“What’s this about, Dino?” Stone asked.

“It’s Manny, he just drove past us.”

“Did he see us?”

“I don’t think so, but man, was that close. He’s way up the street now, so you can sit up.”

Everybody sat up.

“I heard that,” Tommy said. “Did you guys just blow this whole deal?”

“I think we’re okay, Tommy,” Dino said. “He didn’t see us.”

MANNY WHITE DROVE down Collins Avenue and onto the mainland, toward Florida City. An hour later he pulled up at a diner, near where the Florida Turnpike started, and went inside. Larry Lee and Gigi Jones were at a corner booth. Manny slid in beside them and laid his briefcase on the table. A waitress approached. “What can I get you?”

“A Diet Coke,” Manny said.

“Same here,” Larry said.

“Iced tea,” Gigi said.

The woman left, and Manny opened his briefcase and took out the map Joe had given him. “This is gonna be easy,” he said. He showed them the marina and told them about the boat, then gave them every detail he could remember about the cottage and the dock. “The guy has a drink on his back porch every evening at sundown,” he said. “That’s your time to hit him. Just get the boat near the dock in decent light. There’s a sign on the dock with his initials, M.L.”

“Is the guy going to be armed?” Larry asked.

“He keeps a shotgun locked up, so he can’t get at it in a hurry,”

Manny replied. “If you can use your rifle from the end of the dock, that’s best.”

“Why can’t we approach from the landward side?” Gigi said.

“Too many neighbors to see you come and go.”

“What about people at the marina where the Whaler is?”

“It’s private and unmanned. You can sit in the car and see whether anybody is around.”

“This all sounds good,” Larry said. “It just came up today?”

“Yeah, a friend of mine in New York sent the guy, says he’s okay and . . .” He opened the briefcase and gave Larry and Gigi ten thousand dollars each. “He brought gifts,” Manny said. The two tucked their money away.

“You two had better get going before rush hour starts up,” Manny said. “Take the turnpike north; there’ll be less traffic than on I-95, and no trucks. I’ll get the check.”

“You’re a prince, Manny,” Gigi said.

“What are you going to do about the car?” Manny said. Gigi spoke up. “I’ll drop Larry off at his house in Jupiter and return the car to Key Largo tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll head back to Key West. I’ll let you know when Evan gets back from Connecticut, and we’ll get him taken care of.”

“I don’t want to go to Key West again, if I can help it,” Larry said.