‘Parker!’ Ross’s voice called up the stairwell. ‘You two up?’
‘Yes,’ Parker called. Lesley stooped to pull her shoe back on.
‘Come on downstairs.’
Low, Parker said, ‘Now we’ll find out.’
5
Ross led them to the dining room, where Melander sat at the table with his back to the sea. The guns were gone from the table, and in their place were a box of doughnuts, a coffeepot, pound box of sugar, quart of half- and-half, white china cups, metal spoons, paper plates, and paper napkins. The shotguns leaned against the wall in a corner. The automatics were out of sight, probably being worn by the three. On a side table were three black mesh pouches attached to belts; Parker caught a glint of gold through the mesh. Carlson wasn’t in sight.
Ross had gone into the room first, followed by Lesley, then Parker, so he was too late to stop it when Melander gestured to the chair on his left and said, ‘Have a seat, Claire. You don’t mind if we’re informal here, do you?’
She was moving with small steps, arms against her sides; holding it in. ‘No, that’s all right,’ she said, and went over to sit where Parker had salted the Sentinel.
‘Take a seat,’ Ross told Parker, while Melander said to Lesley, ‘I’m glad. We can all be pals. I’m Boyd, and that’s Jerry. Hal’s in the kitchen, trying to figure out the stove. Maybe you could help him later.’
Parker, sitting to Melander’s right, opposite Lesley, said, ‘Claire’s not too much for stoves.’
‘No?’ Melander grinned and shrugged. ‘Okay, fine. Either Hal figures it out, or he blows us all up.’ He gestured at the things on the table. ‘This is it for breakfast. Help yourselves.’
Lesley looked uncertainly at Parker, who pushed the doughnut box toward her, saying, ‘Go ahead.’ The coffeepot was near Parker. Melander said, ‘Parker, why don’t you pour for her?’
‘Claire likes to do that for herself,’ he said, and pushed the coffeepot toward her, too, because they might think it strange that he didn’t know if his Claire took milk or sugar in her coffee.
She took it black, as did Parker, and they both took doughnuts, as Melander continued the conversation, saying, ‘Now, Parker, what are we gonna do about you?’
‘Hold me until you leave,’ Parker said, and sensed movement behind him. That would be Carlson, coming in from the kitchen. Parker faced Melander but kept aware of Lesley; her reaction would let him know if Carlson had anything in mind. He said, ‘Then you’ll get your money from the fences, and you’ll send me what you owe me, and that’s the end of it.’
Behind him, Carlson said, ‘Forgive and forget, is that it?’
‘No,’ Parker said, still talking to Melander. ‘I don’t forgive, and I don’t forget, but I don’t waste time on the past, either. I won’t work with you people again, but if you pay me my money I won’t think about you anymore, either.’
‘That would be nice,’ Melander said. ‘We were talking about that last night, Hal and Jerry and me, how we didn’t like the idea of you thinking about us.’
‘Showing up here,’ Carlson said. He was still behind Parker, not coming into view.
Parker kept looking at Melander. ‘This is where my money is,’ he said.
Melander laughed. He was buying Parker’s story, though maybe Carlson wasn’t. He said, ‘This is where your money is.’
‘That’s right.’
‘What happens if we would have screwed up on the job? If we went up there and something went wrong?’
‘I’d try to come in, get what I can.’
Carlson, back there, said, ‘And help us out?’
‘Not a chance,’ Parker said.
‘I just wish,’ Melander said, ‘you were a more easygoing guy,’ and door chimes sounded.
Everybody in the room tensed. Carlson stepped forward to Parker’s right, looking at him, saying, ‘You got friends?’
‘Only you people.’
Melander said, ‘Jerry, take a look.’
Ross hurried from the room while Carlson crossed to pick up two of the shotguns, bringing one to Melander, neither shotgun pointed exactly at anybody.
Stupid with fear, mouth open, Lesley stared at Parker, and Ross ducked back into the room: ‘It’s cops!’
‘For Christ’s sake, why?’ Carlson complained, glaring at Parker.
Parker said, ‘They’re searching the island. Hello, Mr Householder, you see anybody looked suspicious?’
Melander laughed and got to his feet, handing his shotgun back to Carlson as he said, ‘Everybody I see looks suspicious. I’m the householder.’ He left the room, smoothing his hair back.
Carlson and Ross went to stand to both sides of the parlor doorway, where they’d be able to hear. Parker waved a hand to get Lesley’s attention, then pointed to her side of the table. She stared at him, not getting it. He tapped his temple: Think. Carlson and Ross wouldn’t be distracted forever.
‘Hello, Officers, what can I do for you?’
‘Mr George Roderick?’
