Turbulence (Stone Barrington #46)(56)
Stone called the club and made a reservation.
44
THE FOUR OF THEM drove to the Key West Yacht Club—Lance had declined to join them. The parking lot was crowded, but Stone found a place, and they got inside in time to claim their table, the only one unoccupied in the front room where the piano lived. Bobby Nesbitt, always popular at the club, was performing.
They sat down, ordered drinks, and looked at the menu. They were ordering from the waitress when Stone saw Dino raise his menu to partly cover his face and stare fixedly ahead. “Don’t turn around,” he said to Stone.
Stone finished ordering and gave his menu to the waitress. “What?” he said to Dino.
“Box just came in with a woman and another couple,” Dino replied. “I didn’t get a good look at his friends; they went into the main dining room.”
Stone looked toward the door into that room, but he couldn’t see Box and his party, which meant they couldn’t see him, either.
“Do you want to leave?” Dino asked.
“Fuck ’em,” Stone said.
“I think the other guy could be your man.”
“Fuck him, especially.”
“Anything you say,” Dino replied. “I could use another drink.”
Stone ordered another for everybody, then he leaned toward Kelly. “Should I call Lance?”
“It couldn’t hurt,” she replied.
Stone made the call, and Lance answered. “Yes, Stone?”
“Box is at the yacht club with a woman and another couple, one of which could be the subject.”
“Do they know you’re there?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you in a position to get a positive ID without being seen?”
“Probably not.”
“I’ll have someone check it out,” Lance said. “Don’t leave. Finish your dinner, but it would be good if you could leave before the other party.”
“We had a head start on ordering, so maybe we can.”
“Talk to you later.” Lance hung up.
* * *
—
STONE WAS SIGNING the check, when Joe Box walked out of the dining room and headed for the men’s restroom. He spotted Stone and walked over. “There you are,” he said to Stone. “I stopped by your house earlier.”
“I don’t have a house here anymore,” Stone replied. “I told you that, didn’t I?”
“Oh, that’s right. Where are you staying?”
“Aboard my yacht,” Stone replied.
“I didn’t know you had one.”
“There’s so much you don’t know about me, Joe.” He decided to turn the tables. “Who are the people you came in with?”
“Oh, just friends from out of town.”
“Did they arrive in a Falcon Jet?”
Box blinked. “I wouldn’t know, but I guess I’ll find out. I’m hitching a ride to Washington with them tomorrow.”
“Such a brief visit,” Stone said.
“I just wanted to check on my house, and my friends wanted to see Key West.”
“Well,” Stone said, “you’d better get back to them, hadn’t you?”
“Right,” Box replied. He nodded to the others, then went back to the dining room.
“We may as well get out of here,” Stone said.
* * *
—
THEY DROVE BACK TO the house and found Lance in Stone’s study, reading a book.
“It was Owaki,” Lance said.
“Box went to the men’s room and made us,” Stone said.
Lance shrugged. “C’est la guerre.”
“I hope not,” Stone said.
“By the way,” Lance said. “Don’t forget to call your friend, the duke, before you leave tomorrow morning.”
“I will,” Stone said.
They all trooped off to bed. Kelly snuggled closed to him. “Aren’t you getting a little tired of Owaki dogging your trail?” She asked.
“We’ll lose him in Santa Fe or L.A.,” Stone replied.
* * *
—
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, very early, they all had breakfast together, and afterward, Lance reminded Stone again to call the duke.
Stone found his cell and dialed the London number.
“Kensington Estates,” a woman’s voice said.
“My name is Stone Barrington; I’m a personal acquaintance of the duke. May I speak with him, please?”
“Just one moment, Mr. Barrington,” she said. “I’ll see if I can locate him.” She put him on hold for a minute or so, then came back. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Barrington,” she said, “but the duke is in a conference. May I have him ring you back?”
“Thank you, yes.” He gave her his number and that of the satphone on the airplane. “We’ll be in the air in about an hour; he can reach me on the satphone then.”
“I’ll be sure he calls,” the woman replied, and they both hung up. As he did, Stone heard his landline ringing. About all he got on that line was robocalls, so he ignored it. As they left the house, the landline rang again.