When Lester saw the Sheriff's helicopter approaching, he stayed long enough to trade a few shots with Sheriff Hartman. Then he ran off to his truck, which he fled in.

The helicopter landed by the burning house. Sheriff Hartman and Alice Taylor climbed out and found that Mad Dog was dead. They spotted Rafferty as he half-crawled, half-stumbled to the helicopter. Sheriff Hartman and Alice helped Rafferty to the helicopter.

Rafferty said weakly, "They took my blood."

Sheriff Hartman and Alice were outraged and horrified.

A minute later the Sheriff's helicopter flew towards a blood-red sunset.

Sheriff Hartman stood beside Rafferty's hospital bed, staring squeamishly at the bag of blood that hung down and ran into Rafferty's arm. Rafferty looked terrible, was bruised and battered, but was improving.

Rafferty felt very weak. "Does he have any family?"

Hartman said, "In Oklahoma City. A wife and three kids."

"I misjudged him," Rafferty said. "Jack Draper was a hero. He died trying to save my life."

A nurse came in and began replacing the blood bag with a new one.

Rafferty asked, "Any word about Lester?"

Hartman said, "None. How much blood have they given you?"

"That's the third one already," Rafferty said.

Hartman bunched his shoulders and shivered.

Later Rafferty was alone in his hospital room. The door opened and Ginny Hong entered with Eddie Ka’aina who sat in a wheelchair, with much of his lower neck wrapped in bandages.

Ginny said, "Can we come in?"

Rafferty said, "Ginny ... "

As Ginny hugged Rafferty, Rafferty realized Eddie Ka’aina was behind her. But Eddie brushed jealousy aside. He was grateful and contrite.

He told Rafferty, "I want to thank you for helping save my life."

Rafferty said, "Someday maybe you'll do the same for me."

Eddie asked, "When are they cutting you free?"

"The doctors say tomorrow," Rafferty said. "After I get my strength back."

"How 'bout I buy you a steak dinner?"

Rafferty said, "And then I'll buy you one."

They shook hands as friends.

At twilight Rafferty was alone in his hospital room when Alice Taylor popped in with a big bouquet of flowers, which she placed on Rafferty's lap.

"How you doing, beautiful?"

Rafferty smiled. "Better and better."

"Have you ever made love atop a volcano?"

Rafferty was amused and skeptical.

"Is it dormant or active?"

Alice reached under his blanket.

"It's not dormant," Alice said.

"Oh, I wish I could do more."

"Then I’ll do it."

Exhausted, Sheriff Hartman was trudging through the hospital and met one of his deputies interviewing one of the doctors.

"What are you doing here?" Hartman asked.

The deputy said, "Some medical supplies are missing from the hospital."

Sheriff Hartman found this very interesting.

At that same hour of night Paula Grayson answered her back door and found Jimmy Quint outside. Paula was concerned. "Jimmy! Where've you been?"

"Mauka. I had some problems I had to get straightened out."

Paula coaxed Jimmy into the kitchen. There she set some instant coffee in front of them. He pushed away the cookies she offered.

Jimmy asked, "Do you know about the money?"

Paula nodded. "Do you know where it's hidden?"

Jimmy nodded. "Paula, I'm going to use it as bait. If it's okay with you."

"To get the killers?"

"They're going to come back, and I'll be waiting for them."

"They were there last night," Paula said.

"But they didn't find it." He was defiant. "And you can't stop me or talk me out of it."

"I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't join you. I've got about the same hatred that you have."

Jimmy said with difficulty, "This isn't hatred. This is ... my duty, maybe. Maybe the first step in how I come back from where I've been."

"Rafferty wants to see you again."

Jimmy was surprised. "What’s he up to these days?’

Rafferty awoke in his hospital room in the middle of the night and found Jimmy Quint fingering and poking the blood bag hanging down into Rafferty's arm. Jimmy saw Rafferty awake and with a guilty look stopped poking the bag of blood.

"Hi, Terry, it's me."

Rafferty was bleary-eyed. "Jimmy?"

As Rafferty turned on the bedside light, Jimmy jumped back and now sat in the chair by the bed.

Jimmy said, "How are you?"

"I'll be fine by morning," Rafferty said.

"That's what Paula told me. I can't stay long. I got to get back up to my brother's place."

"You can't go back up there, Jimmy. It's no good brooding like you're doing."

Jimmy was surprised. "Oh, I'm on my way back from all that."

Rafferty said, "Jimmy, you're in trouble with the law. You took a potshot at me in the kitchen, then you disappeared into the woods. Then you took a potshot at the deputies at your brother's garden. Resisting arrest, too."

Jimmy was defensive. "I can explain -- "

"You have to explain it to the Sheriff."

"First I got to get their killers."

"You know who they were?"

Jimmy shook his head. "I got there too late. But I know why."

"The eight hundred thousand dollars Jeremiah got for selling his crop."

"Terry, they were after the money. They didn't get it. That's why they'll come back for it. Oh. Who told you?" With haunted eyes, Jimmy added, "Well, they'll have to pay for it."

"Are you going to try to kill them?"

"Terry, I came to this island because I lost the love of my life." Jimmy left his chair. "And since then I've lost the only other people I've ever loved."

"You can't do it, Jimmy."

But Jimmy ducked out the window.

Rafferty tried to go after him, but he still had a blood transfusion dripping into his arm. As he started peeling off the adhesives, Nurse Cheryl Park walked into his room with a portable telephone.

Rafferty said, "Stop that man!"

She was confused. "What man?"

Rafferty backed off. "Aw, damn."

Cheryl told Rafferty, "I’m sorry to disturb you, but you have a phone call."

Rafferty, surprised, asked, "At this hour?" He answered the phone by his hospital bed. "Yes? Oh, hello, Senator." He slumped back. "Oh, I'm fine, Senator. Yes, in fact I have, Senator. He was just here. No, we didn’t talk about it."

Cheryl Park left, closing the door behind her.

In his office Sheriff Hartman listened to Doctor Deanna Wu.

Doctor Wu said, "We've got those bloodstains analyzed in Mad Dog Rahler's truck." She looked at files. "Mad Dog Rahler's blood type was received from the Marine Corps, and his son was knifed once in a Texas reformatory, so his type was also available. But the bloodstains belong to some third party."

Hartman tried to remember. "Weren't they hanging around with some guy named Tomo?"

"Tomo Oteas. You busted his grandfather's house the other night."

Sheriff Hartman was lost in thought.

Neither had had much sleep.

As the sun rose over Wild Banana Gulch, Jimmy Quint had set up some water-filled plastic jugs for target practice. He moved a hundred feet away, then settled down with his mini-14 automatic rifle. His first shot was great, although the sudden loud noise spooked him. He punctured a jug. But then because he anticipated the noise of the gunfire, he missed the next six shots in a row. He concentrated, fired and hit a jug of water, but then his next two shots missed. He plugged jugs with his next two shots, but missed the next five shots in a row. Finally he hit one more water jug.