Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

the papers this morning? About Majorov?”
    “Sure did. Maybe all that activity will take his attention away from you and me.”
    “I hope so.”
    “I got a new job today, as an assistant to two young filmmakers on the Centurion lot.”
    “Assistant what?”
    “Whatever they’ve got. I’m going to give one of them some flight instruction, too, for his instrument rating.”
    “I didn’t know you were an instructor.”
    “You still have a few things to learn about me,” he said, kissing her.
    “I know the things that are important to me,” Betsy said. “When do you start the new job?”
    “Day after tomorrow,” Teddy said. “I’ve got an offer from a security company, too. We’ll use that for a backup, in case we need to move on.” He had already explained to her that there might be times when they would have to move on short notice, and she had accepted that.
    “Want to take a walk down the beach?” she asked.
    “Sure.”
    •   •   •
    Harry Katz sat in his car outside the apartment building. He didn’t know what Billy Burnett looked like, but he knew Charmaine Evans, and he had come across her shopping on Rodeo Drive and followed her home.
    Now he watched as Charmaine left the apartment building in the company of a somewhat older man.
    “Good day, Mr. Burnett,” he said aloud, and with a chuckle.

Pete Genaro was working at his desk when the fateful call came. “Genaro.”
    “Pete, it’s Harry Katz. I’ve found your guy.”
    “Really?”
    “I got lucky and ran across Charmaine shopping in Beverly Hills, hitting the expensive shops. I followed her to an apartment building in Santa Monica and staked it out. A couple of hours later, she left the building with an older man, and I figure it’s Billy Burnett. I’ve just e-mailed a couple of photos of them together. I’ll hold while you check them out.”
    “Okay.” Genaro checked his e-mail and found the photos. “Harry? That’s Billy Burnett.”
    “Great! What do you want me to do?”
    “Absolutely nothing. Come back to Vegas, and don’t mention a single word of this to anybody.”
    “As you wish, Pete. I’ll be home tonight and at work tomorrow.” Both men hung up.
    Genaro sighed. He realized that, with all that had happened, this situation was not what he wanted. He liked Billy Burnett, and he especially liked Charmaine, and he did not like Yuri Majorov, especially since he had started shooting people in his hotel and at the airport. He had a board meeting in an hour, and he wanted to be ready for it. He called his banker.
    “Good afternoon, Pete.”
    “Afternoon, Abner. Are we all set?”
    “I’ve been to my people with your proposal, and we’ll back you, Pete. Go ahead and put it to your board. A cashier’s check for the funds will be on your desk momentarily.”
    “Thank you, Ab. I’ll get back to you after the meeting.”
    “Goodbye, Pete, and good luck with your board.”
    Genaro hung up. He left his office and decided to take the long way to the boardroom. He walked through the public rooms of the hotel and then through the casino, stopping to chat now and then with a customer or an employee or to suggest some small change in the decor or other arrangements. He loved this place; it was what he had always wanted.
    Shortly before the board meeting he entered the boardroom to find the CEO and chairman, William Stein, chatting with his vice chairman, Albert Hegelman. The corporate counsel, Abby Greenbaum, sat at the conference table, going over some documents.
    “Hello, Pete,” Stein said.
    “Hello, Bill, Al,” Genaro replied.
    “I see you’ve got something on the agenda today. Want to tell us about it?”
    “I’m sorry, Bill, but there isn’t time. This came up on short notice, and I’d rather put it to the full board. I will tell you that I very much want your support for what I propose. I think it’s important to the future of this business.”
    “We’ll hear you out, Pete,” Stein said, “and I’ll support you if I can.”
    The others were entering now and taking their seats as per their place cards. Only Majorov was late, and when he came in, he didn’t bother to apologize or respond to any of the greetings he heard. He took his chair at the end of the table and glared malevolently at his fellow directors, as if to intimidate them.
    “Gentlemen,” Stein said, “the board will come to order. The first order of business on the agenda is a proposal from our chief financial officer,