Two-Dollar Bill

48

AT TWO-THIRTY, Stone and Dino were having a sandwich in the kitchen, when there was a soft knock at the back door. Stone opened it to find McGonigle, Corey and Peter standing there. "Come in," he said, scooping up Peter.

"Stone," Peter said, "where did you go?"

"I'm sorry, Peter, I had to sneak out for a while to run an errand. Did you and Corey have a good time?"

"We played all sorts of games, but we couldn't go outside."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to Central Park," Stone said, setting the boy on the kitchen table.

"What's Central Park?" Peter asked.

"It's a great big, beautiful park, right here in the middle of New York, and you'll love it. Have you had lunch?"

"We went to Burger King," Peter said. "I had the double bacon cheeseburger."

"I'll bet your mother doesn't let you have that."

"No, she's nutrition conscious. Don't tell her."

"Don't worry, that's just between you and me."

"Oh, Dino, this is McGonigle and Corey; they're Lance's people."

"I've heard about you, Dino," McGonigle said.

"I haven't," Corey said, shaking his hand.

"Corey," Dino said, "will you do me a small favor?"

"Maybe," Corey said.

"Will you frisk Stone for weapons?"

"Sure," she said. She turned to Stone and said, "Up against the wall, creep, and spread 'em." She turned to Dino. "Isn't that the way the NYPD does it?"

Stone assumed the position, and Corey quickly found the Walther and the S amp;W snub-nose. She didn't take the magazines.

"Thanks," Dino said. "You proved a point for me. You can give him back his guns, now."

"You've got something in the crotch, haven't you?" she asked.

Stone nodded.

"You're too squeamish, Corey," McGonigle said.

"You wouldn't have found it, either, McGonigle," Stone said.

"You're exactly right," Corey said. "Next time I put my hands on you, I'm going for your crotch," she said to Stone.

"Promises, promises."

Stone's cell phone began to vibrate. He held up a hand for silence, grabbed a pad and pencil and answered it.

"Yes?"

"Good afternoon, Stone," Billy Bob said. "I'm looking forward to getting together in a little while."

"Oh, me, too," Stone said. "It's been too long."

"I assume you're at home."

"Right."

"When we've finished talking and you've hung up, I want you to go to your front door, where you'll find a small package. Inside is a handheld radio. Exactly ten minutes from now I want you to turn on the radio and back out of your garage in your own car. After that, you'll receive instructions. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Bye-bye." Billy Bob hung up.

"Corey," Stone said, "there's a package on my front doorstep; will you bring it to me, please?"

"Sure." Corey left the room.

"What are your instructions?" McGonigle asked.

Stone waited until Corey had returned, then he opened the box. "I leave in nine minutes in my car," he said. "I get my instructions on this."

McGonigle was on his cell phone. "Lance, we've had the call. Stone is to leave the house in his car in eight and a half minutes; he'll get his instructions on a handheld radio that was left on his doorstep. I'm looking at it, and there is no tuning knob, and it doesn't have a brand name, so it will have a single frequency, and it will probably be off any of the commercial spectra. You're going to need a wideband scanner." McGonigle listened for a moment, then handed the phone to Stone. "He wants to speak to you."

Stone took the phone. "Yes, Lance?"

"Time is short; I'm scrambling the chopper now, and we'll be on you as quickly as we can. McGonigle is going to give you another radio, and you can use that to communicate with me on the chopper. We'll be scanning all frequencies to try to pick up your other radio, but it won't matter much. Just repeat all your instructions into our radio."

"Will do," Stone said.

"There'll be a sharpshooter on board. If you think it's worth the risk, just hit the dirt at any time, and pull Arrington down with you, if she's there, and he'll start firing. Don't get up until everybody is dead."

"Got it."

"Is Dino with you?"

"Yes."

"Let me speak to him."

Stone handed the phone to Dino.

Dino listened. "I got you," he said, and handed the phone back.

Stone took the phone back, and he could hear a helicopter's engine whining as it started up. "I'm ready."

"I hope so," Lance said. "Go and get into the car; you've got five minutes before you open the garage door."

"Goodbye, Lance."

"You're going to have to play your end by ear, Stone. Good luck." Lance hung up.

"He told me not to get my people involved," Dino said.

"I think it's best that way." Stone looked at his watch. "Four minutes."

"I'm going to go and make sure the garage door is working right," Dino said. "I'll leave that way. Good luck." He slapped Stone on the back and was gone.

Stone sat next to Peter on the kitchen table. "I have to leave again for a while," he said. "But I'll be back later, and if there's still daylight, I'll take you to Central Park."

"Okay," Peter said.

"Did I mention they have a zoo?"

"No, really? Do they have lions?"

"They sure do."

"Oh, boy!"

Stone kissed the boy. "Corey will take care of you. See you later."

"Bye-bye, Stone."

McGonigle handed Stone a small handheld radio. "It's on, and it's on the correct frequency." Then he picked up Billy Bob's radio, removed the back, placed a chip about two inches square inside and closed it. "That will let Lance track you." He handed it to Stone.

Stone took the radio and walked through the house to his car. Dino had left the garage door open. He got in and started the engine. A minute to go.

At the appointed minute, he put the car into reverse and backed out of the garage, closing the door behind him with the remote control. Then he almost panicked. He had forgotten to turn on Billy Bob's radio. He switched it on, and immediately heard the voice.

"Stone? Are you there?"

Stone pressed the transmit button. "I'm here, Billy Bob."

"Get headed east. I'll give you more directions in a minute."

"Right." Stone got headed east. Stone didn't pray much, but he prayed now.