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The question, of course, is, how do I talk to Kevin? I could ask Sean to do that, but Sean is busy investigating the more logistical aspect of the sabotage. If Robert is the culprit, then almost certainly he paid someone else to accomplish it. I can leave Sean to focus on that side of the case while I explore the potential that Kevin and Luann could be involved.

That’s what I tell myself, at least. Deep down, I suppose I know that the real reason is my desire to be involved in this case. I want to find the answers, not Sean. I want to prove to myself that I can still help people like the Bellamys. I can still expose or, in this case, lay to rest the scandals that plague them.

Of course, learning that Kevin and Luann are behind the sabotage will only allow me to help Robert Cartwright, not the Bellamys. I’ll have to hope that the fear both children feel will prevent them from doing anything foolish in the future.

Still, right is right. Robert has his faults, but he should not suffer for a crime he hasn’t committed.

None of this tells me how I can talk to Kevin. I pace my room back and forth and try to think of a way to approach him without Luann or Robert knowing.

The answer comes to me with a burst of inspiration. The Bellamy children are tutored at home, but Kevin attends the island’s private preparatory academy. If I could meet him there, maybe I can convince him to talk to me. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth the effort.

Keeping this from Sean over the weekend is difficult, all the more difficult when he confides in me Sunday evening that he’s found nothing to connect either the Bellamys’ employees or Robert Cartwright to the sabotage. The police, it seems, haven’t found anything either, and no arrests have been made.

But if I tell Sean my plan, he'll disapprove strongly, and I don't want to hear his reproof right now. So, I keep it to myself, and on Monday, I am ready to put it into action.

I inform the children that today will only be a half day of school because I have an errand to run in the city that afternoon. Sean is a little harder to convince because he offers to chauffeur me, but I convince him to let me go on my own while he doublechecks the servants just to ensure we didn’t miss anything. That will keep all of them at the house and give me time to work. And if I learn what I hope to learn, then I’ll come clean to Sean. I’ll still get a reproof, but it will be far more gentle if I come to him with evidence.

St. Agatha’s Preparatory Academy is located in the town of Aquinnah on the extreme southwestern portion of the island. I learn from the school’s website that instruction ends at three-oh-five, and I park across from the school at three-oh-three. I spot Kevin at three-oh-eight walking with a group of four other boys.

I curse inwardly. I need to get him alone if I’m going to talk to him.

His friends follow him to a bright red late-model sports car, and my heart sinks further. I’m used to walking most places, but most people, especially younger people, prefer to drive even very short distances. It looks like I might have completely flubbed my first attempt at talking to Kevin.

When the other four boys enter the car and Kevin waves goodbye to them, I release a huge sigh of relief. He walks away from the school and starts alone down the road that will lead to his home four miles away. It's a bit of a walk, but not an issue for a strong young man like Kevin.

I wait until he rounds a corner out of sight of the school, then pull the van out of the parking lot and follow him. I catch up to him a minute later. He gives the van a casual glance, then goes back to ignoring it until I park twenty yards in front of him and step outside.

“Kevin?” He looks up at me and flinches. “I’m Mary Wilcox. Do you remember me?”

He grows instantly wary. “Yes, I met you once. What are you doing here?”

“I was hoping to talk to you for a bit. It’s about Luann.” That’s not exactly a lie. This does concern Luann.

His wariness turns to worry. “What happened? Is she all right?”

“She’s all right,” I admit, “but I need your input on something serious.”

He hesitates. “I’m… not sure if I should.”

“It has to do with the attack on the vineyard the other night.”

He pales and looks around quickly. When he sees that we’re alone, he meets my eyes. I keep my gaze steady, and after a moment, he sighs. “Damn it.”

He gets into the car quickly, choosing the rear compartment rather than the front seat. When I return to the drivers’ seat, he says, “There’s a park up ahead on the second left. Pull up there and we can talk in the car.”

I oblige, and when we’re parked, he asks immediately, “What did she tell you?”

I consider lying and telling him that she’s spilled everything to me, but I’ve lied enough lately, and there’s no need to make Luann appear untrustworthy.

“She didn’t tell me anything. I overheard her on the phone with you the other day. You were both worried that the police might discover that it was you who sabotaged the vineyard and not your father.”

