Shakeup (Stone Barrington #55) - Stuart Woods Page 0,24
can do for you?”
“Dinner tonight?”
“There’ll be a girl, name of Lara Parks.”
“Good. Viv is back from wherever the hell she was. Patroon at seven?”
“You’re on.” They hung up again.
“Everything okay?” Lara asked.
“We’re having dinner with my friends, Dino and Vivian Bacchetti at seven,” he said.
“How will I be dressed?”
“I will be wearing a suit and necktie. You will have to figure out the rest.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’m sure you’ll do it very well.”
Eggers interrupted. “We closed the deal with Edgar Wheelis,” he said.
“Then I did my job.”
“Yep. The good news is I can’t think of a reason ever to meet with him again.”
Stone thought he’d better call Joan; he tapped the number into the satphone.
“Yes, sir?”
“I’ll be in later this afternoon, with a guest.”
“I’ll tell Helene to expunge all traces of any previous visitors.”
“Good idea. Did you get the bail money back?”
“It’s in the bank,” she said. “Somebody called here asking for Art Jacoby. I did my ‘who’s that?’ routine, and it seems to have worked.”
“He’s in New York. If he should call and need a bed, send him to a hotel, maybe the Lowell.”
“Will do. You will rest undisturbed.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re very welcome, sir.”
“Oh, and please book us a table for four at seven, at Patroon.”
“Certainly.” They both hung up.
Eggers moved across the aisle, so that he could work unimpeded, and opened his briefcase.
Lara moved next to Stone. “This is a lovely airplane,” she said, taking his hand. “It’s a Gulfstream, isn’t it?”
“It is. A G-500.”
“I saw the seating plan, and there are two beds in the back cabin, aren’t there?” She squeezed his hand.
“I think we should wait until we’re home to have that transaction. We wouldn’t want to shock Bill Eggers.”
“He doesn’t look all that shockable.”
“He’s not, really, but he’s a terrible gossip. I’d hear about it every time I visit the Woodman & Weld offices.”
“Don’t you work there?”
“I work mostly from my home office, but I go to the law offices for meetings and such.”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to damage your reputation.”
“The gossip would likely improve my reputation, but I don’t want to hear about it from the people at the main office.”
“I’ll try and contain myself until we get home, then. By the way, where is home?”
“It’s in one square block of Manhattan townhouses, built around a garden, and it’s called Turtle Bay.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s in an area that used to be a bay, before it got filled in and built on a long time ago.”
“Is there a bed?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Oh, good.”
21
Fred met them at Teterboro in the Bentley. Eggers had his own car. Stone introduced Fred and Lara, and they drove into town and into the garage. Fred took the luggage upstairs, while Stone led Lara into his office.
Art Jacoby was sitting on the sofa in Stone’s office. Stone introduced Lara to him. Joan came in, too, and Stone asked her to take Lara to the elevator. “I’ll be up in a few minutes,” he said to Lara. “You might, ah, unpack.”
She squeezed his hand and left the room.
“I hear you disappeared for a while, Art,” Stone said, taking a seat.
Art shrugged. “It seemed preferable to getting shot in the head,” he said.
“Arguably.”
“Then I came to New York. Nobody would look for me here. Joan found me a hotel uptown, but I wanted to speak to you first before I check in.”
“Go right ahead,” Stone replied.
“I know it’s hardly necessary to mention this, but please don’t tell anybody where I am.”
“Dino and his people know you’re here. You went to your office at One Police Plaza.”
“I’ve sworn them to secrecy, too.”
“I’m sorry about your girlfriend,” Stone said.
“I’m afraid I underestimated Deborah Myers,” he said. “After the charges were dropped, I thought she’d just let it go.”
“Apparently not.”
“If I’d been smarter, Deana would still be alive.”
“Then why are you still alive? Debby must have known where to find you.”
“She needed me at large, so that she could hang Deana’s murder on me. Then probably have somebody shoot me in the head and fake a suicide.”
“I ask you again: Why are you still alive?”
“Because a detective friend of mine caught the case. He was at my house when I arrived. I called Deana’s brother and asked him to make the burial arrangements, then I threw some things into a bag and caught the train to New York. I left some things here, and I came by to collect them. Joan packed them up.” He stood up. “I’d better get going, and check in to the Lowell.”
Fred