The Short Forever sb-8

by Stuart Woods

  “Is she as beautiful as you?”

  “Though it pains me to say it, she is more beautiful than I.”

  “I would like very much to meet her.”

  “You free this evening?”

  “I am, as it happens.”

  “Suppose we meet you in the Connaught bar at eight o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Wear a suit.”

  “Will do.”

  “And now,” she said, gathering her packages together, “I must run. You stay and finish your bitter; I’m walking from here; it’s quite nearby.” She hopped off the stool and pecked Stone on the cheek. “Bye-bye.” And she was gone.

  Stone sipped the now-warm ale and wondered what the hell was going on with John Bartholomew and his “niece.”

  Chapter 5

  STONE LEFT THE GRENADIER AND walked back up the mews to Wilton Crescent. No cabs. He walked a bit farther and found himself at the Berkeley Hotel, where the doorman found him a taxi.

  “Where to, guv?” the cabbie asked.

  “There’s a chemist’s shop across from the American Embassy. You know it?”

  “I do.” He drove away. Ten minutes later, Stone was having his photograph taken by a man with a large studio Polaroid camera, which took four shots simultaneously. He paid for the photos and walked across the street to the embassy. As he climbed the steps outside, he saw a familiar-looking form perhaps twenty yards ahead of him. The man went into the embassy, and Stone quickly followed.

  As he entered the main door, he saw the man get onto an elevator. Although he got only a glimpse, it seemed to be John Bartholomew. He started for the elevator, but a uniformed U.S. marine stepped in front of him.

  “You’ll have to check in at the desk,” the marine said, pointing to a window surrounded by what appeared to be armored glass.

  “Do you know the man who just passed?” Stone asked. “He got onto the elevator.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t notice.”

  “Can you tell me where to get my passport renewed?”

  “Yes, sir. You go out the main door, turn left, walk around the corner to your left, and the passport office is right there.”

  Stone went to the window first. “Can you tell me if there’s a Mr. John Bartholomew in the building?” he said to the woman behind the glass. “I think I just saw him go up in an elevator.”

  The woman looked at a computer screen that Stone couldn’t see, typed something, and turned back to him. “I’m afraid we don’t have a Bartholomew working here,” she said. She consulted what appeared to be a sign-in sheet. “And no one by that name has entered the building this morning.”

  “Thank you,” Stone said. He wished he could have read the sign-in sheet. He followed the marine’s instructions and found the passport office. He filled out a form, gave it and two photos to the clerk, and was told to wait.

  “How long should it take?” he asked.

  “We’re not very busy; perhaps twenty minutes,” the clerk replied.

  He took a seat and found a magazine.

  In a room several floors higher in the embassy, two men studied a television monitor set into a wall with many other monitors.

  “Is that he?” one asked.

  “Yes, but I think it’s all right,” the other replied. “I think he’s just here to renew his passport.”

  Stone heard his name called. He was given a form to take to the cashier, where he paid the fee, then returned and collected his new passport. He reflected that what had taken less than half an hour in London would have taken most of a day in New York.

  Outside, he couldn’t find a cab, so he began to walk back toward the Connaught. He walked down South Audley Street and turned left onto Mount Street. He had gone only a few steps when he saw a familiar name on a shop window across the street. HAYWARD, the gilt lettering said. He crossed the street and entered the shop, shaking his wet umbrella behind him at the door.

  A large, well-dressed man got up from a couch. “I recognize the suit, but not the man in it,” he said. “I’m Doug Hayward.” He offered his hand.

  “My name is Stone Barrington, and you’re quite right; the suit belonged to Vance Calder. After his death, his wife, who is an old friend, sent all his suits to me. There were twenty of them.”

  “The cost of alterations must have been fierce,” Hayward said.

  “They didn’t need altering; his clothes fit me perfectly.”

  “Then I don’t suppose I can sell you a suit,” Hayward said, laughing.

