Sex, Lies & Serious Money

53

Stone was awakened by the bell on the dumbwaiter, which meant that Helene was sending up breakfast and the paper. Last night had degenerated into a drunken jam session, sharing the piano with Laurence, who played better than he did. He and Holly had not gotten to bed until nearly three AM, and they had not gone immediately to sleep, being otherwise occupied.

He kissed Holly loudly on the ear. “Breakfast!”

“Ow!” she howled. “Now I’m deaf.”

“You don’t have to hear to eat.”

He got up and brought the tray from the dumbwaiter to the bed. “Bacon and eggs!” he shouted, and that brought her fully conscious.

She found her remote control and sat her bed up. “That was quite an evening,” she said.

“It certainly was.”

“You were very good on the piano and even better on me.”

“You’re just sex-starved,” he said.

“Right about that! Working late hours isn’t good for your love life.”

“You haven’t forgotten how.”

“It’s like roller skating or swimming — once you learn...”

“I’m just a tiny bit hungover,” he said.

“A tiny bit? Then you didn’t drink enough.”

“That’s debatable, but I don’t think I’m fit to fly this morning. Tomorrow would be better.”

“Fine by me. I’m at least as hungover as you are.”

“Again, debatable, but we’ll get an early start tomorrow, and with the two-hour time difference, we’ll be there by early afternoon.”

“I’m looking forward to being a jet-setter. Will you teach me to fly the thing?”

“What sort of avionics do you have in your airplane?”

“Garmin 1000.”

“Then you’ll learn the 3000 easily. After that, you need only sixteen days of training to get your 525 type rating.”

“Sixteen days? I could nearly achieve world peace in that time, and if I ever get that much time off again, I’m not going to spend it in a flight simulator.”

“Then leave the flying to me. You can work the radios while I do the crossword.”

“Deal.”

After breakfast, they made love, then fell asleep again, until Joan buzzed.

Stone picked up the phone. “What time is it?”

“Ten-thirty. What’s your excuse for not being up?”

“A late, liquid night. We’re not leaving for Santa Fe until tomorrow.”

“Good. Ed Eagle has e-mailed you the closing documents for your new house. You can sign online and return them to him the same way. They’re waiting for you in your inbox.”

“Got it. Now can I go back to sleep?”

“You’ve got a stack of documents messengered over by Herbie Fisher, and you have to review them before you leave.”

Stone groaned.

“It’s your own fault, you should have left this morning before they arrived.”

“Herbie would have just sent them to Santa Fe.”

“I know. They’re waiting on your desk.”

Stone struggled from bed and into a shower, leaving Holly to recover on her own.

He signed the closing documents for the house and returned them to Ed Eagle, then authorized the wire transfer of funds. After that he started on the work Herbie had sent. Joan buzzed: “Dino on one.”

“Good morning,” he said.

“You mean good afternoon, don’t you? It’s lunchtime.”

“I overslept.”

“Sleep is not all you had too much of last night. Everybody enjoyed the concert, especially with me on drums.”

“Did I get drunk enough to admit to you that I bought a house in Santa Fe?”

“You’re kidding! When do I get to go?”

“How about tomorrow morning? Gala has moved back to Los Angeles, and I closed on her house a few minutes ago.”

“Let me call Viv, and I’ll get back to you.” He hung up.

Mike Freeman called and thanked him for the impromptu entertainment the evening before. “You both sounded great.”

“Thanks, Mike. Listen, I closed on a house in Santa Fe this morning. Can you send somebody around to assess the security system and recommend any needed beefing up?”

“Certainly.”

Stone gave him the address and directions.

“When will you be there?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. Anytime after that. Tell them to call my cell number to let me know when they’re coming.”

“Consider it done. Have a good trip.”

“Oh, Mike, can you give Viv a few days off? I’d like the Bacchettis to come with us.”

“Sure, she’s got it coming.”

Ten minutes later, Dino called back. “You’re on.”

“Meet us at Jet Aviation at nine AM.”

“We can do that.” He hung up.

Stone called Jet Aviation, ordered fuel, and asked them to have the airplane on line at eight-thirty AM.

Fred knocked on his door and was invited in.

“Tell me about last night,” Stone said.

“After I dropped you at the Fairleigh I came back here, and as I pulled into the garage I heard the alarm go off, then immediately stop. I figured somebody was tampering with it, so I came in here with my gun in my hand and the safety off. There was one guy in this room, and he immediately ran for the back door. I got a single round off, aiming low. I figured I would cripple him, but he kept going. Then I heard somebody running upstairs, and I went up there.”

“And what did you find?”

“I found him gone out the back way, too. I gave chase, but they were too far ahead of me. I saw them get into a gray van on Second Avenue, but they had a head start. I couldn’t see the number plate, but I’m sure there was a smallish woman driving.”

“It was probably stolen.”

“Probably. The cops came, and they were curious about what had occurred but didn’t give me a hard time. I figured the commissioner had already spoken to them. They did take my gun, so they could do ballistic tests on it.”

Stone reached into a desk drawer, extracted his Colt Government .380, and handed it to Fred. “You can borrow this, until yours comes back.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“You handled yourself well, as always, shooting to wound.”

“Things would have got a lot messier if I’d killed the bloke. Have the coppers ID’d him yet?”

“One Irving Schwartz, ex-con. They missed him by ten minutes at the Lenox Hill ER.”

“Did they get the bullet?”

“Good question. I’ll ask.”

“I take it you’re not leaving for Santa Fe today.”

“Right, but we’d like to drive away at eight tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll have the car ready. Any other passengers, besides Ms. Barker?”

“No, the Bacchettis are coming, but the City of New York is providing them with transport.”

“Righto. See you tomorrow, unless you need me tonight.”

“I think we’ll dine in.”

“I rehung the pictures in the living room,” he said.

“Thank you.”

Fred excused himself and left.