The Short Forever (Stone Barrington 8)

“How about Morgan?” Stone asked.

Plumber checked his list again. “Never married.”

“So he lives alone?”

Plumber checked his sheet again. “No; he has a cat.”

Carpenter was back on the cellphone. “Mason, where are you? Well, hurry up!” She closed the phone. “He says he’s two minutes out.”

“Morgan won’t run,” Plumber said. “He has no idea we’re onto him. He plans to take his retirement on schedule, then retire somewhere with his new money, probably Spain, where we can’t get at him. I’ll bet he’s home watching telly right now.”

Dino came out of the bedroom. “What’s happening?”

“Lots,” Stone replied. “Who won the cricket match?”

“I have no idea,” Dino said. “Bring me up to date.”

Stone gave him a sixty-second recap.

“Mason’s at the house,” Carpenter said. “Get it onscreen,” she said to the tech.

The tech had it up in seconds; two cars pulled into Morgan’s driveway, and men spilled out of them. One opened the garage door; the others ringed the house, while someone at the front kicked in the door.

“Mason, report,” Carpenter said into the cellphone. “Mason? Where are you?”

Stone stared at the screen. He didn’t like this at all.

“Mason!” Carpenter shouted. “What? What’s happening?” She listened. “It’s still there?”

“The car,” Dino said. “I’ll bet it’s in the garage.”

Stone held up a hand for silence; he was listening to Carpenter.

She closed the phone. “Morgan’s gone,” she said. “His luggage is gone, and most of his clothes. The Morris Minor is in the garage, empty.”

“Is it a two-car garage?” Stone asked.

“Yes.”

“Then he had another car. The device was in the back of the Morris Minor; while Morgan painted, Lance took it and left the money in the car. Morgan drove home, garaged his car, then got into the other car, which was packed and ready to go, and just drove away.”

Carpenter turned to Plumber. “Full-scale alert—every airport, every seaport, every police patrol car. Photographs of Cabot and Morgan faxed everywhere, the continent, too. Call Interpol and explain the situation. I want them both back, and the device, too. Especially the device. What’s the longest Cabot and Morgan could have been gone?”

Plumber looked at his watch. “Forty minutes for Cabot; Morgan would have needed another, say, fifteen minutes to return to the house and leave again.”

“Establish a perimeter at eighty miles,” Carpenter said. “Right now, Cabot could be, say, forty miles away, driving fast, and Morgan less. Every road blocked; turn out the local police, but don’t tell them why we want these two.”

Stone picked up a photograph. “Is this Morgan?”

“Yes,” Plumber replied.

“I want to see his house.”

“Me, too,” Dino said.

Carpenter handed Stone the keys to the Jaguar. “Give them a map,” she said. “I can’t spare anybody to go with you, Stone.”

Stone took the keys and ran for the car.