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“I’m not going to be treated like a common criminal.”

“This is not useful. Seriously.”

Dylan said wildly, “I’m not trying to be useful! Distract him. All I need is five minutes head start.” He turned toward the door leading to the kitchen.

“What?” Ellery exclaimed. “Hell no, you’re not going to flee. It’s an island. Where would you flee to? Just…let me talk to Jack.”

The doorbell rang, as loud and stagey as a theater bell board.

Dylan made a strangling sound and gulped out, “Therefore, send not to know. For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee!”

Ellery pointed to the sofa. “Sit.

Dylan collapsed onto the sofa and dropped his head in his hands.

A moment later, Ellery opened the front door to Jack. They stared at each other, and for a moment, it seemed like they were each looking at a stranger.

Ellery had almost forgotten how intimidating Jack could seem in his spic-and-span navy uniform with that aggressively shiny badge and all those bits of braid.

“Hey,” Ellery said.

Jack, his green-blue gaze as bleak as the ocean in winter, said, “I really wish you weren’t here.”

Not the friendliest greeting. But then, the morning had started out with an argument, so there was already tension between them.

Ellery, always snappish when he was nervous, retorted, “I really wishyouweren’t here.”

Jack’s unsmiling mouth became a straight line. “You need to step outside.”

“Oh, comeon, Jack.”

“I’m serious, Ellery. Step outside.”

“Just give me a few minutes. I can try to calm him down. He’s—”

Jack swore. He said tightly, “This is not up for discussion. You’re interfering with an officer in the performance of his duties.”

Ellery, unused to being addressed in that tone—let alone being sworn at, stammered, “A-are you kidding m-me? You’re going to pull thepenal code card? What are you doing, Jack? You’re going to arrest one of our closest friends without eventryingto investigate?”

That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant to say. It didn’t matter. The minute the words were out of his mouth, Ellery knew he’d made a serious mistake.

Jack’s expression went from disbelieving to outraged to ice-cold control. His normally light, warm gaze went black and flat. He even seemed to grow a couple of inches. “Excuse me?”

“I don’t understand your rush to—”

It was Carson the cop not Jack the boyfriend who broke in with a stony, “Iwill nottolerate any interference from you of all people. Do you understand?”

Not really. Especially not that harshyou of all people. What was that supposed to mean?

“Seriously?”

Jack’s eyes flickered, but his stance did not soften.

“He’s not guilty, Jack. If you could just give me a couple of days—”

“Are you freaking kidding me?” Jack did not raise his voice—if anything, it dropped an octave or two. “You think you’re going to run acounter-investigationwith my blessing?”

Ellery’s voice also dropped. “With or without your blessing, I’m going to find out who killed September. Because it wasnotDylan, and I think you kn—”