“That sounds good,” Maddie said. “And I don’t mind having the room without the door. That way I can keep a better ear out for Dustin.”

“Thanks,” Nicole said, relieved that no matter how cramped her space, it would belong only to her.

“Well, at least no one has to sleep on the dinette or couch,” Maddie pointed out.

This was true, Nicole thought as she stepped into the tiny fiberglass-walled space that would be hers for the foreseeable future. There was no privacy here and even less storage, but at least this time out everyone would have a bed of her own.

* * *

By the time they carried drinks and snacks and the deli sandwiches Maddie had found in the refrigerator to the upper deck, sunset was in full flame. They sat on the built-in bench seats that ran down both sides of the deck, resting the food and drinks beside them. “Dinner” had been laid out on two of Deirdre’s hard-sided suitcases. The drink of the night was rum and Diet Coke.

“I can’t believe you remembered to bring Cheez Doodles!” Avery said to Maddie as she took a handful from the industrial-sized bag.

“We wouldn’t want to see you in Doodle withdrawal,” Deirdre said drily. “I understand getting those artificial cheese cravings out of your system can be almost as difficult as getting the orange dye off of your skin.”

“All we need is a couple of tables and maybe a few folding chairs and we’re in business,” Maddie said.

“Yes. It’s a little disconcerting how ‘attached’ everything is,” Nicole said. She’d been on yachts that felt more like moving five-star hotels, back when Heart Inc. was thriving, and on Joe’s speedboat in Miami all fall and winter. This houseboat was a whole other animal.

They faced westward as they nibbled on their sandwiches, gazing across the Overseas Highway to the Florida Bay, where the sun was in the process of turning a deep bloodred. Stray bits of music floated on the breeze. The houseboat rocked gently beneath them.

“Just look at that sky,” Maddie said.

“It makes me wish I could paint.” Kyra’s video camera was aimed at the display.

They sat in silence, breathing in the salt-tinged air. Nearby a small fish jumped. Insects hummed quietly.

“It’s so peaceful here,” Avery said.

“It is beautiful,” Nicole agreed. “I’d think it was even more beautiful if we were staying in the main house. With actual bathrooms and solid ground under our feet.”

“Solid ground would be good,” Kyra agreed, offering Dustin a small piece of meat wrapped in cheese. He clutched a sippy cup of milk in his hands. “Bathrooms and closets would be even better.”

“I don’t really see why we can’t stay in the house. It’s certainly large enough that we wouldn’t be on top of him,” Deirdre said.

“Not that being on top of William Hightower would be such a horrible thing.” Nicole laughed. “The man looks good for his age. And he’s still got massive name recognition. I could fix him up with someone equally high profile and put Heart Inc. right back at the top of the matchmaking heap.”

“She’d have to be wealthy in her own right,” Deirdre said. “Given his reaction to our presence it’s pretty clear we wouldn’t be here if his bank account was as large as his name. And I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that he just came out of rehab for the fourth or fifth time.”

Maddie nodded her head. “His brother OD’d really young. And you don’t get a nickname like William the Wild for no reason.”

“Maybe we’re really here to get him back in the headlines so that he can stage a comeback,” Kyra said.

“I don’t think a padlocked studio is a sign of someone planning a comeback,” Maddie said. “And he doesn’t seem any more interested in attracting the press than we are.”

Nicole poured another round of drinks. The snap of the can and the hiss that followed sounded downright explosive against the surrounding quiet. She raised her glass. “To Mermaid Point. And camera-free sunsets.”

They clinked plastic cups and drank.

“Well, I vote that we defer our nightly ‘one good thing’ until we have a chance to get . . . acclimated,” Avery said. “I’m kind of afraid to commit until we see the inside of that house.”

“Good thinking,” Nicole said. “We don’t want to waste a good thing. I have a feeling they might be really hard to come by.”

They looked at Maddie, who claimed she wasn’t the “good enough” police but who absolutely was.

“I’m fine with that,” Maddie said with a yawn. “But I’m sure there’ll be plenty of good things to toast once we get situated.”

Dustin lay back in Kyra’s lap. One thumb went into his mouth. The sippy cup dangled from his other hand.

“I don’t see any sign of Troy and Anthony on the other houseboat and they don’t seem to be skulking in the bushes,” Kyra said.

