Distant Thunder

45

Back in the car, Stone called Faith.

“Yes, sir?”

“Change of plan: move the airplane to Westchester County Airport and file for Palm Beach International. We’ll change our destination en route.”

“Got it.”

Stone called Lance on his private encrypted line.

“Cabot,” he said.

“It’s Stone. What have you heard?”

“Nothing. What are you talking about?”

“Dino, Viv, Vanessa, and I were about to depart for points south. We stopped to pick up Vanessa. Dino and I went up to her place and found her on the bathroom floor, bleeding. The EMTs weren’t able to bring her around. The ME says the technique was the same as used on Rosie.”

“Well, shit,” Lance said.

“Have you located Jack Collins?”

“Nearly, not precisely.”

“Somebody needs to attend to Vanessa’s body.”

“Where is she?”

“City morgue, by now.”

“I’ll deal with it from this end. Are you headed where I think you’re headed?”

“Yes.”

“I think that’s the safest place you can be right now.”

“That’s what we thought.”

“I’ll speak to you later, hopefully with news of Jack.” Lance hung up.

“Lance is on it,” Stone said, hanging up. “He thinks Key West is the right place to be.”

“Where’s your yacht?” Viv asked.

Stone grabbed his phone. “Why didn’t I think of that?” He dialed another number.

“This is Captain Todd.”

“Todd, it’s Stone Barrington.”

“How are you?”

“I’m okay, where are you?”

“At the old submarine base.”

“We’re on our way there now, ETA in about four to five hours. Can you take us aboard?”

“Certainly. How long a cruise?”

“Maybe a week.”

“We’ll be ready for you. Do you want to be met? We have the van.”

“Sure, we’ll be at our hangar. Meet us inside.” He hung up.

“Breeze is at the sub base. The captain is picking us up in the van at my hangar.”

Dino was asleep, so they didn’t wake him with the news. Stone settled in with the Times crossword.

The Gulfstream 500 was ready at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York. They boarded immediately while the ground crew dealt with the luggage. Fifteen minutes later, they were rolling down the runway.

“I feel better now,” Viv said.

“So do I, except about Vanessa.”

Stone drifted off and didn’t wake up until he felt the airplane in a right turn. They would be direct to Key West. And if, by any chance, Majorov knew about the Key West house, he wouldn’t know what was waiting at the old sub base. Because Stone had had, as guests, three presidents, the Navy had given him the use of a berth there. He fell asleep again, and didn’t wake up until he felt the airplane’s landing gear come down and lock into place, with the resultant reduction in airspeed. He picked up the phone and buzzed Faith.

“Yes, sir?”

“Head for our hangar. We’ll deplane inside.”

The airplane turned left off the runway and followed a golf cart with a sign on the rear that read follow me.

Stone surveyed the airport from his window and didn’t see a threat of any kind.

The Mercedes Sprinter van dropped them at Breeze’s gangplank, and they went into the saloon immediately, while the crew dealt with the luggage. Stone ordered a round of vodka gimlets, his standard drink in tropical climates, and they sat down. “Vanessa,” he said, raising his glass. Dino and Viv echoed his toast, and they took their first sip of Key West.

The skipper came into the saloon. “What’s our plan?” he asked.

Stone looked up. “Can we make Fort Jefferson by dark?”

“No, but there’s a nice anchorage on the way there that we can make by sunset.”

“Let’s go there,” Stone said. “We’re on the lam, and we don’t want to be seen by anybody.”

“Then you should stay indoors until we’re well clear of the harbor,” the skipper said. “Dinner at eight, okay?”

“Perfect,” Stone said. “On deck, if it’s not windy.”