Turbulence (Stone Barrington #46)(25)

“And it will work for the same reasons that scene worked,” Felicity said. “You are not a suspicious person to Owaki, whereas almost everyone else is. You will have been searched at the restaurant door and found to be harmless to him. The weapon, rather than hidden behind a toilet, will be handed to you in a gift-wrapped box.”

“And is Owaki going to sing, ‘Happy Birthday’ to me while I unwrap it?”

“Others at the table may be moved to do so,” Felicity said. “We’ll encourage it, if you think that will help.”

“That raises a point,” Lance said. “On such occasions in this country, the rule is to sing, ‘For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’”

Before Stone could respond to that, Felicity spoke up, “Oh, and as the cherry on the cake, so to speak, you may keep the check in the other envelope.”

“So I’m not to be just an assassin, but a paid one?”

“Why must you put the darkest imputation on everything I say?” Felicity asked, sounding hurt. “And you’re not to assassinate him in cold blood; you’re to fire only if gunfire breaks out.”

“I’m so sorry to have offended your delicate nature,” Stone said, insincerely.

“All right, chaps,” Lance said, like an English schoolboy. “We have to get this together right now, and definitively.”

“I’m playing no part in this,” Stone said. “Is that definitive enough for you?”

“Stone,” Felicity said, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “Think of others, not yourself. This may be the only opportunity we have to secure this dreadful explosive.”

“It has a yield of two kilotons,” Lance said. “That’s enough to wipe out a square mile of London or Berlin, with the attendant loss of life.”

That thought struck Stone like an arrow in the chest. “There must be another way,” he said weakly.

Felicity closed in for the kill. “We’ve had the best minds in Europe on this,” she said. “This is our only chance to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Will you deny us that opportunity? Will you deny them?”

Lance didn’t wait for Stone to reply; it was clear, even to Stone, that they had him. “This is how it will go,” Lance said. “Owaki may arrive early or late, whichever he believes will be safer. You and Senator Box and your female companions will arrive at five minutes past eight o’clock, in your car, Stone. You will enter the restaurant, check your raincoats and umbrellas, if any, and pass through the metal detector, which is concealed in an archway, and be thoroughly searched. Then the four of you will be seated at a round table at the east end of the room. It is slightly elevated, so that other guests may see the VIP guests.”

“Where will I be seated in relation to Owaki?” Stone asked.

“We will not try to nudge Owaki into a particular seat,” Lance said. “That would only make him wary. No matter where the two of you are seated, you will be no farther than forty-eight inches apart, as that is the diameter of the table. You should have no trouble making a head shot from a distance of four feet. If you feel in the least uncertain, empty the magazine into him. The pistol is loaded with soft-nosed lead hollow-point ammunition, increasing the damage to him and decreasing the chances of a round passing through him and striking someone else.

“Since all of the people in the restaurant are ours, no protestations will be made, no one will try to intervene, Owaki’s people already having been dealt with at the signal.”

“What is the signal?” Stone asked.

“The ma?tre d’h?tel will approach the table with a birthday cake, illuminated. He will set down the cake, wish you a happy birthday and withdraw from the table, while a waiter will simultaneously place your gift at your right hand. Senator Box will say, ‘It’s from all of your friends, Stone.’ You will then remove the wrapper from the apparent book, display it to the others, make some comment, if you like, then open the book and flip through the early pages until you have exposed the weapon. It will be loaded, with a round in the chamber, cocked and the safety will be off; you have only to pick it up and fire at Owaki’s head.”

“Waiters will then assist you and your party from your chairs and escort you to the front door,” Felicity said, “where your car will be waiting, driven by a retired racing driver in our employ. After a bit of diversional driving, he will deliver you into the garage at your house. Inside, Lance and I will be there to debrief you, which shouldn’t take long, then we will go our separate ways.”

“You’ve skipped something,” Stone said. “When and how does all this happen?”

“At some point during dinner,” Felicity said, “presumably after a signal from Owaki, a waiter will approach the table with the envelope containing the check on a silver tray. Owaki will accept the envelope, then place the other envelope, containing the location of the warhead, on the tray and the waiter will depart. Nothing will occur after that, until the cake is delivered. A moment later, the festivities will have been concluded.”

“Have you any other questions?” Lance asked.

“What may I tell my lady friend about all this? She’ll have to be told something.”

“You may tell her as much or as little as you like,” Lance said. “You will know best how to handle it.”