Bel-Air Dead (Stone Barrington 20)

Dino had sat quietly throughout the conversation. “I guess you’re going to want an evidence bag,” he said, digging into a pocket.

“Yes, please,” Stone said, reaching for the wastebasket.

57

Stone put a note to Ed Eagle in the FedEx box, along with the used tissue, and handed it to Manolo. “Please call for pickup, and mark it for early delivery.”

“Yes, Mr. Stone,” Manolo said.

Dino spoke up. “Are you going to sell the property to Mrs. Grosvenor?” he asked. “Knowing what you know about her?”

“Knowing what I know about her,” Stone said, “it would be safer to sell it to her than not. People who cross Barbara Eagle Keeler Grosvenor don’t seem to do well. Look at Terry Prince.”

“I’ll give you odds Prince gets bail,” Dino said. “It’ll be expensive, but he’ll be out.”

“Didn’t you just hear Carolyn say that he’s broke?”

“No, I heard her say he doesn’t have two hundred twenty-five million dollars to close the sale. That’s a far cry from not having a few million for bail.”

“Good point.”

“Now,” Dino said, “you should give some thought to what he’s going to do if he’s back on the street.”

“I’ve been doing just that,” Stone said.

“My guess is, you’re going to screw him out of his twenty-five million dollars.”

“No, I’m just going to let him screw himself out of it. All I have to do is wait until noon on Friday, and if he can’t close-and I don’t see how he can-I’ll keep his money, or rather, Arrington will. I take some satisfaction in knowing that a nonrefundable deposit was his idea, not mine.”

“Well, I don’t think that will make him any less pissed off, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“And Stone, you do remember the things he tried to do to you when he wasn’t pissed off, don’t you?”

“I’m trying not to,” Stone replied uncomfortably.

“Mind if I make a suggestion?” Dino asked.

“Not at all.”

“Why don’t we just get into your airplane tomorrow morning and get the hell out of here and back to New York? I mean, you don’t have to be here to let Prince screw himself out of his deposit, and the relevant authorities will come get Ms. Blaine as soon as they match the DNA samples.”

“You have a point, Dino, as always, but that wouldn’t be any fun. I want to watch, don’t you?”

“From a distance,” Dino said.

“Listen, if you’re really worried, or if you really have to get back to the precinct, then I’ll drive you to LAX, and you can get the red-eye.”

“Me, fly the airlines? Don’t hold your breath.”

“I’ve spoiled you, haven’t I?”

“You sure have,” Dino replied.

“Well, Arrington can take you as far as Virginia, and Mike, all the way to New York. You can have your choice of jet travel.”

“And if I do that, who’s going to watch your back?”