Table of Contents
BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
FICTION
Strategic Moves
Santa Fe Edge
Lucid Intervals
Kisser
Hothouse Orchid
Loitering with Intent
Mounting Fears
Hot Mahogany
Santa Fe Dead
Beverly Hills Dead
Shoot Him If He Runs
Fresh Disasters
Short Straw
Dark Harbor
Iron Orchid
Two Dollar Bill
The Prince of Beverly Hills
Reckless Abandon
Capital Crimes
Dirty Work
Blood Orchid
The Short Forever
Orchid Blues
Cold Paradise
L.A. Dead
The Run
Worst Fears Realized
Orchid Beach
Swimming to Catalina
Dead in the Water
Dirt
Choke
Imperfect Strangers
Heat
Dead Eyes
L.A. Times
Santa Fe Rules
New York Dead
Palindrome
Grass Roots
White Cargo
Deep Lie
Under the Lake
Run Before the Wind
Chiefs
TRAVEL
A Romantics Guide to the Country
Inns of Britain and Ireland (1979)
MEMOIR
Blue Water, Green Skipper (1977)
In memory of Elaine Kaufman (19292010), who loved writers
Elaines, late.
Stone Barrington sat with his client, Mike Freeman, of Strategic Services, and his former partner from his NYPD days, Dino Bacchetti, over the ruins of dinner and a bottle of excellent Cabernet.
That was good, Mike said. I never knew how good the food was here, until you started bringing me.
Comfort food, Dino said.
Elaine sat herself down in the spare chair. Comfort food? she asked. Is that some kind of crack?
Its high praise, Stone said quickly, not wanting to get her started. Elaines did not enjoy a high reputation with the food critics of the local media, because they didnt come often enough to get the good tables, but the regulars knew how good the food was, and that was all she really cared about.
Ill take high praise, Elaine said.
Stones cell phone hummed on his belt, and he dug it out of its holster. Stone Barrington.
Stone, its Arrington, she said. Stone and Arrington had once been a very big item, to the extent of his having fathered a son by her.
Well, hello there, he said. I thought Id never hear from you again. They had spent one night together in his Maine house, on Islesboro, at Dark Harbor, and then she had taken her leave, saying it was over.
I want to hire you, she said.
Im for hire. Hows Peter?
He misses his father, she said.
Stone wondered which father she meant, himself or her late husband, movie megastar Vance Calder, whose son the world believed Peter to be. Stone didnt know what to say.
I mean Vance, she said. He hardly knows you.
All right, Stone said. Why do you want to hire me?
Im going to say this fast, because Im sleepy, and I want to go to bed. I know youre at Elaines at this hour, but Im not.
So, say it fast.
You remember Centurion Studios? A large Hollywood film factory.
I believe so.
You remember that Vance owned a third of the shares when he died?
I didnt know it was that much.
Hed been buying the stock for many years, every time somebody died and some shares became available.
Got it.
Theres a stockholders meeting coming up, and there will be a vote on whether to sell the studio. It has always been closely held, and Vance wanted to keep it that way.
Whos buying?
I dont know, some corporation or other. Theyll sell the property to developers, and the studio will just be a letterhead.
And what do you want me to do?
Vote my shares against the sale, and do what you can to get the other stockholders to vote against it.
How many are there?
A couple of dozen, maybe. Ill send you a list, along with my signed proxy, to the Bel-Air house. You can have the guesthouse, as usual. Manolo and Carmen will take good care of you.
Manolo and Carmen were the Filipino houseman and his wife who ran the place. Stone knew he would be taken care of very well indeed. All right, I guess I can manage that.
Can you get there tomorrow?
Or the day after, Stone said. He wanted to fly himself in his new airplane.
I guess that will be all right, she answered. You remember Rick Barron?
Yes, I met him and his wife at Vances burial.
Thats right. Call him as soon as you get there, and take him and his wife, Glenna, to dinner. Rick is in his nineties now, but hes sharp as a straight razor, and hes leading the fight to keep the studio closely held.
Ill be glad to do that.
In fact, invite them to the house, and let Manolo and Carmen do the dinner. They know all the Barrons favorite dishes.
All right.
Call me when you get there?
Will do.
Say hello to Elaine and Dino.
Will do.
Goodbye. She hung up.
Stone put away his phone. Arrington says hello to both of you, he said to them.
How is she? Elaine asked.
Sleepy, Stone replied. Dino, you want to spend a few days in L.A.?
On whose nickel? Dino asked.
Transportation is free, and well be staying in Arringtons guesthouse.
Im in, Dino said.
Mike spoke up. Can you just walk away from the NYPD that way?
I get time off, just like everybody, Dino said, but I get to approve when, and I approve this one.
Okay, Mike said.
Mike, Stone said, Dino has the NYPD by the ear, didnt you know? Hes a law unto himself over there. The new commissioner, who doesnt know him very well, loves him.
Hed love me more, if he knew me better, Dino said.
Elaine pinched Dinos cheek. To know him is to love him, she said, planting a big kiss on his forehead. She got up and made her move to the next table of regulars.
Dino rubbed his cheek. I hope she didnt make a bruise. With that five oclock shadow, who could tell? Stone asked.
You guys have the life, Mike said. And Ill bet youre going to fly the Mustang out there.
You betcha, Stone replied.
Hey, wait a minute, Dino said. I didnt volunteer for suicide.
Its time you had your first flight in the Citation Mustang, Stone said.
Hes right, Dino, Mike echoed. Youll love it.
Dino looked doubtful. I just dont know if God intended Stone to be put in charge of a jet airplane.
You liked my old airplane well enough, Stone said.
Yeah, but it had a propeller up front that made it go, and I took comfort in that.
The Mustang has two engines, Dino, Mike said, and theyre fan jets. Twice the safety.
No propellers, though.
Propellers would just slow it down, Stone said.
Mike, you think I should do this?
Ive flown with him, Dino; hell get you there.
Well, okay, if you say so.
You get a choice of seats, Stone said. Up front with me, or you can lounge in the back and sleep all the way.
How could I sleep with you at the controls? Dino asked. Ill take my chances up front, where I can do something, if I have to.
Ill teach you to fly the airplane, Dino, Stone said.
Hey, thats a good idea. That way when you turn blue and clutch your chest, I can save myself.
