Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

turned right into the shopping area. He found the restaurant, and they dined outside on the porch. Teddy felt really comfortable with this woman. He answered her questions with the same answers he had given Charmaine. It made life simpler.
    They finished dinner, and Teddy drove Marge home, only a few blocks from his new apartment.
    “Where do you live?” Marge asked.
    “Over that way a few blocks. Next time I’ll cook you some dinner.”
    “That would be a refreshing change,” she said. “No man has ever cooked dinner for me before.”
    He drove her home to half of an old California duplex, gave her a light kiss on the lips, and went home to his new penthouse.
    •   •   •
    The following morning, Teddy arrived at the studio armory at the stroke of nine, and Jim Garver was ready for him; he had cleared the workbench and lined all the Winchester 73s up on a rack beside it. There were four boxes of spare parts on the other end of the bench.
    “This is all the parts we’ve got,” Jim said. “Let me know if you have to make any, and I’ll find you the right material. There’s an apron right over there, unless you’d like some coveralls.”
    “I’m fine with the apron,” Teddy replied. “Why don’t I get to work?”
    “Have at it, and call me if you need anything,” Jim said, then left him alone with the guns and tools.
    •   •   •
    It was nearly noon when Teddy heard someone at the door behind him.
    “Billy?”
    He turned to find Peter Barrington at the door, and his father, Stone, standing beside him. “Good morning, Peter,” he said. He wiped his hands clean, walked to the door, and shook hands.
    “This is my father, Stone Barrington,” Peter said.
    “How you doing?” Teddy asked, offering his best smile with his new dental veneers.
    “Very well,” Stone replied, shaking hands. “I’ve got a little problem with my Colt Government .380, and Peter said I might get it looked at here.” He removed the small handgun from its holster, popped out the magazine, and locked the slide open, then handed it to Teddy, butt first.
    “I’ll have a look,” Teddy said. “Have you ever handled a Winchester 73?”
    “No, I haven’t,” Stone replied.
    Teddy handed him the weapon he had just finished. “The rifle that won the West,” he said.
    Stone hefted the rifle and sighted down the barrel. “Feels nice.”
    “I think it’s my favorite rifle,” Teddy said. “They’ve got nearly a hundred of them—replicas, made in Italy, and they’re showing their age. They hired me to overhaul them, and when I’m done, they’ll get another fifty years out of them.” He stripped the little Colt. “I’ve always liked this gun, too—feels good in the hand, and a .380 is all you need, if you can hit what you aim at.” He stripped the weapon and did something to it, then returned it to Stone. “There you go—just a little adjustment.”
    Stone returned the magazine to the pistol and holstered it. “Peter said you told him we knew each other from somewhere.”
    “We met once, at Elaine’s—I don’t know, a dozen years ago. She introduced us. I didn’t remember it until I saw your name mentioned in a
Vanity Fair
piece.”
    “Ah, yes, that. Where’d you learn your gunsmithing?”
    “I used to belong to a Western shooting club, back home in New York State, and I took it up then.”
    “Thanks very much for your help. Good to meet you, Teddy.”
    “It’s Billy,” Teddy said. “Billy Barnett.” He smiled and turned back to the workbench.
    •   •   •
    Stone and Peter left the armory and got into Peter’s golf cart. “Well?” Peter asked.
    Stone shook his head. “It’s a different man,” he said. “Younger, fitter, and Teddy wore a toupee, I think. This guy has a firmer jaw and his own hair. And he didn’t bat an eye when I called him Teddy.”
    “You’re right, he didn’t,” Peter said, steering the cart toward the commissary.
    •   •   •
    They had just finished lunch when they saw Billy Barnett walk into the commissary with another man.
    “That’s Jim Garver, who runs the armory,” Peter said.
    “You know,” Stone said, “I’m both relieved that Billy is not Teddy and disappointed.”
    “Why disappointed?”
    “I don’t know,” Stone replied. “Maybe I’m just looking for some excitement.”

Pete Genaro was giving Yuri Majorov a personal tour of the new poker room at the casino.
    “Very nice,” Majorov said, as if he