"Allison," Chris Wheaton said, sounding really interested, "when you and Paul left the Canary Islands and set sail for home, how much sailing experience had you, personally, had?"

Well, I had sailed across the Atlantic and around Europe with Paul, but he had always done the sailing.

The boat was rigged for single handing so he took care of that, and I just kept house--or boat, I guess."

"So how was it, after Paul's death, that you managed to sail this very large yacht all the way across the Atlantic all by yourself?"

Allison launched into an explanation of how she had learned enough celestial navigation to find her latitude and how she had managed the sails by using only the main most of the time.

Wheaton seemed fascinated by her reply and satisfied with her answer.

Forrester seemed almost to be taking a transcript of the proceedings.

Wheaton continued with questions about the sailing of the boat, and Allison grew visibly more relaxed. Then Wheaton changed tack, and Stone knew that the questions were not coming in the order in which they would appear in the edited version of the interview. Wheaton probed the depths of Allison's marriage to Paul Manning, taking her over and over the same ground, looking for what might appear to be a motive for murder. To Stone's surprise, Allison stood up to it beautifully, genuinely seeming to try to answer every question put to her, holding nothing back.

When a halt was called for the first change of tape, Wheaton turned to Stone. "You want a break?"

Stone looked at Allison and she shook her head imperceptibly. "No,"

Stone replied. "Go ahead."

Wheaton got the signal from her producer; she turned back to Allison.

"Allison, how much life insurance did your husband have?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Allison replied. "Ashore, the division of our lives was pretty much the same as at sea. He handled the business, I handled the house. I

made an investment, bought a life insurance poi-or even wrote a check, unless it was for groceries or Paul had people who handled the business end his career, and they're sorting out the estate now, I and when they tell me where I stand, then I'll I'm told it will be some weeks before it's all fig out I do know from what Paul said in passing that although he owned an expensive house and boat, they have large mortgages on them, so I don't know yet will be left when everything is settled." "Are you going to keep the big house in Greenwich and this beautiful yacht?" Allison shrugged. "The house was always too big for even the two of us, since we didn't have any kids, and I don't know if I would want to live there alone; I just ?. haven't thought that far ahead. As far as the boat is concerned, what would I do with it?

Anyway, the memories are too painful; I don't think I could ever sail on her again without Paul." She brushed away a tear. Perfect, Stone thought. There were two more changes of tape before the interview ended, but Allison kept going. Apart from an occasional sip of orange juice, she never paused. Finally, they were done, and the crew began to pack up their equipment. Allison chatted idly with Chris Wheaton and Jim

Forrester, answering questions about her yacht. "It's nice to see you again, Jim," Allison said. "Paul and I enjoyed your company in Las Palmas, and we were sorry not to know you were in Puerto Rico until we saw you as we were leaving port." "I was sorry, too, Allison," the journalist replied. "Do you think we could get together later today or early tomorrow for a few minutes? I have some more things to ask you."

"I'm sure we can," she replied. "Let me talk to Stone about my schedule, and I'll get back to you. Where are you staying?"

"At the Shipwright's Arms."

"Good. I'll call you."

Wheaton 'and Burrows thanked her for her time and, with Jim Forrester, left the boat. As they were walking up the pontoon, Chris Wheaton stopped and spoke quietly to Stone. "That was some performance," she said. "I've never seen anything like it."

"I'm glad it went well," Stone replied. "You should be able to get an awfully good segment out of that."

"You bet I will," Wheaton said, then she looked back at Allison, who was standing in the cockpit, looking out over the harbor, sipping her orange juice. "She's really something," she said. "You won't have any trouble getting her off."

"I wish I could believe that," Stone said, "but from what I've seen so far, I think the odds are heavily against her. Sir Winston Sutherland wants her neck in a noose, for whatever reason, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to stop him."

Wheaton looked at him closely. "Jesus," she said with wonder, "you really think she's innocent, don't you?"

Stone looked at her in amazement. "Of course I do; after all that questioning, don't you?"

"Not for a minute," Wheaton replied. "Listen, over the years I've interviewed a couple of hundred people who were either accused of murder or who had just convicted or acquitted; I learned to tell the guilty the innocent, and let me tell you, not more than of them were innocent." She pointed her chin at

"And she's not one of them."

"Show me one hole in her story," Stone said.

"There isn't one. But she's guilty just the same. Call a woman-to-woman thing, if you like, but I look in blue eyes and I know."

"Is that what you're going to say on 60 Minutes?" "Are you kidding?

I'd be fired out of hand. No sir, going to play it straight, let her answers speak for and ninety-nine percent of the audience is to be outraged that this beautiful, innocent young woman could be charged with murder. That's what you 'wang isn't it?"

"Certainly, that's what I want."

"Well, relax, because that's what you're going to get." She paused and looked across the harbor at the boats. "Unless I can dig up something new between now and Sunday." She-turned and walked up the pontoon toward the pub. Then she stopped, turned, and walked back. "One more thing," she said. "You seem like a nice guy, Stone, so let me give you some free advice: don't fall in love with her; don't even fuck her, if you haven't already. Allison Manning is a dangerous woman."

Stone was speechless. He watched her walk away.

CHAPTER.

Stone was having lunch with Hilary Kramer from the New York Times at the Shipwright's Arms when Thomas Hardy waved him to the bar, pointing at the phone. Stone excused himself, got up, and went to the bar.

"It's somebody named Cantor," Thomas said, handing Stone the telephone.

"By the way, Chester called from the airport, too; says he's loaded down with media folk all afternoon."

"Right," Stone said? taking the phone. "I'd like to have a press conference here Friday morning at ten, if that's okay."

"Sure."

Stone spoke into the phone. "Bob?"

"Stone? Glad I caught you; I'm coming home tomorrow."

"That was fast; were you able to cover any ground such a short time?"

"You bet; I got into Las Palmas early, so I took a flight to Puerto Rico and spent a couple of then came back to Las Palmas."

"What have you learned?"

"Nothing in Puerto Rico, except they took on fuel nd water and spent one night there; more in Las h."

"Tell me." "They were at the yacht club marina for four or five days, doing odd jobs on the boat and provisioning with fruit and vegetables at the local market. Paul had a drink at the yacht club bar late every afternoon, once or wice with Allison, but apart from the shopping, she kept pretty much to the boat. Boats go in and out of that marina constantly, so I was only able to find one boat still there with people who remembered the Mannings. Apart from their boat, which was big and beautiful, they remembered only a couple of things about them: first, their rub-bet dinghy was stolen, and Manning apparently had trouble finding the replacement he wanted; finally he had it flown in from Barcelona. Second, the Mannings had a terrific fight late on the night before they left Las Palmas/'

"Tell me about the fight," Stone said, lowering his voice and looking around to be sure no one overheard.

"A real knockdown, drag-out domestic dispute. Crockery was thrown, names were called, tears were shed, and the whole thing happened at top volume." "Did you get any direct quotes?"

"No, but it had something to do with sailing--with their route, or something."

Odd, Stone thought, that Allison would argue with Paul about something to do with sailing the boat. "That's all you could find out?"

"That's it. Apparently the couple did all the usual things that the yachties do when they sail in and out of Las Palmas--repairs, food, and like that."