Chapter 22
The graveside service was much shorter than the one at the church. And twenty minutes after it started, the mourners began the short trek to a small fleet of golf carts, tasked with transporting everyone to the main house for refreshments.
Worried that Pryce would go straight to his car and leave, Stone made sure to be just behind him as the crowd departed.
Sure enough, Pryce looked like he was about to escape toward guest parking.
Moving abreast of him, Stone said, “I think we’re supposed to go this way,” he said, pointing.
“Oh, um…” Pryce said, flustered. “I wasn’t plan—”
“Such a shock, isn’t it?” Stone said, cutting Pryce off as he deftly shepherded him toward the carts. “I thought Dame Felicity would outlast us all.”
“Well, yes, a big shock,” Pryce said. He flashed Stone a nervous smile. “If you’ll excuse me.”
The analyst began to slow so he could pass behind Stone, so Stone put a hand on the man’s arm and redirected him.
“Didn’t you hear?” Stone said. “No need to drive yourself to the house. The carts will take us to the reception.”
“I-I must have missed that,” Pryce said, looking trapped.
He glanced longingly toward the parking lot but made no further attempt to go in that direction.
“I’m Stone Barrington,” Stone said, holding out his hand.
Pryce took it out of reflex. “Gordon Pryce.”
“Nice to meet you, Gordon. Though I wish it were under other circumstances. It is all right if I call you Gordon, isn’t it?”
“Yes. No problem.”
As they neared the carts, Stone subtly herded Pryce to the cart at the head of the line, and the two climbed into the back seat.
In addition to the driver, the carts could hold three passengers each. Moments after Stone and Pryce were seated, Dino slipped into the front passenger seat.
“I was wondering what happened to you,” Stone said.
“Got lost in the crowd,” Dino said.
“Dino, this is Gordon Pryce. Gordon, this is my friend Dino Bacchetti.”
Pryce and Dino shook hands, Pryce still looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.
“What do you do, Gordon?” Stone asked.
“I, um, work for the government,” Pryce said.
“For Dame Felicity?” Dino asked.
“Um…”
“Dino, you know better than that,” Stone said. “If he did, he probably couldn’t tell us.”
“You’re right. I forgot.” To Pryce, Dino said, “The whole you’d ‘have to kill us if you did’ thing, right?”
Through Stone’s earpiece, Felicity said, “Oh, dear God. Did he really just say that? I guess it’s time for me to save you from yourselves. Get ready.”
Stone’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Pardon me,” he said. He pulled out the device. “Hello?”
From the script Carly and Jillian had created, Felicity asked Stone questions, and he answered in a hushed voice that was still loud enough for Pryce to overhear.
“The graveside service just ended,” he said, then paused.
“You were right. No one suspects a thing…I don’t think so…
Yeah, Lord Bernard came. He was practically drooling at the prospect of getting his hands on everything.
He’s in for a rude awakening when he finds out the truth…
How are you doing?…That’s Key West for you…
How much longer are you going to let this go on?
…Okay, you’re the one in the secrets business, so you know best…
Sure, I’ll let you know…Oh and, Felic—” He stopped himself as if realizing he’d made a mistake and then pretending like it was nothing.
“I’ll be back in New York by tomorrow afternoon and will try to get down there as soon as I can… Got it. See you then.”
He slipped his phone back into his pocket and glanced at Pryce, who was pointedly not looking in Stone’s direction.
“Apologies,” Stone said. “The law never takes a day off.”
“What?” Pryce said. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”
“Nothing important.”
They arrived at the house, and as soon as Pryce climbed out, he said, “It was nice to meet both of you,” and scurried into the house.
“What do you think?” Stone asked Dino as they made their way toward the entrance.
“That Peter won’t be casting you in a movie any time soon.”
“You’re one to talk with your have-to-kill-us-if-you-did line.”
“Come on,” Dino said. “That’s a classic.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
In Stone’s ear, Felicity said, “If you two are quite through, can you please go inside?”