Primmy laughed. “No, she was very sweet. I was named after my grandmother’s sister — who had somehow cornered most of the family money — in the hope that she would be good to me in her will. It worked. What do you two do, Grace?”
“I worked abroad for a family business, a machine-tooling company,” Henry Lee said. “I set up offices in various foreign cities and looked for customers.”
“I shopped,” Grace said, “and ran whatever house or flat we were occupying. Once Henry Lee had established relationships in a region, we could move on to another, and he could maintain customer relations by phone and e-mail.”
“Sounds like you two would have been perfect for the CIA,” Primmy said.
Henry Lee didn’t miss a beat. “You’re not the first to have told us that.”
Stone changed the subject. “Primmy, did your ancestors come over on the Mayflower?”
“No, but on the next boat, the following year.”
“Did they bring the accent with them?” Grace asked.
“No, I think that just grew, like Topsy.”
Stone turned to Grace. “Do you know about the history of your new house?”
“Some, I guess.”
“I can give it to you in a nutshell,” Stone said. “I spent a summer in that house when I was eighteen, with my first cousins, Dick and Caleb Stone.”
“Which one fathered the twins?” Grace asked. Stone had sketched a brief history of those two for Primmy’s benefit.
“Caleb. He and I didn’t get along very well, but Dick and I were close. Caleb and I eventually came to blows. At least, I did. His mother banished me from the island forever after that.”
Stone told them about the murders of Dick and his family, and about the twins and what they were suspected of. “Primmy,” he said, “you should steer clear of the twins. They’re buying the old house down near the point. Avoid meeting them, if possible.”
Primmy gave a little shudder. “I certainly will,” she said.
“Perhaps they learned some manners in prison,” Henry Lee ventured.
“I’m more likely to believe they did what all too many criminals do in prison,” Stone said. “They become better criminals.”
They were called to dinner and treated to Mary’s lobster pie, and a couple of bottles of a fine chardonnay from Dick Stone’s cellar.
Shortly after they were on cognac, Stone’s phone rang.
“Yes?”
“It’s Rawls. Somebody’s messing around my new neighbors’ place.”
“Shall I join you?”
“Please do.”
Stone hung up. “Henry Lee, one of your neighbors, Ed Rawls, says someone is paying too much attention to your property. Want to join me in having a look?”
“Sure. Grace, you keep the others company, please.”
Grace nodded.
Stone took the old Ford station wagon.
“They’re not wasting any time, are they?” Henry Lee said.
“Nope, and that’s disturbing.”
They were met by Rawls at the Jacksons’ gate. “Hey, Henry Lee.” He and Jackson shook hands warmly. “How you been?”
“Slogging toward the pension,” Henry Lee replied. “Nearly there.” He opened the gate with his iPhone.
“Let’s not split up,” Stone said. “If they’re here, I’d like us to outnumber them.”
The three men walked abreast toward the house.
“Let’s start with the barn,” Stone said, “since they’ve expressed an interest in that. Can you turn off the alarm, Henry Lee?”
“Sure.” He did so.
Rawls produced a small but powerful flashlight and played it over the barn doors as they approached. Once there, he played it over the hardware on the door. “A few scratches that look recent,” he said. “What’s in here?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Henry Lee replied.
“Tracey Hotchkiss cleaned up what was useful and got rid of the rest,” Stone said. “Billy says the boys wanted the contents, and I expect they’re pissed off about it.”
“Pissed off is not the state of mind I’d want them in,” Rawls said.
“What would you prefer?” Henry Lee asked.
“Fat, dumb, and happy.”
“I’m afraid you’re not going to get any of those wishes,” Stone said.
“Let’s check out the house,” Henry Lee said. He let them in through the front door and they looked around. “Looks untouched,” Stone said.
“Henry Lee,” Rawls said. “Can you tell if the security system has been tampered with?”
Henry Lee went to a keypad. “I can reset it, and it will give me messages.” He watched the screens flash by as tests were run.
“This is a new version, since I installed mine,” Ed said.
“That’s because you’re old, Ed,” Stone replied.
“I installed it last year.”
“Oh.”
The keypad made a chirping noise and displayed READY.
“One successful entry was made in our absence,” Henry Lee said. “About twenty minutes ago.”
“That’s about when I saw a flash of light from over here,” Rawls said.
“Let’s hope this visit satisfied the twins’ curiosity,” Stone remarked.
They got back in the car and returned to their dinner party, which was waning. Their guests soon went home.
17
Stone asked Primmy to stay on for another cognac, and she did. “We hardly got to talk at all,” he said.
“You’re right,” she replied. “Kindly explain your marital status to me.”
“I’m a widower.”
“Ahh.”
“And you?”
“Divorced twice, one recently.”
“I’m sorry, if you are,” Stone said.
“Not in the least. I have a history of attracting men who have expensive tastes and little money, and I’m always glad to see them go.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Gentlemanly charm is a heady thing,” she said, “but I’ve discovered it’s more attractive when attached to an income.”
“I expect so. If it matters, I have a policy of not pursuing women who have more money than I.”
“May I ask you a personal question?”
“As long as you don’t expect an honest answer.”
She laughed. “Not that personal.”
“Shoot.”
“How much money do you have?”
“That’s not only personal, but rude. You first.”
“I believe that’s called being hoisted on my own petard.”
“If you’re not willing to answer the question, why should I?”
“All right, after the most recent divorce, I’m left nearly penniless. About twenty million bucks. Now you.”
“More than you,” Stone replied.
“That’s not fair!”
“Why not? It should allay your fears.”
“Really now!”
“All right, a lot more than you.”
“That’s a little better. I suppose I’m going to have to work harder at this. How many houses do you have?”
“Let’s see.” Stone counted on his fingers. “New York, here, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Beaulieu, in Hampshire. I’m out of fingers.”
“Are there mortgages on any of them?”
“No.”
“I’m feeling better now. Do you own an airplane?”
“Two.”
“What sort?”
“A Gulfstream 500 and a small Cessna, kept here, for getting to and from Rockland Airport.”
“Congratulations,” she said, “you are fully qualified.”
“For what?”
“To pursue my virtue, but not my fortune.”
“Come closer,” he said.
She hipped her way across the sofa and threw a leg over his. “Will that do?”
“It’s a good start. You know, with the twins hovering about, I don’t think you should go home alone in the dark.”