Criminal Mischief

28

Stone woke from a deep sleep to find Frances bending over him. He kissed her back, then he got out of bed, took her into the living room and sat her down. “How much time before Marty is back in the hotel?”

“Maybe a couple of hours, or he could already be back. He can be unpredictable.”

“It’s time for you to get out,” he said.

“Of here?”

“Of Marty’s clutches.”

“I agree. Only the promise of my money has kept me with him.”

“Can we agree that he’s not going to give you your money back?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Yes. I’ve been foolish to stick with him this long.”

“Do you understand that, if he thinks you’re leaving him, he’ll kill you?”

“Yes. More likely, he’ll have Mom and Dad do it.”

“His parents are traveling with him?”

“No.”

“Your parents?”

“Mom and Dad are the assassins,” she said. “They’re ordinary-looking people, probably in their fifties. They look like half the people in this hotel. They never sit with us. They hover nearby, and they’re always armed.”

“Whose dog is Felix?”

“Mine, but Marty loves him dearly.”

“So, he wouldn’t hurt Felix.”

“Never.”

“Nor order one of his assassins to do it?”

“Never.”

“How long would it take you to get your necessities together and to this room?”

She thought about it. “Half an hour.”

“What do you need to take with you?”

“My jewelry and a couple of changes of clothes.”

“Are you ready to make a move in my direction?”

“Yes.”

“Then, for a start, let’s stop all the horseshit. My name is Stone Barrington, and I’m a New York attorney. My friend is Dino Bacchetti” — he spelled it for her — “and he’s the police commissioner of New York City.”

“Is he on duty?”

“No, he just likes to travel. Now, it’s your turn.”

“Margot, with a — t — Chase. I’m a New Yorker. I mostly live on the income from a bequest, now in Viktor’s hands.”

“Good to have that out of the way.”

“What do you want me to do?” she asked.

“Go get the minimum amount of stuff that you need, and bring it back here. Leave Felix with me. If you get back and Marty shows up, drop everything and come back here. Tell him Felix rolled in something dirty, and you’re having him groomed, and you have to pick him up. Can you handle that?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“About your money: if I get the reward, I’ll make you whole from the proceeds.”

“What if you don’t get the reward?”

“I’ll see that you’re not left destitute.”

“So, I’ll have to trust you?”

“It’s either that, or trust Zanian.”

“I choose you,” she said.

“What name is he traveling under?”

“It varies from day to day.”

“What name did he use when he checked in here?”

“George Martingale. I’m his wife, Gilda.”

“Suite number?”

“Suite 850, on the ocean side.”

“All right, I’ll wait until you’re safely back here before I call it in.”

“What’s your plan after that?”

“Back to New York. We’ll get out of here in the middle of the night and take off as soon as the airport is open; I don’t know what time that is, but my pilot can find out.”

“All right.”

“Where is Zanian’s airplane?”

“At Hilo. When he’s ready to go, he’ll call his crew and have them fly back here to pick us up.”

“Next destination?”

“He won’t tell me until we’re aboard.”

“And you won’t be aboard,” Stone said.

“I’d better go, then. You stay here, Felix. I’ll be back, sweetheart.” She gave him a treat.

Stone walked her to the door and repeated his cell number twice, making her recite it to him. “If I forget, I’ll ring Felix. Answer him.”

“Okay, now go, and move fast,” he said, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Dino emerged from his room. “Don’t bother explaining,” he said, “I’ve been listening. You really think you can pull this off?”

“Why not?”

“Well, if she makes it back here alive, then I guess that’s half the battle.”

“At least half,” Stone said.

“You’re going to give her two million of the reward?”

“Without her, we couldn’t collect the reward,” Stone said. “She’s got it coming.”

“If you say so.”

“And you’re still getting your five million,” Stone said.

“You bet your ass I am. Hey, Felix.”

Felix came over and gave him a big kiss.

“Just what I always wanted,” Dino said. “Lots of big, wet tongue.”

Half an hour later, Stone had briefed Faith. The airport opened for takeoffs at seven am, and he and Dino were worrying.

“She said half an hour, didn’t she?” Dino asked.

“Did you ever know a woman who said ‘half an hour’ and stuck to it?”

“Are we including my wife?” Dino asked.

“Yes.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“We can’t panic because she’s not here yet,” Stone said.

“When can we panic?”

“Maybe after an hour.”

“What do we do when we panic?”

“Call the FBI, tell them about, ah Margot Chase and George Martingale, then get to the airport.”

“What then?”

“That depends on what happens,” Stone said.