Stone Barrington 06-11

on Arrington.”
    “Thanks.”
    “As soon as you’re done with the police I want you and the boy to go with McGonigle and his people. We can’t leave you there.”
    “All right.”
    “Pack some things for both of you.”
    “All right. You haven’t said that we’ll get Arrington back.”
    “I don’t have to tell you why.”
    “No, I guess you don’t.”
    “We’ll get you through this,” Lance said.
    “Goodbye.” Stone hung up.
    “Why don’t you go upstairs and pack,” McGonigle said. “I’ll call you when the local cops arrive.”
    “All right.” Stone went upstairs and put some clean clothes into a bag, then went to Peter’s room and packed for him without waking him. When he came back downstairs, there was a uniformed Connecticut State Trooper sergeant standing in the hall.
    “Mr. Barrington? My name’s Coll.” He offered his hand.
    Stone took it. “Sergeant.”
    “I’m the local law. You want to give me your account of what happened?”

    Stone did so, while Coll took notes.
    “Thank you, I think that will do it. My people will take over here, now. You can go with Mr. McGonigle.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I’ve got a van out front,” McGonigle said.
    Stone went back upstairs and thought of waking Peter, but he remembered how he had slept when he was that age. He picked up the boy, wrapped him in a blanket and walked downstairs with him. “Will you get our bags and his coat from upstairs?” Stone asked McGonigle.
    “Sure.”
    He went outside and got into the van. Another man and a woman were already inside.
    “I’m Corey, he’s Tucci,” the woman said. Tucci backed the van into the street and drove away. “We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Corey said. “It’s where we had planned to stay.”
    Stone held Peter against him, the sleeping boy’s head on his shoulder. They drove through the village, in then out, then back, obviously checking for a tail. A few minutes later they turned into a driveway.
    “I’m going to get out and open the door,” Corey said. “When I’ve checked out the place, I’ll call you, and you get Peter inside quickly.” She got out of the van, and a moment later came back.
    “All right.”
    Stone got out of the van and ran to the open door of the house. Inside, he was directed upstairs.
    “You can put Peter in the first bedroom,” Corey said. “Let’s let him sleep.”
    Stone put the boy to bed and came back into the hallway.
    “In here,” Corey said.
    He walked into a kitchen, and beyond that was a nicely furnished living room. The shades were all drawn. “Where are we?”

    “We’re in the carriage house of the Rocks, the house next door to you. The owner is away, but he’s acquainted with Lance, so we’re all right for as long as necessary. We have half a dozen people watching this place and your house, in case they come back for you. We can hope that happens, because it will make it easier for us to find them.”
    Stone nodded and sat down.
    “Have you had anything to eat?” Corey asked.
    “I’m not hungry. Peter will be when he wakes up, though.”
    “We’ve got some groceries; I’ll make some soup.” She busied herself in the kitchen.
    A moment later, Peter walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. “Where are we?” he asked. “Where are Mom and Ilsa?”
    “Come in and sit down,” Stone said. “We had a call that someone in Ilsa’s family is ill in Sweden, and she had to go home. Your mom has gone with her, to help her.”
    “That doesn’t sound like Mom,” Peter said.
    “She’ll be back next week sometime. In the meantime, you and I are going to stay here.”
    “Where are we?”
    “In the house next door to mine. We had a pipe break over there, and there’s water all over the place, so we moved over here, to a friend’s house.”
    Peter looked around. “I don’t like this as well as your house.”
    “Neither do I,” Stone said, “but we’ll be comfortable here until my house is fixed.”
    “Hi, Peter,” Corey said. “I’m Annie; I’m a friend of Stone’s.”
    “How do you do, Annie?” Peter said. He sat down and began to eat the soup she had put in front of him.
    Stone tried to eat, too, and mostly failed. He had never felt so helpless.

41
    THERE WERE FOUR bedrooms in the place, and they put Stone in the one next to Peter’s. It was windowless and not well ventilated, and Stone slept fitfully until nearly daylight, then he finally drifted off. He was aware of people coming and going in