Turbulence (Stone Barrington #46)(11)

“I keep hoping the guy will just die and leave us alone, but go ahead.”

Stone unlatched the two locks, put his shoulder against the door and turned the knob. The door flew open, knocking both Stone and Dino down, and a man flew into the living room and landed on the Dade Pine floor with a thud.

Stone and Dino scrambled to their feet and began trying to get the door closed. Finally, Holly came and helped them, and that made the difference. Stone turned both the latches and stood back, waiting for it to blow again. The door held.

Stone turned and looked at the living room; it was as if someone had turned a fire hose on the interior. The visitor lay facedown on the floor, his shirt in tatters and nothing else covering him except a pair of Bermuda shorts, slung low enough to reveal a plumber’s crack. Stone and Holly turned him over on his back.

“Oh, shit!” Holly spat. “It’s the junior senator from Florida!”





9



STONE PUT AN EAR to Box’s bare chest. “I can’t hear anything,” he said.

Then Box’s torso heaved, and he spat water everywhere.

“Viv, will you get some towels from the powder room? Dino, will you make your way to the master suite, holding tight to the rope, and see if you can bring over some dry clothes for our guest? Better take a plastic garbage bag from the kitchen to keep them dry. And as long as you’re over there, bring a big towel from our bathroom. Put that into the bag, too.”

“I’m going to need some dry clothes for myself when I come back,” Dino said.

“Then strip off and put on a sailing jacket from the hall closet to protect you from flying stuff.”

Viv came back from the powder room and dropped a hand towel onto Box’s chest. “That’s all we’ve got.”

“Dino has gone to the master suite for more stuff,” Stone said.

Anna came downstairs, took one look around, then disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a mop and bucket and a roll of paper towels.

Stone heard Dino open the door to the terrace. Fortunately, the wind was less of a problem inside the courtyard, and he got it closed again.

Holly picked up the towel from Box’s chest, wiped her face and arms with it, then dropped it back onto his belly. His eyelids fluttered now and then. “Damn,” she said, “he’s still alive. I was hoping that we could just dump the body into the street and let it float away.”

Box made a grunting noise and coughed up some more water.

Dino came back into the house, tossed the garbage bag to Stone, then went to retrieve his clothing and hang up the jacket.

Stone took a bath sheet from the bag and wiped Box’s body with it. “Take off his shorts,” he said to Holly.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” she asked.

Stone bent over, unfastened the shorts and in one mighty stroke, stripped them off, along with a pair of boxer shorts with little bumblebees on them. He used the bath sheet to dry the man as best he could. “Dino, give me a hand.” The two of them pulled on a pair of khaki trousers that Dino had brought, then got a polo shirt over his head. Stone handed the wet clothes and towels to Anna and asked her to put them into the washer.

Dino and Stone hauled Box to his feet, and with one on either side, half dragged him into the bar and dumped him onto the sofa in front of the big TV. Stone threw a cotton blanket over him and tucked a pillow under his head. “There, that’s all we can do for him.” They went back to the living room.

“Do you want me to make him some hot tea?” Anna asked.

“No, thanks,” Stone said. “From the smell of him, he’s had enough alcohol to fortify him. Thanks for your help, Anna.”

“Where did he come from?”

“I’ve no idea. Cal said he lives near here, but why was he on our street?”

Anna went back upstairs and Stone and Dino returned to the living room.

“I’m wide awake now,” Holly said.

“Me, too,” Viv echoed. “Anybody want to play charades?”

“My darling,” Dino said. “Lie down on the sofa and shut up. The adrenaline will wear off in a minute, and you’ll be fast asleep, and I’m going to take my own advice.”

Stone did, too.



* * *



—

WHEN STONE AWOKE from a fitful sleep, the noise from the wind was incredible. A little light was showing from around the edge of one of the shutters, so he reckoned dawn must have arrived. He went into the kitchen to make some coffee and found Dino glued to the TV there. He said something, but Stone couldn’t hear it.

“Say again!” Stone yelled over the storm.

“I said, they just clocked the wind at Key West International at one hundred and twenty-seven miles per hour!” Dino screamed.

Stone nodded, put on the coffee, then sliced some muffins and put them into the toaster oven. He jumped when someone touched his back, turned, and found Holly standing there, a blanket wrapped around her. She said something, but he couldn’t hear it.

He tapped his ear, then pointed at the TV. Her face fell, and he could read her lips. “A hundred and twenty-seven miles an hour?”

He nodded. “Don’t try to talk!” he hollered. She nodded.

Anna came into the kitchen and took over the making of breakfast, and Stone beckoned Dino to follow him. They went down the hall to the bar and found Joe Box awake and sitting at the bar, drinking a neat scotch. He gave them a little wave, but didn’t try to speak.