Chapter 6
Stone was back in his office on Thursday morning, feeling considerably better than he had the previous day, when Joan entered.
“I’ve tentatively scheduled the reading of Trenton Sidney’s will for next Wednesday at two p.m.,” she said.
“Everyone’s good with that?”
“Everyone but Susan Vest. Have you talked to her yet?”
Susan was the final beneficiary.
“I think I need to do that in person.”
“She’s in Portland, right?”
“She is.”
“Why don’t you go talk to her today? If Tamlyn is back, you can take her with you, and the two of you can enjoy a long weekend on Islesboro afterward.”
“That idea’s not half bad.”
“It’s an excellent idea. Besides, you’re no good to me in your current condition.”
“And here I thought you were worried about me.”
“It’s an illusion I create for you.”
“I am feeling much better today, thank you very much.”
“You’ll feel even better after a few more days of rest. Shall I call Faith?”
“Please. Tell her wheels up at noon, and that we’ll be making a stop in Portland on the way.”
Faith Barnacle was Stone’s pilot for his Gulfstream G-500. The jet was too large to land at the Islesboro airport, but it could land at the one in Rockland, where he kept a Cessna 182 that he’d fly himself on the short hop to the island.
Joan returned to her desk, and Stone called Tamlyn.
“Good morning,” she answered.
“Good morning. Where are you?”
“Still in Atlanta.”
“Ah, then I guess flying up to Maine with me today is out of question.”
“I wish it wasn’t, but sadly yes. I should be able to join you on Saturday, if you’ll still be there.”
“I will await your arrival.”
“Wonderful. Maybe Dino can keep you company until I get there.” Stone heard a voice in the background. “Hold on.” The line fell silent for a moment. “Stone?”
“Still here.”
“Sorry, but I have to run. I’ll see you Saturday.”
“Don’t work too hard.”
“Too late for that.”
They hung up, and Stone called Dino.
“If you’re calling to make dinner plans that you’re going to sleep through again, I’m not going to be happy,” Dino said.
“Actually, I’m flying up to Islesboro in a few hours and staying through Sunday. I was wondering if you’d like to join me.”
“I should be able to move a few things around. When are you leaving?”
“Noon from Teterboro. Will that work for you?”
“I’ll make sure it does.”
“Then I’ll see you there.”
Ninety minutes after leaving Teterboro, Stone’s G-500 was on the ground again at its first stop, in Portland, Maine.
While Dino waited on the plane with Faith, Stone rented a car and headed to Perkins High School.
He presented his business card at the front office and asked if it would be possible to speak with Susan Vest, who taught English at the school.
“Let me check,” the man at the counter said.
It turned out Susan was just finishing up with her last class of the day. Fifteen minutes after Stone had arrived, she walked into the front office.
She had a quiet word with the receptionist, who handed her Stone’s business card, then she walked over to Stone, looking confused.
“Mr. Barrington?” she said, referencing his card.
Stone smiled. “Good afternoon, Miss Vest.”
“Do we know each other?”
“We do not.”
“Then, how can I help you?”
“Is there somewhere we could talk privately?”
“Umm…I guess we could use the conference room, if no one’s in there.”
“Perfect.”
She checked with the receptionist, who confirmed that the room was available, then led Stone to it, where they took seats at one end of the oval table.
“Am I in some kind of trouble?” she asked.
“Not that I’m aware of. I represent the estate of Trenton Sidney.”
She looked at him blankly. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?”
Stone had been afraid of this. Trenton had told him he would contact Susan himself when the time was right. Apparently, that had not happened prior to his death. But at least Trenton had the foresight to prepare Stone in case he was unable to talk to her himself.
“I understand your mother recently passed,” he said.
“My mother? What does she have to do with this?”
“She’s the one who knew Trenton.”
“Okay,” she said, clearly confused.
“They went to high school together. I’m told they were an item but lost touch after graduation.”
“She never mentioned him to me. Of course, she didn’t dwell on the past.”
Stone pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and set it on the table. “This should help explain.”
She looked at the envelope but didn’t pick it up. “What is it?”
“Nothing bad, I assure you.”
She warily opened it and removed the two sheets of paper inside.
After taking a quick look at them, she glanced back at Stone, her brows furrowed. “DNA tests?”
Stone nodded. “For you and your father.”
“My father? I don’t—” She stopped herself. “Are you saying this Trenton person is my father?”
“Trenton Sidney, and yes, though he didn’t know about you until after your mother passed away.”
“I-I don’t understand.”
“I was told that they’d already lost touch when she found out she was pregnant with you. It wasn’t until years later that she found Trenton again, though she didn’t contact him until a week after she died.”
