Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

new gunsmith had started, and he would have the man well broken in before another day had passed.
    Teddy was calling it a day at three when he had a phone call.
    “Billy Barnett.”
    “Billy, it’s Peter Barrington. How are you?”
    “Very well, thanks, Peter.”
    “I wonder if you could stop by my bungalow and see me when you finish work today?”
    “I’ve just finished,” Teddy said. “Is right now good for you?”
    “That’s fine. You know where we are?”
    “I think so, I saw the Cayenne parked there.”
    “See you shortly, then.”
    They both hung up, and Teddy wondered what Peter could want.
    •   •   •
    It didn’t take him long to find out. He gave his name to Ruth Pearl at the bungalow and was shown into the editing suite.
    “Hi, Billy,” Peter said, stepping away from the console. “I’m just adding this morning’s footage to the rough cut. I do this every day, so that when we wrap, we’ll already have a cut in the can. Come into my office and let’s talk.”
    Teddy followed Peter into the adjoining room, and they took seats around the coffee table.
    “Billy, will you tell me something about your background?”
    Teddy gave Peter the same story he had given Betsy.
    “You’ve led an interesting life,” Peter said.
    “And it seems to be getting more interesting since I retired.”
    “We’re a little shorthanded around here,” Peter said. “Ben and I are new at this kind of studio work, and we could use some help of a general nature.”
    “What could I do for you?”
    “Tell me what your skills are, in general.”
    “Well, I can make machine parts, repair weapons, service computer and audio equipment, cook, repair airplanes, and give flying instruction.”
    “Flying instruction? That’s interesting. Ben, Hattie, and I all got our private licenses while we were at Yale. Do you have an airplane?”
    “I have something called a JetPROP. Do you know what that is?”
    “Yes, my father used to have one, until he got the jet. I need to get my instrument rating.”
    “I can train you for that,” Teddy said. “I’m a certified instrument flying instructor.”
    “How long would it take?”
    “Well, if you worked on it full-time, we could do it in under two weeks.”
    “I can’t do that at the moment, but I can fly on weekends and occasionally I can take a couple of hours off in the late afternoon.”
    “Then we could probably get it done in six or eight weeks.”
    “Where do you keep your airplane?”
    “At Hawthorne, but I can move it to Santa Monica, if that’s more convenient for you.”
    “That sounds good. It’s my ambition to eventually own and fly my own jet, as Dad does. What sort of training will that involve?”
    “You’ll need your instrument rating and a multi-engine rating—that one can be done over a long weekend. Then you’ll need some turbine time before Flight Safety will accept you as a student for a type rating in a jet, then you’ll need a couple of weeks of type-specific jet training in the simulator. You could get all this done in a year, if you take it very seriously and work hard.”
    Peter nodded. “I’m certainly willing to do that. I’ve also been thinking of trying to buy a hangar at Santa Monica for when I buy an airplane.”
    “I can ask around about that. In the meantime, you should sign up for one of the online instrument courses—that way, you can learn the classroom stuff at your leisure. I’d recommend working on it at least an hour a day.”
    “All right, I’ll do that.”
    “We can start the practical instruction this weekend, if you have the time.”
    They discussed money and agreed on a salary for Teddy. “I’ll charge you by the hour for the airplane, and you can pay the FBO for the fuel.”
    “Sounds good. Can you start here tomorrow?”
    “I can start the day after tomorrow. I need another day to make sure my replacement at the armory has a grip on the work.”
    “Great. You’ll be working for us, not the studio, but Ruth will set you up with the credentials you need to be on the lot, and she’ll give you a parking pass. What are you driving?”
    “A 1958 D model.”
    “Wow, that’s a neat car. Won’t take up much room in the lot, either.”
    The two shook hands, Teddy filled out some forms for Ruth, then he went home to Betsy.
    “Hey, hon,” she said, as he walked in the door.
    “What have you been up to?” he asked.
    “More shopping. I’ve pretty much replaced my wardrobe. Did you see