That’s one helluva woman, I thought as I tucked the boxes beneath my arm and headed back to the dock. A smart guy would do well to pay serious court to her. Several had, but Dolores had sent them all packing. She told me that after she had lost her husband, Bill, she just didn’t want to go through the difficulty of getting to know someone again, or of getting close to another person—she didn’t feel it was worth the effort and energy. It was a sentiment I could understand. And then a picture of Patricia came to my mind. Well, maybe, I thought. But I’m in no hurry. And if things develop in their own good time . . . Well, we’ll see.

Danny Ray and Parker were just pulling away in Danny Ray’s truck as I crossed the parking lot. And as they turned onto the street I could see Parker gesturing with his hands and talking animatedly, with Danny Ray nodding vigorously in response.

On the dock, I dropped the boxes and went inside to get a few tools. Back on the dock again I opened the boxes with my pocketknife and then cut each flat sheet of cardboard into two pieces. I then retrieved several one-by-four planks I’d been saving and stapled the planks to the cardboard sheets along one side. Standing one of the narrow planks on end I checked my work. Yep, I thought, these would do nicely.

I went below and retrieved the shotgun I had bought yesterday, along with a box of shells and a pistol—my nine-millimeter CZ 75. I threaded my belt through the Band-Aid pistol holster, placing it cross-draw style on the left side of my waist. After checking it for fit and comfort, I then zipped up my jacket.

Back on deck I pulled a pair of rubber sea boots from a storage locker and exchanged them for the deck shoes I was wearing. In just a few seconds I had everything loaded in the sea skiff and ready to go. While the engine warmed, I gave the boat a quick once-over. Everything was the way it should be. The instruments looked good and the automatic bilge pump had gotten rid of the rainwater that had fallen. I cast off the dock line, slipped the engine into gear, and quietly pulled away.