Stone took a deep breath and, once more, started at the beginning.
45
WHEN STONE HAD FINISHED TELLING them everything, Mason just stared at him for a long moment. “Extraordinary,” he drawled.
Stone looked at Carpenter; she nodded.
“Rather,” she said.
He wasn’t sure whether this meant they didn’t believe him. “Do you have any questions for me?”
“Well, let me tell you a few things: First, David Beth Alachmy is the new Mossad station chief in London; old Stan was right about that; second, the two chaps in the car were Beth Alachmy’s men; third, the abduction and interrogation of you by Beth Alachmy and his thugs was way, way out of bounds, and I will see that he is suitably punished for it.”
“Thank you, but I don’t really care about that,” Stone replied. “I just want to get this thing over with and get back to New York.”
“Our sentiments exactly,” Mason said. “I hope we can have you out of here in just a few days.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re aware of Lance Cabot and his little consulting business, but this is the first we’ve heard of Ali and Sheila; we’ll be looking into them.”
“Fine.”
“Oh, I assume you do actually have the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars that Cabot wants for his project?”
“Well, yes, in a brokerage account in New York.”
“I think the very first thing you’ll want to do is have that transferred to the offshore account, as Cabot requested.”
“But—”
“Oh, don’t actually give it to him; just let him confirm that you’ve got it in the account. When we’re done, you can wire it back to your brokerage account.”
“I suppose—”
“Now, the first thing we’ve got to do is to get you out of this hotel.”
“Why?” Stone asked plaintively. “I like it here.”
“Because Stan’s people know where to find you, and they can follow you anywhere from here,” Mason said, as if he were explaining things to a child. “Do you have somewhere you can go?”
Stone thought for a moment. “Let me make a phone call.”
“Of course.”
He picked up a phone and called Sarah at her London flat.
“Hi.”
“Well, hello; I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”
“Have our mutual acquaintances cleared out of James’s house?”
“Yes, all gone.”
“Do you mind if Dino and I move in there for a few days? I’ve got to get out of the Connaught; they’re booked up, apparently.”
“Dino’s in London?”