Hit List (Stone Barrington #53)(23)
They dropped the car at the front door of the house and hurried inside, leaving parking and luggage to staff and security men.
Derek came to see him in the study. “It’s been pretty much quiet here, with one exception.”
“What’s the exception?”
Derek took out his iPhone, found a photograph, and showed it to Stone. It was of the nosewheels of the Gulfstream; both were flat. “My people heard nothing; they found this on a routine sweep early this morning. It was probably done last night.”
“While we were dining at Le Gavroche?”
“Perhaps.”
Stone looked up the number for Gulfstream services and called; it was answered immediately, although it was very early in the morning in Savannah, Georgia, where the factory was located. He reported the loss of both front tires from vandalism and was asked to wait while they checked availability of spares in England. They were found, and he was told that a service truck would arrive with the spares by three PM, and that the work would take two or three hours. Stone thanked them and hung up.
Dino came in and sat down. “You want to go to Paris?”
“Yes, that’s fine, but we can’t go today. Someone put a bullet into both nosewheels on the airplane. Gulfstream is on the way, so we can leave in the morning, if you like.”
“Viv is on board for that,” Dino said. “I imagine that Vanessa would be for it.”
“We’ll assume so, and I’ll talk with her.”
Stone went upstairs and found her unpacking her purchases. He told her about the nosewheels.
“So much for being safer here,” she said.
“How would you like to go to Paris for a few days?”
She gave him a smile. “You talked me into it.”
“Then put your new things back into the boxes, and I’ll have them stowed on the airplane. You can plunder Paris tomorrow.”
* * *
—
They had dinner in the study before a cheerful fire, and turned in early.
“I’m not sleepy yet,” Vanessa said. “Whatever will we do with the time?”
They made a game of undressing each other and spent the time well.
* * *
—
Later, in his arms, she asked, “Where are we staying in Paris?”
“I have a house in Saint-Germain-des-Prés,” Stone replied.
“Does this fellow, Larkin, know about it?”
“I doubt it, but I’ll have the place gone over before our arrival.”
“How long is the flight?”
“An hour. Two hours, door to door, what with Paris traffic.”
“How convenient,” she said.
Stone called Rick La Rose, the CIA station chief in Paris.
It was late there, but he answered his cell, and they scrambled. Stone gave him a brief summary of their problem so far.
“Well, it’s always something with you, isn’t it?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Is tomorrow morning soon enough for us to go over the house?”
“Yes, we should be there for lunch, but we can eat out, if you need the time.”
“Shouldn’t take any longer than that,” Rick said.
Stone told him about the bugs in the London house and their nature.
“Maybe you’d better have lunch out,” Rick said.
19
They lunched in the center of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, at Brasserie Lipp, which was Stone’s favorite Paris restaurant. The food was Alsatian, as was the beer, and they all had the choucrute garni, a mix of sliced meats and sausages, with sauerkraut and potatoes. The crowd in the restaurant reminded Stone of the group at Elaine’s—now long-lamented, since her death—a mixture of arts, academia, and journalism, with a smattering of showbiz, even if he didn’t recognize many of them.
Rick La Rose arrived as they were on dessert. He ordered a beer and was introduced to Vanessa. “Your place is clean of any detritus left by departing bad guys,” he said, “electronic or otherwise. We had set a bunch of tiny traps the last time you left, and none of them was tripped.”
“It’s a relief to know that,” Stone said, asking a waiter for the bill. “What’s going on in Paris these days?”
“Oh, the usual: Russians, Balkans, and jewel thieves from Marseilles, and not much of those. We could use a little excitement; maybe you’ve brought some with you.”
“We’re dealing with only one man,” Stone said.
“Yeah, I read in the International New York Times about your hit list. I did some research: I guess winning ten million dollars in the lottery made him bold.”
“I heard it was two million dollars,” Stone said.
“That was a cover story, so he wouldn’t be besieged by his relatives. Anyway, he dumped them all and abandoned his house without a trace.”
“Smart move, if you’ve got relatives,” Dino said.
“And left three months unpaid rent,” Stone added.
“A real prince, huh?”
“Born to the blood.”
“I’d like to catch him for you, just for the hell of it,” Rick said.
“If we’re lucky,” Stone said, “he doesn’t know we’re in Paris. And if we’re very lucky, he doesn’t know yet that we’ve left England.”