too early for swimmers, but he’d have a clear view of the satellite. He punched in the number, and it rang.
“This is Holly Barker,” she said.
“It’s Todd Bacon.”
“How did it go in San Diego?” she asked.
“It went extremely well,” he replied.
“Does that mean you actually bagged Teddy?”
“No, that would have been super well. We missed him by, well, maybe as little as thirty minutes—four hours, max.”
“Poor timing, then.”
“We’ve been working flat-out. We couldn’t take him yesterday afternoon, when you got the call from the doc in San Diego. It would have caused an uproar in the neighborhood, would have been all over drive-time news. We do not want to be the talk of the town on this ~ey>e c job.”
“Certainly not,” Holly replied. “You were right to wait until the middle of the night. You must have spooked him somehow.”
“Impossible,” Todd said. “He had no idea.”
“So he’s in his airplane now, free as a bird.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Listen, next time concentrate on finding the airplane first, then stake it out so if he runs, you’ll get him at the airport.”
“That’s a very sensible suggestion,” Todd said.
“It’s not a suggestion,” Holly said emphatically. “You should have thought of it earlier, instead of waiting for me to tell you.”
“All right, all right. I have a good team, though, and we are going to get Teddy. We’ve already started a survey of every GA airfield on the West Coast, all the way to the Canadian border.”
“Why the West Coast? I mean, apart from why not?”
“His choices were south to Mexico, north up the West Coast, or east to God-knows-where. I think he likes the West Coast, it’s a very appealing place. I can’t see Teddy disappearing into Kansas, you know? He has certain needs of a hometown—some arts, good restaurants, shopping. We mustn’t forget that he has the girl. She’s not going to rely on Walmart for her shopping.”
“I know her,” Holly said, “and your assumption is correct. She needs opportunities for style around her.”
“Well, that sounds like San Francisco or Seattle to me—how about you?”
“Either would fit the bill, or any suburb of the two places.”
“The airport is the key,” Todd said. “He has to have that to make his escape when we rumble him, and we will rumble him. How much time have I got?”
“I want a definitive, provable, but very quiet end to this well before our man’s term is up.”
“That’s eighteen months. Have we got that long?”
“Make it a year.”
“I can do it in that time,” Todd said.
“I think you can, too,” she replied, “and if you can’t, there’s always that big pot of oil we keep on simmer down in the basement, waiting for your tender carcass.” She hung up.
Todd hung up, too, and then he gulped. It wouldn’t be boiling oil, he knew; it would probably be something worse.
15
STONE AND DINO WERE HAVING BREAKFAST WHEN THE PHONE rang, and Stone picked it up.
“Mr. Barrington?”
“Yes.”
“This is Fair Sutherlin.”
“Good morning. You’re up early.”
“It’s eight o‘clock. I’ve been in my office for an hour. Oh, that’s right, I forgot: you’re on vacation.”
Stone ignored the dig. “I’m an attorney. I keep banker’s hours.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry, I can’t resist getting at real people, who have a business life and a private life. When you work at the White House,~ey>size="3"> you have only one life, and it’s here.”
“You make it sound like drudgery,” Stone said.
“Oh, no, it’s too exciting for drudgery. It’s more like combat.”
“I see.”
“I’m breaking out and giving a small dinner party on Saturday night,” she said. “Could you both come? I’ll get Mr. Bacchetti a dinner partner, if he needs one.”
“Hang on,” Stone said, and turned to Dino. “Fair Sutherlin wants us for dinner Saturday night. Do you want her to get you a date?”
“I already have
“This is Holly Barker,” she said.
“It’s Todd Bacon.”
“How did it go in San Diego?” she asked.
“It went extremely well,” he replied.
“Does that mean you actually bagged Teddy?”
“No, that would have been super well. We missed him by, well, maybe as little as thirty minutes—four hours, max.”
“Poor timing, then.”
“We’ve been working flat-out. We couldn’t take him yesterday afternoon, when you got the call from the doc in San Diego. It would have caused an uproar in the neighborhood, would have been all over drive-time news. We do not want to be the talk of the town on this ~ey>e c job.”
“Certainly not,” Holly replied. “You were right to wait until the middle of the night. You must have spooked him somehow.”
“Impossible,” Todd said. “He had no idea.”
“So he’s in his airplane now, free as a bird.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Listen, next time concentrate on finding the airplane first, then stake it out so if he runs, you’ll get him at the airport.”
“That’s a very sensible suggestion,” Todd said.
“It’s not a suggestion,” Holly said emphatically. “You should have thought of it earlier, instead of waiting for me to tell you.”
“All right, all right. I have a good team, though, and we are going to get Teddy. We’ve already started a survey of every GA airfield on the West Coast, all the way to the Canadian border.”
“Why the West Coast? I mean, apart from why not?”
“His choices were south to Mexico, north up the West Coast, or east to God-knows-where. I think he likes the West Coast, it’s a very appealing place. I can’t see Teddy disappearing into Kansas, you know? He has certain needs of a hometown—some arts, good restaurants, shopping. We mustn’t forget that he has the girl. She’s not going to rely on Walmart for her shopping.”
“I know her,” Holly said, “and your assumption is correct. She needs opportunities for style around her.”
“Well, that sounds like San Francisco or Seattle to me—how about you?”
“Either would fit the bill, or any suburb of the two places.”
“The airport is the key,” Todd said. “He has to have that to make his escape when we rumble him, and we will rumble him. How much time have I got?”
“I want a definitive, provable, but very quiet end to this well before our man’s term is up.”
“That’s eighteen months. Have we got that long?”
“Make it a year.”
“I can do it in that time,” Todd said.
“I think you can, too,” she replied, “and if you can’t, there’s always that big pot of oil we keep on simmer down in the basement, waiting for your tender carcass.” She hung up.
Todd hung up, too, and then he gulped. It wouldn’t be boiling oil, he knew; it would probably be something worse.
15
STONE AND DINO WERE HAVING BREAKFAST WHEN THE PHONE rang, and Stone picked it up.
“Mr. Barrington?”
“Yes.”
“This is Fair Sutherlin.”
“Good morning. You’re up early.”
“It’s eight o‘clock. I’ve been in my office for an hour. Oh, that’s right, I forgot: you’re on vacation.”
Stone ignored the dig. “I’m an attorney. I keep banker’s hours.”
She laughed. “I’m sorry, I can’t resist getting at real people, who have a business life and a private life. When you work at the White House,~ey>size="3"> you have only one life, and it’s here.”
“You make it sound like drudgery,” Stone said.
“Oh, no, it’s too exciting for drudgery. It’s more like combat.”
“I see.”
“I’m breaking out and giving a small dinner party on Saturday night,” she said. “Could you both come? I’ll get Mr. Bacchetti a dinner partner, if he needs one.”
“Hang on,” Stone said, and turned to Dino. “Fair Sutherlin wants us for dinner Saturday night. Do you want her to get you a date?”
“I already have
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