He went down the dock to the point where it circled the general store, turned to the right, and at the corner of the building jumped down onto the sand, then headed south. On the deck of the Genessee, Hoke bent beside the chair on which Lily DuPree was reclined. “Would you like something, Miss DuPree? Could I get you something cool to drink from the bar?” “What?” she said in her breathless whisper, startled by his unexpected appearance at her side. “Oh! No, no thank you. I’m fine.” “Okay,” he said, giving her his usual warm smile. He straightened himself and started for the wheelhouse to check in with the captain, but stopped when he noticed the movement on the beach. He slowly moved toward the starboard railing and crouched down, peering over it. He could see Ransom in the distance, strolling down the beach as if he had no particular purpose in mind. The detective’s progress was neither slow nor fast, so it didn’t seem as if he were looking for anything or heading for a specific place.
