Strategic Moves

FORTY-NINE

Joan buzzed again, and Stone picked up the phone. “Why are you in on Saturday morning?” he asked, panting from his exertions with Willa.

“Never look a gift horse in the mouth,” she replied. “Holly Barker on line one.”

Stone picked up the phone. “Yes, Holly?”

“I figured out who gave Pablo’s name to the press,” she said.

“And who would that be?”

“Todd Bacon.”

“Your acolyte? The new CEO of your new air transport company?”

“One and the same.”

“Why would he do such a thing?”

“I think he’s angry at Pablo over the thing with the flying Mercedes. He had planned the whole operation, then, at the moment it was about to come to fruition, Pablo ruined it for him.”

“Have you confronted him?”

“Lance is doing that right now, and he’s better at those things than I.”

“I hope he tears a strip off his hide,” Stone said.

“I think he’ll do more than that,” Holly said. “I think Lance is angry enough to fire him. Hang on a minute, will you?”

Stone hung on.

“More spy stuff?” Willa asked, brushing her mussed hair out of her eyes.

Holly came back on before Stone could reply. “Okay, it’s done. Todd Bacon is off immediately to man a radio listening post in the Aleutian Islands, off Alaska.”

“The perfect place for him,” Stone said.

“I have to agree,” Holly replied. “There’s a fly in the ointment, though.”

“What’s that?”

“I have to go up to Newburgh and get the air cargo thing running smoothly while Lance looks for somebody else to run it.”

“For how long?”

“For as long as it takes,” she said. “I suppose there are worse assignments, but it does take me away from the center of the action. It’s Lance’s way of telling me that I should have somehow prevented Pablo’s automotive aviation event. This is going to drive my boyfriend crazy.”

“Then you’d better get it up and running smoothly fast.”

“Oh, and Lance is going to the director about funding for protection for Pablo.”

“May I make a suggestion?”

“Yes.”

“Hire Strategic Services; protection is what they do best.”

“What a good idea! I have to go tell Lance. Goodbye!”

Stone hung up.

“Did you finish?” Willa asked.

“My conversation?”

“No, what we were doing. Did you finish?”

“Sort of, but I was interrupted.”

“I didn’t finish,” she said.

“And that’s my cue, isn’t it?”

“You should be on the stage,” she said, lying back and offering him access.

Stone made his entrance.

Stone and Willa appeared at Elaine’s, on schedule, freshly showered and clothed. Mike Freeman was sitting with Dino at their table.

Stone introduced Willa, and they sat down. Bourbon was brought for both of them, and Willa did not pass out from the smell of it.

“I gather you spoke to Holly Barker earlier today,” Mike said in a low voice.

“It’s all right, Mike; Willa was there, and she’s trustworthy.”

“I have a team assembled,” Mike said, “but I don’t know where to send them or how to transport them.”

“I’m afraid I have to wait to hear from Pablo,” Stone said. “This is strictly one-way communication.”

“Oh, well,” Mike said. “They can’t blame us if somebody gets to him before we do.”

Mike’s cell phone buzzed, and he answered. “Freeman.”

He listened for a moment. “I’m with Stone now; we have to wait for him to call. I’ll get back to you.” He hung up. “Holly,” he said.

“Lance is nervous,” Stone said.

“Let’s see if we can figure this out,” Mike said. “When Pablo called, did you get a caller ID number?”

“No, his phone was blocked. It was probably a cell phone, though; that’s how we communicated before.”

“And you don’t know where he called from?”

“Now that you mention it, when he called we were both apparently watching the same broadcast on NBC, so he must be in the country. He also said that his family was arriving, so they must be coming from Europe.”

“Did he say anything about an airline or an airport?”

“No, but he told me when we first met that he has a Gulfstream Five jet.”

“Not that many of those in the air at a given moment,” Mike said. He made a call. “I want reports on all G-Fives landing anywhere in the U.S. in the past twelve hours,” he said. “I don’t know how many passengers, but there would be at least one woman and some children—I don’t know how many or how old. Maybe some staff and security, too. Call me.” He hung up. “All right, my people are on it. Let’s see if we can narrow the search.”

They ordered dinner.

“Willa,” Mike said, “what do you do?”

“Deputy DA,” Willa replied.

“Where?”

“Manhattan.”

“Ah.”

“What does that mean, ‘Ah’?” she asked.

“It means you’re very important,” Mike replied. “Not many deputy DAs.”

“Four,” she said. “One for admin, three others to supervise ADAs.”

“I’ll bet you get the juiciest cases,” Mike said.

“Sometimes.”

“You’re awfully closemouthed,” he said.

“I told you, she’s trustworthy,” Stone pointed out.

Mike’s cell phone rang. “Freeman.” He listened. “Good work,” he said. “Arrange transport, four cars.” He hung up.

“Did they find it?”

“Took off from Lucerne, Switzerland, this afternoon, their time. Landed six hours ago, guess where?”

“I give up.”

“Newburgh, New York, Stewart International.”

“So they’re in New York,” Stone said.

“Or its environs,” Mike pointed out.

“All we need now is to hear from Pablo,” Stone said.

“And soon,” Mike replied. “If we can figure out where he landed, so can other people.”