Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12

close.”
    The fax machine rang and began to spit out pages.
    â€œHold on a minute,” Stone said. He went to the machine and retrieved two pages, then returned to the phone. “Sergeant Young faxed me Don’s phone records,” he said, looking over the pages.
    â€œWhat’ve we got?”
    â€œNot much. He called you a few times and a couple of other numbers.” Stone read them to Rawls.
    â€œThat’s Harley and Mack.”
    â€œThen there’s the call to the WATS line, and that’s it for the past week.”
    â€œShit again,” Rawls said.
    â€œYeah. Do you have any idea at all whose criminal records Don could have been checking on?”
    â€œNot a clue.”
    â€œDo Harley and Mack have security systems in their houses?”
    â€œHarley does. Mack’s having one installed today.”
    â€œGood. Make sure they both use them, will you?”
    â€œDon’t worry; they won’t need any prodding.”
    â€œTalk to you later.” Stone hung up and returned to his coffee. Arrington was on her knees on the floor next to Peter.
    â€œWhat are you copying, honey?” she asked.
    â€œA book,” he said.
    â€œWhere did you get it?”
    â€œI found it in a desk drawer in my room.”
    â€œCan I see it for a minute?”
    â€œSure.”
    Arrington picked up the book, which was bound in leather, and flipped through it slowly. “Peter, this is somebody’s diary.”
    â€œIt is?”
    â€œYes, and a diary is a very private thing. You shouldn’t be reading it.”
    â€œI wasn’t reading it. I was just copying.”
    â€œWell, I think you should find something else to copy.”
    â€œAll right.” Peter gathered up his papers and went upstairs.
    Arrington handed the book to Stone. “It’s the diary of somebody called Esme Stone,” she said, handing it to him.
    â€œThat was Dick’s daughter,” he said.
    â€œPerhaps you should put it away somewhere.”
    Stone looked at the book. Esme’s name was stamped in gold on the cover. It had probably been a Christmas or birthday present from her parents. He flipped through it, marveling at the beautiful handwriting, then closed it. He shouldn’t be reading it any more than Peter should.
    Stone went to the cupboard where the safe was, opened it, put the diary inside and closed it again. Next time they built a fire, he would burn it, and Esme’s secrets would be safe.

29
    A FTER LUNCH Stone remembered that he had not gone for the New York Times, and he asked Peter if he’d like an ice cream cone.
    â€œI think I can handle that,” Peter replied.
    Stone laughed. “I bet you can.”
    They got into the MG and started for the village.
    â€œI like this car,” Peter said. “What kind is it?”
    â€œIt’s called an MG,” Stone replied, “and it’s old. It was built a long time before you were born.”
    â€œWhere did you buy it?”
    â€œI didn’t buy it. It belonged to my cousin Dick, and when he died, he left it to me.”
    â€œMy mom has a Mercedes SL 55,” Peter said, “and it’s very fast, but it’s not as…” He seemed to search for a word. “Elegant as this.”
    â€œThat’s a good word for it,” Stone said. “You have a very good vocabulary for a boy your age.”
    â€œThat’s what my teacher told me.” He pointed out the window. “What’s that pond?”
    â€œIt isn’t a pond, really. It’s a little cove, saltwater. A long time ago there was a resort hotel on the shore over there, and they built a kind of dam to keep water in the cove when the tide was out so the guests could swim. The hotel burned down, but the dam is still there.”
    â€œWhy did it burn down?”
    â€œI imagine it was a wooden structure, covered in shingles, like most of the houses on the island, and it’s easy for them to catch fire.”
    They were approaching the Dark Harbor Shop, and Stone could see three state police cars parked in front of it. He wondered what could possibly have happened on the island that would require three state police cars.
    Stone and Peter went into the shop, and Stone set Peter on a stool at the soda fountain and told him to order whatever he wanted, then went to the rear of the shop to get a paper. Jimmy Hotchkiss’s office was crowded with state police officers, and Stone