Distant Thunder

22

When Stone got home he walked into the house and heard someone clearing his throat. He went to the study and found Lance Cabot sitting on the sofa before a fire, a drink in his hand.

“All cozy, are we?”

“Come in, Stone.”

“Thank you so much,” Stone replied. He poured himself a brandy. “Something more for you?”

“I’m fine. Have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Stone sank into the other end of the sofa and took a sip of brandy. “You seem pensive, Lance. What’s going on?”

“I may have to kill John Collins.”

“Again? Wasn’t once enough?”

“Apparently not.”

Stone sat quietly and waited for Lance to explain.

“If you hear from him, you have to tell me.”

“Why?”

“Because if I’m going to kill him, I have to find him, and you, perhaps, might help.”

“Why do you think I would become involved in a murder?”

“If he’s already dead, it wouldn’t be murder, would it?”

“If he’s alive, it would be.”

“Have you heard from him?”

“Why would he get in touch with me?”

“He may be jealous. I mean, you are fucking his wife.”

“His widow. And any fucking we may have done was conducted on that basis.”

“I don’t think he sees it that way.”

“Well, I wouldn’t know about how he sees things.”

“Will you let me know if he contacts you?”

“I don’t think I will,” Stone said. “What you’ve told me could make me complicit in a murder.”

“Oh, don’t come over all legal on me.”

“It’s what I do. I have to live as I advise my clients. Tell me, what has he done to deserve being murdered?”

“He has disappointed me.”

“Oh, that. Surely others who have disappointed you have not been punished by death.”

“Not many.”

Stone didn’t want to know about that.

“He’s getting money from somewhere.”

“Everybody has to eat.”

“I’ve had a watch on his accounts, so it can’t be coming from those. Have you given him money?”

“He hasn’t gotten a cent from me.”

“Vanessa may have found some way to get it to him.”

“She hasn’t confided in me.”

“It’s hard to run down a man who doesn’t appear to need money.”

“I haven’t had any experience with that.”

“Maybe he has an offshore account that I don’t know about.”

Stone sighed and had another sip of brandy.

“Does he?” Lance asked.

“If you don’t know that, why would I?”

“Why do you keep giving me evasive answers?”

“I’m just trying to stay logical. Your assumption seems to be that I know all about Collins, but I don’t. You know a great deal about him, so why are you asking me these things?”

“Because I think that if you knew something that I should know, you wouldn’t tell me.”

Stone polished off his brandy. “This is becoming tiresome, Lance, so I’m going to bed. You know where the guest rooms are, so pick one.” He stood up. “Good night.”

Lance didn’t respond, so Stone walked out of the room and went upstairs. As he walked into his bedroom a light came on in the security panel, then it went out. Apparently, Lance had opened and closed the front door. Stone armed the system and got into bed. The phone rang.

“Hello?”

“It’s Vanessa. How are you?”

“Sleepy. I was just going to bed.”

“I wish I were there with you.”

“Then neither of us would get any sleep.”

“John called me again tonight.”

“And what did he have to say?”

“Nothing of any substance. He wants to meet you.”

“Why?”

Silence.

“I have to go to sleep now. Is there anything else that can’t wait until tomorrow?”

“I guess not.”

“Good night, then.” He hung up and was soon asleep.