“I’m sure that will be all right. We’re not expecting any other guests, and anyway, the house is ready now. Who is this fellow?”
“His name is Dino Bacchetti. He and I were partners for a long time when I was on the force. He’s saved my ass more than once.”
“I must remember to thank him. Will I like him?”
“Probably. He’ll certainly like you,” Stone said.
“Should I see if I can find him some female companionship while he’s here?”
“Not unless you want his Sicilian wife to come after you with a sharp instrument.”
?
?I think not.”
“Don’t worry, Dino will be fine on his own. Anyway, we can pair him with Liz at dinner.”
“Does he know her?”
“He knows about her, but they’ve never met.”
“Funny, I don’t think I’ve ever met a cop before. I mean, except for you, and you’re not a cop anymore.”
“You’ll find Dino charming at times, and blunt to the point of rudeness at others.”
“I never mind bluntness in people, unless they’re insulting. Sometimes I’m not sure whether they’re trying to insult.”
“When Dino is trying, you’ll know.”
“He sounds interesting.”
“He is certainly that.”
Liz came out of her cabin and made her way aft.
“Oh, Liz,” Callie said. “Stone has got you a date.”
“Huh?” Liz asked sleepily.
“Not a date, just a dinner companion,” Stone explained.
“As long as it’s not Paul Manning,” she said, sitting down at their table.
“It’s not,” Stone said. “Callie, do you know where the Rolls-Royce dealership is in Palm Beach?”
“It’s in West Palm, on the mainland,” she said. “Hang on, I’ll show you.” She dug a map out of her purse and pointed at it. “There are a whole bunch of car dealers along this stretch of road; it’s one of those. You thinking of buying a Rolls?”
“No, but they sell Bentley, too.”
26
STONE CROSSED THE BRIDGE TO THE MAINLAND. THE heavy rain roiled the Inland Waterway, and his windshield wipers were on full blast. The Rolls-Royce showroom was on the same lot with the BMW dealership, but separate. He put up his borrowed umbrella, strolled into the showroom and began looking at the Rollses and Bentleys, new and used, on the floor. Shortly, a man whose clothes were a cut above those of the average car salesman left his glassed-in office and approached him.
“Good morning. May I answer any questions?”
“Just looking, really. What does the new Bentley sell for?”
“It starts at two hundred fifteen thousand,” the man said. “And there are some options available.”