e Lighthouse View Hotel。
Again； I could picture the scene in summer： buckets and spades and fishing nets piled up on the veranda； rope sandals left by the door； a dusting of white sand trailed up from the beach； that kind of thing。 But out of season the big old wooden hotel creaked and banged in the wind like a sailing boat stuck on a reef。 I suppose the management must have been waiting till spring to strip the blistered paintwork and wash the crust of salt off the windows。 The sea was pounding away nearby in the darkness。 I stood with my suitcase on the wooden deck and watched the lights of the taxi disappear around the corner with something close to nostalgia。
Inside the lobby； a girl dressed up as a Victorian maid with a white lace mobcap handed me a message from Lang’s office。 I would be picked up at ten the next morning and should bring my passport to show to security。 I was starting to feel like a man on a mystery tour： as soon as I reached one location； I was given a fresh set of instructions to proceed to the next。 The hotel was empty； the restaurant dark。 I was told I could have my choice of rooms； so I picked one on the second floor with a desk I could work at and photographs of Old Edgartown on the wall： John Coffin House； circa 1890； the whale ship Splendid at Osborn wharf； circa 1870。 After the receptionist had gone； I put my laptop； list of questions； and the stories I had torn out of the Sunday newspapers on the desk and then stretched out on the bed。
I fell asleep at once and didn’t wake until two in the morning； when my body clock； still on London time； went off like Big Ben。 I spent ten minutes searching for a minibar before realizing there wasn’t one。 On impulse； I called Kate’s home number in London。 What exactly I was going to say to her I had no idea。 In any case there was no answer。 I meant to hang up but instead found myself rambling to her answering machine。 She must have left for work very early。 Either that； or she hadn’t come home the night before。 That was something to think about； and I duly thought about it。 The fact that I had no one to blame but myself didn’t make me feel any better。 I took a shower and afterward I got back into bed； turned off the lamp； and pulled the damp sheets up under my chin。 Every few seconds the slow pulse of the lighthouse filled the room with a faint red glow。 I must have lain there for hours； eyes wide open； fully awake and yet disembodied； and in this way passed my first night on Martha’s Vineyard。
THE LANDSCAPE THAT DISSOLVEDout of the dawn the next morning was flat and alluvial。 Across the road beneath my window was a creek； then reed beds； and beyond those a beach and the sea。 A pretty Victorian lighthouse with a bell…shaped roof and a wrought…iron balcony looked across the straits to a long； low spit of land about a mile away。 That； I realized； must be Chappaquiddick。 A squadron of hundreds of tiny white seabirds； in a formation as tight as a school of fish； soared and flicked and dived above the shallow waves。
I went downstairs and ordered a huge breakfast。 From the little shop next to reception I bought a copy of theNew York Times 。 The story I was looking for was entombed deep in the world news section and then reinterred to ensure maximum obscurity far down the page：
LONDON （AP）—Former British prime minister Adam Lang authorized the illegal use of British special forces troops to seize four suspected Al Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan and then hand them over for interrogation by the CIA； according to newspaper reports here Sunday。
The men—Nasir Ashraf； Shakeel Qazi； Salim Khan； and Faruk Ahmed—all British citizens； were seized in the Pakistani city of Peshawar five years ago。 All four were allegedly transferred out of the country to a secret location and tortured。 Mr。 Ashraf is reported to have died under interrogation。 Mr。 Qazi； Mr。 Khan； and Mr。 Ahmed were subsequently detained at Guantánamo for three years。 Only Mr。 Ahmed remains in U。S。 custody。
According to documents obtained by the LondonSunday Times ； Mr。 Lang personally endorsed “Operation Tempest；” a secret mission to kidnap the four men by the UK’s elite Special Air Services。 Such an operation would have been illegal under both UK and international law。
The British Ministry of Defence last night refused to comment on either the authenticity of the documents or the existence of “Operation Tempest。” A spokeswoman for Mr。 Lang said that he had no plans to issue a statement。
