Reckless Abandon

15

THEY HAD FINISHED dinner and were standing on the sidewalk in front of Elaine’s, saying their goodbyes. Dino got into his waiting car and was driven away.

“May I give you a lift?” Lance said to Holly and Stone.

They spoke at the same time. “No,” Stone replied. “Yes,” Holly said.

Lance opened a rear door and motioned them in. “Stone, I know where you live. Holly, where can I take you?”

“You can take us both to my house,” Stone said.

“Ah,” Lance mused. He gave the driver an address, then pressed a button and a thick glass partition rolled up, separating them from the two men in the front seat. “Actually,” Lance said, “there’s something I’d like to talk to the two of you about.”

“Shoot,” Holly said. She was sitting between Lance and Stone.

“You may have read in the papers that the Agency is working very hard on terrorism since nine/eleven.”

“I believe I’ve seen reports to that effect,” Stone said.

“As a result, we’re stretched a little thin these days, and we’ve had to neglect some other matters, particularly those which require attention on our own soil.”

Stone snorted. “And I thought you folks were proscribed from dealing with home matters.”

“Formerly, yes. Since nine/eleven, things have changed a bit.”

“I’ll bet,” Stone said.

“Stone,” Holly said, “could you just shut up so we can hear what Lance has to say?”

“Thank you, Holly,” Lance said. “I couldn’t have put it better myself.”

Stone smoldered in silence.

“As I was saying,” Lance continued, “we’re stretched a little thin these days, and, as a result, I have been authorized to add a few… consultants, shall we say, to our roster.”

“Consultants?” Holly said. “What do you mean?”

“People who are sometimes in a position to render services to us, but who are not permanent employees.”

Stone couldn’t stand it anymore. “You mean people to whom you don’t have to pay pensions or offer medical plans?”

“You misunderstand,” Lance said. “I’m referring to people who have built lives outside our service, and who have independently acquired information or contacts that might be of use to us in the future. Let me give you a couple of examples. Stone, you were recently involved, quite inadvertently, of course, in a British intelligence operation dealing with an assassin who was causing problems in Europe and New York.” He paused.

“If you say so,” Stone said, surprised that Lance knew about this.

“We would have liked to know about this during the fact, instead of afterward,” Lance said. He didn’t wait for Stone to respond. “Holly, you were recently involved in a major federal investigation in Florida, and, as I understand it, you had a great deal to do with its successful conclusion. We would have been very pleased to know about that at a much earlier date. Is this making any sense at all to the two of you?”

“Sure,” Stone said, “you want us to become CIA snitches.”

“No, no,” Lance said placatingly. “We would like for you both, from time to time, to perhaps participate more actively in certain situations that might arise. Of course, we’re always receptive to pertinent information.”

“What sort of situations?” Holly asked.

“For instance, Stone has been of help to us in dealing with the Herbie Fisher problem, and, although that problem has not yet been entirely solved, that certainly isn’t Stone’s fault. Holly, you might similarly be of help in some other situation, on your own home turf. One never knows when.”

“I see, I think,” Holly said. “We’d just be on call, sort of.”

“Yes, sort of. And we’d never wish to interfere with your own duties in your main work.”

“And this is work for which we’d be paid?” Holly asked.

“Of course, and generously. Ask Stone.”

Stone spoke up. “There isn’t enough money in the CIA’s coffers to make it worthwhile dealing with Herbie Fisher and his problems.”

“Still, you didn’t come off all that badly, did you?” Lance asked. “What did you spend-a couple of hours?”

“Well, yes, it didn’t occupy a great deal of time,” Stone admitted, “and I was well paid.”

“You see?” Lance said, spreading his hands. “We’re starting to be of one mind.”

“And,” Holly said, “if we were consulting, so to speak, and we had some little problem, then the CIA might be helpful to us.”

“What sort of problem did you have in mind?” Lance asked, sounding slightly suspicious.

“Oh, nothing at present,” Holly said, “but you can never tell what might come up in the future, can you?”

“I suppose there might occur, at some point, circumstances in which we might be informally helpful,” Lance said, “but of course, I can’t make you any promises about that, it being so vague.”

“Of course not,” Stone said. “Tell me, is there a contract for this sort of service?”

“I suppose there could be,” Lance said, “if it were deemed necessary.”

They had pulled up in front of Stone’s house. “Tell you what, why don’t you send the contracts to me, and I’ll take a look at them,” Stone said.

“You’d be representing Holly, then?”

“Yes,” Holly said, “he would be.”

“All right, I’ll see what I can put together.”

“Good night, Lance,” Stone said, opening the door, “and thanks for the lift.”

“Same here,” Holly said.

Stone closed the car door and they walked up the front steps.

“Did you think that was really, really weird?” Holly asked as they entered the house.

“I think that anything to do with Lance is really, really weird,” Stone replied. They got on the elevator and headed upstairs. When Stone got off, Holly followed him to his bedroom.

She took him by the lapels and kissed him.

Stone kissed her back. “That was very nice,” he said.

“Just what do I have to do to get you into bed?” Holly asked, kissing him again.

“Well, I…” He was stopped by a tongue in his mouth.

“I mean, I’ve been parading around here half naked-no, entirely naked, and that usually gets results, but you actually fell asleep.”

“I’m sorry, I…”

She pushed off his jacket and began untying his tie. “A girl could feel hurt by such treatment, you know.” She was working on his buttons.

“Doesn’t Daisy have to go out?” Stone asked weakly.

“Daisy is half bladder; don’t worry about it.” She was working on her own buttons now. “You think I could have a little help here?”

“Anything at all I can do,” Stone said, feeling for her buttons, zippers, and snaps. “I certainly don’t want you to feel neglected.”

“I feel neglected,” she said. “Make it better.”

Stone did what he could.