“We’re going to tow this boat back to our base in Key West and impound it,” she said. “How do I get in touch with you?”

“Call Lieutenant Sculley and Key West PD,” Stone said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He dropped the towel, hopped over the side and swam back to the airplane, followed by Tommy.

“Well,” Tommy said, “that was interesting. I guess she just wanted to see me naked.”

They flew back to Key West. Then, back at the hotel, Stone called Evan Keating’s cell phone number and got his voice mail. “This is Stone Barrington; please call me immediately, very urgent,” he said, then he hung up.

“Looks like he’s going to need legal representation again,” Dino said.

“Looks like,” Stone agreed.

STONE WAS HAVING a drink before dinner with Annika at Louie’s Backyard when his cell phone buzzed. “Hello?”

“I got your message,” a voice on the phone said.

“To whom am I speaking this time?” Stone asked. “Evan Keating or Charley Boggs?”

“Take your pick,” he replied.

“Where are you?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Tell me something: When you were knifed, how did you pay your hospital bill?”

Silence.

“Was Charley Boggs using Evan Keating’s very exclusive credit card?”

“What’s your point?”

“I guess I’ll refer to you as Evan Keating from now on,” Stone said.

“Okay.”

“Once again, where are you?”

“I’m in Torrington, Connecticut.”

“Oh? Why?”

“Look, Stone, I don’t owe you any explanations.”

“Evan, it would be wise of you, in a legal sense, to answer my questions.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Where is your boat at this moment?”

“This is getting very strange,” Evan said.

“It’s even stranger that you’re in Connecticut.”

“My father is dead.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“I know. How did you happen to fi nd out?”

“I spoke to my grandfather, and he told me.”

“When was that?”

“Early this morning.”

“Where were you at the time?”

“On my boat.”

“And where was the boat?”

“West of the Keys.”

“And how did you get back to Key West?”

“I didn’t go to Key West. I went by seaplane from the boat to Miami and got a plane there.”

“Your boat is no longer at Fort Jefferson,” Stone said.

“How do you know where it is?”

“Because I was aboard it this morning when the Coast Guard arrived, impounded it and towed it away.”

“What?”

“Do I have your attention now, Evan?”

“You do.”

“Someone saw your boat out there, unattended. I went out there with the police to find out if you were aboard, dead.”

“Why should I be dead?”

“Well, during the past week or ten days you’ve been knifed and shot. It’s not too great a leap.”

“But why did the Coast Guard impound the boat? It’s not illegal to be anchored out there.”