"Oh, all right, if it'll make you feel better."
He gave her his cell phone number. "And you can call me, if you need to."
"Don't worry, I'll be with Ham, my dad. Nothing bad could happen to me in his company."
"I hope you're right," Stone said. "Good night."
"Good night." She hung up and tried to watch Sam Waterston win his difficult case.
She woke up in the middle of the night, still in Jackson's chair.
13
Ham turned up at eight o'clock- late, for him-and demanded coffee before they left for their trip.
"I guess we're fishing in more ways than one, huh?"
"Yep," Holly said.
"What are we fishing for?"
"Bank robbers, but I don't suppose they'll be wearing ID tags. Apart from that, I just want to get a close-up look at the place, get the feel of it."
"Okay, you're the boss," he replied, downing the last of his coffee.
"Daisy, sit," Holly said to the dog. "No dogs today, you're staying home."
Daisy looked hurt.
"Don't try the guilt thing," Holly said sternly. "Stay. Let's go, Ham."
Ham had loaded a light aluminum skiff, a couple of rods and a tackle box into the bed of his pickup truck. "Camouflage," he said, nodding at the dingy. They got into the truck and started toward the mainland.
"I hope you aren't packing," she said.
"Funny you should mention it," he replied.
"Give it to me," she said.
He handed her his Beretta 9mm, and she stuffed it into the glove box.
"Lock it when we get there," she said.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I'm light. I don't want anybody thinking we're the law."
"I'm a retired military guy," he said. "You're the law."
"I'm retired military, too, and don't forget it today. Forget about the law part. Oh, I almost forgot." She took out her cell phone, dialed the station and asked for Hurd Wallace.
"Deputy Chief Wallace," he drawled.
"Hurd, it's Holly. Ham and I are going out to Lake Winachobee to take a look at a little town on its northern bank."
"Okay," Hurd replied.
"I want to be cautious about this, so I'm going to call in every hour at fifteen minutes past, give or take. If you don't hear from me for two hours in a row, call the sheriff and come find me, and bring some backup, too."