by Stuart Woods
“He doesn’t believe for a moment that I killed those two men.”
“He doesn’t care,” Dino said. “He just wants to clear these two killings; it doesn’t make him look good for bodies to turn up in his nice, green park. If he can blame you, he’s home free.”
Stone thought for a moment. “They don’t have toilets in English prisons?”
“No, they were all built before they had plumbing; you have to shit in a bucket and do God-knows-what with it.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“My very point; it’s why, among other reasons, you don’t want to go to jail over here.”
“So what is your solution to dealing with all this evil?”
“I told you: get out of town. You don’t owe these people anything.”
“I can’t; Throckmorton has my passport. Yesterday, when I tried to see Arrington at the airport, two of his goons dragged me out of the place.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Dino said. “If I can get your passport back, will you get out of here right away?”
Stone thought about that. “Maybe. But I have to admit, I’m pretty curious about what’s going on. You have any thoughts about that?”
“Let’s take these people one at a time, in reverse order of evilness,” Dino said. “Monica: She just has a business here, and she’s probably not involved. Erica: She may not be involved; she just wants to follow Lance around like a puppy, and she doesn’t give a fuck what he’s done or what he’s doing. Sarah: If there were any justice, she’d be shitting in a bucket in an English prison, instead of collecting a huge inheritance. Ali and Sheila: They’re in business with Lance, so they’re just as evil as he is. That leaves us with Lance and Hedger, who are so obviously evil that it’s hardly worth discussing.”
“I want to know what it is that Lance and Hedger actually do that’s so evil.”
“Well, Hedger, for a start, killed that retired cop Bobby Jones.”
“He just had him beaten up—not that that’s a good thing.”
“He’s dead,” Dino said. “Died of his injuries. Throckmorton told me on the phone; that’s one of the reasons he’s so pissed off with you.”
“Oh, God,” Stone moaned. “I didn’t know; nobody told me.”
“So that makes Hedger a murderer; Throckmorton wants him for Jones, but I get the impression that his investigation is being impeded by somebody in the British government.”
“You two had quite a little heart-to-heart, didn’t you?” Stone asked. “Why hasn’t he told me any of this? He’s certainly had the opportunity.”
“Because he doesn’t trust you, dummy; you work for Hedger, don’t you? He’d like to have Hedger shitting in a bucket somewhere and you for an accessory. Jones and his buddy Cricket were apparently two of Throckmorton’s favorite people.”
“Jesus, I’m never going to get out of this country,” Stone said.
“That’s a possibility,” Dino agreed. “What we’ve got to do is find out what’s going on here, so we can tell Throckmorton, and then he can lock up the perpetrators, except for you.”
“Hedger is my client; I can’t help lock him up.”
“What’s the matter, don’t you enjoy putting away bad guys anymore? Where’s the cop in you?”
“He’s still there, but so is the lawyer.”
Dino sighed. “You’re hopeless.”
42
DINO WENT TO GET DRESSED, AND Stone shaved and showered. He was tying his tie when the satellite phone rang.
“It’s Hedger.”
“Good morning.”
“You said you’d have a list of the people at table twelve.”
“Right, let me get it.” Stone retrieved the list, the only fruit of his aborted dinner with Arrington. “Want me to read you the names?”
“Yes.”
Stone did so.
“It’s the Israeli cultural attaché,” Hedger said.
“Why do you think so?”
“Because the governments of Sweden, Australia, Germany, and Belgium do not usually participate in kidnapping innocent Americans off the streets of London. But I wouldn’t put it past the Israelis. What’s his name?”
Stone consulted the list. “David Beth Alachmy.”
“Holy shit.”
“Do you know him?”
“Just of him; he’s very smart, very tough. And his very presence in London means that he’s the new chief of station for the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service. He’s so new in town that my people didn’t know yet.”
“Then the two ‘Greeks’ were Israelis?”
“Probably. You said you had a contact in the London police; why don’t you ask him?”
“He and I are not on cordial terms at the moment.”
“Why not?”
“He thinks I was involved in the murder of the two Israelis.”
“Why would he think that?”
“Because one of them was wearing my raincoat.”
“How the hell—”
“I took off the raincoat when I was doing my little survey of Lance Cabot’s house, and apparently when I left, I picked up the wrong coat. The murderer dressed one of the two corpses in mine.”
“Oh, swell, now you’ve come to the attention of the local police.”
“You could say that.”
“That greatly reduces your value to me.”
“You expect me to feel guilty about that? Let me remind you that I came to their attention while trying to get information for you.”
“In the old days, we’d have just shot you; as it is, I’ll have to fire you.”
“As you wish—you’ll recall that I’ve already resigned once.”
“This time let’s make it permanent; I can’t have anything more to do with you.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck with a continuing hotel bill.”
