A Safe House

7

Stone called Dino at the Connaught.

“Yes?”

“It’s Stone. Did Viv get in all right?”

“She did. She’s in the shower now, washing off the Far East, she says.”

“I just want to alert you to something.”

“Alert away.”

“Do you know what Jenna’s ex-husband looks like?”

“Not really.”

“Big guy. And he’s wearing a Stetson and cowboy boots, never mind about being in London.”

“Why do you mention that?”

“Because earlier tonight, he inquired at the Connaught’s front desk about whether I was a guest or expected.”

“He moves kind of fast, doesn’t he?”

“He does. What surprises me is he’s doing his own detective work himself, instead of farming it out.”

“Does he know about the house in Hampshire?”

“Not as far as I know. But he knows enough about me to anticipate that I might be at the Connaught, as I would be, if I were in London.”

“Don’t blame you. That would bother me, too.”

“If you get a sighting of him in your travels around the city, would you call me and track him as far as you can? I’d like to know where he’s staying, since the Connaught denied him a room, and who he’s seeing.”

“Sure, that might even be more fun than watching Viv shop.”

“Thanks, pal. Now I’d better get back and attend to things.”

“Sure, you should.” They hung up.

“Has Dino seen him?” Jenna asked.

“No, and that’s a good thing. Does he spend a lot of time in London?”

“We were there twice since being married, once for Wimbledon and once for the Chelsea Flower Show, both my choices, not his. Wallace’s tastes run to horse races that he has to rent suits for.”

“Ascot and the Derby.”

“Right. He was always restless in London and dismissive of people with upper-class accents.”

“Everybody at Ascot and the Derby,” Stone said.

“Right. He was there for the horses.”

“Did he have any friends in London?”

“No, the people we knew that we ran into were always Americans, usually Texans, at Annabel’s or ultra-expensive restaurants.”

“Where did Wallace make his money?”

“Oil, but not very much of it. He liked to pretend that he had a lot more than he had, and after he was appointed to the Senate, he seemed to have more money to throw around.”

“Bribes, no doubt.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him.”

They finished their after-dinner port. “Ready for bed?”

“I’ve been ready since I got out of it the last time.”

“Then let’s do it,” Stone said.

“Doing it was foremost in my mind.”

They were awakened by Stone’s cell phone, early the following morning.

“Hello?”

“It’s Dino. We’re at breakfast in the dining room, and guess who just walked in?”

“A man in a Stetson hat and cowboy boots?”

“Right, they took the hat away from him, and he didn’t like that much.”

“Are you game to find out where he goes after breakfast?”

“Sure. So’s Viv. She loves this sort of stuff.”

“Call me with a bulletin now and then.”

“Will do.” Dino hung up.

“Wallace is having breakfast at the Connaught,” Stone said to Jenna.

“We did that once. He liked it there.”

“Did they take his hat away from him?”

She laughed. “Yes. I hope they did so again.”

“They did. Dino’s there, too. He’s going to let us know where Wallace goes.”

“I’m hungry, but I don’t want to get up,” she said.

“We know how to handle that around here,” Stone said, picking up the phone and ordering breakfast.

“What will we do until it comes?” she asked.

“Well, we shouldn’t be actually fucking when they walk in. Can you wait until after breakfast?”

“If I have to,” she said.

“Are you always like this?” Stone asked.

“Only for the last four years, or so. I have a lot of catching up to do.”

They were on coffee when Dino called back.

“Hey.”

“Hey. The senator has left the building.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Well, he’s on Park Lane, in the rear seat of an elderly Rolls-Royce, as we speak. I, on the other hand, am in a mere taxi, following him.”

“I don’t want you to spend the day in a cab,” Stone said. “If you get some idea of his direction, will you let me know before you break off?”

“Sure. We’re headed west now. Just passed Harrods. I’ll keep you informed.”

“Is he alone?” Jenna asked.

“I forgot to ask. I will when Dino calls back.”

Stone called for the removal of the dishes. He was about to attack Jenna when Dino called again.

“Okay,” he said. “He drove west to that big roundabout. If you continue straight, you’ll go to Heathrow, but he didn’t do that.”

“What did he do?”

“He got off the roundabout before the turn for the M4 and Heathrow, then drove to another roundabout and turned toward the motorway to Southampton. At that point, the cab’s meter was going round and round like a slot machine. So I broke off because I don’t have a lot of pounds in my pocket.”

“Was anyone with him in the car?”

“Yeah, a guy wearing a black cowboy hat.”

“You’re a champ, Dino. I owe you all sorts of stuff.”

“You remember that,” Dino said, then hung up.

Stone turned back to Jenna. “He’s headed this way, sort of. There’s a guy in the car with him wearing a Stetson.”

“What color?”

“Black.”

“Oh, shit,” she said.

“Who is he?”

“His name is Harley Quince.”

“Who is he?”

“He’s the guy Wallace calls if he wants somebody hurt,” she said. “Or maybe dead.”