“The decision’s been made,” said Brody.

“You could say that, yes.”

“And when someone else gets killed? Who’s taking the blame this time? Who’s going to talk to the husband or the mother or the wife and tell them, ‘We were just playing the odds, and we lost’?”

“Don’t be so negative, Martin. When the time comes—if the time comes, and I’m betting it won’t—we’ll work that out then.”

“Now, goddammit! I’m sick of taking all the shit for your mistakes.”

“Wait a minute, Martin.”

“I’m serious. If you want the authority for opening the beaches, then you take the responsibility, too.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that as long as I’m chief of police in this town, as long as I’m supposed to be responsible for public safety, those beaches will not be open.”

“I’ll tell you this, Martin,” said Vaughan. “If those beaches stay closed over the Fourth of July weekend, you won’t have your job very long. And I’m not threatening. I’m telling you. We can still have a summer. But we have to tell people it’s safe to come here. Twenty minutes after they hear you won’t open the beaches, the people of this town will impeach you, or find a rail and run you out on it. Do you agree, gentlemen?”

“Fuckin’ A,” said Catsoulis. “I’ll give ’em the rail myself.”

“My people got no work,” said Lopez. “You don’t let them work, you’re not gonna work.”

Brody said flatly, “You can have my job any time you want it.”

A buzzer sounded on Vaughan’s desk. He stood up angrily and crossed the room. He picked up the phone. “I told you we didn’t want to be disturbed!” he snapped. There was a moment’s silence, and he said to Brody, “There’s a call for you. Janet says it’s urgent. You can take it here or outside.”

“I’ll take it outside,” Brody said, wondering what could be urgent enough to call him out of a meeting with the selectmen. Another attack. He left the room and closed the door behind him. Janet handed him the phone on her desk, but before she could depress the flashing button to release it from “hold,” Brody said, “Tell me: Did Larry ever call Albert Morris and Fred Potter this morning?”

Janet looked away from him. “I was told not to say anything about anything to anybody.”

“Tell me, Janet. I need to know.”

“Will you put in a good word for me with Golden Boy in there?”

“It’s a deal.”

“No. The only ones I called were the four in there.”

“Push the button.” Janet pushed the button, and Brody said, “Brody.”

Inside his office, Vaughan saw the light stop flashing, and he gently eased his finger off the receiver hook and placed his hand over the mouthpiece. He looked around the room, searching each face for a challenge. No one returned his gaze—not even Hooper, who had decided that the less he was involved in the affairs of Amity, the better off he would be.