Family Jewels

11

A little after four the following afternoon, Stone’s cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“It’s Jim Carlton. We’re ten minutes out, so I’ll see you at the house at five-thirty?”

“That’s fine. Sergeant D’Orio will visit at six, and he’s given the okay to clean the affected room, but you won’t get the mattress back.”

“He’s welcome to it. See you soon.”

Stone walked over to the Carlton house at five-thirty. The front door was open. “Hello?”

“Come in!” a male voice shouted. “In the study!”

Stone found a book-lined room off the living room, and Carlton rose from his desk to greet him. “Welcome,” he said. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Business first,” Stone said, taking a seat.

“The cleaners have gone, and that guest room smells like limes,” he said, sinking back into his chair. “Do we know any more than the last time we spoke?”

“The police did a background check on Darla Henry,” Stone replied. “She’s a high-end pro, working out of Palm Beach.”

“I can usually pick those out in a crowd,” he said, “but nothing comes back to me from New Year’s Eve.” He handed Stone a sheet of paper. “Here’s the party list.”

Stone ran a quick eye down it, spotting some celebrity names, then his eye stopped. “Harvey Biggers?” he said.

“Yeah, he was there.”

“It says, ‘Harvey Biggers and guest.’ Who was that, his wife?”

“No, they split. I chose sides. I remember a pretty girl, a blonde, with Harvey, but not her name.”

Stone took a copy of the deceased’s driver’s license photo from his pocket and showed it to Carlton.

“That’s the girl with Harvey,” he said.

“Was Harvey staying overnight?”

“Nobody was booked in for the night, but some of them didn’t want to drive and left the following morning, I guess. I left around eight AM, myself, and nobody was stirring. I gave instructions to the staff to give breakfast to anybody who turned up.”

“Did you actually see Harvey that morning?”

“Nope. I don’t even know if he stayed.”

“Well, we know he didn’t take his date with him.”

“That’s clear.”

“Did you fly private?”

“Yep. I have a Gulfstream 450.”

“That’s a good way to travel.”

“Do you have a Gulfstream?”

“No, but I often travel on them, courtesy of a business associate. I fly a Citation CJ3 Plus.”

“Fly it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“I have my private and my instrument and multiengine ratings. I’m scheduled for jet training Flight Safety in Wichita next month.”

“You’ll enjoy the town most from your hotel room, but that’s okay, because you’ll be too tired every night to go out.”

Carlton laughed. “I’ve heard that. Do we need to talk any more about the body in the bedroom before the cops get here?”

“No, just tell him what you told me.”

A voice came from the front door. “Hello?”

“I’ll get him.” Stone walked to the door. “In here, Sergeant.”

D’Orio joined them, along with another man dressed in a suit. “This is my chief, Don Ferris.”

Everybody shook hands and sat down. Carlton handed D’Orio his party guest list.

D’Orio took Carlton through his list of questions, then turned to Ferris. “You got anything, Chief?”

The chief handed D’Orio a sheet of paper, and D’Orio handed it to Carlton. “Do you recognize that photograph?”

“I do. She was with a guest of mine named Harvey Biggers. Apparently they stayed overnight, but as I said, I left for London before anybody was up.”

“You have an address for Mr. Biggers?”

“It’s on the guest list I gave you.”

“Right. I think we’ll want to have a word with Mr. Biggers.”

“Was there any drug use at your party?” the chief asked.

“Not to my knowledge. I would have asked anyone using drugs to leave, but I don’t know what they did in the bathrooms and guest rooms.”

“Did you use any drugs yourself?”

“No, the only nonprescription drug I use is alcohol, and that lightly.”

“Were you drunk that evening?”

“I don’t get drunk.”

“Were any of your guests drunk?”

“It was a New Year’s Eve party, I imagine so. Some of them didn’t want to drive and stayed here, but I didn’t count heads. I went to bed around one AM, and the party was dying by then.”

“Did you hear from Mr. Biggers at any time after the party?”

“No, but then I’ve been out of the country.”

“Does your cell phone work out of the country?”

“Yes, but very few people have that number, and Harvey isn’t one of them. I use a second cell phone for business, and only my staff have that number.”

“Are you planning to leave town anytime soon, Mr. Carlton?”

“Yes, I’m leaving tomorrow for Los Angeles. I have a film to finish.”

“Can you postpone your departure for a few days?” the chief asked.

Stone spoke for the first time. “Chief, Mr. Carlton is on a deadline to complete his film.”

“We’re opening on three thousand screens in six weeks,” Carlton said, “and we haven’t finished editing yet. We also have music and dubbing to do, and I may have to reshoot a scene or two. It’s very tight.”

“Mr. Carlton will make himself available to speak to you anytime you wish,” Stone said. “He wants only to cooperate, within the constraints of his work.”

“There’ll be an opening at Radio City Music Hall,” Carlton said, “for six thousand of my closest friends. I’ll send you some tickets, if you like.”

Both policemen nodded. “The wife would like that,” the chief said.

The cops shook hands and left.

“The tickets were a nice touch,” Stone said. “Cops never get invited anywhere.”

“I figured,” Carlton said. He handed Stone a card. “Send me your bill.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Stone said, getting to his feet.

He handed Carlton his card.

“I’ll send you some opening tickets, too, and better seats than the cops. And you’re invited to the opening-night party at the Rainbow Room after the screening.”

“Sounds good,” Stone said. “If you should hear from Harvey Biggers, will you let me know?”

“You want his address?”

“I have it,” Stone said. They shook hands, and Stone walked next door and surrendered himself to the tender mercies of Carrie Fiske, for one more night.

After they had made love, and just before Stone fell asleep, Carrie whispered in his ear, “I have an early appointment in the city tomorrow, so I’ll be leaving here at four AM. Rupert will give you breakfast.”

“Hmmmf,” Stone replied, then drifted off.