Stone Barrington 06-11

to make a big thing of it.”
    “And how many of these guests are likely to be armed?”
    “Just the one,” Stone said drily.
    Dino came out of his cabin, and Stone introduced him to Collender.
    “Nice to meet a fellow officer,” Collender said. “I used to be the sheriff of Palm Beach County.”
    “Mmmm,” Dino said. “Don’t let me interrupt, just keep going.”
    “So,” Collender said, “how many people do you want here?”
    “Twenty-four ought to do it,” Stone said.
    “All armed?”
    “Yes. Can you manage that?”
    “Yeah, I can manage it. How do you want me to manage this Manning character, if we spot him?”
    “Isolate him as quickly as possible, pat him down, check whatever name he gives you against the guest list and do it all very, very politely and apologetically. There are going to be some important people here, and we don’t want to annoy them any more than absolutely necessary.”
    “Believe me,” Collender said, “we’re used to dealing with the rich and powerful in this town. We know how it’s done.”
    “Good.”
    “How do you want my people dressed?”
    “Black tie. I don’t want them immediately identifiable as security. Do you have any women?”
    “I’ve got four, all ex-officers and good.”
    “Put them with men. Couples are less noticeable than single men.”
    “Got it,” Collender said, taking notes. “If Manning starts shooting, what do you want done?”
    Stone and Dino exchanged a glance. “Stop him in the most expedient way possible.”
    Collender nodded sagely. “I get you.”
    “I hope so,” Stone said. “I don’t want Manning to be able to hurt anybody. I think you can imagine how big a mess that would be.”
    “Oh, yeah, I read you completely. Are we going to have any cops here?”
    “I’m talking to Chief Griggs in a few minutes about that. I’ll let you know.”
    Collender stood up. “Anything else?”
    Stone shook his head.
    “I’ll be going, then.” He gave Stone his card. “Call me if you think of anything else; there’s office, home and cell phone on the card.”
    “Thanks, and it was good to meet you,” Stone said.
    Callie escorted Collender off the yacht.
    “You think this guy knows what he’s doing?” Dino asked.
    “I hope to God he does. Callie says he’s the best around here.”
    “Twenty-four guys with guns at a party? Let’s hope they don’t shoot each other.”
    “Let’s hope,” Stone said.

    Dan Griggs sounded amenable on the phone. “I’m glad we’ve got a charge against this guy, now,” he said. “I’d like it if we could snatch him off the street before the wedding.”
    “I’d like that, too, Dan,” Stone said.
    “I think we ought to have a meeting of all the security people and my people the afternoon of the wedding, and we’re going to need some kind of lapel pin to identify everybody. I’ll bring some.”
    “Good idea,” Stone agreed. “There’s no way everybody is going to know everybody else on sight.”
    “You know, we’ve covered a lot of parties in this town, mostly off duty, but this is the first time we’re actually expecting an armed intruder.”
    “I hope we’re being overly cautious,” Stone said, “but we’ve got to be ready for anything. The more I learn about Manning, the more he worries me.”
    “Let’s meet at four tomorrow afternoon, then,” Griggs said. “I know Jeff Collender. I’ll call him.”
    “See you then, Dan.” Stone hung up.
    Dino called to him from the saloon, where he was watching a golf tournament on television. “Quick, come here.”
    Stone hurried into the saloon.
    “Edward Ginsky was a prominent attorney in both New York and Miami legal circles,” a television reporter was saying. He was standing in front of a large house. “He leaves a widow and two grown children.”
    “What happened?” Stone asked.
    “Ed Ginsky got himself shot.”
    “Any details?”
    “Maid found him on his front steps this morning. He took two in the head.”
    Stone sank into a chair. “Where is this going to end?”
    “It’s not going to end until Manning is dead,” Dino said. “And I think you and I ought to do whatever we can to see that that happens, if he shows up at the wedding.”
    “Dino, are you suggesting we just shoot him down on sight?”
    “As much as I’d like to, I think we have to be a little more subtle than that,” Dino said. “But not much.”

61
    S TONE STOOD IN FRONT OF THE LIVING ROOM FIREPLACE in Thad Shames’s house and