Natalie assumed she was "the little one."

"No thank you, Harvey," she said. "We need to talk to you."

"Good. I'm lonely and there's nothing like a pretty girl to brighten my day. Have a seat on the couch. What can I do for you?"

"We had some trouble at the house last night," Andrew said. "Someone broke in."

Harvey lowered his glass and his bloodshot eyes widened. "My God, that's awful! Did they take anything?"

"No. They just tore up a few things."

"Home invaders!" Harvey pronounced. "Right here in Port Ariel. You're not safe anywhere anymore!" He drained his drink to soothe his outrage. "Police get them?"

Natalie shook her head. "Did you see anything?"

"We went to my daughter's for dinner. The one married to the Baptist minister. Nice guy but dry as dust. So was the evening. No alcohol, naturally, and I got a lecture about my drinking. Anyway, we left around six and got home near ten. Late hour because of the lecture. And an endless prayer for me. One of the longest evenings of my life. That's why I remember the time. Damn, I wish I'd been home. I would have shot those bastards!"

"Then I'm glad you weren't home," Andrew said. "We wouldn't want you up on murder charges. The interesting thing is that the house wasn't broken into. Someone had a key."

"Son of a bitch!" Harvey exclaimed, then headed into the kitchen. "How did someone get your key?" Natalie heard ice clinking in a glass. "Lose it someplace?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you about," Andrew called.

"I gave you a key to the house a long time ago. Do you still have it?"

Harvey strode back into the living room. "You think I broke in your house?"

"Good heavens, no, Harvey. I'm just trying to track down all the keys."

"Oh." Harvey sat down. Sunlight fell harshly on his reddened, flabby face, and a pain shot through Natalie when she remembered how handsome he'd once been. "Sure, I've got your key. A good thing, too. That cable repairman needed it a few days ago."

"Cable repairman?" Andrew repeated. "There's nothing wrong with my cable."

"Well, no. He fixed it," Harvey laughed. "Nice fellow."

"Did a man come here claiming to be a cable repairman?" Natalie asked, understanding what Harvey did not.

"No. He didn't come here. I saw him standing outside your place. I went over to see what was going on and…" Harvey took another sip of his drink "… and he said he was supposed to be here but no one was home, and I said, 'I bet the cable is out,' and damned if I wasn't right!"

Wonderful, Natalie thought. Harvey had provided a possible intruder with an excuse for getting in the house. "What did he look like?"

"Look like? I don't know. Average. My height. Maybe thirty. Light hair."

"How long did he have the key?" Andrew asked.

Harvey looked blank. "About an hour, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, hell, I didn't have my stopwatch, Andrew. What's so important about it, anyway?"

Andrew asked quietly, "Would you get the key?"

Harvey sensed that he'd done something wrong and swung into loud defensiveness. "Sure! Nothing to me!" He crashed his glass onto an end table, sloshing gin onto his hand. "I don't want your damned key. I was only trying to help."

He disappeared into the kitchen again, muttering and curs ing. Drawers slid out and slammed. Cabinet doors opened and slammed. Natalie and Andrew exchanged looks. Finally Harvey returned to the living room and said weakly, "Can't lay my hands on it right now."

Andrew sighed. " Harvey, do you remember the young man bringing back the key?"

"Sure! Well, actually… not really." He looked sheepish. "I think I took a little nap when he was over there."

"He never returned it," Andrew said flatly.

Harvey 's shoulders slumped. He looked old and defeated and completely demoralized. "I screwed up, Andrew. I'm sorry."

"Don't feel bad, old friend," Andrew said quickly. "I think I lost one of the keys, too."

So two house keys were unaccounted for, Natalie thought. Which meant any number of people had easy access to the house.

Nick dialed Constance Farley's phone number and leaned back in his chair. She picked up on the third ring.

"Mrs. Farley, this is Sheriff Meredith in Port Ariel again."

"Good gracious," she fluttered. "What's wrong now?"

"Do you have a nephew named Jeff Lindstrom?"

A short silence. "Unfortunately, yes. My sister's boy. What do you want to know?"

"He's here in Port Ariel."

"You've talked with him?" she asked anxiously. "Did he tell you about me?"

"I've talked with him, but he never mentioned his relationship to you."

"Oh." She. drew a breath. "Sheriff, I really don't understand. If he didn't tell you of our relationship, then why are you calling about him?"

"I found your number in his address book."

"Address book?"

"Yes. Let me explain. Lindstrom has been nosing around town for about a week. He's been asking a lot of questions about the murders we've had. Frankly, he's been bothering people, and I told him to back off."

"He's an awful boy," Constance pronounced. "Pushy. Unprincipled. I think he's a little crazy."

"Crazy? How is he crazy?"

"There have been things over the years, things I don't think my sister would want me to discuss. But he's awful, I tell you."

At least he didn't have to worry about offending the woman, Nick thought. "He claimed he was doing research for a book."

"A book? I wouldn't know anything about that."

"Anyway, I need to talk to him again, but he seems to have disappeared and-"

"Disappeared? What do you mean disappeared? He left town?"

"If so, he left without his luggage. He hasn't been in his motel room since yesterday afternoon. That's where I found his address book."

"Oh. Well… well, I don't see what this has to do with me."

"I thought since your number is in his address book, you might be in touch with him. You might know where he is."

He had not called because he thought Constance might know Lindstrom's whereabouts. He'd called to get information about their relationship. All the murder victims were connected with Eugene Farley. He had first suspected Constance Farley, but her neighbors confirmed she'd never left Knoxville. Now he found out her nephew was in town and he seemed to be stalking potential victims. Could this woman have dispatched Lindstrom to do her dirty work? That would mean they were both crazy. She said he was crazy. Were they both that crazy? Improbable. Not impossible.

"I don't know why you think I'd know where that boy is," Constance returned. Her voice shook slightly as if she were controlling her anger. "I didn't even know he was in Port Ariel. I'm not close to him at all. And frankly, Sheriff, I'm getting really tired of these calls. My life hasn't been easy the last two years, but I'm trying to hold on. I was doing fairly well and then you start this… this… harassment!"

"I didn't mean to harass you, Mrs. Farley."

"Really? You had the police question my neighbors! How humiliating!"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be." Tears in the voice. "I don't know why Jeffrey is there, but believe me, he's a terrible person. Don't talk to him. Don't give him any information."

"I have no intention of giving him any information about this investigation."

"Or about Eugene."

"Mrs. Farley, I didn't know Eugene. I didn't even live in Port Ariel when he… died."

"I see. Well, I don't mean to sound like a harridan, but I'm just so tired, so nervous, and now he's causing trouble-"

"Mrs. Farley, you just calm down," Nick said kindly. "I'll take care of Lindstrom."

"What will you do to him?"

"Chase him to the town limits."