Hit List (Stone Barrington #53)(43)

“Does Sig have an apartment in the city?”

“We moved out of there and into the Edison.”

“Where do you think he is now?”

“Looking for another place to live.”

“Where do you think he would look?”

“He likes the Upper East Side. He’ll look for a short rental, like a month or two.”

“Where does he find them?”

“He uses a rental agent named Angela Dunn; she’s in the phone book.”

“What name would he use with her?”

“Tony Pierce.”

“Where would he have gone in the ambulance?”

“He’ll dump it somewhere.”

“What was his long-term plan?”

“He bought a house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, right after he won the lottery, to get away from his family. That’s where I met him; I was on vacation there.

“It’s on Acequia Madre,” she said, and gave him the number.

“I know the neighborhood,” Stone said. “It’s on the East Side, runs sort of parallel with Canyon Road.”

Dino was taking notes.

“How will he travel there?” Stone asked.

“He’ll fly, I imagine. He may charter. He’s done that before.”

“Out of what airport?”

“I don’t know.” It was the first time she’d said that, and Stone believed her.

“What was his excuse for killing the people on the list?”

“He said they were evil and deserved to die.”

“Any details on why he thought that?”

“No, I just took his word for it. Now I see what an idiot I was.”

Dino left the room.

Stone sat with Frances until a new nurse was assigned to her, then he took Trixie outside to empty her. On the way back he encountered Dino, who was on the phone.

“Okay,” Dino said, hanging up. “We’re checking all the airports for charters he might have used. I’ve talked with the Santa Fe chief of police, and he’s staking out the house.”

“What’s your next move?”

“My next move is, you fly me to Santa Fe.”

Stone looked at his watch. “If he has to stop to refuel, we have a shot at beating him there. Let’s take your car. Give me a minute.” He went back into the room and sat down next to Frances. She had stopped crying but still looked distressed.

“I’ve got to leave town on business,” Stone said. “I’ll be gone a day or two. I’ll arrange for a secure apartment for you, and you’ll be taken there, with a nurse, when the doctor discharges you. All you have to do then is relax and watch old movies on TV.”

“I love old movies,” she said.

Stone kissed her on the forehead and left. On the way to Teterboro, his first call was to Ed Eagle, a top-notch Santa Fe defense lawyer and an old friend.

“Dino and I are coming your way,” Stone said.

“Great! Use my guesthouse.”

“Thank you, sold!”

“Will you be here in time for dinner?”

“Maybe, but don’t count on us. We’ll see you when we see you. I’ll call you when we land.”

“Okay. I’ll let Susannah know.”

Stone called Joan and asked her to get Faith to the airplane as soon as possible. “Tell her I’ll fly left seat.” He asked her to book a rental car in Santa Fe and to pack a bag for him and overnight it to Eagle’s address.

In the meantime, Dino was making his own calls and similar arrangements. “I’m good,” he said, finally.

They made Teterboro in forty-five minutes, not bad time. The airplane was out of the hangar, and Faith was there with a copilot, preflighting. The fuel truck was pumping JetA.

They got aboard, and Stone went to the cockpit and started to run the checklist. Faith soon secured the outer door and joined him.

“I’ve already filed,” she said. “I’ll get the clearance.”

Stone started the engines as Faith entered the flight plan and radioed for a clearance to taxi. She got it and Stone taxied.

“Why did you bring a copilot?” Stone asked.

“You only enjoy takeoffs and landings,” she said. “You’ll want a nap as soon as we’re at altitude.”

She was right, he knew. He taxied, took off, and got the airplane out of New York airspace, then turned it over to Faith and her copilot and went aft, where Dino was already asleep. It didn’t take Stone long to join him.





35


It was getting dark when they set down at Santa Fe, with Stone back at the controls. He cut the engines and called Ed Eagle.

“Hi, there, Stone. Have you landed?”

“We’re in, and we’ve got a rental car. Be with you in half an hour.”

“Just in time for dinner. I’ll alert the chef.” They both hung up.

Stone handed Faith some cash. “Find yourselves a hotel,” he said. “I’ll call you when we know a departure time.” He left them to button down and hangar the airplane.



* * *



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Ed Eagle lived a few miles north of the city, and his driveway was marked by a huge stone eagle. Stone turned in there and he and Dino handed their luggage to Ed’s houseman.