Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12

appeared. “It’s there.”
    â€œType in, all caps, TELOG.”
    Stone typed it in, and instantly a list of names and phone numbers appeared. “I have a telephone log.”
    â€œTell me what the top line says.”
    â€œIt says, ‘Cell’ and gives a number.” He read the number to Lance.
    â€œThank you,” Lance said. “Now switch off the monitor and the computer, remove the disk and put it in Dick’s safe. It will be collected.”
    â€œOkay. Now what?”
    â€œNow I’ll run down the phone number and find out what the hell is going on. I’ll get back to you, maybe today, maybe not. Bye-bye.” Lance hung up.
    â€œSpooky,” Stone said.

16
    T HE PHONE RANG , and Stone picked it up.
    â€œHello?”
    â€œIt’s Rawls,” a gruff voice drawled.
    â€œGood morning.”
    â€œYou free for lunch? I’d like you to meet some people.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œNoon at the yacht club?”
    â€œGood.”
    â€œSee you then.” Rawls hung up.
    The phone rang again. “Hello?”
    â€œIt’s Lance.”
    â€œThat was fast.”
    â€œI checked with the London station; Kirov means trouble is coming, watch your ass.”
    â€œA little late,” Stone replied.
    â€œObviously, Dick’s contact hadn’t heard about his death.”
    â€œIs that it, trouble is coming?”
    â€œ Kirov is used as a specific warning, based on solid information. It was just too late.”
    â€œWhat was the solid information?”
    â€œThe man who called was a paid source of Dick’s; you’d call him a snitch. He was at a card game last week in East Germany when he overheard two players, Russians, discussing a revenge hit on a highly placed American. The snitch is Hungarian, but he speaks Russian.”
    â€œThen why the hell didn’t he call Dick last week, when it might have done some good?”
    â€œHe was in jail; got into an accident while driving home from the card game, drunk.”
    â€œWhat was the revenge for?”
    â€œApparently the Agency was responsible for the breakup of a large drug ring in which the two Russians had a stake. The hit was meant to be a warning to the London station.”
    â€œThis doesn’t make any sense,” Stone said. “They would send a hit man from Eastern Europe to a small island in Penobscot Bay just to send a message to London?”
    â€œI know it’s a stretch, but crime is worldwide these days; the whole thing could have been arranged with a single phone call or e-mail. Anyway, we know the result.”
    â€œI’m having lunch with Ed Rawls and some friends of his,” Stone said. “Is there any reason to think these same people would have an interest in Rawls?”
    â€œNone that I know of. You can tell him about this; it might set his mind at ease. By the way, are you armed?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDoes Dick have any guns in the house?”
    â€œWell, he had the Keltec, but the state police have still got that. Why do I need to be armed?”
    â€œI’m not certain that you do, but I have some concerns.”
    â€œPlease tell me about your concerns.”
    â€œWhen the man called and you answered, he said, ‘Is this Stone?,’ and you replied, ‘Yes,’ because that’s your name, too. So he thought he was talking to Dick, right?”
    â€œI suppose so.”
    â€œThis source is classed as unreliable, so he may be working both sides of the street. He may have called to make sure Dick was dead.”
    â€œCome on, Lance. Whoever killed Dick knows that he’s dead.”
    â€œTry and follow me: The shooter would have reported back to whoever sent him that Dick was dead, and it may very well be that the person who sent the shooter also killed him, for security reasons. The phone call could have simply been a check to see if the shooter was lying.”
    â€œI suppose that makes a perverted kind of sense,” Stone said.
    â€œThese people would not casually kill a senior officer of the CIA; it would have been carefully planned, with cutouts at every level, to protect those who ordered the killing. Shooting the shooter is a very good cutout. If caught, he might give up the people who hired him to save his own neck.”
    â€œWell, yes, I’ve had some experience with that.”
    â€œAnyway, when you spoke to the guy this morning, that may have indicated to