Two-Dollar Bill

38

STONE CHECKED OUT the bellman through the peephole, then let him enter and take the luggage. He called the garage and asked them to have his car ready, then instructed the bellman to precede them and load the luggage. They waited five minutes, then, with Stone going first, his hand under his jacket on his gun, made their way down the hall and into the elevator.

Stone asked Arrington to remain on the elevator while he checked out the lobby, then he escorted her quickly to the garage, where the car was waiting, its motor running. He tipped everybody, then got moving. He drove around the block twice to be sure he was not being followed, then crossed the park at Seventy-second Street, made his way to the West Side Highway, then north to the Saw Mill River Parkway.

"How long have you had this car?" Arrington asked. It was the first time she had spoken.

"Three years, I guess."

"It seems very powerful."

"It is; it's the E55 model, with the AMG-tuned engine, the fastest Mercedes made. And it has the advantage of being armored."

"Armored? Did you anticipate events?"

"No, it was serendipitous. I arrived at the dealership as they were wheeling it in. It had been ordered by an Italian-American gentleman, who felt he had enemies, but the car arrived exactly one day too late. His widow asked the dealer to resell it, and I couldn't resist."

"How armored?"

"It'll stop small-arms fire."

"That's comforting to know, in the circumstances." Then she went quiet again.

Stone took the Saw Mill all the way to I-684, then to I-84 and thence to exit 16. A left turn from the ramp took them to Oxford airport in two minutes. He checked his watch. They had been on the road for an hour and forty-five minutes. "We'll have a wait," he said.

They made themselves comfortable in the little terminal, and an hour and a half later, the GIV, with the trademark Roman centurion on its tail, touched down and taxied to the terminal. The engines died, and the door opened. The first person out was a small boy in a blue overcoat, carrying a small suitcase in one hand and a Gameboy in the other.

As Peter rushed into his mother's arms, Stone was struck by his appearance-dark hair, handsome face-and it suddenly occurred to him that Peter Calder, ostensibly the son of Vance Calder, bore an uncanny resemblance to Malon Barrington, Stone's father.

"Peter," Arrington said, "I want you to meet a very good friend of mine. This is Stone Barrington."

Peter extended his hand and said gravely, "How do you do, Mr. Barrington?"

"Hello, Peter," Stone said, taking the boy's tiny hand, "and please call me Stone."

"Thank you, sir," Peter replied.

Arrington then introduced Ilsa, the knockout Swedish nanny, and a moment later, they were headed north toward Washington, Connecticut.

Peter took in the bare trees and patchy snow. "It's colder here than Virginia," he said.

"I hope you packed warm clothes," Arrington said to Ilsa. "Yes, ma'am," Ilsa replied.

THEY ENTERED the village from the south, drove past the Mayflower Inn and turned left at the Congregational church.

"This is Washington Green," Stone explained, "and my house was once the gatehouse for the big place next door, called the Rocks."

"Then you should call your house the Pebbles," Peter said.

"The Pebbles it is, from this day forward," Stone replied, turning into the short driveway.

"Oh, this is charming, Stone," Arrington said. "Look at the little turret, Peter."

But Peter was already out of the car, peering through the windows.

Stone got the door open and turned up the thermostat. "Keep your coats on for a few minutes, until it warms up." He took Arrington aside. "There are only two bedrooms."

"Well," she said, "it won't be the first time we've shared, will it?"

Stone and the nanny got the bags upstairs and distributed, and by the time he got back downstairs, the furnace was producing heat. "Make yourselves at home," he said. "I have to make a couple of phone calls."

He called his office first.

"The Barrington Practice," Joan said.

"Hi, it's Stone. I'm at the Connecticut house, and I expect to be here for a few days."

"Okay, I have some things I can work on."

"No, I want you to take a few days off, too. Put an announcement on the answering machine saying that I'm away but that I'll pick up my messages. You can check it a couple of times a day and call me about anything important."

"Okay, boss."

"I'll call you when it's time to come back to work."

"Okay, I'll just do a few things this morning, then go home."

"Joan, I want you to lock up and go home right now, and I don't want you to come back, even for a minute, until I call you."

"Uh, oh," she said. "What's up?"

"A bad guy is looking for me, and I don't want him to find either of us."

"I'm out of here," she said. '"Bye."

Stone called Dino.

"Bacchetti."

"Hi, it's Stone."

"What was that little dance you and Lance were doing last night, and why was there a bullet hole in your pants?"

"Lance picked up Billy Bob, but he managed to escape. It appears that killing me is high on his to-do list."

"Billy Bob's or Lance's?"

"Billy Bob's. Lance was just trying to get me to come with him."

"I guess it worked."

"I guess it did. But listen, Billy Bob might be mad at you, too."

"Why?"

"He doesn't seem to need a reason, but I want you to watch your back for a few days."

"I'll do that."

"Maybe even assign a man to watch it for you."

"You think Billy Bob's that dangerous?"

"Last night, he killed two of Lance's best people with a knife."

"In my precinct?"

"It's been dealt with; it won't come to your attention."

"Good."

"I'm at the Connecticut house, but don't tell anybody, not even Elaine. You can reach me here if anything happens."

"Okay, take care of yourself. Is Arrington pissed off at you again?"

"No, she and Peter are here with me."

"How cozy."

"Oh, shut up, and as I say, watch your back."

"And you watch your ass."

Stone hung up and went into the living room, which was warm now. Peter was expertly hooking up his game machine to the television.

"You can do that with the sound off," Arrington said.

"Don't worry, Mom, I brought my earphones."

Stone sat and watched, fascinated, while the little boy played his computer games.

LATER THAT NIGHT, when Peter and Ilsa were asleep, Stone showered, then slipped into bed with Arrington. She was not wearing a nightgown. He touched her shoulder. "You're very warm."

"Come closer, and I'll warm you, too." They came together as if they had never been apart.