“Not at all,” Dino replied. “It’s funny, but usually, when I go on vacation, I’m antsy to get home. Something about this place, though— I hate to leave.”

“Why don’t you buy a house, and I’ll come to visit,” Stone said.

“Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.”

They were just about to order their second drink when Tommy Sculley ambled up to their cottage and accepted a rocking chair and a drink.

“I thought you’d like to know that your client is clear with the feds,” Tommy said. “And the Coast Guard has released his boat. It’s being towed to the yacht club. They’ll put it in my berth, since my boat is out of the water for some work.”

“That’s good to hear,” Stone replied, “and I’ll pass the news about the boat on to Evan.”

“And the ballistics report the Connecticut cops sent me matches the bullet that was recovered from Evan’s boat, so the same assassin was after both Evan and his father.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Stone said. “The only person with any kind of motive to kill both of them is Evan’s grandfather, and his motive would be purely financial. Since he’s a wealthy man anyway, and since he’s in his eighties, he doesn’t seem a likely candidate. The Connecticut state cops have already looked at him and eliminated him as a suspect.”

“What can I tell you?” Tommy said, accepting a drink from the room service waitress. He raised his glass. “Here’s to unsolved murders; what would cops do without them?”

“Maybe you’re underestimating old Eli Keating,” Dino said to Stone. “Just because he’s old doesn’t mean he can’t hate, and God knows, he must have hated Warren for stashing him in that nursing home.”

“I’ll give you that,” Stone said, “but remember, Evan was shot at first, and even your Connecticut cop commented on how warm the relationship was between Evan and his grandfather.”

“Okay, but there’s one other solution to this, although it may seem improbable,” Dino said.

“I’ll take improbable, if it works,” Tommy replied.

“First, Warren hires the hit man to kill Evan. The guy takes his shot but doesn’t get the job done. Then either Evan or Eli, or both in collusion, hire the hit man to kill Warren, and that one takes. And both Eli and Evan had motive to kill Warren, you’ll admit.”

“And they hired the same hit man?” Tommy asked.

“That’s the improbable part,” Dino said.

“But how would two of them, or all three, know about the same hit man?”

“The answer has to be, they both, or all three, knew Manny White, in Miami, or knew about him.”

“How’s that?” Tommy asked.