Swimming to Catalina (Stone Barrington 4)

Stone stood up and allowed himself to be patted down.

“He’s clean, except for a telephone,” one of the men said, holding up Stone’s cell phone.

“Thank you, Tommy; you can give it back to him.”

The man handed back the telephone, and Stone slipped it into his pocket. The two men, at a nod from Ippolito, left the room.

“So it was you,” Ippolito said. “My yacht captain described you, but I didn’t believe it.”

Stone shrugged. He didn’t want to admit to sinking the yacht while wearing a wire.

“I don’t understand,” Sturmack said, looking distinctly ill.

“It was Mr. Barrington here, who sank my boat. Both my boats, in fact.”

Stone smiled, but said nothing.

“So what brings you to see us, Mr. Barrington?” Ippolito asked.

“I thought perhaps you and I might do some business,” Stone replied.

“After the money you’ve cost me?” Ippolito asked, outraged. “I should do business with you?”

“And what about you, Mr. Ippolito? You’re a very bad dinner host indeed, inviting me aboard your yacht, then trying to have me murde

red on the way. Why did you do that?”

“You were getting in my way,” Ippolito said, shrugging. “I kill people who get in my way.”

Stone smiled. He hoped to God the wire picked up that little tidbit.

“Well, I figure we’re about even,” Stone said. “You gave me a bad fright, I gave you one. I don’t think we should let that stand in the way of business, do you?”

“What kind of business did you have in mind?” Ippolito asked.

“I’d like to invest in Albacore Fisheries,” Stone said, “I think the stock is going to go way, way up. With my help.”

“And how could you help our stock to go up?” Ippolito asked.

“By helping you gain control of Centurion Studios,” Stone replied. He was improvising, but he had their attention.

“And how could you possibly do that?”

Sturmack seemed to have regained control of himself. “This is ridiculous,” he said to Ippolito. “Kill him now; have Tommy and Zip take him somewhere and shoot him. We don’t need this.”

Ippolito held up a hand and silenced him. “Easy, David; let’s hear what Mr. Barrington has to say.” He turned his attention to Stone. “You were about to tell us how you could be helpful in acquiring Centurion.”

“Well, for a start, I can deliver Vance Calder’s shares to you, for a price, of course. I can also deliver his services to Safe Harbor as a television spokesman.”

“And how will you accomplish those things?” Ippolito asked.

“Let’s just say that Mr. Calder and I have reached an understanding; he values my advice.”

“You’re an interesting man, Mr. Barrington,” Ippolito said. “I know something about you, of course; in fact, just about everything there is to know. I know, for instance, that you have something over a million dollars in marketable securities in your brokerage account, so you can afford to invest in Albacore. And if you could arrange the exchange of Mr. Calder’s Centurion stock for Albacore stock, I might let you buy in.”

“Oh, I can do better than that, Mr. Ippolito,” Stone said. “I can arrange for you to buy Mr. Calder’s stock for cash, and at a reasonable price. No need to give him Albacore stock when that stock is going to go through the roof.”

“Now that is interesting,” Ippolito said.