Dead In The Water

CHAPTER 59

Stone got five fitful hours of sleep aboard Expansive, then threw himself into a cold shower so that he would be fully alert, He made some coffee, ate a muffin, and started making lists of things to do. At 7:00. A.M. he called Bill Eggers.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Okay, here's a rundown. I couldn't get to Senator Helms, but I did get to one of his staff; I told him the prime minister was a suspected communist."

"Good going."

"Woodman and Weld were also going to call him. I talked to the duty officer at the State Department and he put me through to the head of the Caribbean desk at home. He promised to try to get permission to send a cable in the secretary of state's name. I'll call him back after nine to see how he did. Oh, Woodman called the president last night; he was unavailable, but he did get the White House chief of staff on the line, which is almost as good. He had seen the 60 Minutes report and promised to get some sort of protest out first thing this morning."

"That's wonderful, Bill. Anything else?"

"The PR people have been on it all night; they'll report to me at the office at nine. I'm afraid we're going to miss a lot of morning editions, but they think we'll make some of them." "Hilary Kramer promised me she'd get us in the Times this morning."

"Hang on," Eggers said, "I'll see." He was gone for a moment, then returned. "She made the front page, lower right-hand corner, continued inside. It's good stuff, Stone, and she quoted you about every American sending a wire."

"Thank God we made that one."

"I'm sure we'll be all over the morning television shows, too; you want to be interviewed over the phone?"

"I'm going to be too busy; you do it."

"If they'll talk to me."

"Tell them you're Allison's attorney, too."

"Okay. I'd better get on that right now; they're already on the air." He hung up.

Stone switched on the television and, over the satellite dish, got the Today show. An hour later he heard Katie Couric interviewing Eggers and Eggers reading out the prime minister's fax number.

"Yes!" Stone screamed. He got into some clothes, jumped into Thomas's car, and headed for Government House. The jail door was open this time, and after searching him, they let him into Allison's cell. He held her close a moment, then looked at her. She seemed surprisingly normal. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm nervous as a cat," she said, "but I got some sleep last night, amazingly enough."

"I was here late last night, but they wouldn't let me in."

"I got the things this morning," she said. "Thank you so much."

From the window over the heavy wooden door outside the cell came a loud noise-a creaking of hinges, a slap of wood against wood, and another sound that made chills run up Stone's spine. "What's that?" Allison asked.

"Who knows? I want to tell you what's being done at home," He sat down on the bunk with her and filled her in on what had happened overnight. "That thing on the Today show is going to have haft the country up in arms," he said. "And rightly so. By this time the St.Marks government has got to be up to its ass in faxes."

"Good morning," a voice said from the corridor. The door was unlocked, and Leslie Hewitt walked in with a basket. "I brought you some fresh croissants and a thermos of coffee," he said.

"Oh, thank you, Leslie," Allison replied, kissing him on the cheek. She poured herself some coffee and sipped it.

"Have you heard anything at all?" Stone asked him.

"Not exactly. I called the prime minister's residence this morning and spoke to his secretary. He sounded rather odd; I gather the prime minister has been receiving a lot of telegrams, faxes, and phone calls. He's locked himself in his study with my appeal. I hope we'll hear something this morning."

"Good, good."

They sat with Allison until a guard came and made them leave. "You can come back at four this afternoon," he said.

"Allison, is there anything I can send you?" Stone asked.

"I'm all right, I think. There are some books available here; I'll try and read."

"We'll be back at four," Leslie said. "I hope we'll have some news by then. I'll call here if I hear anything before that time."

Allison kissed and hugged them both, then they left the cell. Outside the jail, Stone brought Hewitt up to date on what he had done, then asked, "Do you have any idea what's going to happen?" "I hope all these calls and faxes will have an effect," Hewitt said. "I don't think the prime minister has ever experienced anything quite like this."

"Is he the sort of man who responds to pressure?"

Hewitt shrugged. "It's hard to say. He's always been a stubborn fellow, ever since he was a little boy. I just hope he doesn't dig in his heels."

"If we went to the residence, do you think he would see us?"

Hewitt shook his head. "No, that would be unheard of; we'd be damaging our own case. Do you want to come back to my place and wait?"

"I'd better go back to the marina and handle any calls that come in. Leslie, they've built a scaffold in the inner courtyard, and they've been testing it, I think."

"I know; I heard them."

"Have you ever been through anything like this with a client?"

"Once."

"What happened?"

"They hanged him."

"Oh."

"Let's meet back here at four o'clock, and if we haven't heard anything we can wait with Allison. We can't give up until…"

"Right," Stone said. "I'll meet you here at four."

Back at the marina, Stone called Eggers again. "Anything to report?"

"We got on the Today show."

"I saw it. You did good."

"I hope we stirred up something. Oh, somebody finally got to Helms; he promised to call the secretary of state."

"Has the president had anything to say?"

"Not publicly, but Woodman got a call back from the chief of staff's secretary, saying that they were putting together a cable."

"Great!"

"How's the woman holding up?"

"Like a champ. I'd be a gibbering idiot in her place."

"So would I."

"I think we're going to pull this off, Bill; I don't see how the prime minister can stand in the wind that's blowing now."

"I think you're right, Stone."

"I'll call you again later. Oh, let me give you the satellite phone number; you can dial it just like a regular phone." He dictated the number, then hung up.

Half an hour later, the calls started coming in-the wire services, reporters who recorded interviews, and, amazingly, the president's secretary, who wanted a report. She told him that a cable had already been sent by the secretary of state. He thanked her profusely.

He had some lunch at the Shipwright's Arms and took some more phone calls. Then everything went quiet. No phone calls, no press. Just a quiet afternoon with Thomas.

"How often does somebody get executed here, Thomas?" Stone asked.

"We get one every two or three years, I guess. Then they knock the scaffold apart and put it together again when another one comes up."

"I know; I heard them working on it this morning. I don't think Allison realized what the noise was; I hope she doesn't, anyway."

"You ever lose a client like this?" Thomas asked.

"Not yet."

"I hope you don't lose this one."

"Me, too."