Stone Barrington 06-11

can get there this way, too.” He walked to a double rack of suits, took hold of the wooden frame, and pulled. The rack swung outward. Then he pressed on the wall, and a door swung open, offering entry to the study.
    Stone followed the butler into the study, then watched as he swung the door shut. Closed, it was a bookcase like the others in the room.
    “Mr. Calder liked little secret things like that,” Manolo said, smiling. “What time would you like dinner, Mr. Barrington?”
    “Seven o’clock would be fine.”
    “And how do you like your beef cooked?”
    “Medium, please.”
    “Would you like it served in the dining room or in the guesthouse?”
    “In the guesthouse, I think.”
    “We’ll see you at seven, then,” Manolo said, and left the room.
    Stone turned to examine Vance Calder’s study.

Eleven

    T HREE ACADEMY AWARDS GAZED AT STONE FROM THE mantel of the small fireplace in the room. Stone knew that Vance had been nominated seven times and had won three. The room was paneled in antique pine that radiated a soft glow where the light struck it; there were some good pictures and many books. The room was extremely neat, as if it were about to be photographed for Architectural Digest.
    Stone sat down at Calder’s desk, and as he did, the phone rang. He checked the line buttons and saw that it was the third line, the most secret number. He picked it up. “Hello?”
    There was a brief silence. “Who is this?” a woman’s voice asked.
    “Who’s calling?”
    “Stone?”
    “Dolce?”
    “I’ve been trying to reach you; the Bel-Air said you had checked out.”
    “I did, an hour ago. I’m staying in the Calders’ guesthouse.”
    “With Arrington?”
    “In the guesthouse. Arrington is in a hospital.”
    “What’s wrong with her?”
    “I don’t think I should go into that on the phone; the press, as you can imagine, is taking an intense interest in all this. I wouldn’t put it past some of the yellower journals to tap the phones.”
    “So you can’t give me any information?”
    “Not about Vance and Arrington, but I’m fine; I’m sure you wanted to know that.”
    “I don’t like any of this, Stone.”
    “Neither do I; I’d much rather be in Venice with you.”
    “Sicily.”
    “What?”
    “I was going to take you to Sicily, to show you where my family came from. I’m there now, on our honeymoon.”
    “I’m sorry to miss it; can I have a raincheck?”
    “We’ll see,” she said, and there was petulance in her voice.
    “Dolce, in Venice, you encouraged me to come here and help; that’s what I’m doing.”
    “I had Papa and the cardinal to deal with. And exactly how are you helping?”
    “I can’t go into that, for the reasons I’ve just explained. Perhaps I can call you tomorrow from another number.”
    “Yes, do that.” She gave him her number and the dialing codes for Sicily.
    “How are you feeling?” he asked.
    “Randy, actually. There’s a rather interesting-looking goatherd on the property; I was thinking of inviting him in for a drink.”
    “I can sympathize with your feelings,” he replied. “I’d rather not be sleeping alone, myself.”
    “Then don’t,” she said. “I don’t plan to.”
    “I meant that I’d rather be sleeping with you.”
    “You’d be my first choice, too,” she said, “but you’re not here, are you?”
    Stone hardly knew what to say to that. Dolce had been mildly difficult, at times, but she had never behaved like this. He was shocked.
    “No answer?”
    “What can I say?”
    “Say good night,” she said, then hung up.
    “Well,” Stone said aloud, “that was very peculiar.” He turned his attention back to the desk and began opening drawers. The contents were pretty much the same as in his own desk, but they were much more neatly arranged. He had never seen anything quite like it, in fact; it was as if a servant had come in and arranged the contents of the desk every day. He looked around for filing cabinets, but there were none. Apparently, all business was done from Vance’s studio office.
    Stone opened the center drawer, and, to his surprise, it pulled right out of the desk, into his lap. The drawer was lacking at least eight inches in what he had expected to be its depth. But why? He examined the bottom and sides of the drawer, which seemed perfectly normal, then he looked at the back. At the bottom of the rear of the drawer were two small brass hooks. Then he noticed that the drawer was slightly shallower