  “I could use a couple of tweed jackets,” Stone replied, “and a raincoat. I foolishly didn’t bring one.”

  “Have a look at the rack of raincoats over there, and I’ll get some swatches.” Hayward departed toward the rear of the shop, where men were cutting cloth from bolts of fabric.

  Stone found a handsome raincoat and an umbrella, then he sat down and went through the swatches. A few minutes later, he had been measured.

  “How is Arrington?” Hayward asked.

  “I saw her in Palm Beach this past winter, and she was well; I haven’t spoken to her since then.”

  “I was very sorry to hear of Vance’s death. Did they ever convict anyone of the murder?”

  “A woman friend of his was charged and tried, but acquitted. If she really was innocent, then I think it will remain unsolved.”

  “Very strange. I liked Vance, and, of course, he was a very good customer.” Hayward handed him his receipt. “But I suppose he’s bequeathed you to me.”

  Stone laughed. “First time I’ve ever been a bequest.” He shook hands with Hayward, put on his new raincoat, picked up his new umbrella and the Connaught’s as well, and walked outside into a bright, sunshiny day. “Not a cloud in the sky,” he said aloud, looking around him. Suddenly, he felt exhausted. Jet lag had crept up on him, and all he wanted was a bed. He turned and walked the half-block to the Connaught, went upstairs, undressed, and, leaving a wake-up call for seven, climbed into bed and slept.

  The two men in the embassy sat across a desk from each other.

  “You really think this can work?” one asked.

  “I checked him out very carefully,” the other replied. “He’s perfect for us.”

  “If he can make it work.”

  “Let’s give him some time and see. If he can do it, he’ll save us a great deal of time and effort and, possibly, ah, embarrassment.”

  The first man sighed. “I hope you’re right.”

  Chapter 6

  STONE ARRIVED AT THE CONNAUGHT bar downstairs promptly at eight o’clock, showered, shaved, and dressed in a freshly pressed, chalk-striped blue suit. The nap had cleared his head, and he was sure that, with one more good night’s sleep, he would be over the jet lag. The bar consisted of two oak-paneled rooms filled with comfortable sofas and chairs, one room with a small bar at one end. He had only just sat down when his dining companions arrived.

  Erica had not lied; her friend was even more beautiful than she. “Stone,” Erica said, “may I introduce my sister, Monica? And this is Lance Cabot.”

  Stone shook hands all around. Monica Burroughs was perhaps five-ten, nearly as slim as Erica, and had deep auburn hair and green eyes. “I’m very pleased to meet you,” he said, and he was not lying.

  “Shall we have some champagne?” Lance asked. His voice was deep, and he seemed to have a mid-Atlantic accent. A waiter appeared and took the order. A moment later, they were sipping Krug ’66.

  “I’m astonished to see this on a wine list,” Stone said.

  “It isn’t on the list,” Lance replied. “It’s a secret, and I’m sure they have only a few bottles left. Erica tells me you’re a lawyer.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And with Woodman and Weld?”

  “I’m of counsel to the firm.”

  “Not a partner?”

  “No, most of my work for them is done outside the firm.”

  Lance regarded him gravely. “It sounds as th
ough you’re as much of a secret at Woodman and Weld as this wine is at the Connaught.”

  “I’m not quite a secret,” Stone said. “Like the champagne, I’m available on request.”

  “Tell me, Stone,” Lance continued, “have you ever done government work of any kind?”

  “I worked for the government of New York City as a police officer for many years.”

  “Did you? Erica didn’t mention that. What sort of police officer?”

  “Every sort, at one time or another. I began as a patrolman and finished as a homicide detective.”

  “Finished rather young, didn’t you?”

  “I was retired for medical reasons.”

  “You look reasonably fit.”

  “I took a bullet in the knee.”

  “That’s very romantic.”

  “I can assure you that, at the time, it was not in the least romantic, only painful.” Lance was grilling him, and Stone was determined to be polite about it.

  “Lance,” Erica said, “you’re hogging Stone; we’d like to talk to him, too.”

