Stone Barrington 06-11

ready to go home.”
    “What if he’s on a three-week vacation?”
    “Don’t say that.”
    “When does Herbie have to appear in court?”
    “The day after tomorrow.”
    “Oh, swell.”
    “I called Tony Levy and told him to get a postponement, no matter what.”
    “Who’s the judge?”
    “Kaplan.”

    “You’re fucked,” Dino said, chuckling. “You’re out of a quarter of a mil, and by the time you get home, Irving Newman is going to own your house.”
    “Dino, you’re ruining my appetite.”
    “Have you called Irving?”
    “No. I’m hoping he hasn’t heard that Herbie jumped. How could he know?”
    “Well, when Herbie doesn’t show the day after tomorrow, and Tony Levy is standing in front of Kaplan with his dick in his hand, Irving is going to suspect something. He’s got a guy in every courtroom, you know.”
    “I know. Can we just drop it?”
    “And Irving is not the kind of guy to just trust you for a quarter of a mil.”
    “It’s not a quarter of a million, it’s two twenty-five.”
    “Oh, that’ll make all the difference,” Dino said.
    “Really, Dino, you’re ruining my dinner.”
    “Of course, you’ve got some bucks in the bank. You could write Irving a check.”
    “I’d have to sell stock, and my portfolio is way down. I have hopes of it bouncing back, but it would cost me dearly to write that check right now.”
    “Didn’t you have to make a margin call last week?”
    “Dino, if you keep talking about this I’m going to go back to the room, find your gun, and shoot you.”
    “I didn’t bring a gun.”
    “Let’s change the subject, all right?”
    “Okay.” Dino chewed for a moment and sipped his wine. “Does Carpenter know you left town?”

    Stone groaned. “I didn’t have time to call her.” He dug out his cell phone and called the Lowell. “What’s the name she’s registered under?”
    Dino looked thoughtful. “I don’t remember,” he said. “She’s got too many names.”
    The hotel answered.
    “Just a moment,” Stone said, covering the phone. “Come on, Dino, help me out here.”
    “I swear, I can’t remember it.”
    “Neither can I.” Stone slapped his forehead. “Susan!” he said.
    “That’s right!”
    He put the phone to his ear. “May I speak to Susan Kinsolving, please?”
    The phone rang and rang, then the operator came back on. “I’m sorry, sir, but there’s no answer. Would you like voice mail?”
    “Yes, please.” Stone listened to the message and heard the beep. “It’s Stone. I’ve had to leave town on business. Please call me on my cell phone.” He repeated the number, in case she had lost it. “I’ll be back in a day or two.” He punched off.
    Dino laughed. “A day or two? That’s funny.”
    “We might get lucky.”
    “We already got lucky, and you blew it.”
    “I blew it?”
    “It wasn’t me,” Dino pointed out.
    “You were closer to him than I was. You could have just grabbed him.”
    “Who could see after the flash went off?”
    “Well, I couldn’t see either.”
    A woman at the next table leaned over. “Excuse me,” she said, “but are you two married to each other?”
    “I’m very sorry,” Stone said.
    “You sure sound married,” she said, then went back to her dinner.
    “You’re embarrassing me,” Stone whispered.
    “I’m embarrassing you ?” Dino asked, astounded.
    “I asked you to change the subject.”
    “And I did,” Dino replied.
    “Gentlemen, please, ” the woman at the next table said.
    “I’m very sorry,” Stone said again.
    “I did change the subject,” Dino whispered.
    “Shut up,” Stone said.

20
    Carpenter picked up the phone, dialed Stone’s home number, and got an answering machine. She hung up without leaving a message. She tried his cell phone number and got a recording saying he was out of the calling area.
    She was sitting in a barely furnished office kept for visitors in the New York headquarters shared by MI5 and MI6, neither of which was supposed to have a presence in New York. She was tired, out of sorts, and hungry, and she wanted Stone to take her to dinner, and he wasn’t cooperating. She grabbed her coat, signed out at the front door, and was buzzed out of the building. P. J. Clarke’s was only a couple of blocks away, and she headed there. She didn’t give a thought to the notion that she might be followed.
    It was nearly eight o’clock, and the dining room was busy. “We’re not going to have anything for forty-five minutes,” a