“Tomorrow,” Sara said, “we’re going to do whatever it takes to get ourselves off this island. We’re not going to be here for that court date. Is everyone agreed on that?”
“You trying out for cheerleader?” R.J. asked, but he was smiling.
“That’s David’s job,” Sara joked.
“I tried Ms. Vancurren’s phone and it was dead,” Ariel said.
The men looked at her.
Ariel shrugged. “I did it just before we left for the restaurant. I would have hidden myself and found out more, but I heard her on the stairs.”
Sara looked at David. “Does she often snoop … successfully?”
David gave a rueful smile. “I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had to pretend that I was talking to her when I had no idea where she was. If her mother was doing something she didn’t want Ariel to know about, you can bet that Ariel was there hiding in the ferns and listening.”
“Interesting,” R.J. said, looking at Ariel with admiration.
“I vote that we get a good night’s sleep, then in the morning try to find jobs of any kind that we can,” Sara said. “With all the seafood eaten around here, they must have a lot of fishing boats going out.”
“We could hijack one,” R.J. said.
“Excellent idea,” David said. “I think that tomorrow we should separate and each of us should find out what we can do to get to the mainland. Or even just to call. Surely there’s a radio or something on this island.”
“I’m sure there are telephones in every house,” Ariel said, “but they’re not going to let us near one of them. If I could call one person, I’d call my mother. She’d have the U.S. Army here in minutes. And the FBI.”
“I’d call my lawyer,” R.J. said. “As much as I pay him, he’d show up with the navy.”
“I’m with Ariel,” David said. “I’d call her mother. She’d call in UFOs if she had to.”
They were smiling, laughing even, and they turned to Sara in question. Who would she call? What could she say? That she’d call her boss? She looked away from them and said, “Look, her ladyship has left the porch light on.”
“Is it red?” Ariel asked, deadpan, and they laughed.
When Sara glanced at R.J., he seemed to be in serious thought. David and Ariel hurried toward the house, which was beginning to seem like a haven in a storm, but R.J. caught Sara’s hand. “I’ve let you down,” he said softly.
“Of course not,” she said, pulling away from his grasp. “You’re in more trouble than we are.”
“But I’m the one who wanted to come to the island in the first place. I’m the one—”
Sara was embarrassed by his words and wasn’t sure what to say.
“Sara—” he began, but she turned away just as Ms. Vancurren opened the front door. She was wearing a filmy green negligee and matching robe, and she was yawning and acting as though she was unaware of her sexiness. “I didn’t expect you to stay out so late,” she said.
As soon as they were inside the house, David said to Ms. Vancurren, “We met the man Nezbit.”
“I was afraid that would happen,” she said. “He frequents the pub rather often.”
Sara was watching her closely and saw that she showed no surprise that they’d met Nezbit. Someone had already told her. How? she wondered. Was there a private telephone system on the island? Or had someone run over here as fast as possible to tell her? That she’d been told made Sara sure the woman was in on eve
rything. Would she get a split of the money R.J. would be charged on Monday?
R.J. stepped forward. “I don’t think the testimony of a man like that will hold up in court.”
“Don’t underestimate him,” Phyllis said. “His family’s been on King’s Isle for generations and he’s rich.”
“Rich?” Ariel said. “He doesn’t look rich.”
Ms. Vancurren gave Ariel a look up and down, then smiled. “He doesn’t wear designer clothes, but he’s got money.”