I cranked up and, pulling into the late afternoon traffic, made my way back to Dutch Island.

I ARRIVED BACK AT THE FISH CAMP JUST as the partially hidden sun was touching the tops of the trees on Dutch Island. I walked down to the dock and found Parker and Danny Ray up to their shoulders in dismantling Miss Rosalie’s interior.

“Good God a’mighty, boys,” I exclaimed in a state of mild shock when I saw the level of destruction they had wrought. “It looks like a bomb went off in here.”

Parker looked up with an apologetic grin. “Looks worse than it really is, Kennesaw. Believe me, there’s a method at work here. It may be difficult to discern, but it exists. We just have to remove most of the paneling and the floors to get at the wiring and the hydraulic lines. After that, everything will go back together nicely.”

“Y-yeah,” Danny Ray contributed with a sly grin of his own. It was obvious he was enjoying my reaction.

I looked around again, and to tell the truth, I could detect no pattern to any of it whatsoever.

“Well, Parker, it looks like I’m just going to have to take your word for that. And by the way, have y’all had anything to eat?”

“What time is it?” Parker asked.

“’Bout half past five,” I replied, consulting my watch.

“Did you know it was that late, Danny Ray?” Parker asked.

Danny Ray shook his head to indicate that he didn’t.

“I guess we sort of lost track of time, Kennesaw,” Parker replied sheepishly. “We must have gotten caught up in our work.”

“Well, why don’t y’all cease operations for the time being and come up to the cabin and get cleaned up? I’ve picked up some grub for us. It’s time you took a break.”

“Okay, we’ll be right up,” Parker said. Danny Ray nodded in the affirmative.

By the time the guys came in I had the table set with some of Kentucky’s finest fried poultry, along with all the fixings. I opened a tin of food for Tybee and put it in his dish in the corner of the kitchen. He pounced on the cat food like it was live prey. The men did the same with the chicken.

“I’m going to be out for the evening,” I announced. “Don’t wait up, and ...” I shot Parker a pointed look, “don’t you two work too late, either. I figure a man is incompetent if he can’t get his work done in an eight-hour day. Besides, there’s a lot to accomplish, and you can’t do it all at once. So pace yourselves.”

Parker wiped his lips with a paper napkin and leaned back in his chair.

“Oh, that was good,” he said.

“I’ll send the colonel your compliments,” I responded.