“I bet they’re over on Islamorada,” Avery said.

“At a restaurant,” Deirdre added.

“Eating something that didn’t come wrapped in plastic,” Nicole said.

“It wouldn’t surprise me one bit,” Kyra said. “They’re not the ones who are supposed to look like shit on camera. That’s why I’m shooting everything, too—in case we ever need to show things the way they really are.”

“I almost feel sorry for Will . . .” Maddie said in a musing tone. “I mean . . . William. They’re going to use him the same way they use us.”

Kyra looked at her mother in surprise. Nicole wondered if she’d missed Maddie’s reaction to William Hightower. “He’s a grown man,” Kyra said. “I’d rather they focus on him than on Dustin, but I’m sure they have instructions from Lisa Hogan to shoot the hell out of both of them.” She looked down at the child in her lap. Dustin was asleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

“I think it’s time to put Dustin to bed.” Maddie yawned. “It’s been a long and surprising day.” She began to gather up the cups and trash. The rest of them followed suit.

“And it’s going to take a while for all of us to wash up and get ready for bed seeing as how we’ll be doing it one at a time,” Avery pointed out.

They glanced at each other then made a beeline for the steps that led down to the main cabin.

By the time Nicole had a turn in the too-small bathroom, made up her bed, and fell into it, she was far too tired to respond to Giraldi’s good-night text other than to feel relief that there appeared to be cell service on their tea-table-shaped island.

The foam mattress wasn’t particularly comfortable and the “walls” were definitely too thin, but the subtle rocking motion and the sound of water lapping against the hull weren’t bad. Her last thought as she finally drifted off to sleep was that it would take a nuclear blast to get her up in the morning.

Chapter Nine

An alien sound pierced the quiet.

Avery shot up in bed. Her eyes flew open. On the other side of the divider Deirdre’s bed was empty of everything but Deirdre’s suitcases, which were piled so high they blocked the narrow rectangle of window through which morning sunlight had already appeared.

Avery stole a look at her watch and groaned. Eight o’clock. She sank back on her pillow, closed her eyes, and willed herself back to sleep.

This time the sound was louder, more insistent, and recognizable. It was a sound she’d never actually heard in person. That sound was cock-a-doodle-doo.

The rooster did it again even though it was long past sunrise. Weren’t they supposed to have internal time clocks?

The rooster crowed again.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo, my ass!” Beyond irritated, she threw off the covers and sat up to squint out her window at the island. The damned bird was down in the clearing near the stand of palm trees. It threw out its chest and opened its mouth, emitting another wake-up call as it strutted around the clearing. A bevy of chickens clucked around him.

She was about to pull the sheet back up over her head when the aroma of coffee reached her nostrils. There was movement below. Hushed voices. The sound of water running.

Pulling on cutoffs and a T-shirt, she climbed down the ladder, landing in the middle of the main cabin.

Maddie, wonderful Maddie, handed her a cup of coffee and led her to the banquette on which an open box of doughnuts sat. Kyra and Dustin were already there, munching on a granola bar and a banana, respectively. Deirdre, who was made up and dressed in gauzy white high-end cruise wear, was eating a carton of low-fat yogurt with a plastic spoon, pinky up. There was a thud in the bathroom and a curse that had to be coming from Nicole.

Deirdre looked at Avery, took in her clothing. One eyebrow went up. Her mouth opened. At a head shake from Maddie, she actually closed it. Avery sighed and sipped her coffee. As the caffeine entered her system Maddie reached into the box, removed a chocolate-glazed doughnut, and set it on a napkin in front of Avery.

“Bless you,” Avery said, taking a large, wonderful, sugar-filled bite.

“My pleasure.” Maddie smiled. Her warm brown eyes glowed with good humor. “I’ve got a grocery list started.” She slid in beside Dustin and broke off a piece of doughnut for him. “We don’t have much in the way of storage space, but go ahead and add your must-haves to the list.”

“How are you planning to reach land?” Deirdre asked.

“I don’t know,” Maddie said. “But for the time being I’m going to assume that we’re not being held hostage and all they’re trying to do is make things more challenging.”

Nicole came out of the bathroom in running clothes, her hair slicked back in a ponytail, her makeup in place. “‘Challenging’ is an understatement. I’m black-and-blue and that’s without showering or attempting to blow-dry my hair.”