Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12

driving slowly up the street, looking for a pair of identical giants carrying beer. He was going to keep an eye on these two, and if they did anything funny, he was going to be all over them.
    Sergeant Tom Young put his cell phone back into his shirt pocket. “That was the cop from Nantucket,” he said to Stone.
    â€œThey checked out the yacht?”
    â€œYes. The twins were aboard.”
    â€œSo much for that theory,” Stone said.

52
    S TONE WENT INTO Dick’s little office, where Lance was working on the computer. “The Nantucket police have verified that the Stone twins are there, on the yacht.”
    Lance sighed. “I had hopes for that theory,” he said. He spun around in his chair. “Stone, I don’t want to talk about this in front of Ham, but I think you know that the chances of finding Holly alive are down to slim and none.”
    â€œI can’t think about that, Lance; I just have to keep trying to figure this thing out.”
    â€œI know you feel responsible, but you’re not,” Lance said. “You told her to go armed.”
    â€œShe did; her gun is not upstairs, and neither is the holster.”
    â€œThen she was incapacitated at the outset, but that’s not your fault, either.”
    â€œI wish I could feel that way about it.”
    Dino called out from the study, “Hey, Stone, you and Lance come in here a minute, will you?”
    Stone and Lance walked into the study to find Dino and Sergeant Young hunched over the coffee table, looking at Lance’s thermal images and the sergeant’s map of the island. “What’s up?” Stone asked.
    Dino tapped the thermal image with his forefinger. “I’m just looking at this house,” he said.
    â€œWhat about it?”
    â€œThis is the image from last night. It shows four people, presumably asleep, in the house, at around three-thirty A . M ., two people in each of two bedrooms.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œSo, according to Tom’s map, it’s Caleb Stone’s house.”
    â€œAnd there were four people present last night?”
    â€œLook for yourself. My question is, if the twins are in Nantucket, who are the other two people besides Caleb and his wife?”
    â€œI don’t know. Guests maybe?”
    â€œThe twins can’t be in two places at once, Dino,” Lance said, “and we have a sighting of them by a police officer on the yacht less than an hour ago.”
    â€œTom,” Dino said, “do you personally know this Nantucket cop?”
    â€œNever met him,” Young said. “I just phoned his office this morning, and they put me in touch with him.”
    â€œHow did he strike you on the phone—sharp?”
    â€œNot really. He kept getting things mixed up: the twins’ names, the name of the yacht.”
    â€œSo, maybe he’s mixed up about the twins being on the yacht.”
    Young produced his cell phone and called Potter’s number.
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œLieutenant, it’s Tom Young from the Maine State Police again.”
    â€œYeah?”
    â€œWhen you went down to the boat this morning, did you actually see the twins?”
    â€œAh, no, but the two guys on board said they had just gone for beer. I’m looking for them now.”
    â€œSo, you didn’t sight the twins?”
    â€œNot yet.”
    â€œThanks, Lieutenant.”
    â€œYou think the two guys lied to me?”
    â€œIt’s a strong possibility. If you find them, please call me immediately. Good-bye.” Young hung up. “He didn’t see them.”
    â€œI’d like to visit Caleb’s house,” Stone said.
    â€œMe, too,” Young replied.
    Ham stood up. “I’m coming, too.”
    â€œI’d rather you didn’t, Mr. Barker,” Young said. “You just stay here, and let me do my job. You, too, Stone.”
    â€œAs you wish, Sergeant,” Stone replied.
    â€œI’ll call you after I’ve talked to Caleb—and his sons, if they’re there.”
    â€œBe careful,” Stone said.
    Young left the house.
    â€œYou shouldn’t get too excited about this, Ham,” Stone said.
    â€œNo?” Ham replied. “If these twins are here, why are they establishing an alibi for themselves in Nantucket?”
    â€œI don’t know, but they may actually be in Nantucket, and we still don’t have anything to connect them with Holly.”
    The doorbell