The phone was answered quickly, and Ethan put it on speaker for everyone to hear. The landlord, knowing a big spender was calling, was really friendly, much different from how he treated Sutton and the other island people.

Ethan didn't bother with small talk. In front of Sutton and the others, he said, "I like your house. I'll buy it for three times what it's worth."

He said it like it was no big deal, like he was talking about the price of lettuce at the grocery store.

The ...