Paris Match

“This is all too complicated for me.”

“That’s because your mind is not devious enough for intelligence work.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, sweetheart.” She leaned over and gently bit a nipple, and Stone’s thoughts of Majorov were replaced by other thoughts.

57

Stone was having a sandwich in the mews house the next day, while Holly attended yet another meeting at the CIA station, when his phone rang.

“Hello?”

“It’s A

“I thought you were submerged in work, never to surface again.”

“Actually, that’s a pretty good description of what has happened to me over the past couple of weeks. When are you coming home?”

“Tomorrow night is the grand opening of l’Arrington, and we’re going from that directly to the airport, so I’ll be home early the following morning. I’ll take a day to rest, then, on Election Day I’ll borrow a Mustang from Strategic Services and fly down to Washington. Can I give you a lift?”

“What time of day?”

“What time of day would you prefer?”

“Five-ish?”

“As long as the ‘ish’ doesn’t run too late. I believe we’re both expected for di

“Okay, pick me up at four sharp. I’ll have a car meet us at, where, Manassas?”

“Right. Given the traffic, I should think we’ll be there by seven.”

“Perfect.”

“How are things going?”

“We’ve been slightly ahead inside the margin of error on most polls. A couple have shown Honk creeping up, but I’m ignoring those.”

“So, you’re in a horse race, then?”

“I wish we weren’t, but we are. I keep expecting something explosive from Honk’s campaign, but it hasn’t happened yet, and if he’s going to pull something, he’s ru

“I hope there’s no chance of my name coming up again.”

“So do I. It was after the paternity rumors that the polls started getting tight. Your name will not pass my lips until the polls have closed on the West Coast, maybe Hawaii.”

“That’s just fine with me,” Stone said. “I hate getting phone calls from reporters.”

“You seem to have charmed the last one you talked to,” A

“Wasn’t I supposed to?”

“Well, yes, but I’m jealous anyway. Since the apology by and disappearance of Howard Axelrod, she’s been slyly complimentary about you to a couple of people I know, and the news reports following Axelrod’s exit from the scene have been good to you. Even the evening news shows have gone out of their way to point out that you and Kate were defamed, and Rush Limbaugh expressed regret that he didn’t have you to kick around anymore.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t around to hear all this,” Stone said. “It would have made me nervous.”

“What have you been doing with your time the last few days?”

“Oh, consulting with Marcel duBois on the grand opening, kibitzing with our board on last-minute details, that sort of thing.”

“No grand meals at expensive restaurants?”

“Nope, I’m lunching on a ham sandwich as we speak.”

“No company of gorgeous women?”

“Of course, every chance I get!”

“I knew that—you didn’t have to tell me. After all, I set you free, didn’t I?”

“Caged no more!”

She laughed. There was a noise from her end like a door opening, people talking, then the door closing again. “Hang on a minute, will you?”

“Sure.” Stone took another bite of his sandwich and tried to listen to the muffled conversation at the other end, which went on for three or four minutes.

“I’m back,” she said, “and this is not going to make you happy.”

“What isn’t going to make me happy?”

“A reporter just came in here and said he’d heard a rumor out of the CIA—that means he’s got a source inside—that the Agency has spent a lot of money protecting you from those Russians that hate you so much while you’ve been in Paris.”

“My goodness, am I supposed to be that important?”

“According to his source, Lance Cabot thinks you are.”

“I think I can say, without fear of contradiction, that any report of anything positive Lance Cabot has ever said about me would be grossly overblown and should be dismissed out of hand.”

“But you are a consultant to them, aren’t you?”

“I had a cousin, now deceased, who was a rival of Lance’s at the Agency, so I’ve had dealings there at widely separated intervals.”

“Nothing you can talk about, I suppose.”

“I wouldn’t talk about it, even if I could. The inconsequential nature of the me/Agency relationship would be an embarrassment. I’d rather people thought it was more important.”

“So I don’t have to worry about anything coming out of Honk’s campaign about you and Lance Cabot?”

“They can always make up something, I guess. I can’t stop them.”

“I pointed out to the reporter who was just in here that sullying your name backfired on them last time—resulting in the resignation of a high campaign official. I think he’ll print that.”

“Okay by me.”

“I gotta run. Call me when you’re back in New York and over your Gulfstream lag.”

“Will do.” They both hung up. Stone had been feeling relaxed, but now he was nervous again.

58

Stone called Lance and got a voice mail beep. “Trouble at home,” Stone said. “Call me soonest.” He hung up and finished his sandwich, then the phone rang.

“Lance?”

“Dino.”

“Sorry about that, pal. I had a call in to him.”

“Where the hell have you been? You’ve checked out of the suite, and your cell phone hasn’t been working.”

“I’m sorry about that—it got wet, and I had to get it replaced.”

“Are you okay? The Russians haven’t kidnapped you?”

“I’m reliably informed that the Russians are no longer a threat.”

“Oh? Are they all dead?”

“I’ll tell you more when I see you. Are you done with your conference?”

“A couple of days ago. We stayed over to see some sights and get the free ride home after the big do.”

“Why don’t the two of you come to di

“Come to di

“Oh, I didn’t tell you—I bought a house.”

“You’re insane.”

“You won’t think so when you see it.” Stone gave him the address. “Seven-thirty?”

“Okay. Then I want to be brought up to date.”

“I’ll tell you everything.” They hung up, and Stone called Holly, got the beep. “I’ve invited Dino and Viv to di

—

TWO HOURS passed before Lance returned his call. “All right, Stone, who’s after you now?”

“Not I—Kate. Someone in your bailiwick has leaked to a reporter that you’re spending outrageous money on protecting my ass.”

A brief silence. “Any idea who?”

“Of course not—you should have a better idea than I.”

“Any idea which side of the Atlantic we’re talking about?”

“Nope, but how would anyone on the other side know what’s going on over here?”

“It would have to be someone highly placed,” Lance said.

“A

“That is disturbing.”

“The reporter is treating it with caution, but the election is Tuesday. This would not be a good time for you to have to deny it.”

“Deny it? I don’t deny things, except before a congressional committee.”

“There are Republicans on congressional committees,” Stone said. “In fact Henry Carson is on the Senate Intelligence Committee.”

“You have a point. Let me see what I can learn.” Lance hung up without further ado.

Stone washed the dishes from breakfast and went in search of a book in his new library. He settled on an old biography of Huey Long, but he had trouble concentrating.