by Stuart Woods
“Maybe when I’m dead and gone,” Rawls said. “Come to think of it, that may be tomorrow night. Can you wait that long?”
“Oh, all right,” Rocky said, “but remember, I’m providing the weapons for this gig, and I need to know how they’re going to be used.”
“I think that remains to be seen,” Stone said. “Remember, we’re going in without weapons.”
“I haven’t made any promises along those lines,” Rocky replied. “But then, I won’t be inside, unless I hear weapons fire.”
“On that note,” Stone said, “I’m sending you all to bed. We need a good night’s sleep.”
“We’ll see about that,” Rocky whispered as she brushed past him.
“We’ll have a light lunch tomorrow about eleven-thirty,” Stone said, then followed Rocky to bed. When he got there, she was already in it, looking fetching.
“You know what I like about you?” Stone asked.
“What?”
“Absolutely everything—so far.” He was shortly in the game.
43
Everybody had a sandwich and some soup. Lance arrived in time for that.
“What, no president?” Stone asked.
“She knows what she wants to know, now. She seems confident in us.”
“I hope her confidence is not misplaced,” Stone said. Rawls left first, since he had preparations to make. Rocky, dressed in black leather, rode the Norton out of the garage and out of sight. Stone, Lance, and Dino got into a black SUV, provided by Lance, and drove the few blocks uptown, waiting a block away from the Crane. At one minute to three they drove the last block, got out at the front door, and went inside, making a point of not looking anywhere but at the door to the conference room.
As the front door closed behind them, two men in dark suits walked in and past them to the conference room door, where they waited. The older one did, indeed, resemble Aristotle Onassis, and the younger one resembled the photo in everyone’s iPhone. The older one stuck out his hand to Stone, who was the tallest of the group. “I am Gromyko,” he said.
Stone shook the hand and looked him in the eye. “I am Barrington,” he replied. “Good morning. My companions are Mr. Cabot, who will join me in our meeting, and Mr. Bacchetti, who will search both of you for weapons.”
“Good,” Gromyko said. “And my man behind you will search you.” He raised his hands to shoulder level. Everyone underwent a thorough grope fest, then the Greek opened the door and led the way into the room.
To Stone’s surprise, the man did not take a seat but, instead, walked around the conference table and through the door leading to the kitchen. Stone looked back and saw Dino and Gromyko’s man eyeing each other suspiciously, then he followed the Greek through the door and into the back hall. The door closed behind him.
At the end of the hall another of Gromyko’s men stood, holding open an elevator door.
“Please,” Gromyko said holding out an ushering hand.
Stone wasn’t sure why, but he got on the elevator, which comfortably held them all. The car began to rise and continued for longer than Stone had expected. Lance was behind him, so they couldn’t make eye contact.
The elevator door slid silently open, and they stepped into a large living room, at the center of which was a glass coffee table with four Charles Eames lounge chairs arranged around it. They took seats, and Stone ended up next to Gromyko.
A man in a white waiter’s jacket emerged from what must have been the kitchen and approached the table. “Good day, gentlemen,” he said. “May I offer you coffee, tea, sandwiches, or anything else?”
Gromyko indicated that Stone should order first. “A double espresso,” he said. Might as well stay awake.
The others ordered something, and Gromyko waited until everyone had been served, then said, “Why are we here?” he asked.
“I would like to propose that we end hostilities,” Lance said.
“What’s in that for me?” the Greek asked.
“Staying alive,” Stone said, “as it is for each of us.”
Gromyko laughed, to Stone’s relief. “Let us say that we agree in principle, depending on how our further discussions go.”
“What further discussions are those?” Lance asked.
“Let us first discuss the disposition of two men in a plumber’s van,” the Greek said.
“You mean the two heavily armed assassins who were firing at an acquaintance of mine? They were disposed of.”
“How may I find their remains?”
“I would advise conducting a search of the bottom of Penobscot Bay,” Stone replied.
Gromyko frowned. “The men had families.”
“The men chose risky careers. I’m sure their employer will take good care of their survivors.”
“Where is the man, Rawls?”
“He was not invited to this meeting,” Lance said. “It’s difficult to know where he is at any given moment, as I’m sure you have learned.”
“I have lost two brothers,” the younger Pentkovsky, Egon, cut in.
“Our condolences,” Stone replied. “I expect they understood the nature of their work, and its hazards.”
“I expect their families to be compensated for their loss,” Pentkovsky said.
“That is entirely up to you,” Lance said.
“You are being difficult,” Gromyko said.
“I am being honest with you.”
“You lack diplomacy.”
Lance smiled. “As do you.”
“I should think that a representative of the government of the United States should be authorized to offer compensation.”
“I represent only a small department of the government of the United States, and all our expenditures are overseen by various committees of the Congress. You may, of course, bring suit against the government for this compensation, but that would certainly entail more scrutiny of your business and personal affairs than you are accustomed to.”
