Dark Harbor (Stone Barrington 12)

“She’d been beaten, raped and strangled.”

“Are the state cops on top of this?”

“They’re all over it. They’ve taken the body back to Augusta for autopsy.”

“When did they find her?”

“At sundown. They kept it as quiet as they could until they told the parents and got the body off the island.”

“And you think this is connected to Don?”

“I think Janey knew something about somebody, and she told Don, and that person killed them both. I just can’t see it any other way. I think all this Kirov horseshit is just that, and we ought to get about it.”

“I’ll let Lance know in the morning.”

“I’m sorry I called you so late.”

“It’s all right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Stone hung up.

Arrington was staring at him intently. “Who’s dead?”

“A seventeen-year-old girl,” Stone said. “Her name was Janey. She was kidnapped, raped and murdered.”

“Peter and I are flying back to New York tomorrow.” She reached for the phone.

“Don’t bother calling Centurion; I’ll fly you back myself.”

“All right.” She turned her back to him and pulled her knees up into the fetal position.

“I’m sorry about this,” Stone said.

“It’s not your fault, Stone.”

They didn’t speak again until morning.

Chapter 31

BY MID-MORNING THEY were off the Islesboro landing field and headed southwest. An hour and a half later they touched down at Teterboro, New Jersey, and taxied up to Atlantic Aviation, next to a chartered jet waiting for Arrington and Peter.

“I wish you’d stay longer,” Stone said to Arrington as her luggage was being transferred.

“Peter wants to get back to his pony,” she said, “and I’m redesigning the gardens at the main house, so there’s lots of work for me to do.” She kissed him. “Take care of yourself.”

Stone knelt and gave Peter a hug and watched them board the jet, then walked with Dino through the terminal building to the parking lot, where Joan, his secretary, was waiting with his car. Half an hour later, they were back at Stone’s house.

He went to his office and wrote a check to the Samuel Bernard Foundation and gave it to Joan, along with the file on Dick’s estate and a letter to his old mentor. “Please have this hand-delivered to Sam Bernard,” he said. “I want it to pass through his hands on the way to the foundation. Then book a table at Elaine’s and call Lance Cabot and tell him I’d like to have dinner with him and Holly Barker.”

ELAINE’S AND ELAINE were as ever. Stone and Dino shook some hands, then sat down at their usual table, waiting for Lance and Holly.

Elaine came over and sat down. “So, you couldn’t stand it up there any longer, huh?”

“It was very nice up there, but I had to fly Arrington back.”

“So, you couldn’t stand it up there with Arrington, huh?”

“You’re not gonna win this one,” Dino said.

“I give up,” Stone said, raising his hands in surrender. “I just couldn’t stand it up there any longer.”