything that’s happened.” Stone launched into a recap. When he finished, he said, “Your turn.”

Dino pointed a thumb at himself. “My turn? Are you speaking to me?”

“Directly to you.”

“What do you expect from me?”

“I expect you to tell me how to get the parole of the Stone twins denied. After that, you can tell me how to get them killed in prison.”

Dino cupped a hand behind an ear. “Sorry, I didn’t get that, and I don’t want to not hear it again.”

“You’re a big help.”

Dino took a sheet of paper from his inside pocket and unfolded it. “Actually, I heard about this earlier today, and . . .”

“And you didn’t call me?”

“By that time, you already knew about it.”

“What’s on the paper?”