Swimming to Catalina (Stone Barrington 4)

“So now Arrington is married to the guy People says is the sexiest man in America, and I’m…” His voice trailed off.

“How long they been married?” Elaine asked.

“I don’t know-two and a half, three months.”

“It’s probably too late,” Elaine mused. “Unless it’s going really badly.”

“I’ve had a couple of letters from her telling me how gloriously it’s going,” Stone said glumly.

“Oh,” Elaine said.

There followed a long silence.

Jack came over to the table. “Phone call for you, Stone,” he said, pointing at one of the two pay phones n the wall nearby.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” Jack replied, “but he’s got a beautiful speaking voice on the telephone.”

“Must be Vance Calder,” Dino deadpanned.

Elaine burst out laughing.

Stone got up and trudged over to the phone. “Hello?” he said, sticking a finger in the other ear to blot out some of the noise.

“Stone?”

“Yeah? Who’s this?”

“Stone, this is Vance Calder.”

“Yeah, sure; Dino put you up to this?”

“What?”

“Who is this?”

“It’s Vance, Stone.”

Stone hung up the phone and went back to the table. “Nice,” he said to Dino.

“Huh?”

“Guy on the phone says he’s Vance Calder. Thanks a lot.”

“Don’t thank me,” Dino said. “I never met the guy.”

“You put whoever that was up to it, didn’t you? It was a setup.” He looked at Elaine. “You were probably in on it, too.”

Elaine placed a hand on her ample bosom. “Stone, I swear.”

Jack came back. “Same guy on the phone again; says you hung up on him. You know who it sounds like?”

“Vance Calder?” Dino suggested.

“Yeah!” Jack said. “Sounds just like him!”

After a glare at Dino and Elaine, Stone went back to the phone. “Hello?”