“I'll do my best. Marisa's playing in the music competition the night before, so it would mean getting a late start. But I'll drive all night, and get there when I can.”

“Thank you,” Liam said.

“Okay,” Patrick said. “Let me go now—I don't want to miss the wildlife place.”

“I'll call Jean,” Liam said.

They said goodbye and hung up. Liam dialed his friend's number, caught him working in the office, and told him to expect visitors with two sick seal pups. Get the white, Patrick had quoted Gilbert Lafarge as saying.

The words shimmered in Liam's mind, troubling him like a disturbance under the water's surface. He couldn't quite make out the source of what was bothering him—he had too much to concentrate on, plotting what had to happen at the court hearing. So he just stared out at the calm cove, taking some deep breaths.

Looking around, he realized that he couldn't see Nanny. He peered into the darkness, listening for any sound she might make—her tail slapping the surface, an exhalation before diving—but there was nothing.

Get the white.

It couldn't be, could it? Liam's heart thudded, scanning the sea. He leaned against the porch rail, watching for a few minutes more. Feeling an undercurrent of worry, he decided to go upstairs and try to forget the white whale, try to forget the weeks ahead, try to forget everything except holding Lily.

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Sitting on the porch of the Cape Hawk Inn the next morning, Patrick made one very long phone call. It was to Joe Holmes, of the FBI's Connecticut Field Office—but since it was Sunday morning, Patrick caught him at home, in Hubbard's Point.

They talked for nearly an hour, covering everything Liam had mentioned last night. Patrick gave Joe the address he remembered from the Mara Jameson case file, and Joe told him he would take care of it. Almost as an aside, he also gave Joe the details he knew about Gilbert Lafarge, as well as the name of the Sea Canyon Resort.

“Oceanographic rescue work isn't exactly my area of expertise,” Joe said. “But if it helps Liam, I'll do what I can.”

“I figure there's someone you can call in Canada,” Patrick said. “To see if they can stop what's going on. If you could have seen these two seals . . .”

“I'll do my best,” Joe said. “But the main thing is to track down the witness for Lily, hope she's willing to cooperate.”

“It's a long shot, and very last-minute. If it works, it'll be a home run for Lily,” Patrick said. “And Liam came up with it. I wish I had.”

“Me too,” Joe said. “If it happens, that is.”

“Big if,” Patrick said, hanging up.