Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12

have done it for very good reasons and to protect myself and Peter. Could you believe that of me?”
    â€œI believe that you would not murder your husband, but that if you did, there would have been some justifiable reason, yes.”
    â€œMore than justifiable,” she said. “Imperative. And if I had done that and the facts had been presented in court, I would very likely have been acquitted, but it would have destroyed Peter’s life. So my decision would have been between that and keeping quiet and risking conviction. That would have been an impossible situation.”
    â€œWhat are you saying, Arrington?”
    â€œI’m not saying anything, Stone. This is all hypothetical, don’t you see?”
    â€œAll right.”
    â€œThen let’s leave it at that,” Arrington said. “It would not improve our relationship to go any further, and I don’t want anything to change.”
    Stone thought about that. “As you wish,” he said finally. “Let’s leave it at that.”
    Arrington crawled under the covers, snuggled close to Stone and rested her head on his shoulder. “Then let’s never speak of it again,” she said, fondling him.
    The phone rang.
    â€œShit,” Stone said.
    â€œWho could that be at this hour?”
    Stone reached over her and picked up the phone. “Hello?”
    â€œIt’s Ed Rawls. They found Janey.”
    â€œIs she all right?”
    â€œShe was floating facedown in Dark Harbor.”
    â€œOh, God,” Stone breathed.
    â€œShe’d been beaten, raped and strangled.”
    â€œAre the state cops on top of this?”
    â€œThey’re all over it. They’ve taken the body back to Augusta for autopsy.”
    â€œWhen did they find her?”
    â€œAt sundown. They kept it as quiet as they could until they told the parents and got the body off the island.”
    â€œAnd you think this is connected to Don?”
    â€œI think Janey knew something about somebody, and she told Don, and that person killed them both. I just can’t see it any other way. I think all this Kirov horseshit is just that, and we ought to forget about it.”
    â€œI’ll let Lance know in the morning.”
    â€œI’m sorry I called you so late.”
    â€œIt’s all right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Stone hung up.
    Arrington was staring at him intently. “Who’s dead?”
    â€œA seventeen-year-old girl,” Stone said. “Her name was Janey. She was kidnapped, raped and murdered.”
    â€œPeter and I are flying back to New York tomorrow.” She reached for the phone.
    â€œDon’t bother calling Centurion; I’ll fly you back myself.”
    â€œAll right.” She turned her back to him and pulled her knees up into the fetal position.
    â€œI’m sorry about this,” Stone said.
    â€œIt’s not your fault, Stone.”
    They didn’t speak again until morning.

31
    B Y MIDMORNING THEY were off the Islesboro landing field and headed southwest. An hour and a half later they touched down at Teterboro, New Jersey, and taxied up to Atlantic Aviation, next to a chartered jet waiting for Arrington and Peter.
    â€œI wish you’d stay longer,” Stone said to Arrington as her luggage was being transferred.
    â€œPeter wants to get back to his pony,” she said, “and I’m redesigning the gardens at the main house, so there’s lots of work for me to do.” She kissed him. “Take care of yourself.”
    Stone knelt and gave Peter a hug and watched them board the jet, then walked with Dino through the terminal building to the parking lot, where Joan, his secretary, was waiting with his car. Half an hour later, they were back at Stone’s house.
    He went to his office and wrote a check to the Samuel Bernard Foundation and gave it to Joan, along with the file on Dick’s estate and a letter to his old mentor. “Please have this hand-delivered to Sam Bernard,” he said. “I want it to pass through his hands on the way to the foundation. Then book a table at Elaine’s and call Lance Cabot and tell him I’d like to have dinner with him and Holly Barker.”
    Â 
    ELAINE’S AND ELAINE were as ever. Stone and Dino shook some hands, then sat down at their usual table, waiting for Lance and Holly.
    Elaine came over and sat down. “So, you couldn’t stand it up there any longer,