“What could that have to do with my online relationship with her son?”

“Same answer,” I said.

“You have no idea?”

“Bingo.”

“So now what? Do we start searching for Buck?”

I thought about it. “Did you notice that tennis club on the way in?”

“The snooty-looking one?”

“Right. When Rachel and I were here last time, Jared said something about having to get to his job at the club. I mean, there may be more than one club on this island—”

“No, it’s that one,” Ema said. “Look at this street. This is where the workers live. I bet ninety percent of the people who live here work at that tennis club. The bigger problem is, look at us. You’re wearing jeans. I’m wearing, well, not tennis whites.”

“I have an idea,” I said.

We started back down the street toward the main road. We turned right. The tennis club was up ahead. I thought that maybe there would be a guard or a gate, but this was the kind of island where you didn’t need that. Guards at clubs were there to keep out the riffraff. This island had no riffraff. Just members and staff.

We started down the entrance road when a young man in tennis whites with a sweater tied around his neck hurried toward us. “May I help you?”

“No,” I said. “We’re fine.”

We kept walking toward the clubhouse. I thought that maybe Mr. Tied Sweater would let us be. He didn’t. He ran alongside us and said, “Uh, excuse me?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you here?”

I had expected this. I had hoped, though, to get lucky and walk around a little more and maybe spot our boy, but that was not to be. Still, we kept walking and looking as we spoke. “My name is Will. This is my sister, Grace.”

Ema nodded. We kept walking and scanning for Jared.

“Yeah, okay. What can I do for you? This club has a strict dress code. Neither one of you is adhering to it.”

“We are here seeking employment,” I said.

Tied Sweater was getting annoyed that we wouldn’t stop walking. “I don’t think we are hiring at the current time.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Ema said.

We were at the door to the clubhouse. I pushed through. “Maybe we could fill out an application. Just to keep it on file. In case someone quits.”

“We require references. Do you have them?”

“Yes, we do.” It was time to take a chance. “Jared Lowell will recommend us.”

“Oh,” Tied Sweater said, suddenly smiling. His whole persona changed. Jared clearly had some clout. “You’re both friends of Jared’s?”

“Close friends,” said Ema.

“Well, that changes things,” he said.

“He’s working today, right?”

“What? No. In fact, I figured that’s why you’re here.”

I said, “Huh?”