“And you said you were tired of it anyway. Want to go out in a burst of glory?”
“Or down in flames?”
“Same thing.”
Dino spoke up again. “Could I just remind you both that the last time you annoyed Trini there were very serious attempts on both your lives? Talk about going down in flames!”
“There is that,” Stone said. “They might get luckier next time.”
“The Times idea is looking pretty good right now.”
“Think about it,” Stone said. “Suppose you convince the Times, and they run a big story. Then you’ll have a media horde camped on your doorstep—rather, my doorstep—clamoring for interviews. America’s Most Wanted will be after you, as will every supermarket tabloid in the country. You think that will help?”
“I don’t know,” Holly said. “I’m so tired. I feel like I’m still in Santa Fe, with altitude sickness.”
“So am I,” Stone admitted. “Why don’t we think about this tomorrow?”
“Just like Scarlett O’Hara,” Holly said, downing her drink. “Let’s get out of here.”
Stone and Holly were sound asleep in his bed when there was a loud noise in the bedroom. Stone sat up. “What was that?”
A very bright light blinded him. “That was the sound of your body hitting the floor,” a man’s voice said.
“What’s going on?” Holly asked, sitting up and clutching the sheet to her breast.
“Now your little quest is at an end,” the voice said.
“It’s Trini,” Holly said to Stone.
“Swell.”
There was the sound of a semiautomatic pistol having its action worked.
“Could I just point out something?” Stone asked.
“Be quick. I want to kill you, then go to bed.”
“You haven’t committed a crime since you’ve been in the Witness Protection Program—at least not one they can hang on you.”
“They can’t hang this one on me, either,” the voice said.
“Oh, yes they can. The New York City Police Department knows about you, knows where you live. You kill us, and your federal protection will evaporate like the morning mist. You’ll be a fugitive from the Feds as well as the Florida authorities. Your picture will be all over television, all over those most-wanted shows, and there’ll be a big reward out for you. You’ll never have another day’s peace for the rest of your life.”
There was a long silence, then the voice spoke again. “This is your last warning. Next time, you both die, and you know I can do it.” Suddenly, the light went out, and footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
“Now’s my chance,” Holly said. “If I can kill him before he leaves the house, it’ll be a good shooting.”
Stone grabbed her wrist. “Hang on. You don’t know if he has somebody with him. They could be guarding the stairs until he’s out of the house, and you’re not going to have any night vision for a few minutes after having that light in your eyes. Let it go.”
Holly sat down on the bed. “You’re a pretty good lawyer,” she said. “You talked him out of killing us.”
“Next time, he’ll have an alibi, and he’ll kill us.”
“Next time, set the burglar alarm, will you?”
“Yeah, I did forget that.”
“You’re forgiven, since I’m still alive, but if you forget again, I’ll never forgive you.”