Swimming to Catalina

studio?”
    “Oh, parcels amounting to around two hundred and fifty acres.”
    “My God,” Sturmack said. “Don’t tell him things like that!”
    “David, shut up, I’m talking,” Ippolito said. “Mr. Barrington is not going to reveal a word of this to anybody; it would not be in his best interests, would it, Mr. Barrington?”
    “Not if you and I can come to an arrangement,” Stone said.

    “Tell you what,” Ippolito said, standing. “David and I are going to a meeting that bears on our conversation. Why don’t you join us? You’ll learn a lot more about what we’re doing.”
    For a moment Stone was alarmed, but he knew that Rick’s men and the feds, when they began receiving transmissions from his wire, would move with them. “I’d like that,” he said. “Where are we going?”
    “You’ll see,” Ippolito said. He pressed the buzzer under his desk again, and Tommy and Zip appeared. “Escort Mr. Barrington to transportation,” he said. “We’re all going together.”
    “This way, Mr. Barrington,” Tommy said, indicating the side door.
    Stone stood up and walked toward the door, followed by Ippolito and Sturmack. He was expecting a private elevator, but instead, the door led to a hallway, which led to a staircase going up. They were already on the top floor, and this did not seem like a good idea to Stone.
    “Tell me,” he said to Ippolito as they walked up the stairs, “have thepolice ever gotten wind of what you’re up to?”
    “Certainly not,” Ippolito said. They emerged onto the rooftop, where a helicopter was waiting, its blades beginning to turn.
    “Great,” Stone said. “If thepolice aren’t on to you, then I think you can pull off this deal. Where are we going in thishelicopter ?”
    “You’ll see,” Ippolito said, but his words were drowned out by the helicopter’s rotors as they started to spin.

62
    In the garage, Rick Grant and Dino listened to their radio as the elevator doors opened and closed, as people got on and off. Then they heard Stone say, “I’m here.”
    “Jesus,” Dino said, “that’s some wire. I want some of those for my people.”
    “Shhh,” Rick said. “He’s in the reception room.”
    They could hear Stone begin to announce himself to the receptionist, then stop. They heard the receptionist tell Sturmack to go into Ippolito’s office, then heard Stone speak again to the receptionist. There were some soft footsteps, then nothing but low-level static.
    “They found the wire,” Dino said, opening the car door. “Let’s go.”
    “No, wait. Nobody has searched him; we’d have heard that. He’s just in a place that’s blocking the transmission. Wait and listen.”
    They began to hear snatches of words, nothing intelligible, just a word or two at a time.

    “At least he’s got them talking,” Rick said. “We’ve still got the tape to fall back on.”
    They continued to listen to the static, with an occasional word coming through. “Maybe the problem is between us and the van,” Rick said. “Let’s get out there.” He got out of the car and started out of the garage, with Dino right behind him.
    Rick crossed the street, walked around the van, and rapped sharply on its sliding door. The door opened a crack. “It’s Grant and Bacchetti,” Rick said. “Let us in.”
    The door slid back, Rick and Dino crowded in and the door closed behind them.
    “Are you getting anything from Barrington?” Rick asked.
    “No, just a word now and then. Something’s screwing up the transmission.”
    “I don’t like this,” Dino said. “I think we ought to go in.”
    “Not yet,” Rick replied. “At least we know they’re talking. If we hear anything that sounds like trouble, I’ll give the word, but not until then.”
    The static continued for a couple of more minutes, then suddenly stopped.
    “I can hear them now,” the radio operator said.
    “Turn that thing up,” Rick commanded.
    They could hear footsteps on a hard floor, then the sound of people climbing steps, then Stone’s voice, loud and clear. “Have thepolice ever gotten wind of what you’re up to?”
    Rick grabbed his handheld radio. “This is Grant,” he said, “it’s a go! Everybody move!”
    Dino grabbed his arm. “Wait, listen.”
    Stone’s voice came again. “Where are we going inthishelicopter ?” Then the sound of the rotor, spinning faster and faster.
    “Oh, shit!” Grant hissed. He threw open the door of the van, stepped out, and looked up. A