Seconds before Dex maneuvered the skiff into the cove, Ricci thought he noticed a twinkle of reflected sunlight in the shrubbery near a large granite outcropping. He momentarily focused his eyes on that spot, saw the starry glint of light again, and committed the features of the little slice of beach to memory. As an added reference, he glanced at his wrist-mounted diving compass for its coordinates. The reflection could have been from some shards of glass that had washed ashore, or a beer can or bottle discarded by a fisherman who had stopped on the island for a solitary lunch. But just in case it wasn't, the big hunk of rock made as perfect a landmark as he could have wanted.

After lowering anchor, and paying out rope until it was fast and the skiff was head to wind, Dex yawned, stretched, then reached into the well for his thermos.

"Guess the kids must've worn you out," Ricci said. He was staring out across the bow again.

"Huh?" Dex unscrewed the thermos lid. "What do you mean?"

Ricci turned to face him.

"Way you've been trying to catch flies with your mouth all morning," he said. "I figured it was from filling in for your wife after school the other day. Either that or you haven't been getting enough sleep."

Dex looked down, pouring himself some coffee.

"Been sleeping fine," he said, and sipped. "But it's true the brats wouldn't stay off my back for a second."

Ricci watched him.

"Nancy climbed into bed that night feelin' randy as a catamount under a full moon, and it's me was holdin' out the red flag for a change," Dex said. "Don't know if it was the boys got me down, so to speak, or thinkin' about that awful shit Phipps an' Cobbs pulled on you while I was playin' nursemaid." He scrubbed a hand down over his beard. "Suppose it was mostly the second. I mean, them tryin' to make off with our catch. Talk about luck, me not bein' there with you was a bad piece, hey?"

"Don't sweat it," Ricci said, still watching him. "They got what they had coming."

"Should've been around to help you give it to 'em, is all I'm sayin'." Dex drank a little more coffee from the thermos lid, then held it out to him. "Want some a' this mud the ol' lady brewed?"

Ricci shook his head.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said, then shrugged out of his pullover. "I want to get started while the water's still halfway calm."

Dex nodded, set down the lid, and went to work. He hoisted the metal dive flag, then reached down into the well for one of the scuba tanks, rose from the cockpit, and put the tank overboard on a rope line.