“Surely you understand that I do not expect to leave this meeting empty-handed.”
“I am surprised that you have any expectations at all in that regard,” Lance said.
“It is a matter of respect,” Gromyko said.
“Respect must be earned,” Lance said.
“On the other hand,” Stone said, “we do not intend any disrespect. All we seek is, as we said at the outset, a cessation of hostilities, which surely would have rewards for all of us.”
“But you are unwilling to pay for it.”
“For that or anything else,” Lance said “Not even the coffee.”
“That is not courteous,” Gromyko said.
“Neither was the abrupt change of our agreed venue,” Stone replied. “How many weapons are concealed near where you sit?”
Gromyko grimaced.
“Excuse me,” Egon Pentkovsky said. “My associate does not deal so much with our legitimate business affairs. He is more accustomed to dealing with people who are, shall we say, less refined.”
“I’m happy to know that some of your affairs are legitimate,” Stone said. “Perhaps that should make this meeting easier for all of us.”
“Serge said, at the outset, that we agree in principle with ending hostilities. Perhaps we can consider that a given and proceed with business matters.”
Lance spoke up. “We are not aware that there is any business between us.”
“I believe, Mr. Cabot, that your department of your government, the CIA, sometimes comes into possession of goods that are of no use to the Agency. Perhaps we could ease their reintroduction to markets and give your Agency significant funds, which could be applied to its various projects.”
“I’m afraid that my Agency does not do business of the sort you suggest. We are not a profit-making organization; we seek only knowledge of our adversaries.”
> “We are disappointed,” Egon said.
“I am sorry for your disappointment,” Lance said. “Do we have agreement on the cessation of hostilities?”
Egon looked at Serge, who seemed to nod slightly. “We are agreed,” Egon said.
“With immediate effect, we presume?” Another tiny nod.
“Good. I think we should all believe that this has been a successful discussion.” Lance stood.
Stone stood with him, then, reluctantly, Gromyko and Pentkovsky stood as well. The waiter materialized and pressed the button for the elevator. Gromyko waved them in first, then followed.
No word was spoken as they traveled down.
Stone tensed slightly as the car slowed to a stop, half expecting men with machine guns to greet them as they got out.
The four men exchanged handshakes in the conference room, then Stone and Lance walked out the front door into brilliant sunshine. Stone resisted the urge to search the rooftop for Rawls, then got into the waiting SUV. Dino was in his own vehicle and preceded them to Stone’s house.
No one died.
44
Ed Rawls tensed as Stone and Lance left the Crane and got into the SUV. He sat back and surveyed every inch of the rooftop across the street, every window in view. Nothing, just Rocky following their SUV on the Norton as they departed.
He packed up and made his way downstairs to the street and took a taxi to Stone’s house. He found Stone and his guests sharing a bottle of champagne in Stone’s study.
“Come in, Ed,” Stone said, “and have a glass.” He nodded toward the bar, where an ice bucket and flutes awaited and watched as Rawls poured himself one. He took a stool and surveyed the happy group.
“You all look very pleased with yourselves,” he said. “Did you get to kill anybody?”
“It all went smoothly,” Stone said. “We have a truce.”
“When pigs do aerial somersaults in the sky,” Ed replied.
“It was all very cordial,” Lance said, “except the parts where they tried to extort money from us for the widows, if such exist, of the two men you dealt with in Maine. Gromyko seemed to want his plumber’s van back. Stone referred him to the depths of Penobscot Bay.”
“I’ll give it twenty-four hours before they’re up to mischief again,” Rawls said.
“Just what do you mean by ‘mischief’?” Lance asked.
“Murder and mayhem.”
“I don’t think we’ll have any of that,” Lance said.
“Why? Did you appeal to their sense of honor? They don’t know what that is.”
“We appealed to their sense of self-preservation,” Stone said. “They have one of those.”
“Well, while you’re waiting for them to figure that out, my suggestion is that you maintain the same level of security that you have for the past few days.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Dino said.
“I’m agreeable to that,” Lance added. “It’s the prudent thing to do. And while we’re at it, don’t you hunt any of them down, Ed.”
“I can restrain myself,” Rawls said, “until they start shooting again. I don’t think I’ll go back to Maine for a while, maybe not until the snow falls.”
“Do you still have your house in Virginia, Ed?” Lance asked. “A very pretty place.”
“I do, and they won’t know about it.”
“Well, when I fly south, in a day or two, I’m happy to give you a chopper ride. After all, it’s quite close to Langley.”
“That’s a kind offer, Lance. I’ll consider it after discussing it with Sally.”
She beamed at him over her champagne flute.
“I assume they took you to another part of the hotel after you entered the conference room,” Rawls said to Stone.
“Yes. They took us up to a penthouse and gave us coffee.”
“You’re lucky you’re not floating facedown in the East River,” he said.
* * *
—
Ed looked out over the Virginia landscape from Lance’s helicopter and saw where his house should be, but the big trees cut off the view.
