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big city to Waterfield. “Big” being relative; metropolitan Portland has about 230,000 inhabitants, versus my hometown of New York City’s more than eight and a half million. Compared to Waterfield, though, it was a big place. Once again, I was aware of a feeling of displacement, my perceptions so radically different from what they used to be.
    At any rate, the paramedics would be taking the victim to Portland, where they would deliver her to the morgue, where the ME would do whatever it is medical examiners do. I shut down that train of thought in time to hear what Derek was saying instead.
    “. . . don’t need us, we’ll just head back to work.”
    “Sure.” Wayne nodded. “It’s not like there’s much you can tell me other than that you found her floating in the water somewhere between Rowanberry Island and the mainland at 8:42 A.M. or thereabouts. If you’ve never seen her before and there was nothing else out there with her . . .”
    Derek shook his head. “Nothing we noticed. We didn’t take the time to look around much, since we wanted to get her back here as quickly as possible.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Wayne said. “The coast guard is having a trawl for anything unusual. Keep an eye out, just in case you notice something on your way back to Rowanberry Island, but other than that, I don’t think there’s anything more you can do. And no reason for you to concern yourselves further.” His glance brushed mine.
    OK, so perhaps a few times in the past I’d stumbled into one of Wayne’s cases, where I didn’t belong. Mostly because I’d found some kind of information that concerned someone I knew, and I felt compelled to figure out what was going on. And maybe he and Derek had had to come to my rescue a few times, when I’d gotten in over my head. Mostly because I didn’t watch where I was going. But there was no need to worry about that this time.
    “You don’t have to warn me off,” I said. “I’m sorry she drowned, or died of exposure or whatever, but I don’t know her, and what happened to her is none of my business. I just want to go back to my house on the island and get back to work.”
    Wayne nodded.
    “She’s all yours. I won’t even ask you later if you’ve figured out who she is and what happened to her.”
    “You don’t have to go that far,” Wayne said, while Derek’s lips twitched. “I’ll let you—both of you—know what I find out. Just as long as I don’t have to worry about either of you interfering.”
    “I never interfere,” Derek said.
    “I never mean to interfere,” I added.
    Wayne shook his head, resigned. “Just go away,” he said. “Let me know if you come across anything interesting. Like another body.”
    “Gah.” I shuddered. “Please don’t say that. One dead body is enough.”
    “More than enough,” Wayne agreed, “but still, let me know if anything turns up.”
    Derek handed me back down into the boat and jumped in after me while Wayne followed the two paramedics and their sad burden toward the shore and the ambulance and police cruiser waiting there.
    The return trip to the island was mostly quiet. The weather had gotten a little better in the past hour, the rain wasn’t stinging my face so much as just settling like a damp, gray blanket over everything, but I guess neither of us really felt like talking. Derek steered the boat and I sat in the stern, huddled with my own depressing thoughts. I know I’d told Wayne—and myself—I couldn’t care less, but it was hard not to be affected by what had happened. The girl in the water had been young and pretty, seemingly healthy; she had probably enjoyed life, and had expected it to go on for eternity, or at least for a long time to come. And now she was dead. She might have had a boyfriend, or even a husband. Young children, maybe. Certainly a mother and a father. Maybe siblings. Friends . . .
    “Leave it alone, Avery,” Derek said when he had pulled the boat up next to the