THE BROWN UPS TRUCK DROVE NORTH THROUGH THE DOOR COUNTY peninsula. The driver’s stops included the towns of Fish Creek and Ephraim before heading up to Sister Bay. It was 2:30 p.m. when he turned into the parking lot of Connie Clarkson’s sailing camp, grabbed the overnight envelope from the stack next to him, scanned the bar code, and dropped it on the front porch of the main office. He rang the bell and hustled back to his truck. He was pulling away when the front door opened.

Connie looked down to see the UPS envelope on the ground. She picked it up and walked back into the kitchen, where she dropped it on the table. A kettle of water was on the stove and had just started to whistle. She turned the burner off and poured the boiling water into a mug with the strings of two tea bags hanging over the rim. She allowed them to steep for two minutes, then pulled the tea bags from the mugs and dropped them in the garbage. She brought her mug to the kitchen table and sat down. She tore the thread from the top of the UPS envelope. Pushing the edges together, she saw that there was a single piece of paper inside, along with a business-sized white envelope.

She turned the package over and the contents slid onto the table. Lifting the paper, she unfolded it. It held a short, handwritten message:

Dear Connie,

You’ve done more than anyone else would have done. More than either of us expected. We owe you everything, and can never repay you. But we can at least give you what was taken. Love, Claire & Christopher

The boat, Connie assumed, had made it safely to Jamaica. She put the paper down and reached for the envelope. She stuck her finger under the edge and ripped it open. Inside was a cashier’s check. After she pulled it from the envelope, she looked long and hard at the number printed on it. She had trouble comprehending that it was real. It was made out for $2 million, the exact amount she had handed over to Garth Montgomery years ago.

CHAPTER 79 - Santorini, Greece Wednesday, December 15, 2021

CHAPTER 79

Santorini, Greece Wednesday, December 15, 2021

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY TWENTY YEARS NATALIE RATCLIFF WAS late delivering a manuscript. Her impeccable track record of punctuality had been broken this time, and for good reason. So much had happened since summer to thwart her creativity and productivity. But now, finally, she was attempting to put the finishing touches on her latest Peg Perugo story. And just in the nick of time. The world was waiting. The book was slated for publication the following spring.