"That's what women are for, isn't it?" Rawlings said, leading the group out of the den and toward the front door. On the front steps, he paused and offered Ham his hand.
Ham took it.
"Thanks again for coming," he said.
"Good night," Ham replied and walked out to his truck. He got in, started it, backed out of the driveway and drove away. When he was back on the main road, he opened the glove compartment. His pistol was still there. He drove on slowly toward Orchid Beach.
Then, as he reached the outskirts of town, he saw a vehicle a couple of hundred yards behind him, lit by a streetlight but showing no headlights. "Why, I believe I'm being followed," he said aloud. The vehicle followed him all the way to the turnoff to his little island.
When he reached the house, he went inside, and instantly, he had the feeling that someone had been there. He switched on some lights and walked slowly around the place. The chair where he watched TV in the evenings had been moved. He knew, because there were indentations in the rug where the chair legs had formerly rested. A phone was on the table next to the chair. First, he switched on the TV and found a noisy cop show, then he picked up the telephone receiver and, while holding down the flasher, unscrewed the mouthpiece, then removed the disk that rested there. Behind it was a small electronic something-or-other that had been soldered into place. His phone had been bugged. He gently replaced the disk and screwed the receiver together again.
He went into his little office, opened a desk drawer and found his portable cell phone. He unscrewed the cover and examined the insides. Apparently, they had missed it. He went back to the living room, then through the kitchen, and closing the door softly behind him, out to the little dock behind the house. He sat down on a post and called Holly.
"Hello?"
"It's me. You been home all evening?"
"Yep."
"Didn't leave the house?"
"Only for a few minutes, to walk Daisy. How was your evening?"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow," he said. "Lunch?"
"Sure. Your place?"
"No, not here. Your place, at noon. When I get there, don't say anything until I've looked around."
There was a brief, puzzled silence. "Okay," she said finally.
"See you then."
"Good night."
Ham punched off, then returned to the house, turned off the TV and went to bed. When he had been asked to leave so soon after dinner, he had thought he'd somehow screwed up, but if they had tapped his phone, he was still in the game. He slept well.
27
Ham arrived at Holly's house shortly after noon, and there was a car outside he didn't recognize. He let himself in through the front door and found Holly and Harry Crisp waiting for him. Holding a finger to his lips, he indicated that they could come outside through the beach door.
When they were outside Harry shook Ham's hand. "What's up?"
"I guess Holly told you I went to this little dinner party last night."
"Yes, that's why I'm here. What did you find out?"
"I found out they kept me there just long enough to tap my phone."
"No kidding?" Holly asked.
"I kid you not, kiddo."
"What kind of tap?" Harry asked.
"They soldered something inside the talking end of the receiver."
Harry nodded. "Was that the only one?"