“Good afternoon,” he said, offering Stone an envelope. “There’s your fe
e for your day’s work.”
“Thank you,” Stone replied, tucking it into a pocket.
“I wonder if I could ask a favor of the two of you?” Evan asked.
“What can we do for you?” Stone asked.
“Gigi and I are being married tomorrow morning, and since we don’t know anybody in Key West, we need a couple of witnesses. Would you stand up for us?”
Stone looked at Dino, who shrugged. “Sure,” Stone said.
“Thank you. We’re in the cottage at the end of the walk, and the hotel arranged for a justice of the peace at noon.”
“We’ll be there,” Stone said.
“There’ll be lunch in the restaurant after that, and I hope you can join us.”
“Sure, we’d like that,” Stone said.
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S t u a r t W o o d s
“We’ll look forward to seeing you at noon, then,” Evan said, and with a wave, he walked back toward his cottage.
“You mind staying another night?” Stone said.
“Not at all,” Dino replied. “It’s funny, but usually, when I go on vacation, I’m antsy to get home. Something about this place, though— I hate to leave.”
“Why don’t you buy a house, and I’ll come to visit,” Stone said.
“Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing.”
They were just about to order their second drink when Tommy Sculley ambled up to their cottage and accepted a rocking chair and a drink.
“I thought you’d like to know that your client is clear with the feds,” Tommy said. “And the Coast Guard has released his boat. It’s being towed to the yacht club. They’ll put it in my berth, since my boat is out of the water for some work.”
“That’s good to hear,” Stone replied, “and I’ll pass the news about the boat on to Evan.”
“And the ballistics report the Connecticut cops sent me matches the bullet that was recovered from Evan’s boat, so the same assassin was after both Evan and his father.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Stone said. “The only person with any kind of motive to kill both of them is Evan’s grandfather, and his motive would be purely financial. Since he’s a wealthy man anyway, and since he’s in his eighties, he doesn’t seem a likely candidate. The Connecticut state cops have already looked at him and eliminated him as a suspect.”
“What can I tell you?” Tommy said, accepting a drink from the room service waitress. He raised his glass. “Here’s to unsolved murders; what would cops do without them?”
“Maybe you’re underestimating old Eli Keating,” Dino said to Stone. “Just because he’s old doesn’t mean he can’t hate, and God knows, he must have hated Warren for stashing him in that nursing home.”
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L o i t e r i n g w i t h I n t e n t
“I’ll give you that,” Stone said, “but remember, Evan was shot at first, and even your Connecticut cop commented on how warm the relationship was between Evan and his grandfather.”
“Okay, but there’s one other solution to this, although it may seem improbable,” Dino said.
“I’ll take improbable, if it works,” Tommy replied.