Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington 12)

“I’d like to visit Caleb’s house,” Stone said.

“Me, too,” Young replied.

Ham stood up. “I’m coming, too.”

“I’d rather you didn’t, Mr. Barker,” Young said. “You just stay here, and let me do my job. You, too, Stone.”

“As you wish, Sergeant,” Stone replied.

“I’ll call you after I’ve talked to Caleb—and his sons, if they’re there.”

“Be careful,” Stone said.

Young left the house.

“You shouldn’t get too excited about this, Ham,” Stone said.

“No?” Ham replied. “If these twins are here, why are they establishing an alibi for themselves in Nantucket?”

“I don’t know, but they may actually be in Nantucket, and we still don’t have anything to connect them with Holly.”

The doorbell rang, and Stone went to answer it. Ed Rawls stood on the doorstep.

“Come on in, Ed.”

“Thanks. Anything new?”

“I’m not sure. We’ve just learned that Caleb Stone’s twin sons have gone to some lengths to make the police believe that they’re in Nantucket, but we’ve learned that they’re not.”

“We haven’t learned that yet, Stone,” Lance pointed out. “All we know is that the Nantucket cop looking for them hasn’t seen them yet.”

“And,” Dino pointed out, “we’ve got these thermal scans that show four people sleeping in Caleb’s house last night.”

“So, what if they are here?” Rawls asked. “Have you got anything to connect them to any of the murders?”

“Not really,” Stone said, “but I find it very suspicious that they seem to be trying to create a false alibi.”

“I see your point,” Rawls said.

“Sergeant Young has just gone over to Caleb’s house to see if they’re there,” Stone said. “I’ll be interested to hear what he finds out.”

SERGEANT TOM YOUNG pulled up to the Stone house, a rambling shingled house sagging with age in places. He walked up onto the front porch and rang the bell.

After a long wait the door opened. “Yes?”

“Mr. Caleb Stone?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Sergeant Young of the Maine State Police. We spoke on the phone yesterday. I’d like to speak to your sons, Eben and Enos, please.”

“I gave you their cell phone number yesterday, Sergeant,” Caleb replied. “It hasn’t changed.”

“Yes sir, and I spoke to one of them, but I haven’t bearable to confirm their whereabouts.”

“Well, I’m sorry about that, Sergeant, but I don’t see how I can help you. The boys are not here.”

“Sir, we have information that four people slept in your house last night. I assume that two of them were your wife and yourself. Who were the other two?”