"Sure, Jesse."

"Ask around a little too. But not too obvious. I'd rather he didn't know we were asking."

"Okay," Suitcase said.

He stood and went to the door.

"You know, I think Abby Taylor's getting interested in you again too," Suitcase said.

"She was asking me about you when I was getting coffee at the Village Room."

"What was she asking?"

"About you and your ex, and were you going out with anyone.

Stuff like that."

"Just polite conversation," Jesse said.

"No it was not," Suitcase said.

Jesse shrugged. Suitcase was a heavy-handed kidder but an enthusiastic one.

"Man," he said.

"Mrs. Campbell, your ex, now Miss Taylor.

You're a damn golden boy, Jesse. I wish I was from California."

"I wish you were in California," Jesse said.

"Go investigate Harry Smith."

"Yes sir, Chief Stone."

THIRTY-FOUR.

Macklin looked around happily. He had the whole crew with him, ranged in a semicircle in Faye's living room. It was the first time he had them all together. Faye served drinks.

"Drink up," Macklin said.

"Because when we get close, everybody goes on the wagon."

"How close are we now?" Crow said.

"Still gathering data," Macklin said.

"What's the ocean look like around the island, Freddie?"

"Channel between the island and the neck is not navigable.

Way the water churns in there, be like navigating a blender."

"" So?"

"So if I take you off on this side, at the boat club, which is the only place I can, I got to go all the way around the island to get to the open sea."

"Puts us between the town and the island for how long?"

"Depends on which way the tide is and which way the wind's blowing at the time."

"For cris sake Freddie, gimme a time. Ballpark."

"Half hour."

"Too long. Can you take us off the other side?"

"Long as the weather holds. Take you right off by the restaurant, but you got to get to me. I can't get in closer than maybe fifty yards."

"Too shallow?"

"Too shallow. Too rocky. There's a lot of rock jumble slid down off the stone face over the last million years."

"So how do we get to you?"

"Wade out. It's only about five feet deep at the most. I hold the boat steady out past the rocks. You walk out to me."

Macklin nodded.

"We'll work something out," he said.

"Maybe we can find a small rowboat and stash it."

"Either way," Costa said, "weather's got to be good."

"We'll try to pick a nice day," Macklin said.

Costa heard the sarcasm. He paid no attention. He knew what he knew. Bad weather, you couldn't get through those rocks.

Couldn't get anything but a small boat through there in any kind of weather. And he wasn't tearing his boat up on those rocks for Macklin or a million bucks or anything else. They didn't know about the ocean. He did.

"Anybody needs to get onto the island, you take my car," Macklin said.

"The real estate broad thinks you're my contractors.

She gave me a visitor's pass because I'm such a hot prospect. You put the pass on the dashboard and drive up, and the guard waves you through."

"I'll need a look at the underside of the bridge," Fran said.

"Freddie will get you as close as he can, and you can use binoculars," Macklin said." JD, you go with them. I think all the wire from the island runs under the bridge."

"What makes you think that?" JD said.

"Mrs. Campbell told me."

"Maybe she's just saying it. Sell you some property."

"Well, where else would they run it?"

"On the floor of the harbor."

"When they have a nice bridge?"

"They might have wanted power out there while they were building the bridge."

"Okay," Macklin said.

"We won't guess. Find out about it."

"Yes sir, cap'n," JD said.

Macklin gestured his glass at Faye, and she made him a new drink and put it at his elbow. She put her hand on his shoulder as she set the drink down. Macklin patted her hand absently.

"Weapons?" Crow said.

Macklin nodded.

"Shotguns. Rifles. Hundred rounds each."

Crow raised his eyebrows.

"Better too much than too little," Macklin said.

"Everybody here got a piece of his own?"

"I got a Winchester on the boat," Costa said.

"Handgun," JD said.

Fran nodded.

"Crow, make sure each of us has rifle, shotgun, and handgun," Macklin said.

"Fran, you'll take care of your own explosives?"

"Soon as I figure out what I need," Fran said.

Faye brought in a platter of sandwiches, mixed some more drinks, leaned her hips against the sideboard, and watched Jimmy when she wasn't busy. He's happy, she thought. He loves this, getting the crew together, planning the action, attending to all the details, smoothing out any friction. He should have been some kind of army officer. She watched him lean back in his chair sipping his drink, a triangular sandwich half in his other hand. He loves these guys, Faye thought. It bothered her a little that he'd gone to see the police chief. Jimmy was a thrill seeker. It was why he did what he did. He needed to get too close to the edge. The greater the risk, the greater the excitement. Some times he risked too much. She hadn't liked Jimmy's reaction to the chief. The chief was more than Jimmy had expected.