Distant Thunder

35

Stone woke with sunlight streaming into the room and his bed empty of women. There were shower sounds from the guest bathroom.

Vanessa swept in, tying a dressing gown, with a towel around her hair. “You’re awake!” she said, then sat on the edge of the bed. “Felicity crept out at dawn.” She kissed him in a nice place. “Anything I can do for you?”

Stone stretched. “I believe everything that could be done for me has been done, twice.”

“Lucky you.”

“What does your day hold?”

“I believe you promised me a horse.”

Stone checked the clock. “After breakfast,” he said. He called downstairs and ordered the food and the horses.

They got hoisted into their saddles, she on the mare and he on the gelding. “After we start out, I want you to do something for me.”

“There’s more? And in the saddle?”

“Not that. You see the large manor house on our left.”

“How could I miss it?”

“That is a country house hotel, belonging to our Arrington group of hotels. I want you to keep a close eye on it for people who make you feel suspicious or nervous, particularly for those bearing arms — rifles or shotguns. Alert me if you spot same. I’ll take the right-hand side of our course, the wooded area. Be prepared to run your horse, but on no account dismount. We would be at a terrible disadvantage if we did.”

“Got it. Did Lance say nothing to reassure you last night?”

“An attempt was made on Jack at my boat dock at the Maine house. As a result, he packed up and left. No one knows to where.”

“I see.”

They walked along, warming up their mounts. “Can you think of anyplace Jack might go, one with a runway? He’s in his Bonanza.”

“There’s a hotel on a lake in the Adirondacks, one owned by the Rockefeller group. Called something like the Point. John is very fond of it and there’s a convenient airport.”

“Is it likely to be crowded this time of year?”

“Yes, with leafers, but he’s unlikely to be seen by anyone who knows him.”

“I’ll pass that along, after Lance is out of bed.”

“What time is it in New York?”

“Five hours behind. I’m tempted to roust him out of bed now. He’s done that to me often enough.”

“I had the strange feeling last night that Lance knew everything that was going on — about Felicity, I mean.”

“I’ve found it best to assume that Lance knows everything about everybody and everything. You can’t go wrong if you proceed on that basis.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I was too far beneath him at the Farm to know such things.”

They rode on down the fields toward the Solent. Stone pointed it out ahead. “That’s the body of water that separates the Isle of Wight from the mainland,” he explained.

“What’s the Isle of Wight like?”

“Like a microcosm of England: fields and hills. I don’t think we’ll get over there this trip. The local yacht club, called the Royal Yacht Squadron, would be safe enough, but it sits on one side of the Parade, which is always filled with people, some of whom might have evil intentions.”

“Another time, then.”

“Right. It’s very pleasant there. Did you see any suspicious characters on the ride down here?”

“Nary a one.”

“Nor did I. Now let’s see if we can get back to the stables without getting fired upon.”

They rode home at a gallop, right into the stable yard, where they gave the horses to the groom and went inside to the library for a drink.

“Something I forgot to show you,” Stone said. He opened a panel next to the fireplace and showed her a pair of shotguns and a deer rifle. “Just in case,” he said.

“Have you got something light in a handgun that I can carry?” she asked. “I’d like that better.”

“Upstairs,” he said. “I’ll find you something when we go up to shower.”

“I like this room so much,” she said, curling up in a chair with her drink. “It’s like something out of a Merchant Ivory film.”

“Well put,” Stone said, then dozed in his chair.