“Why is that? As far as I’m concerned, you can get on the next airplane out of here.”
“Not at the moment; the police have taken my passport. When I went to the airport yesterday to, ah, see off a friend, they dragged me out and sent me back to the Connaught.”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, pal, you’re on your own.”
“You can discuss it with the accounting department at Woodman and Weld,” Stone said. “And while you’re at it, remember that I’ve been on double my hourly rate for a while.”
“Not anymore; as I said, you’re fired.” Hedger hung up.
Dino came into the room, dressed. “Who was that?”
“Hedger; when he heard the police were interested in me, he fired me.”
“Well, I hope you don’t still feel any loyalty to him.”
“He’s not my client anymore.”
“So fuck him and the horse he rode in on.”
“Yep.”
“Let’s call Throckmorton and tell him who beat up Bobby Jones.”
“He already knows Hedger was behind it; Ted Cricket would have told him; he just can’t prove that Hedger sicced the hoods onto Jones.”
“Oh. Well, what are you going to do today?”
“I don’t know; what were you going to do?”
“I was going to follow you around at a safe distance, to see if anybody else was following you.”
“Good idea; I guess I’d better go somewhere.”
“Got any ideas?”
“Why don’t I take Lance Cabot to lunch?”
“Someplace good, I hope.”
Stone picked up the phone and called Lance’s number.
Erica answered. “Oh, hello, Stone,” she said brightly. “How are you?”
“Very well, thanks; is Lance there?”
“Sure, just a minute.”
“Good morning, Stone,” Lance said.
“Good morning; are you free for lunch today?”
“Sure; where?”
“The Connaught grill, at twelve-thirty?”
“See you then.”
Stone hung up.
“What do you hope to accomplish by having lunch with him?” Dino asked.
“A few days ago, he tried to bring me into some sort of business deal; I blew him off at the time, but now I feel more receptive. Also, it will give you a good look at Lance; I’ll get you a table, too.” He called downstairs and made the reservations.
Stone arrived in the grill on time; Dino was already seated a couple of tables away from his own; Lance showed up five minutes later.
“Well, what’s up?” Lance asked, after they had ordered lunch.
“Last weekend, you asked me to do some legal work for you in New York.”
“Yes, but you weren’t interested; I accept that.”
“Now I’m interested.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I have some time on my hands here. I won’t do the legal work myself, but I’ll give you the name of a man who can handle it. I’m more interested in participating in the business end of the, ah, transaction.”
“You mean you want a piece of the action?”
“If I like the action.”
“I assume you’d be willing to make an investment?”
“That depends on what the deal is and how big an investment you want.”
“Could you come up with a quarter of a million dollars?”
“If I were sufficiently motivated.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
Lance laughed. “I’m not sure that I know everything.”
“Let’s start with what you know.”
“All right; I propose to buy some items in England or elsewhere in Europe and sell them to someone in another part of the world for a large profit.”
“How much will you pay for them and what will you sell them for?”
“I expect to pay in the region of half a million dollars for these items, and I expect to sell them for around two million, maybe a bit more.”
“That is a very nice profit indeed. And exactly what are the items?”
“I’m not at liberty to tell you just yet.”
“You understand that I will be unwilling to make the investment until I know?”
“Of course; I don’t think you’re a fool, Stone.”
“Can you give me a general idea?”
“Let’s just say that the goods are of a scientific nature, and that the buyers are lovers of science.”
“Are Ali and Sheila part of this deal?”
“A very important part. They will act as liaison between the sellers and the buyers.”
“Why can’t you do it yourself?”
“Let’s just say that I’m of the wrong nationality, ethnicity, and religion. Ali and Sheila are critical to the success of the transaction.”
Stone took a card from his wallet and wrote a name and telephone number on the back of it. “This is a lawyer in New York who will handle your legal work. But for the record, this is the only part of the transaction that I will ever admit taking part in—a simple reference.”
“I quite understand.”
“Apart from the nature of the goods and the name of the buyer, I will require a means of making my share of the profit bankable and spendable, without attracting the attention of any government agency anywhere.”
“I quite understand. I have such an arrangement already in place, and you may avail yourself of it.”
“When will this happen, and when can you tell me more about it?”
“Once I give the go-ahead, it will take only two or three days to conclude the transaction. The items in question have already been manufactured and will be transported as soon as I transfer the funds to the maker. How soon can you produce your quarter of a million?”
“What do you mean by ‘produce’? Where and when?”
“I mean wire-transfer the funds to an offshore bank, which I will specify.”
“As soon as I know all the details of what you’re delivering and to whom. The funds are currently in a money market fund, awaiting investment. All it will take for delivery is a coded fax to my broker.”
“I like your style, Stone.”
“All we need to know now is if I like yours.”
“I’ll talk to some people and be in touch shortly.”
