Double Jeopardy

42

Stone stared at the phone, and his mind reeled. “Dino!” he shouted.

Dino came downstairs. “Yeah?”

“Where are Primmy and Carly?”

“They went out more than an hour ago in the MG. Don’t you remember?”

“Yes, and they’re not back?”

“Let’s have a look around,” Dino said, and they began searching the house and the property.

“Where’s Viv?” Stone asked, when they came back in after a fruitless search.

“In the bathtub.”

“For how long?”

“One never knows with Viv and the tub. Hours, sometimes.”

“Bring her ashore and get some clothes on her. We’re going to have to search the island, and I don’t want to leave her here alone.”

Stone pulled out of the driveway and drove through the village looking for the MG and the women. Nothing. He turned down the road toward Ed Rawls’s house, then called Ed’s cell.

“You again?”

“Primmy and Carly are missing.”

Ed digested that for a moment. “Where are you?”

“In the station wagon, pointed your way.”

“We’ll follow you as you pass. First stop has to be the twins’ house.”

Stone slowed down, and as they passed Ed’s front gate, the log rolled back, and Ed’s Range Rover fell in behind the wagon. Stone’s cell phone rang. “Yes?”

“Are you armed?” Ed asked.

“Handguns only.”

“Stop.”

Stone pulled over. Rawls got out of his car and walked to the station wagon, carrying two rifles and some magazines in a canvas bag. “Here,” he said, thrusting them through the Ford’s window. “I want them back when they’re dead.” He turned and walked back to his car.

Stone handed the weapons to Dino and Viv. “Load these,” he said, tossing the bag into the rear seat. They were coming up on the twins’ place now.

Ed flashed his lights, and Stone stopped and watched in the mirror as Rawls walked past his car, shoving a magazine into his rifle and working the action.

“Stay in the car,” Rawls said as he walked past, “but cover me.”

It seemed to be lunch hour for the workmen; all was quiet. Stone and Dino got out of the wagon with rifles and stood behind the car, looking toward Ed’s figure.

“I’m going in!” Rawls shouted back at them.

“Bad idea!” Stone called back, but he and Dino took up positions.

Rawls never slowed down. He marched up the front steps and stood in the open doorway. “Stone twins!” he shouted. “Show yourselves!”

“Don’t go in there,” Dino muttered to himself. “They’ll have an excuse to shoot you.”

Rawls disappeared into the house, and they stood waiting for something to happen. Rawls appeared on the second-floor balcony and walked its length, looking into rooms, then he disappeared back inside. He was gone for two or three minutes before he emerged on the front porch again, shaking his head. He walked over to where they stood. “Nobody home,” he said.

“Is there a basement?”

“Yeah, and I checked it. Empty, except for mechanicals. I think our next stop is the Jacksons’ place.”

They got back into their respective vehicles and turned down the Jacksons’ driveway. The front door was ajar.

“Where’s their car?” Dino asked.

“Billy put it in the barn,” Stone said.

They all left their cars and walked into the Jackson house. They searched room by room, upstairs and down but found nothing. The barn contained the Jacksons’ station wagon, but little else.

“The boathouse,” Rawls said.

“That’s where they kept her,” Stone replied.

The path had been cleared and the walkway repaired. As they approached, the boathouse looked inviting, with its fresh coat of paint.

“Second floor,” Stone said, and they went upstairs gingerly. The rooms were unfurnished, but clean. There were new kitchen appliances. “Not here,” Stone said.

“Let’s check around the dock,” Ed suggested, and they went back downstairs. Still nothing.

They went back to the house, and as they entered Stone saw, down the center hallway, a flash of green drove past on the road.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“Could have been the MG, but I couldn’t see the occupants,” Dino replied. “It was too fast.”

“Come on!” They got back into their vehicles, got turned around, and headed down the road to the village. They were past the store when Stone saw the MG turn into his driveway. He skidded through the turn and followed it.

When they arrived at the house, Primmy and Carly were climbing out of the MG, cheerfully waving at them.

“Where the hell have you two been?” Stone asked, exasperated.

“Wherever the hell we wanted to go,” Primmy replied in the same tone.

“Everybody calm down!” Viv said. “We’ve been searching for you, Primmy, and we were scared.”

“We went down to see Ed for a while,” Primmy said. “Then we drove down to the point and took a walk. It’s nice down there.”

Stone took a deep breath. “Primmy,” he said, “new rules.”

“What are they?”

“No one leaves the house without either Dino or me,” he said. “And we all go armed. Come inside. We have some things to tell you.”

They marched into the living room, where Mary was setting the table for lunch.

“First, the Snickers bars,” he said.

“Snickers bars? You’ve gone absolutely bonkers,” Primmy replied.