Bel-Air Dead (Stone Barrington 20)

“I like the good stuff.”

“When are you going to retire, Dino?” Arrington asked.

“Retire from the NYPD? What would I do for fun?” he replied.

Manolo showed Mike Freeman out to the pool, arm in arm with Charlene Joiner. “Miss Joiner and I have just met,” he said. “I’m a big fan.”

“Isn’t he sweet?” Charlene said.

Stone introduced Arrington and Charlene. Each eyed the other up and down as they shook hands.

“Arrington,” Mike said, “everything is in hand for your airplane purchase. The insurance has been arranged, and we’ll have the pre-purchase inspection finished tomorrow. I’ve faxed the sales agreement to Woodman amp; Weld for their approval. Everything seems to be in perfect order.”

“Perfect order is what I like,” Arrington said.

Rick and Glenna Barron arrived and received champagne.

Rick raised his glass. “To a new day at Centurion, with a long life ahead.” They all drank.

They were about to sit down for dinner when Manolo came to Stone and whispered, “There’s a Mister Harvey Stein on the phone for you. He said it was urgent.”

“I’ll take it in the guesthouse,” Stone said. “Please excuse me for a moment, everybody.” He went into the guesthouse living room, picked up the phone, and pressed the lighted button. “Harvey?”

“Stone, I’m sorry to have to call you in the evening, but I’ve just had a call from Parker Center. Jim Long is on his way to the hospital.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“There was some sort of fight among several inmates in the dining hall during the supper hour, and Jim was knifed with a homemade shank.”

“How is he?”

“He’s lost a lot of blood, and he’s about to lose a kidney, but he’s hanging on.”

“Is he in the prison hospital?”

“The warden has agreed to move him to Cedars-Sinai for the surgery. He’s in the ambulance now. I’m meeting him at the hospital.”

“You’d better arrange some personal security for him,” Stone said.

“Why? Nobody’s going to knife him at Cedars-Sinai, and anyway, there’ll be a cop outside his door.”

“Harvey, does anybody besides you, me, and Long know that he’s agreed to sell us his shares in Centurion?”

“Why no… well, possibly.”

“Who?”

“Terry Prince’s attorney phoned this afternoon to try and buy the shares. I was out of the office and an associate took the call. It’s possible that he might have spoken out of turn. Surely, you don’t think that Prince is responsible for this.”

“Did you read the piece in the L.A. Times about the death of Eddie Harris’s daughter, Jennifer?”

“Yes, I saw it. Was she going to sell you her shares?”

“No, but she was going to vote with us.”

“Oh, shit. I had no idea.”

“Did you talk to Jim today?” Stone asked.