Unintended Consequences

Stone asked Philip to put everything on the elevator and take it to the master suite.
    “I expect you’d like a bath,” Stone said, “but you don’t look as though you need one.”
    “I had a shower on the airplane,” Helga said, “and it was very comfortable, so I’m well rested. I’m also starved and dying for a drink.”
    Stone took her to his study and rang Marcel to join them.
    “You have a very handsome house,” Helga said. “I’m impressed.”
    “I hope you’ll be very comfortable here,” Stone replied.
    Marcel walked into the study and embraced Helga. “I was worried about you,” he said.
    “Well, now we are both out of Europe and entirely safe.”
    Stone sat them down, poured a martini for Helga and a Knob Creek for himself and Marcel. “Welcome to New York,” he said, and they raised their glasses.
    “This is my first trip to New York,” Helga said, “and I’m so excited.”
    “I will be sure to show you the city,” Stone said, “but I have to tell you that none of us may be as safe here as you had hoped. Majorov is already in the city.”
    Helga seemed unfazed. “Then I will be armed and glad to see him,” she said.
    Marcel burst out laughing. “Then I will be very well protected!”
    “Helga,” Stone said, “I’m afraid that you can’t go packing in New York City. There are very strict laws against that. You must have a permit, and they are nearly impossible to obtain.”
    Helga dug into her handbag. “Oh, do you mean this?” she said, handing him a New York City carry permit.
    “How the hell did you get this?” Stone demanded. “Is it a forgery? Because if it is . . .”
    “Calm yourself, Stone,” Helga said. “It’s from Lance. The helicopter pilot handed it to me when he arrived at my house this morning. And my passport has a diplomatic visa stamped inside.”
    “Then Marcel is very well protected indeed,” Stone said.
    Philip came into the room. “Dinner is served in the kitchen,” he announced, and they followed him downstairs.

38
    S tone was at his desk just before noon when Joan buzzed. “Dino on one.”
    “Good morning, Dino.”
    “If you say so.”
    “You sound a little pissed off,” Stone observed.
    “Our plans for the weekend have been canceled. Viv has to work.”
    “The pains of employment in the private sector,” Stone said.
    “It’s not all bad, she’s been assigned to Marcel’s security detail, so count on having both of us in Connecticut.”
    “Good news!” Stone said.
    “If you say so.”
    “Don’t worry, Dino, it’s a strongly built house with thick walls. Nobody will be able to hear your pitiful cries.”
    “What time?”
    “We’re leaving at one. Don’t be late. And, Dino?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Pack—we can use the extra security.”
    “Will do.” Dino hung up.
    Stone buzzed Joan and asked her to warn the housekeeper that she would have a full house for the weekend and to lay in Dino’s scotch.
    •   •   •
    A t a quarter to one, Stone, Dino, and Viv stood in front of his garage door. While Viv turned her back to them and surveyed the street, Stone pressed his remote control, and sunlight flooded the garage.
    “Good God!” Dino said. “What is that thing?”
    Stone pressed a button on his key, and both gull-wing doors opened silently, exposing the interior of the car. He and Dino walked into the garage.
    “How many cows died to make this happen?” Dino asked, fingering the leather.
    “A herd,” Stone replied. Stone started the car and backed up, double-parking in the best New York fashion. He got out and handed the Bentley keys to Viv. “Dino tells me you finished at the top of your tactical driving course,” he said.
    Viv accepted the keys with a grin. “Did he also tell you that I finished at the top of my extreme driving class at Lime Rock?”
    “He didn’t mention that, and I’m sorry you did,” Stone replied. “Just remember that the slightest ding on that car costs a fortune to repair—twenty-three coats of paint.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind until I forget it,” she said, and went to back the car out of the garage.
    Philip loaded their luggage into both vehicles; Viv and her two colleagues got into the Bentley, and after introducing Helga to the Bacchettis, Stone, Dino, Marcel, and Helga got into the Blaise.
    “Astonishingly comfortable for four people,” Helga said.
    “I insisted on that,” Marcel said. “I prefer riding in the backseat.”
    Stone pressed the button