Swimming to Catalina

down to the garage. Fifteen minutes later, he was checking into the Bel-Air.
    “Welcome back, Mr. Barrington,” the woman behind the desk said.
    “Ah, for personal reasons, I’d like to be known as Jack Smithwick while I’m here.”
    “Of course, if you like.”
    “Would you let the telephone operators know about that?”
    “Surely.”
    “And if anyone calls and asks for Barrington, deny all knowledge.”
    “I understand,” she said. “Many of our guests travel incognito at one time or another.”
    Stone followed the bellman to his suite and sent his clothes out to be pressed. He checked in with his secretary and gave her his new name and address.
    “What if Vance Calder calls again?” she asked.
    “Tell him I went out to the Hamptons for a few days,but you expect to hear from me. You just love talking to Vance Calder, don’t you?”
    “Well…” She suppressed a giggle.
    He hung up and reflected on why he was playing that game with Vance. If some goombah was searching his hotel suite, thensomebody knew he was still in L.A., and that somebody might tell Vance. The hotel change was probably a good idea, as long as he kept the suite at Le Parc. He was tired of people he didn’t know knowing where he was; it was becoming extremely irritating.
    He was at the Marina Del Rey chandlery at seven sharp, and Barbara Tierney was only ten minutes late.
    “I’m sorry you had to drive all the way down here to get me,” she said. “I’d have been glad to drive, if my friend’s car had been here.”
    “What does your friend drive?”
    “A Porsche.”
    A Porsche? Shit. Was this the wrong girl? “Well, if your friend were here we wouldn’t be having dinner, would we?”
    “Not necessarily,” she said. “I’m pretty much a free woman.”
    “I’m glad to hear it.”
    “I try to avoid men who make demands; I get irritable when they do that.”
    “I’ll do my best not to irritate you,” Stone said. He turned into Stone Canyon.
    “Do you always stay at the Bel-Air?”
    “Always; it’s my home away from home.”
    They pulled into the hotel parking lot, gave the attendant the car, and walked over the bridge leading to the hotel. Below them swans dozed in a pretty stream.

    “You certainly have good taste in hotels,” Barbara said.
    Stone took her hand. “I have good taste in dinner companions, too.”
    “Oooh, you should have been an actor,” she said.
    “You’re not the first to tell me that,” Stone replied.

27
    They were shown to a banquette in a corner of the large dining room, and their drink order was taken. Stone was hungry, and he began looking at the menu.
    “May I take your order, Mr. Smithwick?” a waiter asked.
    It took Stone a moment to react. “Give us a minute, will you? And may I have a wine list?”
    “The smoked salmon sounds good,” Barbara said, then she made a little noise.
    Stone turned toward her. “What?”
    “My God,” she half-whispered, “look who just came in.”
    Stone followed her gaze to the center of the dining room. Vance Calder and a party of six were being seated at a round table.
    “I’ve never seen him in person, have you?”
    Stone raised the wine list to cover his face. “Well, he doesn’t turn me on as much as he does you.” Helowered the list enough to allow him to see Vance’s party, and things got worse. Betty Southard was sitting next to him. “Oh, Jesus,” he murmured under his breath.
    “What?”
    “Nothing; I was just trying to pronounce the name of this wine. I think I’ve read about it somewhere.” He was trapped, within plain view of both Vance and Betty. He did not need this.
    “I think I’ll go and say hello to him,” Barbara said.
    “What? Who?”
    “Vance Calder.”
    “I don’t think you should do that, Barbara.”
    “Why not?”
    “The hotel has a lot of celebrity customers, and they’re very protective of them.”
    “Oh, it’ll be all right,” she said, pushing the table away. “We have a mutual friend.” She got up and started toward Vance’s table before Stone could stop her.
    Stone watched as Barbara made her way between the tables and came to rest at Vance’s elbow. Vance looked up at her. The headwaiter began to move. Barbara spoke. Then, to Stone’s amazement, Vance stood up, shook her hand, and started to introduce her to the rest of his party. All eyes were riveted on the beautiful brunette. It was now or never, Stone thought. He pushed away the table, rose, and walked quickly through the