Lucid Intervals (Stone Barrington 18)

Eduardo looked bleakly into his coffee cup, then took a small sip. “I am afraid I have been foolish, Stone,” he said. “Dolce seemed to have improved greatly over the past months, becoming again much the sweet daughter she once was. As a result, I have permitted her to leave the house and make trips into the city, accompanied by Mario, of course. He is quite fond of her.”

“I thought that in view of my past… difficulties with Dolce that you might wish to know of her visits to my neighborhood.”

“Yes,” Eduardo said. “You are quite right to inform me of this. You, as well as anyone, have personal knowledge of how dangerous Dolce could be when she was-how shall I put it?-not herself.”

Stone nodded. “I am concerned for her safety,” he said.

Eduardo shook his head. “I believe you should, perhaps, be more concerned with your own.”

“Then you think she may be relapsing?”

“I am very much afraid that she has already relapsed,” Eduardo said.

Stone said nothing.

Eduardo took a deep breath and sighed. “She did not come home yesterday,” he said.

“She eluded Mario?” Stone asked.

“Mario is recovering in a hospital,” Eduardo replied, “from a knife wound. Either he was very lucky to survive or Dolce was extremely skillful. She was taught these things by my man.” He nodded in the direction of the butler, who was standing a discreet distance away, watching everything. “She could not have been more than fourteen years,” he said sadly.

“I see,” Stone said, because he could not think of anything else to say.

“You may be sure that she is being sought by acquaintances of mine,” Eduardo said. “I have so far been able to avoid involving the police, and I hope that you will do so as well.”

“Of course,” Stone said.

“And I would be grateful if your secretary could call mine should Dolce visit your neighborhood again.”

“Certainly,” Stone replied.

ON THE DRIVE home, Stone felt a dread he had not felt since the day Dolce had shot him. The wound, he realized, had been deeper than he had believed.

He drove around his block, looking for Dolce, before he pulled into his garage and closed the door behind the car.

He went into the house and to Joan’s office.

“How was lunch?” she asked, and she wasn’t asking about lunch.

“Yesterday Dolce knifed her bodyguard, then disappeared,” he said. “I want you to keep the outside office door locked. Don’t let anyone in until you have seen who it is.”

“Don’t you worry,” Joan said. She opened her desk drawer, removed the officer’s Model 1911.45, racked the slide, put the safety on and put it back into the drawer with the hammer cocked.

8

When Stone walked into Elaine’s, Dino was already half a drink ahead of him.

“You look worried,” Dino said, as Stone sat down.

“I didn’t know it showed,” Stone replied, as a waiter set a Knob Creek on the rocks before him.

“Always,” Dino said.

“Dolce’s on the loose,” Stone said, taking a swig from the drink.

Dino’s face fell. “Bring us both another one,” he said to the waiter, then turned back toward Stone. “How the hell did she escape?”

“I had lunch with Eduardo a few weeks ago, and to my shock she made an appearance at the table.”