Chapter 10
On Sunday night, Stone and Dino had just been shown to their table at P. J. Clarke’s when Peter and Ben arrived.
After the waiter took their drink orders, Peter’s expression turned concerned and he said, “Dad, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“The news about Felicity. I’m so sorry. We didn’t hear about it until we arrived here.”
“Ah, that. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“I know she was your friend, too,” Ben said to Dino.
“That’s true.”
Peter looked at Stone and Dino, frowning. “I have to say, you’re both taking the news much better than we thought you would.”
“Ask us about it in a couple of weeks, and we might have more to say.”
“That’s not cryptic at all,” Ben said.
“Let’s just say we’re still processing everything,” Dino said.
“Now that I can understand,” Peter said.
“So, what’s this meeting that brings you to New York?” Stone asked.
“It’s with Josie Hale,” Ben said.
“She sent us a script, and it was bangers,” Peter said.
Ben nodded. “We want to meet with her before anyone else does.”
Stone cocked his head. “Why do I know that name?”
“Do you remember the TV show Tobin Country?” Peter asked.
“Was that the one about a family who…” Stone paused, thinking.
“Ran an outdoor adventure company in Colorado?”
“That’s it.” The show had run for nearly a decade.
“Good memory. Josie played the mother. When the show ended, she gave up acting and became a director. TV mostly, but she also makes documentaries and has been branching into feature films.”
“I had no idea.”
“You might have seen one of her docs,” Ben said. “She’s like the David Attenborough of the sea. Focuses on the oceans and the creatures who inhabit it.”
“Like you almost did,” Dino said to Stone.
“What do you mean?” Peter asked.
Stone gave Dino a thanks-for-nothing look. Stone had yet to tell Peter about his ordeal.
“It was nothing,” he said.
Peter looked questioningly at Dino, who held up his hands and said, “Apparently, I’m sworn to secrecy.”
Both Peter and Ben turned their attention to Stone.
“You’re a real pal, you know that?” Stone said to Dino.
“The cat’s out of the bag,” Peter said to him. “So, you might as well tell me now.”
“Oh, all right.” Stone told them about the sinking of the Amanda Jae and his subsequent rescue from the sea.
“I saw a news report on that,” Ben said. “They didn’t mention the name of the survivors, though.”
Peter stared at his father, dumbfounded. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“I was fine, so there was no reason to bother you,” Stone countered.
“There was every reason to bother me.” Peter’s eyes narrowed. “If that ever happens again, I had better be your first call.”
“If that happens again, it’ll be the last time I ever set foot on another boat.”
Peter scowled. “Dad.”
“I’ll call. I promise.”
Peter maintained his expression for a few more seconds, then said, “But you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. Dino and I even played golf on Friday.”
“I played golf,” Dino said. “I’m not sure what you were doing.”
“Is someone investigating the accident?” Ben asked.
“The Coast Guard.”
“Do they know why it went down?”
“Not as far as I know. And, truthfully, since the Amanda Jae sank a good sixty miles off the coast, they’ll probably never really know.”
“What you need is a submarine,” Peter said.
“That’s what I said,” Dino said.
“As Ed Rawls pointed out, the Coast Guard doesn’t have subs,” Stone reminded him. “And I doubt the U.S. Navy would divert one of theirs for a look.”
“Who said anything about the Navy?” Peter asks. “We can ask Josie.”
“Josie Hale has a sub?”
Peter snorted. “No, but she has access to one through her friend Xavier Silva.”
“The multibillionaire?”
Peter nodded. “One of his companies specializes in underwater vehicles, and he lets Josie use whatever she needs for her documentaries.”
“That’s very kind of him.”
“It’s also good PR,” Ben said.
“If you want, we can ask Josie what the chances are of using one of Silva’s subs to get a look at the wreck,” Peter offered.
“The Coast Guard is in charge of the investigation, so it’s really up to them, not me,” Stone said. “But I do like the idea. Talk to her, and in the meantime, I’ll ask the Coast Guard if they’d be interested.”
“Will do,” Peter said. “And, Dad, I know how your lawyer mind works, so let me state this clearly. When I said you need to promise to call me if this happens again, I didn’t mean only if a ship goes down.”
“It was a boat,” Stone said. “Ships are—”
“Larger, I know. That’s kind of my point. The thing that puts you in a hospital doesn’t matter. The fact that you’re there does.”
“What he’s saying is any time you get hurt, you need to call him,” Dino said.
“Thank you, Dino,” Stone said. “But I received the message.”
Peter looked at his dad, an eyebrow raised. “I’m waiting.”
Stone sighed in defeat. “I promise.”
