The Short Forever (Stone Barrington 8)

“Yes, of course, but order for three; my friend Dino is upstairs asleep.”

“May I use the phone? My department frowns on the use of secure cellphones for ordering Chinese.”

“Sure, there’s one in the kitchen.”

“It will be an hour or so,” she said. “The restaurant is in Gerard Street, in Soho, not far from my, ah, place of business; they’ll send it over in a taxi.”

“Do I pay the driver when he arrives?”

“No, it’s already been charged to a business account.”

“For future reference, what’s the restaurant?”

“The Dumpling Inn. It’s good for a quick before-the-ater dinner, a short block of

f Shaftsbury Avenue.”

“I’ll make a note,” he said, “for a future trip. Would you like a drink while we wait?”

“Thank you, yes; is there any bourbon?”

Stone went to a liquor cabinet across the room and found a bottle of Knob Creek. “Yes, and a good one. Where would a proper, Oxford-educated Englishwoman acquire a taste for bourbon?”

“I did some training in Virginia, near Washington.”

“At the Farm?”

“How did you know that?” she demanded.

“Lance Cabot told me he spent some time there.”

“True; he was in the class just a year ahead of mine; we heard about him.”

“Was Stan Hedger running the place then?”

“Yes; you do know a lot, don’t you?”

“Not a lot. Just enough to sound knowledgeable. Ice?”

“Yes, please; I learned that in Virginia, too.”

There was an ice machine built into the cabinet; Stone returned with the two drinks and sat down. They clinked glasses.

“Mmmm, good one,” she said. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s one of a rash of boutique bourbons that have cropped up the past few years. Sort of like your single-malt Scotches.”

Her cellphone rang. “Yes? Well, give the man priority. Try and have it done before he gets home. You’ll just have to do the other one while the house is occupied; it must be done as soon as possible.” She hung up. “Mason is bringing more personnel up from our Portsmouth office, but right now we’ve only enough people to wire one house, and I’ve chosen the man, since he’s working late in the lab.”

“Probably getting his device ready to sell.”

“Probably.”

“Did you enjoy the training at the Farm?”

She smiled. “I adored it, the rougher the better. I’m quite a tomboy, you know. I grew up outdoors, around horses, played polo. At school, I was a vicious lacrosse player; had a terrible reputation among our opponents.”

“I expect your people liked that about you, when you were being considered for your work.”