Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 14

suddenly found himself with an opportunity to kill Winston, and he did that, too. I don’t think it was planned.”
    â€œHow long have you known that Pemberton/Pitts was Teddy?”
    â€œI suspected it from what I had read in the international press about Teddy, but I didn’t press him on it, until you arrived and told me what you were doing. Immediately after that, after he had taken on the Harold identity, I asked him, straight out, if he was Teddy Fay, and he admitted it. Irene has always known, of course.”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œHolly,” Thomas said, “you’re very quiet back there.”
    â€œI’m just taking all this in, Thomas, and I’m wondering what your next move is.”
    â€œLet me ask you a question: do you believe that you and Stone can take Teddy alive, get him past the police and transport him back to the United States in your airplane this morning?”
    Holly took a deep breath. “After reflection, no.”
    â€œThen you’re going to Black Mountain to kill him.”
    â€œI’m not,” Stone said.
    â€œI am,” Holly said. “And so are you, aren’t you, Thomas? You and your people can’t risk having Teddy taken by the police, just as my people can’t.”
    â€œI’m afraid you’re right,” Thomas said.
    â€œAre you in touch with Teddy?” she asked.
    â€œHe has a cell phone.”
    â€œCall him and tell him that I want to talk to him, just talk. Tell him I have an offer from the director that he should consider.”
    â€œDo you have an offer from the director?” Stone asked.
    â€œNo.”
    Thomas pulled the car to the side of the road, took out his cell phone and pressed a button.

    Y es?” Teddy said.
    â€œIt’s Thomas. I’m in the car with the woman you know as Ginny Heller; her real name is Holly Barker, and she’s with the Agency.”
    â€œI’ve known that for several days,” Teddy said. “It took some time for me to place the face, because she looks different from the last time I saw her, but I finally remembered.”
    â€œHolly has an offer from the director to present to you,” Thomas said.
    â€œDo you really believe that?” Teddy asked.
    â€œYes, I do, and I think you should hear her out. This could be the best possible solution.”
    â€œDoes it involve going back to the States and being tried?”
    â€œI don’t know; you’ll have to ask her that.”
    â€œWhere are you, Thomas?”
    â€œWe’ll be at Irene’s in ten minutes.”
    â€œAll right, I’ll hear her out, but I’m not making any promises.” He hung up.
    â€œHe says he’ll hear your offer, Holly.”
    â€œAll right.”
    Thomas put the car in gear, began humming, then softly sang the words…‘Gonna cut him, if he stands still, and shoot him, if he runs.’”
    â€œWhat?” Holly asked.
    â€œJust an old song,” Thomas said. “An old blues.”

58
    T eddy left his workshop and walked up the hill to Irene’s house. She was in the kitchen making a salad.
    â€œI’m done here,” he said.
    â€œI figured you would be, after I saw the TV this morning,” she replied. She wiped her hands on her apron. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing, Teddy?”
    â€œSurely you knew something was up, especially after I sent the yacht north.”
    â€œKnowing that something was up is not the same as knowing that you were going to take out three government officials, including the prime minister.”
    â€œLife is going to be better for you here with those three gone,” Teddy said. “Their replacements are going to be of a different order.”
    She put her arms around his neck. “When will I see you again?”
    â€œUntil a few minutes ago I thought I could get myself to Lauderdale, sell the yacht and come back as Harold Pitts. That’s not possible now.”
    â€œWhy not? The identity is still good, isn’t it?”
    â€œThere are some people on the way here now, and I expect they want to kill me.”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œThomas, Stone Barrington and the Ginny girl, whose real name is Holly Barker.”
    â€œI know that name; she works for Lance!”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œHow are you going to get out? You’ll meet them going down the road.”
    â€œI’ve made some