DINO PUT THE PHONE DOWN. “Rhinehart must have a very smart lawyer; he did a deal that allows him to live up here and report in by phone every week.”
“Ankle bracelet?”
“I didn’t ask,” Dino said, “but he could be out of range up here.”
“Put your stuff in the guesthouse, then let’s go see Rhinehart.”
“You know where he lives?”
“No, but I know how to find out.”
THEY WENT BACK to the Dark Harbor Shop, and Stone led Dino to the rear office, where he rapped on the door. The man at the desk looked up.
“Hi,” Stone said, “I’m Stone Barrington, and this is Dino Bacchetti.”
The man stood up. “Jimmy Hotchkiss.”
“You’re Seth’s cousin, right?”
“Right, and you’re Dick’s cousin.”
“Right.”
“Take a seat.” Jimmy waved them to a pair of rickety chairs next to the desk.
“We were in here earlier and saw somebody we used to know,” Stone said.
“And who would that be?”
“His name is Harold Rhinehart.”
“Sure, I know Hal.”
“You know where he lives?”
“Yep. It’s about three miles north on the main road. You’ll see a sign: RHINEHART CABINETS.”
“He’s a cabinetmaker?”
“And his father before him. Hal took over the business when his old man died a few years back.”
“He grew up on the island?”
“Yeah, then he went away to some tech college in New York State, and we didn’t see much of him after that, until he came back and took over the business. His dad was sick then, lived a few more months. Hal grew up in that shop, though, so he didn’t have any problem taking over.”
“Is there a police officer on the island?”
“Constable,” Jimmy said. “You’re looking at him.”
“Jimmy, have you had any reports of burglaries on the island?”
“Over what period of time?”
“After Hal Rhinehart came back.”
Jimmy looked at them both carefully before replying. “What’s your interest in this?”
“Dino is a police lieutenant in New York. He and I used to be partners in the NYPD, and we arrested Rhinehart for burglary a few years back.”
“I heard about that,” Jimmy said. “I also heard from his parole officer—indirectly, through the state police—when he came back.”
“That’s what we were wondering about,” Dino said. “How Rhinehart could be here, when he’s supposed to be on parole.” As if he didn’t know.
“Apparently, he arranged things with his parole officer when his dad got sick,” Jimmy said. “He reports by phone, I’m told.”
“You never answered my question, Jimmy,” Stone said.
“Which question was that?”
“Have there been any burglaries on the island since Rhinehart came home?”
“No.” Jimmy took a long beat. “But Camden and Rockland have had a rash of them. You think it’s Hal?”
“What kind of burglaries?”
“What do you mean?”
“Big, small? Jewelry, lawn mowers, what?”
“Jewelry and cash, it said in the paper.”
Stone and Dino exchanged a glance.
“We had some burglaries here, too,” Jimmy said.
“When and how many?”
“When Hal was a teenager; a dozen or more. Come to think of it, they stopped when he went to college. I never made the connection.” Jimmy sighed. “I hope to hell this new rash is not Hal’s doing. We need a cabinetmaker around here; you go to the mainland for something like that, and it’s a lot more money, and Hal’s gotten to be as good as his dad.”
“I expect the folks in Camden and Rockland wouldn’t feel the same regrets you would, if he turned out to be the guy,” Stone said.
“You want me to talk to him?” Jimmy asked.
Dino spoke up. “Let me do that,” he said.
“Okay, you’re the pro; I’m just here to call the state boys if something happens. You want me to call them about this?”
“Not yet,” Dino said.