On Monday, Stone called Commander Choi.
“Mr. Barrington, if you’re looking for an update, I’m afraid there’s nothing more than I’ve already told you.”
“Actually, I’m wondering if you’d have any objections to a submarine checking out the wreck.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but the Coast Guard doesn’t have submarines.”
“So I’ve been told. The thing is, I might have access to one. If that turns out to be true, would it be a problem if someone went down to take a look?”
“In principle, I love the idea. But I’ll have to run it up my chain of command. May I get back to you?”
“Of course.”
As Stone hung up, Joan entered his office and tapped her wrist. “Ticktock.”
He frowned. “And?”
“Partners’ meeting? If you don’t leave now, you won’t make it.”
He checked the time, saw that she was right, then hopped out of his chair and grabbed his things.
“Fred?” he asked.
“Out front.”
As Stone hurried to the door, he said, “Call Bill Eggers. Tell him I might be a few minutes late.”
“I already did,” Joan called after him.
The partners’ meeting stretched through lunch, which meant Stone didn’t return to his Turtle Bay office until after two.
As he was stepping out of his car, a cab pulled up behind the Bentley, and Peter, Ben, and a beautiful dark-haired woman, who looked vaguely familiar, climbed out.
“Hi, Dad,” Peter said. He walked over and gave Stone a hug. “Looks like we have good timing.”
Stone smiled. “Perfect, I’d say. But to what do I owe this surprise visit?”
Peter turned to his companions. “Ben and I were having lunch with Josie Hale, and I happened to mention that Matilda Stone was my grandmother. Turns out Josie’s a big fan.”
“Huge,” the woman said. She stuck her hand out. “Josie Hale, in case you hadn’t figured that out yet.”
Stone shook her hand. “I was starting to connect the dots. A pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Barrington.”
“Please, it’s Stone.”
“And I’m Josie.” She leaned in and stage-whispered, “Peter tells me you have several of your mother’s paintings.”
“Peter’s right. Would you like to see them?”
“Very much!”
“Then come inside.”
He led them into the offices first to drop off his things.
“Peter, Ben!” Joan said. She jumped up out of her chair and hurried over, Bob trotting happily behind her, then gave each of them a hug. “I haven’t seen either of you in ages.”
“Hello, Bob,” Peter said, bending down and giving the dog a hug.
While Peter, Ben, and Joan exchanged pleasantries, Stone put his briefcase in his office.
As he walked back out, Ben said, “Joan, this is Josie Hale.”
Joan’s eyebrows shot up. “The actress?”
“These days I try to stay on the other side of the camera,” Josie said, shaking her hand.
“Joan, anything pressing I need to deal with right away?” Stone asked.
“I absolutely loved Tobin Country,” Joan said, still focused on Josie.
“Thank you,” Josie said. “I did, too.”
Stone tapped Joan on the shoulder. “Pardon me for intruding.”
“Yes?” she asked.
“I was wondering if there is anything I need to take care of, or can I take my guests upstairs for a bit?”
She waved a hand in the air. “If there was anything pressing, I would have told you the moment you walked in.”
“I wasn’t sure you even knew I walked in.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, then said to Josie, “Men, right? So clueless.”
“I don’t want to ruin my chances of seeing his mother’s paintings, so I’ll plead the fifth for now.”
“If you’re both quite through,” Stone said.
“Go,” Joan said. “Don’t let me keep you.”
“This way,” Stone said, leading Peter, Ben, Josie, and Bob upstairs.
Josie said, “The woodwork in here is gorgeous. Is it original to the house?”
“Not original, but it has been here a long time. It’s my father’s work.”
“Your father?”
“I inherited the house from my great-aunt. When my parents were young, she was the only one in either of their families they weren’t estranged from.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Politics and life-choice disagreements tend to have that effect. My parents were struggling to make a living, so my aunt hired my father to redo much of the house. Once people got a look at it, he was never out of work again.”
“I can imagine,” Josie said. “So, your mother was a renowned painter, and your father a master carpenter. That must mean—”
“I think I know where you’re going with that, and I’ll stop you right there. Sadly, the artistry genes skipped my generation and went directly to Peter.”
“He definitely has more than his fair share of creativity,” Ben said.
“I think I have just the right amount, thank you very much,” Peter said, faux offended.
“I don’t know, Stone,” Josie said. “I think you’re selling yourself short. My understanding is that the law can be very creative.”
“Ah, yes, but if you get too creative, you end up in the cell next to your former clients,” Stone said. “I try to avoid that.”
“A sound strategy.”
While Bob wandered into the study for a nap, Stone led the others up to his bedroom, where several Matilda Stones hung on the walls.