They raised their glasses in a silent toast, then went back to finishing their lunch.
Stone glanced across the small room at Dino. He was enjoying his lunch immensely.
43
STONE SAID GOODBYE TO LANCE ON the steps of the Connaught, then set off down Mount Street toward Berkeley Square, walking slowly, so that Dino could follow, window-shopping along the way. It was time to see if anyone was following him.
He walked around the square, letting Dino follow from a distance, and, on a whim, walked into Jack Barclay’s, the Rolls-Royce dealer. A young man approached him immediately.
“Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?”
“I’d like to look at a Bentley, please.” The showroom was a good place from which to spot a tail, with its large windows overlooking Berkeley Square. Stone couldn’t see Dino.
“The Arnage—that’s the saloon car—or the convertible?”
“The Arnage.”
“This way.” He led Stone across the large sales floor. “Would this be for UK use or export?”
“UK,” Stone lied, thinking that the young man would send him to an American dealer if he said otherwise.
“Here we are,” the salesman said, stopping before a gleaming black example of the car. “This one is in black with Autumn upholstery.”
“May I see the engine?”
The salesman opened the car’s hood to reveal a large engine bay, stuffed with equipment.
“What is the displacement and horsepower?” Stone asked, still unable to spot Dino.
“Six point eight liters, turbocharged; four hundred horsepower and six hundred and fifteen pounds of torque, available at low revs.”
“Acceleration and top speed?”
“Zero to sixty miles per hour in five point nine seconds. Unfortunately, the top speed is electronically limited to a hundred and fifty-five miles per hour.”
“Very impressive,” Stone said, opening the driver’s-side door and getting behind the right-side steering wheel. While the salesman droned on about the car’s features, Stone was able to sweep the square from his seat, and he still could not spot Dino. Surely he hadn’t walked too fast. He got out of the car.
“Would you like a brochure?” the salesman asked.
“Yes, thank you, and your card.”
The salesman dropped both into an envelope and handed it to Stone. “We hope to hear from you,” he said.
“Thank you.” Stone walked out into the square; still no sign of Dino on the busy streets. Had he followed at all? He walked back to the Connaught and went up to his suite. He was relaxing, reading the Bentley brochure, when Dino let himself in from next door. Half an hour had passed since Stone returned to the hotel.
“Where have you been?” Stone asked. “Did I move too fast for you?”
“Nope, and not for the four-man team following you, either.”
“There were four men following me?”
“Well, two of the men were women. They were very good, too, working both sides of the street, changing places. I don’t know if I would have made them, if they’d been following me, but since I was following you, it was easier to see what was going on.”
“Any idea of nationality?”
“They didn’t appear ethnic, so I’d say English or American.”
“What about the shoes?”
“The men wore expensive shoes with thin soles, so they’re not cops, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No thick soles and white socks, then?”
“Nope.”
Stone put down his brochure. “My guess is, it’s Hedger’s people.”
“They must want Lance pretty bad.”
“Then why aren’t they following Lance?”
“Maybe they
are.”
“Maybe they are, at that; it’s something to keep in mind. What did you think of Lance?”
“What struck me,” Dino said, “was how much alike the two of you are.”
“How do you mean?”
“Jesus, Stone, didn’t you see the guy? He’s waspy, blondish, beautifully dressed. He has that languid look that only very confident people have.”
“Or very good actors.”
“Well, you’re not that confident, and you’re not that good an actor; from my view of the conversation, you were the guy who wanted something, and he was the guy who was going to decide whether you get it.”
“Just the opposite,” Stone said. “He wants a quarter of a million dollars from me, and I’m demanding full disclosure; he’s not ready to tell me yet.”
“Do you have a quarter of a million dollars?”
“Yes, but I’m not about to give it to Lance; he doesn’t know that, of course.”
“You better be careful, Stone; you start promising people money, and they’re liable to get very upset if you don’t come through with it.”
“You have a point.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make a couple of phone calls.”
“And the first one will be to Arrington, won’t it?”
“Oh, shut up and get out of here; I’d like some privacy.”
“I’ll go to my room and see if there’s a cricket game on TV.”
“Cricket match.”
“Whatever.” Dino went to his own room.
Stone picked up the phone and dialed the number of the Carlyle hotel in New York, which was lodged in his memory, and asked for Mrs. Calder. The phone rang several times, and then the voice mail kicked in.
“Arrington, it’s Stone. I want to apologize for the other evening; it was inexcusable leaving you like that, but I really didn’t have a choice. I tried to catch up with you at Heathrow, but you got through security before I could. I’d like to explain, if you’ll let me. I’d also like to see you again, but I won’t be back in New York for at least a few more days. Please call me at the Connaught.” He left the number and hung up, then he got out his address book and called Samuel Bernard at his home in Washington Square.
