STONE WALKED BACK to his cottage and watched Charley Boggs walk to his own, directly opposite. Gigi was waiting for him on the front porch, and she stood up to kiss him, laughing when he apparently told her the news.

Dino was sitting on their porch, rocking. “What’s going on?”

Stone got out his cell phone. “I may as well tell you and Eggers at the same time,” he said, pressing the speed-dial number and the speaker button.

Eggers answered, and Stone gave him a blow-by-blow account of the meeting. Eggers was silent.

“Bill?” Stone said.

“I’m still here. At least, I think I’m still here. I’m feeling a little disoriented.”

“I know the feeling,” Stone said. “Are you in touch with Warren Keating at all?”

“I’ve spoken to his attorney a couple of times. There was a lot of shouting.”

“I think you’d better give the attorney the news, so that he can transmit it to his client. Charley Boggs wants Warren to stop trying to kill him.”

“I can understand that,” Eggers said.

“Sooner, rather than later, please.”

“I’ll call him now.”

“Thanks, Bill.”

“You coming back to New York now?”

“In a couple of days, maybe. I want to see what it’s like in Key West when I don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Bye, then.” Eggers hung up.

Stone turned to Dino. “Any questions?”

“Seems like all my questions have been answered,” Dino said.

“All that I can think of at the moment, anyway.”

Stone got a soda out of his refrigerator and sat on the porch, sipping it. “I feel kind of let down,” he said.

“Not me,” Dino said. “I feel just great.”

A young man came down the path and stopped at their porch.

“Is one of you Mr. Stone Barrington?”

“I’m Barrington,” Stone said.

“I have a letter for you from the county attorney’s offi ce,” the man said, holding out an envelope.

Stone pointed at the cottage across the way. “See that cottage?”

“Yessir.”

“Knock on the door and give the letter to Mr. Boggs; he’s expecting it.”

“Okay.” The young man did as he was told, and Charley Boggs received the letter. He opened it, read it, waved at Stone and went back inside.

“Business concluded,” Stone said.

“It’s not too early for a drink, is it?” Dino asked.

“Of course it’s too early. Let’s go to the Raw Bar and get some conch fritters.”

“I’m game,” Dino said.

THEY WERE HALF WAY through their fritters when Dino broke the silence. “There’s something I don’t understand,” he said.

“Tell me,” Stone replied.

“What did these two guys get out of switching identities?”

“They made it harder for their respective fathers to fi nd them.”