Criminal Mischief

32

Stone’s cell phone rang. “Yes?” he said, wearily.

“It’s Margot.”

“Well, hi there. You awake?”

“Yes. Are you at the airport?”

“Yes, and all your luggage is here. Unfortunately, the FBI has, sort of, borrowed my airplane to look for Zanian.”

“Well, he should be easy to find now.”

“Why is that?”

“Because he just called me and asked if I was coming with him.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I asked him if he had transferred my two and a half million to my account. I called the bank manager, and he wasn’t in yet, so I left a message.”

“Did you tell Zanian that?”

“Yes. I told him I’d get back to him as soon as the bank opens.”

“And how did he take that?”

“He said they were refueling, and he would wait until he had full tanks.”

“Did he say where he was refueling?”

“Yes, at the airport.”

“Which airport?”

“I just assumed he was at the Honolulu airport, if he’s waiting for me.”

Stone thought about that. “I’ll call you back.” He hung up and turned to Faith. “What sort of paint job does Zanian’s airplane have?”

“I’ve never seen it until now, but most G-500s seem to have the standard Gulfstream paint design. If somebody wants a corporate logo or something, they have it done in a graphics shop and glued on over the original paint.”

Stone called the satphone on his airplane and a man answered.

“Yes?”

“Special Agent Ness, please. Do you know how to connect me to the cockpit?”

“Sure. Hang on.”

“Special Agent Ness,” she said.

“Did you just land at Honolulu?” he asked.

“We were going to, but the weather turned foul, and we couldn’t get down. We’re in a holding pattern.”

Stone looked out the window; it was still raining heavily. “Zanian landed at Honolulu fifteen minutes ago.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I’m at the airport, and I saw him land. I thought it was you, in my airplane. The paint jobs are similar.”

“Holy shit! Keep him there until the weather clears. The forecast said it would be less than an hour.”

“How am I supposed to do that? Handcuff the airplane to the fuel truck? You should have your office call the tower and ground him.”

“I don’t know if we have the authority.”

“The tower is federal. You’re federal. What’s the problem?”

“Okay, I’ll get started on the red tape.”

“Just get your director out of bed and have him make the call. That should impress an air traffic controller. Even better, have him call the head of the FAA!”

“Sit tight,” she said.

Stone hung up and looked at the anemometer over the FBO’s counter: it was gusting forty knots.

“What did Ness say?” Dino asked.

“She said to sit tight.”

“That’s helpful.”

“Yeah, the FBI is always so very helpful.”

“Didn’t you read the tail number on that airplane when it landed?”

“In this visibility?”

“How did he land in this visibility?”

“Auto-land,” Stone said. “It will fly the airplane right down to the runway and to a full stop.”

“Then why doesn’t Ness’s pilot use that to land your airplane?”

“The original owner didn’t want to pay for auto-land. I’ve ordered the equipment, but it will be months before it can be built and installed.”

“Next time, spend the money.”

“I have spent the money, I just haven’t got the goods yet.”

“This is very annoying,” Dino said.

“I’m so sorry to have inconvenienced you,” Stone said, deadpan. “You know, it would be very helpful if you would run over to the main terminal and shoot out the nosewheel tire on Zanian’s airplane.”

“Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, because it’s underwater, out there, and I couldn’t stand up in the wind.”

“You always have an excuse, don’t you?”

“When I do, it’s a good one. Tell you what, I’ll loan you my gun, and you can do it.”

“It’s underwater out there, and I couldn’t stand up in the wind,” Stone replied.

“Now who has excuses?”

Faith spoke up, “Maybe I could ask the terminal manager to leave the fuel truck parked in front of the airplane, so it can’t taxi.”

“Now, that is good thinking,” Stone said. “Do you think he’ll do it?”

“Well, I had a very pleasant conversation with him after we landed. He asked me to dinner, but I think he’s married.”

“Why do you care? You’re not going to have dinner with him, are you?”

“No, but he might get insistent.”

“Tell him the FBI is on the way to arrest somebody on the airplane.”

“He’ll ask me how I know that. What do I do then?”

“Lie to him.”

“What lie would I use?”

“Tell him you’ll come over there when it stops raining and do something very nice to him.”

Faith turned bright pink. “I am not going to do that.”

“Of course not. You’re just going to tell him you will.”

“Certainly not! You can fire me, if you like, but I won’t do that, and I won’t tell him that I will!”

“If I fired you, how would I get home?”

“Good point,” she said. “Let’s drop the matter.”

“I apologize, Faith,” Stone said sheepishly.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore,” she said, picking up a magazine and pretending to read it.

Stone’s phone rang. “Yes?”

“It’s Margot.”

“What’s happening?”

“The bank manager called. The funds have been deposited.”

“Congratulations! You’re probably the only one of his victims to get a refund!”

“What should I do?”

“Call him and tell him the money has arrived, and you’ll go with him, but right now, the cabs aren’t running because of the storm. And find out how long that will delay his takeoff. Also, see if you can wheedle out of him where he’s going.”

“I’ll do what I can,” she said, and hung up.