Stone Barrington 27 - Doing Hard Time

might speak to him.” He pointed out the hangar, which was not far from Atlantic.
    Teddy walked over there and found the pilot at his desk, updating a maintenance manual.
    “I’m Billy Barnett,” Teddy said, offering his hand.
    “I’m Tim Peters,” the man said. “What can I do for you?”
    “I heard a rumor that Mr. Livingston might want to sell his hangar.”
    “Well,” Peters said, “he’s already sold the Pitt Special and the Caravan. Only the Citationjet Four is left, and he wants to move it to Burbank and rent hangar space there.”
    “What do you think he would take for the hangar?” Teddy asked.
    The man named a very high figure.
    “Are you his only pilot?”
    “Yes, it’s a single-pilot airplane. I’m an airframe and powerplant mechanic, and I’m type-rated in all the smaller Citations, and I’m a certified instrument flight instructor.”
    “Will you go to Burbank with the airplane?”
    Peters looked uncomfortable. “I haven’t had any assurances about that. Livingston is type-rated as single-pilot in the airplane, so he doesn’t necessarily need me.”
    “And what do you think Livingston would take for the hangar, if the deal included keeping you on here?”
    “Come to think of it,” the man said, “I think he might take a percentage less, probably a lot less.”
    “That sounds interesting,” Teddy said.
    “There’s an apartment upstairs, too, but I don’t use it—I’ve got a place nearby. Let me show it to you.”
    Teddy liked what he saw. “I’ll get back to you in a day or two,” he said.
    The man handed him two cards. “That’s my card, and the other is for Livingston’s lawyer. Make your offer to him, and a word of advice: bargain hard. Livingston has had some cash flow problems, and he wants out bad.”
    Teddy shook his hand and left.
    •   •   •
    Pete Genaro moved into the CEO’s office immediately, and after he was completely settled in he went to FlightAware.com and entered the tail number of Majorov’s Gulfstream. The airplane was over New York State and headed southeast, originally filed for Reykjavik, but diverted to Teterboro.
    There was a knock on his door, and he waved in Harry Katz.
    “Nice new digs, Pete,” Harry said, taking the offered chair.
    “Thanks, Harry, and thanks for your good work the past few days. I’m sorry it was for naught.”
    “Don’t worry, you’ll get my bill.” Harry handed him a slip of paper. “That’s their address in Santa Monica, should you need it.”
    Pete slipped the address into a desk drawer. “Majorov is out of my hair,” he said. “I’ve bought him out, and the board has elected me CEO.”
    “Congratulations, Pete. Anything else I can do for you?”
    Pete leaned back in his chair. “Harry, we’ve never talked about this, but are you available for wet work?”
    “How wet are we talking, Pete?”
    “Soaking wet.”
    “What did you have in mind?”
    “I would like for Majorov not to return to Vegas—in fact, I’d like him not to return to anywhere.”
    “I’m not opposed to that degree of wetness in general,” Harry said, “but you’re talking about a Russian Mafia guy with personal security.”
    “I understand that such an undertaking would be expensive. I was thinking twenty-five grand.”
    “Do you know the whereabouts of said fellow?”
    “His jet is about to land at Teterboro.”
    “Do you know where he stays when he’s in New York?”
    “At one of his company’s properties, the Excelsior—in the penthouse.”
    “If I recall, there’s a taller building directly across the street.”
    “I believe that is so.”
    “If a person could gain access to the roof, then the deed could be done, but I’d need fifty grand.”
    “Forty grand, and you pay your own expenses.”
    “I’ll need to make a couple of phone calls,” Harry said. “Can I get back to you?”
    “Use my old office,” Pete said, “but not my telephone. Use your own.”
    “Give me an hour,” Harry said.
    “I don’t know how long he’ll be in New York,” Pete said.
    “I understand. Do you have a photograph of the gentleman?”
    Pete turned to his computer. “I believe we took one when he joined the board several months ago.” He scanned for the shot. “Here we go.” He printed out the photo and handed it to Harry.
    “That will do nicely,” Harry said. He got up and went down the hall to Pete’s old office. He photographed the photograph of Majorov with his cell phone, then he used a