Sex, Lies & Serious Money

22

Stone was at his desk the following morning when Joan buzzed. “Laurence Hayward on line one.”

Stone pressed the button. “Good morning, Laurence. I understand you’ve approved the recommendation of Strategic Services.”

“I have, Stone, and thank you for your help. They should be working on the installation now. I called to tell you that I’ve bought another house.”

Stone chuckled. “And where is the new one?”

“In Santa Fe, New Mexico. It’s brand-new and completely furnished. We spent our first night in it last night.”

“Congratulations. When is your closing?”

“Next week.”

“I’ll let Herb Fisher know. By the way, I’m coming to Santa Fe tomorrow to spend a few days with friends, on the way to L.A. I’d like very much for you to meet them.”

“Wonderful! And you must come for dinner here during your stay.”

“I accept. I’ll be landing tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll call you to make arrangements.”

“How about dinner here the night after? Bring your friends.”

“Sounds good. Their names are Ed and Susannah Eagle.”

“Theresa and I look forward to seeing you.” They hung up.

“Stone is arriving in Santa Fe tomorrow to stay with some friends,” Laurence said to Theresa. “I think it’s time for our first dinner party. Perhaps Diana will recommend a caterer?”

“I’ll call Becky Gardner, she’ll know someone. May I invite her and Ted?”

“Of course.” Laurence became absorbed in his laptop.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for a piano dealer in Santa Fe.”

She handed him a newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican. “This arrived on the doorstep this morning. Check the classifieds.”

“Good idea. I guess I’d better stock the bar, too, if we’re having guests.”

Stone landed at mid-afternoon in Santa Fe, and as he taxied to the ramp, he saw a familiar Range Rover waiting there, one belonging to Gala Wilde, Ed Eagle’s sister-in-law, with whom he had parted company a few weeks ago. He felt an unexpected pang.

Gala greeted him as he descended the boarding steps. “Ed and Susannah asked me to meet you and bring you to them. I hope you don’t mind.”

Stone kissed her on the cheek. “You’re the most attractive taxi driver I could have wished for.”

He loaded his luggage into the car and buckled in.

“They’ve also asked me to dinner tonight,” Gala said.

“What a good idea!”

“Am I forgiven, then?”

“I think I’ll wait for a more opportune moment to forgive you.”

She laughed. “Just name it.”

At dinner that evening, Stone said, “I’ve a friend and client who’s just moved into a new house in Santa Fe, and he and his girlfriend have invited us all to dinner tomorrow evening. Is that convenient for you?”

“That means I won’t have to assemble dinner tomorrow night,” Susannah said, “so it’s convenient.”

“Who are these folks?” Ed asked.

“He’s a very wealthy young Brit with a beautiful girlfriend. He’s recently bought a spectacular New York apartment, and now a house here, new and furnished.”

“I’ll bet I know the house,” Susannah said. “It’s got to be Sharon Woods’s new place. She’s a local builder and she also builds spec houses, and she has a new one just finished.”

“That would explain how he bought the house and occupied it in the same day,” Stone said.

“He’s a fast mover,” Ed said.

“He certainly is. He bought the New York apartment after seeing photographs of it in the Times. He also flies the same airplane I do. Just got his type rating in Wichita.”

“What does he do in England?”

“He is employed as a schoolmaster at Eton College.”

“They must pay very well.”

“I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you — attorney/client privilege. However, if you have a copy of People magazine...”

“As a matter of fact, we do,” Susannah said. “There’s an article in it about my new picture.” They moved into the library for drinks, and Susannah found the magazine. “Goodness, that is a spectacular apartment! And he won the lottery! How brilliant of him!” The magazine was handed around. “And he teaches at Eton,” she said. “That makes him sound stuffy.”

“Not in the least,” Stone said. “He’s bright and charming, and so is his girl. I introduced them, sort of. She’s a personal shopper at Ralph Lauren, and he needed a wardrobe compatible with his new status.”

“So she dressed him, then undressed him,” Susannah said. “How romantic!”

Laurence returned to the house to find Theresa at work arranging flowers.

“What, you came back without a piano strapped to your back?”

“I found a Steinway Model A at a church, advertised in the paper. It was their rehearsal piano for the choir, and they’ve bought a concert grand to replace it. It’s being delivered and tuned tomorrow morning.”

“And the booze?”

“Should be here before sundown. The flowers look lovely.”

“Thank you. I like a lot of flowers in a house.”

“So do I, but I don’t expect you’re going to be able to grow a lot of them here.”

“It’s all right, there’s a flower shop.”

The doorbell rang, and a man with a hand truck brought in a dozen boxes.

“So much booze?”

“Most of it is wine. We have a wine cooler in the kitchen, you know.”

“I hadn’t spotted that. I guess we’ll be discovering things in the house all the time. I spoke with the caterers and ordered our dinner for tomorrow night.”

“Stone rang and said there’d be four of them.”

“So with Becky and Ted, that’s eight. Perfect.”

“You like giving dinner parties, do you?”

“I do.”

“Good, since I prefer that to restaurants, though I’ve nothing against restaurants.”

“Then we’ll have to make more friends, if we’re going to give dinner parties.”

“That suits me just fine.”

“When do you think we’ll be able to go back to New York?”

“Are you in a hurry to get back?”

“I’d hate to resign over the phone.”

“I wrote the headmaster today.”

“Then I guess I can resign over the phone.”