Insatiable Appetites

40

They dined on butternut squash soup and perfectly cooked lamb chops and shared half a bottle of a French wine. The plates were taken away, and while they awaited dessert, Elton Hills began to speak quietly.

“I suppose I could be considered by some as a recluse,” he said. “My wife died nearly twenty years ago, and, without really thinking about it, I began to leave this house less and less.”

“It’s a beautiful house, beautifully kept,” Bruce replied.

“Thank you. It was built by my great-great-grandfather, after the American Revolution, and my grandfather and father made judicious additions. I have contented myself with preservation.” He took a sip of his wine. “It is my great regret that I secluded myself not only from the outside world, but from my only remaining son. My firstborn, Elton Junior, in a burst of patriotism of which I heartily approved, joined the army and became a platoon leader in Special Forces. He gave his life for his country.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Bruce said.

“How did you come to be in the military?”

“I was born in a small town in Georgia called Delano,” Bruce replied. “As I approached college age, my only alternative was a branch of the state university, but my father had gone to high school with our congressman, and he secured an appointment to West Point for me. I did well there and made my career in the army. I was executive officer of a Special Forces unit when, leading a patrol, I stepped on a land mine. After a year at Walter Reed, I retired. I had saved most of my pay, and I used that to open my shop in Washington.”

“I like an entrepreneur,” Hills said.

“I’m very impressed with the quality of your pieces in this house,” Bruce said. “I would like to specialize in American furniture, but the prices have risen so much that I haven’t had the capital to invest. As you know, Evan was very kind to me in his will, and I’ve thought of funding a furniture operation with some of that.”

“What a good idea,” Hills said. “You know, once Evan was out of law school, he wouldn’t take anything from me. His mother left him a modest bequest, and I was very glad to see that he had grown his estate so much during his life. Now I have no heirs, only a foundation.”

Bruce didn’t know what to say about that, so he only nodded.

Dessert was served, and Elton Hills changed the subject. “This Mr. Barrington sent me copies of a story about Evan that appears in today’s New York Times,” he said. “Did you know about all that?”

“Yes, I did. Evan used my shop for meetings with the reporter from the Times. I got a copy of the paper last night and read the piece.”

“I’ve been a Republican all my life, and I was absolutely appalled at what I read. My party has returned to being what it was when Teddy Roosevelt was president, and it makes me very sad.”

“Evan was outraged,” Bruce said, “and frightened of what the reaction would be if those in his party found out where the story originated.”

“Do you think Evan’s death was... not an accident?” Hills asked.

“I think it’s possible. Certainly Evan felt endangered. Stone Barrington had offered him a guest apartment in his home, and Evan had accepted. He was on his way to his hotel to collect his things when he was struck by the car.”

“If it turns out that Evan was murdered for political reasons, I shall reconsider what to do with the residue of my estate. I think I would use it to help oust from office those who were responsible.”

“I can understand your feelings.”

Hills consulted a gold pocket watch. “Well, let’s not keep the bishop waiting,” he said. “We’ll take my car, and of course, I would be pleased if you would stay the night.”

“Thank you. I’d be happy to.”

Hills’s car was a Rolls-Royce from the sixties, apparently little used, as it was in showroom condition. The cemetery was only a few minutes’ drive from the house, and as they approached the entrance they saw a large van with an antenna on top parked at the front gate. A reporter with a microphone was saying something into a camera, and there were other reporters and photographers there, too.

“Don’t slow down,” Hills said to Manolo. “Just plow through.” As they passed through the gates, the reporters nearly threw themselves in front of the car, and they shouted questions as it passed. Hills sat back in his seat. “Mr. Barrington warned me this might happen,” he said, “but I didn’t believe him. You’ve met this Barrington. What do you make of him?”

“I was impressed with him, and so was Evan, enough so to make him his executor. He chose Barrington to tell his story to because he’s known to be a friend of the president and his wife, the president-elect. I think he chose well.”

The car pulled up behind a police car that was apparently guarding the grave site. A robed bishop stood, waiting for them. Hills greeted the man and had a brief conversation with him, then introduced Bruce. The funeral director appeared and led them to the graveside.

A mahogany casket rested on an apparatus over the grave, covered by a blanket of yellow roses that Bruce had sent.

The service was brief; the bishop spoke for less than five minutes, and Hills indicated that he had nothing to say. Neither did Bruce. It was all over very quickly.

The media still swarmed around the gate, but they got no joy from the people in the Rolls. Soon they pulled into the hidden driveway.

“Bruce, if I may call you that...”

“Certainly.”

“And please call me Elton.”

“Of course.”

“Bruce, I wonder if, while you’re here, you would take a walk around the house and look at my furniture and art. It has not been appraised for many years.”

“I’d be delighted. And if you can endure my company for a few days, I’d be very pleased to do a proper inventory and photograph each piece. A proper appraisal will require some research, but I’m sure your insurers would like to have that, as well as your attorneys.”

“What a good idea!” Hills said, smiling for the first time that day. “Come inside, and I’ll show you around.”

“All I need is a legal pad,” Bruce said. “My telephone contains a good camera.”

“A phone with a camera? Extraordinary!”

“It’s an extraordinary world these days, Elton,” Bruce said. “You should see a bit more of it.”

The two men went into the house together, arm in arm.