Swimming to Catalina

54

She was terribly calm, he thought, considering what she had been through. She sat looking at him, waiting for his questions. “How were you taken?” he asked, finally.

“I was shopping on Rodeo Drive; I went back to the parking lot to get my car, and two men pushed me into a van. They taped my eyes and mouth and hands, and I heard them going through my handbag, talking about my car keys. I think one of them drove my car.”

“Where did they take you?”

“I don’t know. They moved me every day; sometimes they took off the blindfold when I got there; sometimes they untaped my hands. I got to a phone in some back room somewhere and tried to call you. Twice.”

“I figured that out,” Stone said. “You were in the storeroom of a restaurant. I found the matchbook.”

She smiled. “Good detective.”

“Did anyone ever tell you why you were taken?”

“A couple of times, one of them said, ‘Don’t worry; we’re not going to hurt you. When your husband comes through, we’ll take you home.’I asked what they meant by ‘comes through,’ but they wouldn’t say. I assumed they meant ransom.”

“But you talked to Vance every day.”

“Yes, but they would only allow me to say that I was all right. They wanted me to beg him to get me back, too. I tried not to do that.”

“Did anyone ever tell you who had ordered your kidnapping?”

“No. I asked, but they wouldn’t tell me. I heard an occasional reference to ‘the boss.’”

“When did they take you to the yacht?”

“I was on two boats, at different times; I was on the big yacht twice.”

“Did they take you there by boat?”

“The first time they did; the second time the boat was at a dock. That was yesterday.”

“Did they ever hurt you? Rough you up?”

“Once one of them slapped me, after I used the phone. His name was Vinnie, I remember that. I’d like to kick him in the balls, if I ever have the chance.”

“You won’t; he’s dead. Was there another one named Manny?”

“Yes, but they kept changing. There was a Tommy and one they called Zip, too.”

“Any other names?”

“No, just the four of them.”

“Did you ever hear the names of Sturmack or Ippolito mentioned?”

“No; I know them both, so I would have remembered.”

“It was Ippolito’s yacht.”

“I got that impression from your conversation with Dino last night.”

“Did you ever hear the name of Martin Barone?”

There was a flash of recognition. “I heard one of them mention ‘Marty’ once.”

“In what connection?”

“It was something like, ‘Better check with Marty.’”

“About what?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Do you have any idea at all what they wanted from Vance? He’s been very close-mouthed.”

“No, I don’t. As I said, I thought they wanted ransom, and you can’t blame Vance for not talking about it; I heard them say over and over to him on the phone that if he said anything to anyone, I wouldn’t be coming back.”

“How did you know that I was in L.A., at the Bel-Air?”

“The trade paper. It said you were at a party at Vance’s house, so I figured he had turned to you for help.” She put her hand on his. “I’m glad he did.”

“Would you recognize the other two men-Tommy and Zip-if you saw them again?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Do you know their last names?”

“No.”

“Can you describe them?”

“Tommy was about six-four, well over two hundred pounds, a weightlifter, I’m sure; coal-black hair, about thirty. Zip was shorter, a little under six feet, but heavily built; he had black hair going gray, and I guess he was in his early forties.”

“Good. Can you think of anything else about your captivity that might help us find out who was responsible?”

“It must be Ippolito, since I was on his yacht. Do you really think David Sturmack is involved? He was always very kind to me; I liked him.”

“I think the two of them are in it together. What was your relationship to Ippolito like?”

“There was none. I only met him twice, once at a dinner party at David Sturmack’s house, and once at a cocktail party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, a charity thing.”

“I guess that’s all I have to ask.”

“My turn, then.”

“All right.”

“First of all, I want to tell you about the beginning, when I was supposed to come sailing with you. I had begun to believe that you were never going to make any kind of real commitment…”

“I was going to ask you to marry me when you got to St. Marks.”

A tear spilled down her cheek. “Boy, my timing was great, wasn’t it? I guess I was kind of hurting, more fragile than I thought, and Vance made me feel better. The more time we spent together the better it got, and after I came back to L.A. with him, well, I guess I became infatuated. I thought I was in love with him.”

“Aren’t you still?”

“I haven’t entirely figured that out yet, but I intend to. I’m certainly very fond of him, and I have great respect for him as a man.”

“Even after you were kidnapped, and he didn’t get you back right away?”

“I knew he was doing everything he could, and he’s explained his actions to my satisfaction. I don’t hold anything against him for what happened-I believe it was completely beyond his control.”

“He told you he’d be moving here with you while we sort everything out?”

“Yes, but I’m not staying.”

“Arrington, this isn’t over; we have to protect you.”

“I’m going back to Virginia; Betty Southard is arranging a chartered jet right now, and there’ll be some security people to meet me at the other end.”

“Why are you going back?”

“Vance told you I was pregnant, didn’t he? I figure that’s the only way he could have gotten you out here.”

“Yes, he did.”

“Don’t you have any questions about that?” she asked.

“I think I’ll just let you tell me what you want to.”

She smiled. “That’s like you, Stone; you were always a good listener.”

“Thank you.”

“You didn’t give away much, but you did listen.”

Stone said nothing.

“I am pregnant. I’ve spent the last two weeks trying to figure out who the father is, but my periods have been irregular for months, and I honestly don’t know; it could be either of you.”

“I see,” Stone said, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“So here’s what I’m going to do about it,” she said. “I’m going back to Virginia to be with my family and to have my baby. Vance has agreed to submit to a blood test, and I want one from you, too.”

“All right,” Stone said. “I want to know as much as you do.”

“If the baby is Vance’s, I’ll come back to California and be the best wife and mother I can. I know I don’t love Vance as deeply as I’ve loved you, but I think we can still make a good marriage of it, and a home for the child.”

“And if the baby isn’t Vance’s?”

She placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him lightly. “I love you, Stone, I really do. But I don’t know what you’re feeling, and…”

“I’ll tell you…”

“Don’t,” she said. “It wouldn’t do me much good to know right now. If the baby is yours, I’ll tell you, and we’ll talk about it. Certainly, you can be a part of his life. Or hers. But you and I have some things to work out, and we have to face the fact that we may not be able to work them out. I can’t let myself think too much about that until the baby is born; I have to protect myself emotionally. It’s no good for me to make a commitment to you and then find out the baby is Vance’s. Surely you can see how hard that would be for me.”

Stone nodded.

There was a knock on the door.

Arrington kissed him again, and then got up and opened the door. Betty Southard was waiting there.

“Good morning, Arrington,” she said. “I’m glad to see you back. They’re flying the Centurion jet from Van Nuys into Santa Monica; they should already have landed and refueled by the time we get there.”

“I’m ready,” Arrington said. She closed her suitcase and handed it to Betty. “Bye,” she said to Stone. “I’ll call you, but it may not be for a while.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Stone said, past the lump in his throat.