Shoot First(Stone Barrington #45)
Stuart Woods
1
Stone Barrington and his friends Dino and Vivian Bacchetti had just finished a dinner of Caesar salad and Dover sole at Patroon, a favorite restaurant of theirs in the East Forties of New York.
“Oh, by the way,” Stone said, “there’s a Steele Group board meeting this weekend, and I wondered if you two would like to come?”
“Let me get this straight,” Dino said. “You want us to come to a corporate board meeting?”
“Did I mention that it’s in Key West?” Stone asked.
“Love to,” Dino said.
“Same here,” Viv echoed.
“Joan has found a rental house for me, and I’m told it’s comfortable, and she’s stocked it with food and drink. Why don’t we all stay a few days?”
“I can get some time off,” Viv said.
“I’ll ask my boss,” Dino said. Dino was the police commissioner of New York City.
“The mayor?”
“No, me. I asked, and I said, ‘Sure, it’s okay, stay as long as you like.’”
“You’re a very generous boss,” Stone said.
“Thank you. I try to cultivate good employee relations.”
“I can back him up on that,” Viv said. “When I was his employee, he cultivated relations with me.”
“I hope he’s not that generous with all his employees,” Stone said.
“I hope so, too,” Viv replied.
“You can both hope,” Dino said. “When do we leap off?”
“Saturday morning. Pick me up at ten. We’ll be in Key West by four. The board meeting isn’t until Friday, but most of us will be playing in a golf tournament on Sunday and Monday.”
“Arthur Steele is getting very generous with his directors, isn’t he?”
“Oh, once in a while he’ll spring for a jaunt. They’re all staying at the Casa Marina, the old hotel built by Henry Flagler, the railroad guy who built the Breakers in Palm Beach and others in the early part of the last century.”
“So why aren’t we staying there?” Dino asked.
“You want to rub elbows with a lot of suits this weekend?”
“We’ll stay with you,” Dino said. “Should I go armed?”
“I’m not anticipating bandits in the Keys, but suit yourself.” Dino always went armed.
* * *
—
THEY WERE wheels-up before noon on Saturday, and Stone’s Citation 3 Plus made the flight easily in one leg, no refueling along the way.
At Key West International there was an envelope waiting for Stone at the FBO’s front desk, containing house keys and a car key and instructions for operating the house, as well as some history of it. The car turned out to be a metallic white Mercedes S-Class convertible with twenty-eight miles on the odometer. They stowed their luggage in the trunk, and Stone put the top down.
“I hope you like freckles on a girl,” Viv said. She was a redhead. “Dino will turn the color of mahogany in about an hour, and I try to keep up.”
Stone followed the directions in the envelope; their landmark was a strip club called Bare Assets.
“Sounds like a nice neighborhood,” Viv said.
“Can we have drinks there tonight?” Dino asked.
“If we do, it will be the only sex you’ll get on this trip,” Viv replied.
“They don’t have sex there, just looking,” Dino protested.
“I’m aware of that, and it’s all you’ll get. How many bedrooms are there, Stone?”
“Four, I’m told.”
“Then you’ll have two to choose from, Dino.”
“Here’s a thought,” Dino said, “let’s stay home and grill some steaks.”
“Good idea,” Viv replied.
The house was on a narrow lane between Truman Avenue and the island’s cemetery. It had a bricked driveway and a garage and a carport, housing a golf cart, and Stone pulled into the garage. They got out and toured the house.
There was a book-lined study, next to an outdoor courtyard, followed by a dining room, a living room, and another, larger courtyard bordered by a koi pond, and beyond that there was a spa and a sunken swimming pool, all of it surrounded by jungle-like vegetation and flowers.
“Stone,” Viv said, “this is spectacular!”
“We haven’t seen the guest rooms and the kitchen,” Stone said, consulting the note, “and there’s a bar/video room. Oh, and that little house over there is the master suite, and we have an outdoor kitchen, bar, dining room, and living room, as well as the indoor ones.” He pointed out everything. “From what it says here, I think you two will want the first guest room.” They looked at it and approved. The kitchen was next. “Laundry room off the kitchen, in case Dino wants to rinse out his underthings.” The next room contained a fully stocked bar and a very large flat-screen TV. They went back to the car, got their luggage, and settled in. “Drinks in half an hour,” Stone said. “Outdoor bar.”
* * *
—
STONE CHECKED OUT the master suite and found a bedroom, dressing room, and a bath with a large tub. He found a TV remote control on the bedside table, but no set. He pressed the on button and a flat-screen TV rose from a cabinet and filled the facing wall. He could watch the Sunday political shows from there.