Josie sucked in a breath and then began making her way around the room, spending time looking at each painting.
“Exquisite,” she said after she took in the last. “This is quite the collection. How many do you own?”
“Seventeen.”
“Are you trying to corner the market?”
“If I could, I would. I have standing requests at all the main galleries and auction houses to inform me if any of my mother’s pieces come on the market.”
She nodded. “I would probably do the same if she were my mother.”
Stone showed them the rest of the townhouse, then took them back down to his office.
“Peter and Ben mentioned you had quite the adventure a couple of weeks ago,” Josie said.
“You could say that,” Stone said. “How much did they tell you?”
“Everything you told us,” Peter said.
“I’m glad you didn’t go down with the boat,” Josie said.
“As am I,” Stone said.
“See, Peter,” Ben said. “She got it right.”
“I got what right?” Josie asked.
“Peter called it a ship at dinner last night.”
Josie tsked at Peter. “Yachts are boats, ships are much larger.”
“You should definitely make a deal with her,” Stone said to Peter and Ben. “She’s clearly highly intelligent.”
“Thank you, Stone,” Josie said, blushing a little. “I understand you’re looking for a submarine to help take a look at the wreckage.”
“I am, though more for the Coast Guard officer in charge of the investigation. I’m hoping she’ll be able to figure out why the yacht sank. Peter mentioned you have access to one.”
“More than one, actually. Xavier has four subs. Two of which are on the East Coast.”
“Do you think he would let us use one?”
“Probably, but I have a better idea. Xavier also has several ROVs, which could do the job better than a sub.”
“ROV?”
“Remotely operated vehicle. They’re unmanned and usually a lot smaller, so they can get into places subs can’t.”
“I hadn’t even considered that. An ROV sounds perfect.”
“One of Xavier’s exploration ships is stationed right here in New York. If you’d like, I’ll give him a call and see if it’s available.”
“I would appreciate that, thank you.”
She pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “The phone number is my cell.”
Stone reciprocated. “I would love to take you out to dinner to thank you for your help.”
“I haven’t secured the sub yet.”
Stone held her gaze. “The invite is not contingent on whether you do or not.”
She smiled. “Then I accept.”
“Are you free tonight?”
“Business dinner, I’m afraid. Tonight and tomorrow. I’m free on Wednesday, however.”
“Then Wednesday it is.”
Ben looked at Peter. “Why do I get the feeling we shouldn’t be here?”
“Same,” Peter said.
Later that afternoon, Stone received a call from Felicity.
“How’s the hunt for the Jackal going?” he asked.
“Wrong assassin.”
“Have you given yours a name yet?”
“We’ve been referring to him or her as the assassin.”
“That’s not very imaginative.”
“Coming up with a name hasn’t been high on our priority list. But if you have a suggestion, do feel free to share with the class.”
“If something comes to mind, you’ll be my first call. So, any updates on the assassin?”
“We’ve narrowed our list somewhat, but it’s still too long. In fact, that’s why I called. I’m hoping you will do something for me.”
“If it’s within my power, of course.”
“Wonderful. I need you to attend my funeral.”
Stone was momentarily stunned to silence. “I don’t believe anyone has ever asked me to do that before.”
“Well, if I was really dead, you would go, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Then you not being there might cause questions.”
“From whom?”
“From me, for starters. Am I not important enough for you to attend my funeral?”
“But you’re not really dead.”
“You and I know that, but almost no one else does. And many who know we are close would expect to see you there.”
“So, you want me to go so no one wonders why I didn’t?”
“Honestly, Stone. Some days I wonder how that brain of yours works. I want you to go because Carly, Jillian, and I think there’s a good possibility the culprit or someone working on his behalf will be there, too.”
“Are you expecting me to figure out who they are? Because I don’t know how I would do that.”
“Your job is to be my eyes and ears. The figuring-out will be up to me, Carly, and Jillian. We’ll set you up with a hidden camera so that we can watch live from here in Maine. All you need to do is make sure to get everyone who attends on camera.”
“That plan’s not half bad. When is the funeral?”
“Saturday morning in London, followed by a burial at my country house.” Her house was just across the Beaulieu River from Stone’s place, Windward Hall.
Stone checked his calendar. He had a meeting Friday afternoon that he couldn’t get out of, but if he left soon after, he could be in the U.K. in time to attend. “It’ll be a quick trip, but I can do it.”
“Thank you, Stone. I’m told one of Lance’s people will bring you the gear before you leave.”
“Can’t wait,” Stone said with little enthusiasm. “Is there anything else?”
“If you could shed a few tears during the service, I wouldn’t complain.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”