Desperate Measures

11

Stone flew his new airplane home, with Faith in the right seat. He had never flown an airplane coast-to-coast, nonstop, because he had never owned one with that much range. He landed with plenty of fuel still aboard.

As he shut down the engines at Teterboro, Fred pulled the Bentley up to the door and supervised the unloading and reloading of Stone’s and Faith’s luggage, while Dino’s people loaded his and Viv’s luggage aboard his police vehicle. They were the first to drive away, but another black SUV lurked on the sidelines.

“Mr. Barrington,” Fred said, “the policemen in that car have told me that they have orders to never let you out of their sight, except when you’re at home. What shall I tell them?”

“I’d like you to tell them to go fuck themselves,” Stone said, “but that wouldn’t help. I’m not in any danger, but Faith may very well be.” He called Faith over. “I want both of you to understand this,” he said. “You two are not to be out of sight of each other except when in your living quarters. Fred, at all other times, I want you armed and ready to intervene should anyone — and I mean anyone — approach Faith.”

“Yes, sir,” Fred replied.

“Faith?” Stone said. “Are you on board?”

“I can take care of myself,” she said. “I’ll go armed.”

“Not good enough,” Stone replied. “We have five young women who look like you, all dead, because they thought they could take care of themselves. Your only other choice is to quit your job and go on the run, and that might very well not work.”

“Oh, all right,” she said, exasperated. “How long do I have to put up with this?”

“Until these crimes are solved and the perpetrators jailed. And I don’t think you’ll find Fred hard to put up with. He’s an ex — Royal Marine commando with many skills, and also a crack shot. If there’s any shooting to be done, try to let him do it.”

“I’m sorry, Fred,” she said to him, “I didn’t intend to disparage your help. I’m grateful for it.”

“Thank you, miss,” Fred said. “Shall we depart for the city?”

They all got into the Bentley and were soon headed for the tunnel into the city. “I should tell you, Faith,” Stone said, “this car is armored and will repel gunfire and most bombs. Forget about the Mercedes; if you want to go anywhere, go in this.”

“Right,” she said.

At the house, Fred pulled all the way into the garage before closing the door behind them, then he asked them to wait a moment while he had a look around the garage. He produced a small but powerful flashlight and illuminated every dark corner and anteroom in the basement, then Stone and Faith disembarked. “If I get scared,” Faith asked, “can I come and sleep with you?”

“If you get scared,” Stone said, “call Fred. You’ll be much safer with him than with me.” He went upstairs to the master suite, and she went to her own apartment.

The following morning Stone was at his desk when Faith came in carrying a nylon carryall. “I’d like to get the logbooks in order and schedule some maintenance,” she said to Stone. “Is there someplace I can work?”

Stone buzzed Joan, and she came in. “Please put Faith in the little office next to yours, and let her make it her own. It is now the Flight Department. Direct any and all calls about the aircraft to her.”

“Yes, sir,” Joan said.

“And Joan, you should know that Faith is under the protection of the NYPD, and they are surveilling me, as well. Faith, Joan is armed and so am I, and I assume you are, too.”

She nodded.

“I think the most important thing we can all do to get through this, if trouble comes, is try not to shoot each other.”

“I’ll give that my best efforts,” Joan said. Faith nodded.

Shortly afterward, both women were settled and at work in their offices.

Stone called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“Good morning, sleep well?”

“As well as I can sleep while worrying,” Dino said

“Please don’t worry about us. We’re battened down here, and everybody is armed.”

“You think you and your ménage are all I have to worry about?” Dino demanded. “We had two homicides in the city last night.”

“Any of them connected to the East Side?”

“No, both of the victims were men — a gay couple in Chelsea.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t one of ours.”

“Every garbage truck in the city is on the lookout for fresh corpses,” Dino said. “If there’s another one out there, they’ll find it.”

“Is Viv continuing on to London today?”

“She is.”

“Then why don’t you come over here this evening and have dinner with Faith and me. I don’t think we should be swanning around restaurants, in these circumstances.”

“Neither do I. I’ve got a late meeting — I’ll try to be there by seven-thirty.”

“We’ll save you some scotch,” Stone said, then hung up.

Around seven, Faith called down from her apartment. “I don’t really feel well enough for a jolly dinner with you and Dino,” she said. “Helene will bring me something on a tray.”

“Now, don’t go and get all depressed on me,” Stone said. “We’ll get through this.”

“There’s nothing to do but watch TV,” she said.

“My library is at your disposal,” Stone said, “and you can go anywhere you like, as long as you and Fred are joined at the hip.”

“I’d rather be joined with you,” she said. “Did you get tired of fucking me?”

“Listen, sweetheart, I’m playing by your rules, remember? I have nothing but the most pleasant memories of sex with you, but I’d rather fast than be rationed.”

“Oh, all right, then. I’ll come down to dinner. What time?”

“Seven-thirty is good,” he said.

“How are we dressing?”

“In street clothing — no nightgowns or pajamas, you might get Dino all riled.”

“Now there’s a thought,” she said, then hung up.