“After she died?”
“She’d arranged for a letter to be sent to him in the event of her passing. In it, she told him about you and provided him with the website through which you had done a DNA test.”
Susan sucked in a breath. “She gave the test to me as a Christmas present a few years ago. I thought she wanted me to do it to screen for medical information we might not know about. You know, from my father’s side. But she didn’t actually say that.”
“Trenton sent in his own DNA, though he said he believed your mother from the beginning. The match confirmed you as his daughter.”
She looked at the papers again. “Why didn’t she tell me herself?”
“I can’t answer that. Though I got the impression from Trenton that she explained her reasoning in her letter.”
“Where is the letter?”
Stone pulled another envelope out and handed it to her.
She extracted the letter and opened it.
“It’s definitely her handwriting,” Susan said.
As she read the letter, her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, Mom,” she whispered when she finished. She put the letter away and cocked her head, her brows creased. “Hold on. Did you say you represented his estate?”
“I did. I’m sorry to tell you this, but Trenton died just over a week ago.”
She stared at him, dumbfounded. “I’ve lost my father before I ever met him?”
“It was an unfortunate accident. He died when his boat sank. He had every intention of meeting you. He was just giving you time to mourn your mother first.”
“This is…a lot.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Thank you, I guess, for coming to tell me.”
“Actually, there’s more.”
“More?”
“Your father was a very wealthy man.”
She blinked.
“And he named you in his will.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’m not,” he said. “The reading is scheduled for next Wednesday at two p.m., at my New York office. Trenton requested that you be present.”
Obviously still in shock, all she could manage to say was, “I teach on Wednesday.”
“Perhaps you could get the day off? If not, call my office and we’ll reschedule for when you are available. Your father was adamant about all those named being present.”
“I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t need to say anything yet. Like you said, it’s a lot. Take some time to absorb the news.”
She snorted a laugh. “Absorb? I don’t know if that’s even possible.”
“Again, no rush. Though if you can let me know by Monday whether you can make the reading on Wednesday or not, I would appreciate it. We can always reschedule to a time better suited for you.”
She hesitated, then asked, “Did he have any other children?”
“Two sons. Aaron is thirty, and Ryan twenty-eight.”
“I have siblings.” She started to smile, then shook her head. “This isn’t some kind of prank, is it?”
She started looking around for hidden cameras.
“No prank.”
She studied him for a moment. “It would be easier to believe if it was.”
“Do you have any questions?”
“Only about a million.”
“That you’d like to ask now?”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” she said, shrugging and shaking her head.
Stone smiled kindly and stood. “In that case, I’ll be on my way. When you do figure out what you want to ask, you have my number.”
She started to get up, but Stone held up a hand to stop her.
“No need to show me out. I remember the way.”
She nodded absently and was lost in thought before Stone could even turn for the door.
After a short flight to Rockland and an equally short flight to Islesboro, Stone and Dino deplaned to find Seth Hotchkiss waiting for them with his 1938 Ford Woodie station wagon. They loaded up their luggage and headed out.
Seth and his wife, Mary, were the caretakers of Stone’s home on the island. Stone had inherited the place from his cousin, Dick Stone, a former high-ranking CIA official.
Because of Dick’s association with the Agency, the house had been built with extras that no other home on the island had, save perhaps that of Stone’s neighbor and retired CIA assassin, Ed Rawls.
The walls were reinforced, all the windows were bulletproof to the point of being able to thwart even high-caliber rounds, and a secret office had been constructed inside that had direct access to CIA systems.
As was tradition on the first night back in Maine, Mary prepared lobster for dinner.
Stone retrieved a bottle of Smith-Madrone Chardonnay from his collection to pair with it. He was pouring a glass for Dino when a memory flashed into his mind.
“You can stop anytime…” Dino said.
Stone blinked and looked down. The glass was nearly full. He lifted the bottle.
“Sorry.”
“Are you all right?” Dino asked. “It looked like you’d disappeared there for a moment.”
“I remembered something. At least, I think I did.”
“Well, that clears things up.”
“From the night of the accident.”
“Ah. Now that’s interesting.”
“I think Trenton and I were on the upper deck, having an after-dinner drink.”
“And?”
Stone concentrated on the memory, then shook his head. “That’s it.”
“I take back my interesting comment.”
“If I’m starting to remember things, that’s got to be a good sign, right?”
“True. Let me know if you remember Trenton telling you how he was going to sink his boat. Until then…” Dino carefully picked up his glass. “…I’d better get started on this or I’ll never finish.”