  Monica spoke up, and her accent was more than mid-Atlantic; it was quite English. “How does one recover from a bullet in the knee?” she asked, and she seemed fascinated.

  “With surgery and therapy,” Stone said. “It doesn’t bother me much anymore. If it becomes troublesome again, I can have it replaced.”

  “Ah, yes,” Monica said, “the modular approach to human anatomy. I suppose Lance will be having a new liver soon.”

  Stone and Erica laughed; Lance pretended to.

  “And what do you do, Monica?” Stone asked.

  “I have an art gallery, in Bruton Street.”

  “Did you study art somewhere?”

  “At MountHolyoke, like Erica, only a few years ahead of her. I got a master’s in art history there, then went to work for Sotheby’s. Erica followed in my footsteps, but she lasted only until Lance spirited her away.”

  “I heard that story at lunch,” Stone said. “How long have you lived in London?”

  “Nearly ten years.”

  Lance spoke up. “Long enough to acquire a pretentious accent.”

  Monica and Erica both shot him searing glances. “Do you really find my accent pretentious, Lance?” Monica asked.

  “Oh, very.”

  “It seems that every time I speak to you, your accent has traveled a hundred miles farther to the east,” she said dryly.

  Lance flushed a little.

  Stone began to feel that all was not entirely well between Monica and Lance, or maybe, between Lance and anybody. “Lance, what made you ask if I’d done government work?”

  “Just a hunch,” Lance said. “Perhaps there’s something a little bureaucratic about you.”

  Stone laughed. “When I was on the public payroll, hardly anybody thought I was bureaucratic enough. I wasn’t thought of as a team player by the NYPD.”

  “And why ever not?” Lance drawled.

  “Because I wasn’t, I suppose. I tended to go my own way, something that’s never appreciated in large organizations.”

  “I know what you mean,” Lance said.

  “Oh? Are you employed by a large organization?”

  “No, but I’ve had a taste of it,” Lance replied.

  “And, I take it, you didn’t like the taste?”

  “You might say that.”

  “What, exactly, do you do?” Stone asked.

  “I consult,” Lance replied.

  “With whom do you consult, and about what?” Stone asked, glad to be the griller instead of the grillee.

  “With a number of people about a number of things,” Lance replied. “Monica, will you pass the crisps, please?” Monica slid the little bowl of homemade potato chips toward him. He turned to Erica. “So, how was shopping today? Find anything?”

  “Only a pen and some fruit,” Erica replied.

  Stone was about to ignore the swift change of subject and return to the grilling when Lance looked at his watch.

  “I think we’d better go along to dinner,” he said.

  Everyone began to move toward the door, and Stone gave the waiter his room number for the check. He wondered if Bartholomew would bridle at the appearance of a Krug ‘66 on the bill.

  Outside, they turned right into Mount Street, and Stone fell into step with Monica, behind Lance and Erica.

  “We’re going to Harry’s Bar,” she said. “It’s just around the corner.” She dropped back a few paces behind her sister and Lance. “It’s nice to see somebody turning the tables on Lance,” she said. “He can be awful.”

  “It’s all right; I don’t have anything to hide,” Stone said.

  “Really? How boring.”

  Stone laughed. “I’m afraid I’m an open book, as boring as that may be. How about you?”

  “I have a great many secrets,” Monica replied, “and you will have to ply me with a great deal of champagne and work very hard to learn what they are.”

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Stone said, taking her arm.

  They walked past the Hayward shop, turned left, and walked another few yards until they came to an unmarked door. Lance rang a bell, and a moment later a woman in what appeared to be a maid’s uniform let them in.

  “Have you been here?” Monica asked Stone.

  “No, in fact it’s been many years since I’ve been in London, so there are a lot of places I haven’t been. Just about everywhere, in fact.”

  “You’ll like it; the food is marvelous.”