I look at him and see that his face is pale, and his shoulders are stiff as a board. “She said that?”

“She was trying to reassure you that your father would be all right and that you two shouldn’t tell the police a different story than the one she provided to me initially.”

So you were the one who told the cops that Dad did it.”

“That was me,” I confirm, “because of what Luann told me.”

He sighs and crosses his arms. “Well, Dad’s been working sixteen-hour days trying to manage his company while also proving he’s not trying to kill anyone, so that’s been fun.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I believe that you and I can help put a stop to that.”

“I’m not going to confess to the attack,” he blurts out, quickly adding, “If I didn’t do it.”

“I don’t know that you’ll have to tell the police anything,” I reply. “I can’t promise that you won’t, but I can promise that your parents love you very much. They won’t want anything to happen to you.”

“ Dad won’t want anything to happen to me,” he corrects. “Julian Bellamy won’t give a shit, and Victoria Bellamy will be calling for the death penalty.”

“Not if you and Luann come forward together.”

He laughs. There’s more anger than bitterness in that laugh. “She doesn’t give a shit about Luann. All she cares about is that damned vineyard. I don’t even know if she cares about that or if she just wants to beat my dad.”

“I understand the two of them have quite the history.”

“Oh, they sure do. Victoria’s never forgiven Dad for buying the Leander wine estate from under Parker Bellamy’s nose.”

I raise an eyebrow. This is something I haven’t heard before. “When did this happen?”

“I don’t know. Before Parker Bellamy died, so long before I was born. Dad said they used to be friends before then, but once he bought the Leander estate, everything got all cold. Then, when Parker died, Victoria started being a real bitch.”

“How so?”

“She would pay for people to say things that weren’t true in the newspaper. Like how we used dangerous pesticides, or our employees didn’t wash their hands. I don’t know, I never read the articles. I just know that the company was almost ruined, and Dad had to take out a bunch of loans. This all happened before I was born.”

“If it happened before you were born, then how do you know it’s true?”

He blinks. “I mean… I don’t get why Dad would lie.”

Many reasons. Then again, Victoria Bellamy isn’t exactly known for her honesty either. “It sounds like your families have good reason to hate each other.”

“I mean… I guess so. That doesn’t mean Dad’s the one who did this, though.”

“Yes, I know that already. But you’re letting the police believe that he is.”

He swallows and looks away from me. “They’ll figure out that it wasn’t him. There’s no evidence.”

“Perhaps not. But as far as the police know, you overheard him say that he needed to take drastic measures. What will happen when the police tell him about that conversation?”

He goes white as a sheet. I press my advantage. “The police will try to keep your name out of their investigation. I’m sure they told you that, just as I’m sure they told you that they couldn’t promise to keep your name out of their investigation. What happens when they get frustrated with their lack of progress and try to goad a confession out of him?”

He leans forward and runs his hands through his hair. “Oh man. I hate this. I hate all of this.”

I have shown the stick. Now I will show the carrot. “Talk to him. To Julian as well. If you and Luann can be honest with your parents, then I’m sure that there is a way out of this without anyone suffering legal trouble. But you need to come clean. The damage this lie is causing is going to tear both of your families apart. I’m sure you two had your reasons for doing what you did, but it’s gone too far. Put an end to it now. Please. Before it’s too late.”

He bites his lip and rocks back and forth for a minute. I say nothing else. Either he’ll cave, or he won’t.

He doesn’t. He takes a deep breath and gives me a hard look. “I don’t know what you thought you overheard, but Luann and I didn’t do that to Victoria’s vineyard. I don’t know who did. I thought I overheard my dad saying some crap, but maybe I was mistaken too.”

He reaches for the door handle and seems surprised to find it unlocked. He hesitates before stepping outside. “I need to go home now.”

“All right,” I reply. “I hope you think about what I’ve said, though.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

He starts away, walking fast and looking around fearfully. No one stops to ask what he's doing or what I'm doing. I wait until he's out of sight, then sigh and start the engine.

I didn’t achieve the result I wanted, but I’m not losing hope. If I were Kevin, the next thing I would do is try to warn Luann. Maybe if she knows that the walls are closing in, Luann will be more willing to come clean. It’s a step in the right direction.

I can only hope that going about it the way I am won’t cause more harm than good.