Cold Paradise (Stone Barrington 7)

cted by the law on double jeopardy, he no longer exists.”

“Except he does.”

“He does.”

“You got a description of this man? I’d like to distribute it to my people.”

“Tall, six-three or -four, on the slender side when I knew him, although he used to be a lot heavier, I’m told. Hair could be any color. He had a prominent nose when I knew him, though he’s apparently had a nose job, so I’m not sure I’d recognize him on sight.”

“So, tall is all we’ve got?”

“That’s about it. He might have gotten heavier, but I doubt if he’s gotten any shorter.”

The chief laughed. “I guess not. Okay, he’s tall and dead. I’ll let my people know.”

“I’ll call you if I learn anything else,” Stone said. The two men said goodbye and hung up.

Liz appeared on the afterdeck in a bikini, looking fetching.

“I’ve got something for you,” Stone said, handing her the envelope.

She took out the agreement and read it swiftly. “My get-out-of-jail-free pass,” she said, smiling.

“Well, not exactly free,” Stone reminded her.

“It’s worth every penny.” She put her arms around him and gave him a big kiss, reminding him, for a moment, how much he had enjoyed her embrace in the past.

Stone looked over her shoulder and saw Callie coming up the gangplank. “All in a day’s work,” he said, gently removing her arms from his neck.

She tucked the document into her purse. “I’m going up on the top deck and catch some sun,” she said.

“See you later.” He watched her climb the stairs, then turned to greet Callie.

“I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?” she said, poking him in the ribs.

“Just her sincere thanks for a job well done,” he replied.

“What kind of job?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing.

“A professional job,” he said, giving her a kiss.

“If she does it again, I’m going to do a professional job on her,” Callie said.

“Say, have you, by any chance, seen a tall man hanging around the house or the neighborhood?”

“No, but …”

“But what?”

“There was a tall man at the party I didn’t know and didn’t invite.”

“How tall?”

“Real tall; taller than you.”

“Hair color?”

“Dark, going gray.”