Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12

his desk.”
    â€œWhat do you want to tell him?”
    â€œI just want to bring him up to date, and I want to get more information about the Assa locks.” She continued typing, stopping now and then to read the replies.
    â€œYou’re using regular instant messaging?”
    â€œIt’s highly irregular instant messaging,” she said, “but the result is the same.” She typed a few more keystrokes, then ended the session. “He’ll get back to me.”
    â€œI’m going back to the Times, ” Stone said. “There’s the crossword yet to do.” He went back to his chair, grabbed the paper and put his feet up on the ottoman.
    â€œI’m going for a run,” Holly said. “Want to join me?”
    â€œI’m too comfortable,” Stone replied. “Go armed.”
    â€œYou think that’s necessary?”
    â€œHow many more murders do you need on an island this size to make you cautious?”
    â€œOh, all right.”
    â€œAnd stick to the roads; don’t run down any trails.”
    â€œOh, stop it.”
    â€œI just want to know where to look for your body later.”
    â€œAll right, all right!”
    Â 
    HOLLY WENT UPSTAIRS AND changed into sweats and sneakers, strapped her 9 mm on, then left by the front door and headed toward the main road past the house. She stopped at the end of the driveway and did some stretching, then headed down the road, running lightly on the left side of the road, facing traffic. The day was bright and cool, perfect Maine weather. She had gone about a mile when a police car began coming toward her. It slowed as it approached, then stopped, and the passenger-side window rolled down.
    â€œMorning,” a uniformed officer inside said.
    â€œGood morning,” Holly said, stopping and going to the open window.
    â€œI’m Sergeant Young of the Maine State Police,” the man said. “Who might you be?”
    â€œI’m Holly Barker. I’m staying with Stone Barrington at the Dick Stone house.”
    â€œI’m glad to know that,” Young said. “My partner and I are interviewing every living soul on the island in connection with the recent killings.”
    â€œI can sympathize with your task,” Holly said. “I’m a retired police officer, and I’ve done my share of canvassing, though I’ve never interviewed a whole population.”
    â€œOnly about six hundred, locals and summer folk,” Young said. “Where did you serve?”
    â€œFirst I was an army MP. Then I retired from that and became chief of police of a small town in Florida, Orchid Beach.”
    â€œHow long have you been on the island?”
    â€œArrived yesterday, with Stone,” she said. “My second visit with him, though the last one was only a couple of days.”
    â€œHow long you staying?”
    â€œI don’t know, really. Until Stone kicks me out, I guess.”
    â€œWhat do you do now, Ms. Barker?”
    â€œOh, I live the soft life.”
    â€œI see you keep in shape.”
    â€œSporadically.”
    â€œWell, enjoy your run, but please keep to the roads. We don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with here, so be careful.”
    â€œI will, Sergeant.”
    â€œIs Stone at home now?”
    â€œYep. Doing the crossword.”
    â€œI’ll drop in on him.”
    Holly said good-bye and continued her run.
    Â 
    STONE ANSWERED THE door to find Sergeant Young there. “Come on in, Sergeant,” he said.
    â€œThank you. I just met your lady friend, Ms. Barker, on the road.”
    â€œYes, she’s staying here. You want some coffee?”
    â€œNo thanks. Already had some this morning.”
    Stone led him into the study. “I’m glad you dropped by; I want to show you something.” He went to the cabinet that once concealed the safe and opened it.
    â€œWhat happened here?” Young asked.
    â€œWe came home last night to find that somebody had been in the house and ripped out the safe that was here.”
    â€œWhat was in the safe?”
    â€œNothing particularly valuable: papers and such. And Esme Stone’s diary.”
    Young looked at him sharply. “That’s the second diary to go missing,” he said. “Janey Harris’s was taken, too.”
    â€œI don’t know if that’s what our visitor was looking for,” Stone said. “I can’t imagine how he’d