I read it through three times。 It didn’t seem to add up to much。 Or did it？ It was hard to tell anymore。 One’s moral bearings were no longer as fixed as they used to be。 Methods my father’s generation would have considered beyond the pale； even when fighting the Nazis—torture； for example—were now apparently acceptable civilized behavior。 I decided that the ten percent of the population who worry about these things would be appalled by the report； assuming they ever managed to locate it； the remaining ninety would probably just shrug。 We had been told that the free world was taking a walk on the dark side。 What did people expect？
I had a couple of hours to kill before the car was due to collect me； so I took a walk over the wooden bridge to the lighthouse and then strolled into Edgartown。 In daylight it seemed even emptier than it had the previous night。 Squirrels chased undisturbed along the sidewalks and scampered up into the trees。 I must have passed two dozen of those picturesque nineteenth…century whaling captains’ houses； and it didn’t look as if one was occupied。 The widow’s walks on the fronts and sides were deserted。 No black…shawled women stared mournfully out to sea； waiting for their menfolk to come home—presumably because the menfolk were all on Wall Street。 The restaurants were closed； the little boutiques and galleries stripped bare of stock。 I had wanted to buy a windproof jacket but there was no place open。 The windows were filled with dust and the husks of insects。 “Thanks for a great season！！！” read the cards。 “See you in the spring！”
It was the same in the harbor。 The primary colors of the port were gray and white—gray sea； white sky； gray shingle roofs； white clapboard walls； bare white flagpoles； jetties weathered blue…gray and green…gray； on which perched matching gray…and…white gulls。 It was as if Martha Stewart had color coordinated the whole place； Man and Nature。 Even the sun； now hovering discreetly over Chappaquiddick； had the good taste to shine pale white。
I put my hand up to shield my eyes and squinted at the distant strand of beach with its isolated holiday houses。 That was where Senator Edward Kennedy’s career had taken its disastrous wrong turn。 According to my book； the whole of Martha’s Vineyard had been a summer playground for the Kennedys； who liked to sail over for the day from Hyannisport。 There was a story of how Jack； when he was president； had wanted to moor his boat at the private jetty of the Edgartown Yacht Club but had decided to sail away when he saw the massed ranks of the members； Republicans to a man； lined up with their arms folded； watching him； daring him to land。 It was the summer before he was shot。
The few yachts moored now were shrouded for winter。 The only movement was a solitary fishing boat with an outboard motor heading for the lobster traps。 I sat for a while on a bench and waited to see if anything would happen。 Gulls swooped and cried。 On a nearby yacht the wind rattled the cables against a metal mast。 There was hammering in the distance as property was renovated for the summer。 An old guy walked a dog。 Apart from that； nothing occurred in almost an hour that could possibly have distracted an author from his work。 It was a nonwriter’s idea of a writer’s paradise。 I could see why McAra might have gone insane。
FOUR
The ghost will also be under pressure from the publishers to dig up something controversial that they can use to sell serial rights and to generate publicity at the time of publication。
Ghostwritin g
IT WAS MY OLDfriend the deaf taxi driver who picked me up from the hotel later that morning。 Because I’d been booked into a hotel in Edgartown； I’d naturally assumed that Rhinehart’s property must be somewhere in the port itself。 There were some big houses overlooking the harbor； with gardens sloping down to private moorings； that looked to me to be ideal billionaire real estate—which shows how ignorant I was about what serious wealth can buy。 Instead； we drove out of town for about ten minutes； following signs to West Tisbury； into flat； thickly wooded country； and then； before I’d even noticed a gap in the trees； swung left down an unmade； sandy track。
Until that moment I was unfamiliar with scrub oak。 Maybe it looks good in full leaf。 But in winter I doubt if nature has a more depressing vista to offer in its entire flora department than mile after mile of those twisted； dwarfish； ash…colored trees。 A few curled brown leaves were the only evidence they might once have been alive。 We rocked and bounced down a narrow forest road for almost three miles and the only creature we saw was a run…over skunk； unti