Swimming to Catalina

27

They were shown to a banquette in a corner of the large dining room, and their drink order was taken. Stone was hungry, and he began looking at the menu.

“May I take your order, Mr. Smithwick?” a waiter asked.

It took Stone a moment to react. “Give us a minute, will you? And may I have a wine list?”

“The smoked salmon sounds good,” Barbara said, then she made a little noise.

Stone turned toward her. “What?”

“My God,” she half-whispered, “look who just came in.”

Stone followed her gaze to the center of the dining room. Vance Calder and a party of six were being seated at a round table.

“I’ve never seen him in person, have you?”

Stone raised the wine list to cover his face. “Well, he doesn’t turn me on as much as he does you.” He lowered the list enough to allow him to see Vance’s party, and things got worse. Betty Southard was sitting next to him. “Oh, Jesus,” he murmured under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing; I was just trying to pronounce the name of this wine. I think I’ve read about it somewhere.” He was trapped, within plain view of both Vance and Betty. He did not need this.

“I think I’ll go and say hello to him,” Barbara said.

“What? Who?”

“Vance Calder.”

“I don’t think you should do that, Barbara.”

“Why not?”

“The hotel has a lot of celebrity customers, and they’re very protective of them.”

“Oh, it’ll be all right,” she said, pushing the table away. “We have a mutual friend.” She got up and started toward Vance’s table before Stone could stop her.

Stone watched as Barbara made her way between the tables and came to rest at Vance’s elbow. Vance looked up at her. The headwaiter began to move. Barbara spoke. Then, to Stone’s amazement, Vance stood up, shook her hand, and started to introduce her to the rest of his party. All eyes were riveted on the beautiful brunette. It was now or never, Stone thought. He pushed away the table, rose, and walked quickly through the dining room, staying as far away as possible from Vance’s table, hoping to God that no one there looked away from Barbara. Once in the entrance hall between the bar and the restaurant, he chanced a look back into the dining room. Barbara still held their attention.

Stone signaled to the headwaiter. “I’m not feeling very well,” he said. “Would you please ask my dinner companion, Miss Tierney, to phone me in my suite?”

“Of course, Mr. Smithwick,” the man said. “I hope you feel better.”

“Thank you,” Stone said and got out of the restaurant, taking care not to pass the window on the way to his suite. The phone was ringing as he walked in. “Hello?”

“Jack? Are you all right?”

“Oh, yes, Barbara; I’m so sorry I had to leave. It must have been something I ate at lunch.”

“We had the same thing for lunch, and I’m all right,” she said.

“I’ve been this way a couple of days. Look, would you mind if we had dinner in my suite? If you’re uncomfortable with that I’d be glad to order a car to take you back to the marina, but I do think I should stick close to home this evening.”

“All right,” she said. “How do I find it?”

Stone gave her directions, then hung up, took off his jacket, left the door ajar, and went into the bathroom.

“Jack?” she called from the door.

“Come on in; I won’t be a minute.” He threw some water on his face, then grabbed a towel and walked out, mopping his face dry. “I’m so sorry; I’m all right now, I think.” He motioned to the sofa. “Have a seat.” He handed her a menu. “Would you like a drink?”

“Scotch on the rocks, please,” she replied, and started to look at the menu.

Stone poured her a drink and fixed himself a bourbon.

“Maybe you shouldn’t drink,” she said.

“It’ll be all right.” he replied.

“I’ll have the smoked salmon and the chicken breast,” she said.

Stone phoned in their order and sat down beside her. “So, did Vance Calder remember you?”

“He remembered my friend,” she said. “They do some business together.”

“What business is he in?”

“Finance.”

“What sort of finance?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but he deals in large sums of money. He’s in Mexico right now.”

“Ah.”

“Have you ever been to Mexico?”

“No, and with the state of my innards, I’m not sure I should.”

She laughed and gave him a little kiss. “You know, I think I prefer having dinner here instead of in the restaurant.”

Stone kissed her back. “So do I.”

Sometime after midnight, Stone crept from the bed and tiptoed into the sitting room, leaving Barbara sound asleep. He found her handbag, opened it, and extracted her wallet. Standing next to the window, he used an outside light to illuminate the contents. Her name was really Barbara Tierney, an Illinois driver’s license testified to that, and she really was an actress, according to her Screen Actors Guild card. He replaced the wallet and rummaged around in the bag for a moment longer, but found nothing else of interest, just the usual female detritus. He put the bag back where he’d found it and crept back into bed. Barbara rolled over and reached for him.

“More,” she said.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

Stone was awakened by the doorbell, and Barbara called out that she’d get it. He fell back into bed. A moment later, she pushed a rolling table into the room.

“I ordered you a big breakfast,” she said.

“Thanks,” he replied, sitting up and arranging pillows. He tucked into bacon and eggs, a luxury he rarely allowed himself “First bacon cheeseburgers, now bacon and eggs,” he said. “If I hang around you long enough I’ll have a coronary.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said, eating her own breakfast. “You seem in pretty good shape to me.”

“That’s because I lead an abstemious life, when I’m not with you.”

She threw back her head and hooted. “I love it!” she cried. “You were a virgin before I came along, right?”

“Absolutely. You’ve taught me everything I know.”

She set down her plate and took his away. “Well, I must be one hell of a teacher,” she giggled.

“You certainly are.”

“Now, let’s see, what shall we learn this morning, class?”

“Entirely up to you, ma’am.”

“Well, we’ve already tried positions one, two, and three.”

“I don’t think I remember position three,” he said.

“I can see that you learn only by repetition.”

“That’s always the best way, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’sone way.”

“Not the best way?”

“Sometimes, my dear, you have to improvise.”

“Improvise? How does one do that?”

“Like this,” she said, “for starters.”

“That’s a very nice starter. What’s the main course.”

“You’re not ready for the main course.”

“I think I’m getting there.”

“I think you are, too!” she cried. “What a good student!”

“I do my best,” he said.

“You’d better, or you’ll have to repeat the course.”

“Oh, God,” Stone moaned, “I don’t think I could repeat the course.”

“We’ll see,” she said.