Distant Thunder

19

Vanessa insisted on sleeping in her own bed, and just after Stone had seen her off, Lance called. “Good evening.”

“It’s not evening, Lance. It’s very early in the morning.”

“Oh. Sorry about that. I have important news.”

“I’ve already heard it,” Stone said.

“That’s impossible.”

“No, it’s not, Lance. I got it from the horse’s mouth.”

“I assure you, I am the horse’s mouth.”

“All right, you first,” Stone said.

“No, you first.”

“All right, the Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbor.”

“Be serious.”

“We lost six battleships. That’s not serious?”

“I order you to shut up and listen,” Lance said.

“I’m listening.”

Lance was silent for a moment. “Now I can’t remember what I was going to tell you.”

“Was it that John Collins is still alive?”

“It most certainly was not.”

“I just thought I’d take a stab.”

“I’ll call you back when I can remember why I called.”

“Could you make it after seven am?” Stone asked. “Then I can drown you out with the TV news.” He hung up, and so did Lance.

A moment later, the phone rang again. “I forgot to tell you something,” Vanessa said. “Don’t tell Lance Cabot that John is still alive.”

“I’m afraid I’ve already told him, but he didn’t believe me.”

“That’s good. Let’s keep it that way until tomorrow afternoon. John’s request. He wants to tell Lance himself.”

“All right,” Stone said. “Good night.” He hung up.

Stone was nodding off when the phone rang again.

“Hello.”

“It’s Lance. I’ve just received the most preposterous note.”

“Don’t tell me, it was from John Collins, saying he was still alive.”

“What? How could you possibly know that?”

“I gave you that news earlier this evening.”

“Yes, but of course I didn’t believe you.”

“Did you believe the guy who sent you the note?”

“He told me some things that only he and I could know, so I believe him.”

“Okay, can I go back to sleep now?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“If you think of anything else, don’t call me,” Stone said. He tried to hang up before Lance did, but he wasn’t fast enough.

The phone rang again, but Stone pulled a pillow over his head and did his best to ignore it. Eventually, it stopped ringing.

Stone had just gotten his breakfast off the dumbwaiter when the phone rang again.

“Is this Lance Cabot or John Collins?” Stone asked.

“That wasn’t funny,” Lance said.

“I thought it was logical, in the circumstances.”

“I remembered why I called you the first time last night.”

“Shoot.”

“The first meeting of the commission to investigate the death of John Collins is at three this afternoon, and it will be conducted online by your cochair, Hugh English.”

“I have two reasons for declining to accept that news,” Stone said. “One, I will have nothing to do with Hugh English, who is a self-righteous son of a bitch. In fact, I thought you had already ejected him from your service. Two, I assume that John Collins is not dead. That’s from the horse’s mouth.”

“Hugh has agreed to stay on for a few months to wrap up the commission.”

“Months? For a man who’s not dead yet?”

“It must be thorough.”

“Well, they will only have to call one witness: Mr. Collins. That should be thorough enough.”

“You’re assuming that Collins is still alive.”

“I am. I got it from an unimpeachable source.” He hung up and buzzed Joan.

“Yes, sir?”

“Hold all my calls, especially any from Lance Cabot or Hugh English.”

“Okay, who’s Hugh English?”

“That’s need-to-know information.” He hung up.