“Don’t bother,” Archie said. If he was going to be stuck there all night, he at least wanted to be able to sort through some of the island’s security footage. “I’ll bring it into the office tomorrow. I hardly even use it. I never download anything onto it.” Archie’s mind went to his work machine and his stomach turned. That computer had all sorts of sensitive files on it. If she’d managed to hack into that, she’d have access to all his e-mails, investigation files, and gateways to other law enforcement databases. “Start with my desktop,” he told Ngyun.

Henry stepped next to Ngyun and Sanchez and handed Ngyun the flash drive from Leo. “Take this,” Henry said. “You can check it for malware. And we’re going to need all the footage reviewed. Look for anything relating to Gretchen or Lisa Watson or”—he looked at Archie—“anything else.”

Archie glanced back at his laptop on the kitchen bar. It had gone to screen saver, a black universe filled with stars. He’d never actually downloaded any of the security footage. There went his plan for the evening.

Susan crawled across the bar and pulled her hooded sweatshirt off the stool she’d draped it over, nearly knocking Archie’s computer off the counter in the process. “Be careful with that,” she called as Ngyun walked by carrying her laptop in his shoulder bag. “I’ve got, like, eight unfinished novels on that thing.”

There was an anticipatory energy in the room. Ginger scampered around from person to person, sure that one of these people putting on hats and jackets would be taking her for a walk. Claire walked back from the bathroom, pulling on her dark blue watch cap, touching Henry’s arm as she swept past on her way to retrieve her coat from the coat rack. It was taking all of Archie’s control to stay sitting in that chair. He knew they wouldn’t find anything, but he still itched to be going along.

“I’ll call you,” Henry said.

Archie took a breath and nodded.

Susan bounced up next to Henry. She had her hood up and her purse strap across her chest. The R in WORST on her orange T-shirt had a glob of peanut butter on it.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Henry asked her.

“With you?” she said brightly.

Archie coughed.

Henry crossed his arms. He’d lost weight since his hospital stay, but he was still broad and he could still look scary.

“Home?” Susan guessed again.

“Straight home,” Archie said.

Henry looked at Susan and then at Archie. “It won’t be so bad,” he said. “Watch TV or something,”