  They were led into a dining room hung with many original Peter Arno cartoons, mostly from The New Yorker and Esquire, Stone thought. The headwaiter seated them at a corner table, and Stone drew the gunfighter’s seat, in the corner, which allowed him to view the other diners. He immediately spotted a well-known actor and a man whose photograph he was sure he’d seen in The New York Times—something to do with British politics, he thought.

  Then he glanced toward the door in time to see two men enter: One was sixtyish, white-haired, very English-looking. The other was John Bartholomew. They were handing their coats to the woman in the maid’s uniform.

  Stone leaned over and whispered to Erica, who was sitting on his right, “A man just came in who looks very familiar, but I can’t place him.”

  Erica turned and looked toward the door. “The white-haired one? That’s Sir Antony Shields,” she said. “He’s in the cabinet, I think, but I don’t remember which portfolio.”

  “No, it’s the other man who looks familiar.”

  She looked again. “I’ve never seen him before,” she said. The two men disappeared around a corner to a table out of sight.

  So much for Uncle John, Stone thought. He wondered if Lance, whose back was to the door, would recognize him.

  Chapter 7

  STONE HAD THE BRESAOLA, THINLY sliced, air-cured beef, and a pasta dish with seafood. Lance ordered the wine, and when it came, it was a Le Montrachet ’78. Stone reflected that the cost of the wines they were drinking on this occasion would pay for a dozen dinners at Elaine’s. Having gotten to know Lance just a little, he fully expected to end up with the check.

  They dined in a leisurely manner, and with the wine, Lance became a bit more bearable, even charming, at times. They were on dessert when Stone saw Bartholomew and Sir Antony Shields leave the restaurant. Bartholomew had never looked in his direction. He was tempted to ask Lance if he recognized the man, but the men were too quickly gone. Stone waved at the headwaiter.

  The man was there in a flash. “Tell me,” Stone said, “the two gentlemen who just left; one was Sir Antony Shields; do you know the other man’s name?”

  “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t. The reservation was Sir Antony’s, and although I’ve seen the other gentleman here before, I never learned his name.”

  “Thank you,” Stone said, and the headwaiter went away.

  The bill arrived, and as Stone started to reach for it, Erica pushed it toward Lance. “You’re our guest,”
she said.

  Lance hardly noticed. He signed the bill with a flourish, and they got up to go.

  “We’re going this way, to Farm Street,” Erica said as they went out the door.

  “I’ll get a taxi for Monica,” Stone said, grateful to be alone with her. He shook hands with both Lance and Erica and said good night.

  “No cabs in sight,” Stone said. “Let’s walk down to the Connaught; there’s usually a taxi parked out front.” Monica agreed, and they strolled down Mount Street, which was shiny from a rain that had come and gone while they were at dinner.

  “I think Lance liked you,” Monica said.

  “I’d be surprised if that were true,” Stone replied.

  “No, he turned out to be quite friendly toward you, for someone he has nothing to gain from.”

  “Is he friendlier when he has something to gain?”

  “Isn’t everyone?”

  Stone laughed. “I suppose so.”

  “And I thought you showed great forbearance, especially early in the evening.”

  “The remainder of the company was good.”

  They were nearly to the hotel. “Would you like to . . .” he began.

  “Oh, I hardly think the Connaught is the proper place for that,” she said, reading his mind. “However, if you’re free this weekend, there’s a promising house party down in the country. Would you like to go?”

  “I’d like that very much,” Stone replied.

  “Grand. I’ll pick you up at, say, three tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll miss the worst of the rush-hour traffic.”

  “Fine. What clothes shall I bring?”

  “It’s for two nights, so I’d bring some tweeds, a dark suit, and a dinner jacket. That should cover just about anything, except tennis or sailing. The house is on the coast.”

  They stopped in front of the hotel, and Stone indicated to the doorman that they would like a taxi. “I’ll be right here at three o’clock,” he said, aiming a kiss at her cheek.

  She turned slightly, and he caught the corner of her mouth, and there was just a flick of her tongue.