Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 14

do you want?”
    â€œI’ve got new instructions from Lance,” she said.
    â€œI don’t work for Lance, and I don’t take his instructions, unless I feel like it.”
    â€œThis is handed down from the director, bypassing Hugh English.”
    â€œHow do I know that?”
    â€œDo you expect the director to call you?”
    â€œWell, that hasn’t happened so far.”
    â€œAnd it’s not going to happen now.”
    â€œWhat are these instructions?”
    â€œWe’ve got to identify Robertson beyond question.”
    â€œIsn’t a strong suspicion enough to call the cops, or Interpol?”
    â€œThe problem is, he may be someone else.”
    â€œSomeone else? You mean, besides the Heathrow robber?”
    â€œThis never goes to Hugh English or anyone else.”
    â€œI don’t like the sound of this.”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter whether you like it; this has to be done.”
    â€œAll right, I agree. Now, who does Lance think he is?”
    â€œMaybe Teddy Fay.”
    Pepper burst out laughing.
    â€œNo kidding.”
    He stopped laughing. “He’s not dead?”
    â€œI wish he were.”
    â€œThis is nuts.”
    â€œMaybe so, but there it is. Prove he’s not Teddy. Prove he’s Barney Cox or anybody else. We have to know.”
    Pepper sighed. “This might be fun, if it weren’t so crazy.”
    â€œI hope you enjoy the experience.”
    â€œIs that why you’re on St. Marks? To track down the maybe mythical Teddy Fay?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œDid Lance offer any suggestion as to how I am to proceed?”
    â€œHis view is that you’re here, on the ground, you have resources, and you know best how to use them.”
    â€œGreat, and what are you going to do?”
    â€œDon’t go near Robertson; those are my instructions.”
    â€œAnd who do I report my findings to?”
    â€œMe. I’ll report to Lance.”
    â€œThis is very weird.”
    â€œI can’t deny that.”
    â€œYou were sent here to find Teddy, but you’ve been told not to pursue your primary suspect? Or is he your primary suspect? Is there anybody else?”
    â€œWhat do you think of Pemberton or Weatherby as suspects?”
    â€œJesus, I don’t know; I wasn’t looking for Teddy Fay when I checked them out.”
    â€œHow did they check out?”
    â€œOkay; they had the usual paper trail; as far as I can tell, they’re who they say they are.”
    â€œHave you ever seen either of them?”
    â€œNo; they’re snowbirds; they don’t spend all their time here.”
    â€œAre they worth my pursuing them as suspects?”
    â€œWell, apparently, you don’t have anything else to do.”
    â€œTell me what else you know about them.”
    â€œNothing—a criminal record, use of a false identity—has come up.”
    â€œPlease let me know if you hear anything else.”
    â€œI’ll get back to you.”
    â€œBye.” Holly hung up, still pissed off that she wasn’t being allowed to investigate Robertson.

27
    K ate Lee arrived back at the White House, shed her Secret Service detail and went up to the family quarters. Her husband was sitting in front of the big flatscreen TV he had had installed, watching Katie Couric deliver the news. A commercial came on.
    She kissed him. “You gave up the guys for a girl?” she asked, mixing them a drink at the bar concealed in the bookcases.
    â€œI alternate,” he said. “If you were home in time to watch the news more often, you’d know that.”
    â€œIf I were home in time to watch the news, you wouldn’t talk to me until the news was over, anyway.”
    â€œYou have a point, as usual.” They touched glasses and drank.
    â€œWhat are we doing for dinner?”
    â€œI ordered a pizza.”
    â€œWhat, we’re having dinner alone together twice in one week?”
    â€œAmazing, isn’t it?”
    The commercials ended, and Katie returned. Kate knew better than to talk before the news was over. Couric wrapped up simultaneously with the arrival of the pizza.
    Will opened the box and looked at the pizza. “Shit,” he said.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œGreen peppers. I ordered the Extravaganza with no green peppers.”
    Kate began picking out the green slivers and putting them aside. “I hope the voters that depend on green pepper growing for