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Ellery pushed open the emergency exit side door and they stepped into the cool night. It was dark now. No stars shone overhead. The air was damp and heavy. It felt like rain. Dew sparkled in the grass. A symphony of crickets competed with the slosh of tide hitting the boathouse pilings and the music drifting from the outdoor stages. In the distance, ghost lights flickered over the marsh.

There was an empty folding chair sitting a few yards away, and Ellery snagged it, delivered it to Arti. Arti lowered her accordion case to the grass and sat down. “Thanks.” Green glittered in her hair. Her eyes were made up to look like mermaid eyes.

Arti tilted her face up, considering him. “Let me save us both some time, I have no idea who’s sending Lara threatening letters.”

Ellery was unsurprised to realize Fish had filled Arti in on the threats Lara had received. He’d sort of figured that would happen, based on Fish’s defensiveness when asked about Arti.

“You don’t have any hard feelings toward Lara?”

Arti seemed to consider. “Not really. Not now. At the time? Sure.”

“Lara told me about the record deal with White Wine Records,” Ellery said. “She also said she thought it was unlikely you and James were sending those letters.”

“That was gracious of her.” Arti’s tone was sardonic. She gazed out at the marsh lights, sighed, said softly, “Jamie.”

This was the part of amateur sleuthing Ellery had no aptitude for. No heart for, to be honest. Arti sounded sad, and he was not built to jump on someone’s emotional vulnerabilities, let alone exploit them. He didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing.

After a few seconds, Arti looked up and gave a funny laugh. “Was that it?”

“I’m not sure. Do you know anything that could be useful?”

She did a doubletake, and her laughter sounded more natural that time. “Are you serious? The festival committee ispayingyou for this?”

Ellery spread his hands.

“Oh my God.” She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “What a great gig.”

“Do you think Jamie took his own life?” Ellery asked.

Arti stopped laughing. “Yeah. I do. Unfortunately.”

“Because of Lara?”

In the gloom, he could just about make out her frown. “At the time, I did. But looking back… Obviously, he had emotional problems. I don’t know why no one saw it. None of us recognized it. We just thought he was too sensitive. Took everything too seriously.” She added, “It’s not like Lara led him on. To be honest, she was probably one of the few people who didn’t tiptoe around Jamie’s feelings.”

“You don’t think these threats could have anything to do with what happened to James?”

“No way. Twenty—more than twenty—years later? Besides, they weren’t in a relationship. Nobody, including James, thought they were. On top of that, White Wine dumped her a year into her contract. Which, I admit, I was pretty happy about at the time.”

Arti had a point. Postponing your revenge for twenty years was taking procrastination to a whole new level. And, to continue pulling at that thread, whybotherwhen Lara’s life was already a trainwreck?

“Can you think of anyone else on the island who might wish Lara harm?”

“On Buck Island? No. I seriously doubt anyone besides me even remembers her from those days.”

“Do you think any of the other bands or musicians are so angry about Lara being brought in—”

Arti cut him off. “I know where you’re going with this. No. I don’t. David told me what Lara was being paid, and I admit, I was sort of outraged on his behalf. But I never said a word about it to anyone. David spoke to me in confidence. And he only told me because we’re…together. Unofficially.”

“Gotcha,” Ellery said.

“It’s not like he went around blabbing it to everyone.”

“I understand.”

“If someonedoesmean harm to Lara, I’m guessing it’s from within her own inner circle.”

Ellery said, “It’s not a very large circle these days.”