“A car will meet you at the Farm’s pad and drive you to your house,” Lance said.
“Farm?” Sally asked.
“It’s the CIA training facility, Camp Peary,” Ed replied, “though it won’t look like that from above.”
They set down on the pad, and their luggage was unloaded, including Ed’s weapons. He wouldn’t have been able to fly commercial with those, he reflected.
Lance shook hands with them both and waved them off in an armored SUV.
Shortly, as they reached the highway and turned right, Ed tapped the driver on the shoulder. “Keep it at a steady fifty and drive past the house,” he said. “I want to get a good look at it before we commit.”
The house appeared on their left and Ed could find nothing wrong. He was pleased that the grass had been mown by the teenager he employed for that purpose. “Okay,” he said to the driver, “turn around at the convenience store ahead. This time we’ll turn into the driveway, and you can be rid of us.”
The man followed his instructions and stopped in the driveway. Ed asked Sally to wait, then got out of the car and, as he climbed the front steps, unholstered the handgun he was packing. He let himself quietly into the house and walked the whole place, looking for anything amiss. Finally, he went back to the car and fetched Sally, while the driver got the luggage inside and upstairs, then refused money and was gone.
“Ed, this is charming,” Sally said, walking around the rooms.
“Thank you, but stay away from the windows for the time being.”
“I like you being cautious,” she said.
“Life can be short when you’re not cautious,” he replied, then took her into the study and fixed her a drink, while he put away his weapons in the large safe, concealed in a room behind a bookcase. “There’s space for us in here, should we need shelter,” he said, showing her how to open and close the swinging bookcase.
“There’s a car in the garage outside, should we need to run.” He gave her his spare key.
“Where would I run?” she asked. “Anyway, you’d be with me.”
“Assume I’m not, for the moment. Take the car in the garage, keys in kitchen drawer, turn right out of the driveway and get to the gate of the Farm, which will appear four and a half miles down the road. Turn in there, stop at the gate, identify yourself, and ask them to call Lance.”
“Got it,” she said.
“I ordered some groceries for dinner, and they should be delivered in an hour or so. I thought I’d grill some steaks.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Let me check in with Stone.” He sat down next to her on the sofa and called.
“Yes?”
“It’s Ed. We’re at the intended place and still alive, but we’re being careful. You should be, too.”
“We were thinking of going out to dinner,” Stone said.
“That’s fine, if you want one of your favorite restaurants shot up and many of the other diners dead.”
“Just when do you think we should start trusting the Greek and his people not to kill us?”
“Never,” Ed said.
“We’ve got plenty of security on the ground, but you have none there, do you?”
“Not of the kind you mean,” Ed said, “but I can fend them off until the cavalry arrives.”
“What cavalry is that?”
“Lance and I have an arrangement that holds until we’re both comfortable with the situation.”
“How long do you think that will take?”
“Until the Greek starts to see how nice it is when nobody is trying to kill him. That feeling is the only thing between us and a firefight, or worse. If you want some free advice, I’d go back to Maine for a
little while. It’s off the Greek’s turf, and you’ve got that fortified house to hole up in.”
“That’s not the worse advice I’ve ever had,” Stone said.
“Good luck to us both.” Ed hung up.
“Ed,” Sally said.
“Yes, m’dear?”
“I hope you’ll always be that blunt with me.”
“Count on it,” Ed replied.
45
It took Ed a long time to get to sleep that night, but the presence of the warm, svelte body in the bed next him eventually lulled him into a fitful doze. He woke whenever he heard the slightest noise, inside or outside the house.
He got out of bed at five am as gingerly as possible, so as not to wake Sally. He hung his holster on the inside of the bathroom door, then shaved, showered, and dressed in his habitual civilian mode, khakis and a plaid shirt, fairly heavy boots with Vibram soles, and shoulder holster under a plaid vest, then he went downstairs and put sausages from the local butcher in a pan to fry. If that smell didn’t wake Sally, nothing would.
Fifteen minutes later, as he was contemplating starting the eggs, she came into the room, looking bright and rested, her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
He kissed her hello. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Scrambled,” she replied.
He knew what she meant: the British way. He scrambled and seasoned the eggs, then put them into a pan at a very low temperature, constantly stirring them with a spatula. He sprinkled over that a layer of grated Parmesan cheese and continued to stir, while he put English muffins into the toaster.
When the eggs were just past being runny, he put them onto warmed plates, where they continued to cook a bit from their own temperature, as he buttered the muffins. Finally, he added the sausages, poured two glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice, turned on the coffeepot, and set everything on the table. They breakfasted in near silence, which Ed took as a compliment on his cooking.
“You’re not comfortable here,” Sally said, finally. “Do you want me to go back to London?”
“You’re right about your assertion and wrong about your question,” he said. “Something inside me is keeping me from relaxing—like a faint alarm bell ringing.”
