Bel-Air Dead (Stone Barrington 20)

Everyone ordered. As they were waiting for their food, Terry Prince got up and walked over to their table. “Good evening, Mrs. Calder, Stone, everybody.”

Replies were muttered.

Prince turned to Arrington. “Have you had an opportunity to consider my offer yet?”

“I’ve just arrived,” she said. “I haven’t seen it.”

“You’ll get an answer Tuesday,” Stone said, “after the Centurion business is settled.”

“Very well,” Prince said. “Enjoy your dinner.” He turned and ambled back to his table.

Stone reflected that Prince was looking a lot more relaxed than the last time he had seen him. Carolyn, too, he recalled. What were they so relaxed about? Then his mind made one of those off-the-wall connections, put two and two together and got eight. The thought didn’t make him feel any better. Dinner arrived, and he turned his attention to his sweetbreads with a sauce of morel mushrooms.

Mike spoke up. “Arrington, how are you enjoying your new airplane?”

“It’s just wonderful, Mike, and I thank you again for helping me choose it.”

“I thought you would like it.”

“Mike,” she asked, “what, exactly does your company do?”

“Strategic Services supplies security and investigative services to governments, corporations, and individuals worldwide,” Mike replied. “We also have several manufacturing divisions, including those for armored vehicles, body armor, and electronics associated with our work.”

“Is it fun?” she asked.

Mike laughed. “Sometimes.”

“Mike,” Stone said, “Woodman amp; Weld would like to buy me a car. Is the one you loaned me for sale?”

Mike took a card from his pocket, wrote something on the back of it, and handed it to Stone.

It was a number: 100K. “That seems low,” Stone said. “Are you sure?”

“It’s about what it would bring on the wholesale market or at auction.”

“Consider the deal done,” Stone said. He was thrilled but tried not to show it.

“Is it one of your armored models?” Arrington asked Mike.

“Yes.”

“Good. Stone needs it.”

Everybody laughed.

It was still early when they got home, and Stone called Ed Eagle at the Bel-Air.

“Hello?”

“Ed, it’s Stone. I’m glad to catch you in.”

“Hey, Stone, I’m glad you called. I remembered the name of the woman, the embezzler: her name was Dolly Parks. As I said before, that may not mean anything, since she would certainly have changed it when she left town.”

“Thanks, Ed. It was another name I called you about. You said your ex-wife, Barbara, was living in San Francisco and had remarried. Do you know her new name?”

“Well, she changed it from Barbara to Eleanor when she married Walter Keeler.”

“Walter Keeler, the avionics guy?”