Strategic Moves (Stone Barrington 19)

“At our meeting today, Lance gave me a full account of how and why you happened to leave Britain.”

Mike was silent.

“You understand, he knows your whole backstory.”

“That’s troubling,” Mike said. “How do you suppose he came by that knowledge?”

“He’s the operations director for the largest intelligence organization in the world,” Stone said. “He has sources.”

“Yes, Stone, I suppose he does.”

“I think he told me all this in the knowledge that I would tell you.”

“Yes.”

“Down the road somewhere, Lance is fully capable of using this information to pressure you into accepting some mission you might not want. If you’re concerned about that, then you should refuse the offer you’re not supposed to refuse and decline any further business from him.”

“If I did that, would it prevent him from using the information in some other way?”

“You have a point, Mike. You’re the only person who can say how much damage the release of that story might do. I can foresee circumstances in which public knowledge of your past might make you a sympathetic character, but no one can guarantee that. You, alone, know what you had to do in order to effect your disappearance and your identity change and what risks the wide knowledge of that might entail. Whatever you decide, I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

“Thank you, Stone. Let me sleep on it, and we’ll talk when you’re back in the city. Good night.”

“Good night, Mike.” Stone hung up and went back to the living room and poured Adele and himself another drink.

“Mary says dinner is at seven,” she said.

“Sounds good,” Stone replied, but his mind was elsewhere, trying to figure out how the possible exposure of Mike Freeman might play out.

SEVENTEEN

Early on Monday morning they flew back to Teterboro, and Stone raised another subject that had been on his mind.

“Adele, are you going to continue to keep your money with Jack Gunn?”

“Yes, since all the hubbub seems to have been cleared up. I trust Jack.”

“Herbie Fisher has suggested that I move some of my money there. I have an unusual amount of cash at the moment.”

“I think that’s fine, if Jack will take you as a client.”

“Herbie says Stephanie can arrange it. I’m sure I would be one of his smaller clients.”

“I think it’s a good idea. I’ve had returns of between eight and twelve percent annually, which is good. It’s not the sort of thing that Bernie Madoff paid, but then his company was a Ponzi scheme, and Jack’s is not.”

“I was a little confused about the story that some of their funds—apparently a billion dollars or so—were somehow inadvertently . . . transferred to some of their foreign accounts. They called it a computer glitch.”

“I don’t understand that stuff,” Adele said. “I only understand that I had a letter from Jack saying that my funds were secure and that I can withdraw any part of my capital anytime I wish.”

“Do you know if many people have taken him up on that offer?”

“I’ve heard there are some, but since nobody lost any money, most of his clients are standing pat.”

“Thanks for your advice,” Stone said.

They landed at Teterboro and drove back into New York. Stone dropped Adele at her apartment building, then drove home. In addition to the morning mail there was a fax of several pages from Mike Freeman, which was the agreement with Lance Cabot. To his surprise, it included all the items Stone had suggested. He called Mike.

“Good morning, Stone,” Freeman said. “Are you back?”