Read Online Stuart Woods_Stone Barrington 12 by Dark Harbor - Free Book Online Page B

know if Ed mentioned it to you, but there are a few other retired spooks living out their years on that island. I understand they do some drinking together and call themselves the Old Farts.”
    Stone laughed. “Thanks for the information, Lance.”
    â€œCall me when I can help.” Lance hung up.
    It suddenly occurred to Stone that he had a golf date the following morning, and he didn’t have any golf clubs. He saw Seth Hotchkiss working in the back garden, and he walked outside.
    â€œHey, Stone,” Seth said.
    â€œHey, yourself. Tell me, Seth, did Dick have any golf clubs?”
    Seth nodded. “There’s a big cupboard in the garage, next to the MG.”
    â€œI noticed, but I didn’t look inside.”
    â€œThere’s a lot of sports stuff in that cupboard.” Then Seth nodded toward a sailboat resting at the end of Dick’s dock. “There’s that, too, got delivered from the yard this morning, and there’s a picnic boat, ought to be delivered from the yard this afternoon. You’ll get a big bill for the maintenance and storage.”
    â€œWhat’s the sailing boat?”
    â€œIt’s a one-off. Dick designed it himself maybe ten years ago and had it built over at Hinckley’s, in Southwest Harbor. They built the picnic boat, too, but Dick got that last year.”
    â€œThanks, Seth.” Stone went back into the house and then to the garage, where he opened the large cupboard. It was a veritable sporting goods store: There was a set of titanium Callaway clubs, tennis racquets, a croquet set, fishing equipment and more. Dick was nothing if not well equipped; he had spent his wife’s money well.
    Stone went back into the house, opened the safe and read Dick’s will again. The bequest of the use of the house to Stone included outright ownership of all its “appurtenances.” Stone read that to include the cars and boats and whatever else he hadn’t discovered yet.
    â€œHoly shit,” he muttered to himself.

12
    S TONE WAS STANDING in front of the house with his golf clubs when Ed Rawls pulled into the driveway in a shiny, new Range Rover. Stone put his clubs in the back and got into the passenger seat. “Morning.”
    â€œGood morning,” Rawls said. “Looks like we’ve got a good day for it.”
    â€œYep.”
    â€œI had a call from Lance Cabot last night. We had a nice chat, and he offered me any support I might need in helping you with the Stone murders.”
    â€œThat’s good. Take him up on it.”
    â€œHe gave me a name at Langley as a liaison. I talked with her this morning, and she’s running down some things for me.”
    â€œYou want to tell me about the things?”
    â€œNah, it would take too long, and it wouldn’t help you. The information she gets might help, though, and I’ll tell you about that when I get it.”
    â€œOkay.”
    They drove through Dark Harbor and out to the golf course, where they unloaded their clubs. There was a wait while a foursome teed off before them.
    â€œLet’s give them a good head start,” Rawls said. He looked down at Stone’s loafers. “What kind of golf shoes are those?”
    â€œOh, Dick’s were too small, and I didn’t have any of my own. I’ll have to send for some, I guess.”
    Stone looked around; there were no carts. “We going to walk?” he asked.
    â€œOh, sure; it’s how I get my exercise.”
    They teed off, and Rawls set a rapid pace down the fairway. Stone followed as best he could, but his loafers were not built for this.
    Â 
    TWO HOURS LATER they sat at a table at the Tarrantine Yacht Club, which was a modest building with a big dock and a lot of moorings, waiting for cheeseburgers. Stone took off his ruined loafers, which were soaking wet after a few tramps through the rough, and rubbed his feet.
    â€œYou gotta get some better shoes,” Rawls said,