Chapter 31
Felicity was sitting at the dining table in Stone’s Islesboro house with Carly and Jillian when her number two called back.
“Hello, James,” she said.
“I have news,” Hall said.
“One moment.” She tapped her phone. “You’re on speaker. I have Miss Riggs and Miss Courtois from the CIA with me. I take it you met with Mr. Pryce.”
“I did.”
“And was he cooperative?”
“Very much so.”
“I’m glad to hear it. What did you learn?”
“Several days ago, he was asked to find out if you were dead or not. Hence his attendance at your funeral.”
“And the person doing the asking?”
“Leonid Bronsky.”
“Bronsky?” The last thing Felicity had heard about the Russian was that he’d been relegated to a low-level post at Russia’s Bulgarian embassy. “He’s the one trying to kill me?”
“Pryce said that Bronsky didn’t tell him anything about the attempts on your life, only that he wanted to know if you were still breathing. So, I checked with several Russian sources.”
“And?”
“My understanding is that Bronsky has gone rogue. He seems to think that assassinating you will result in him being restored to his former rank within the SVR. I’m reliably informed that that will not happen.”
“Your sources are being very forthcoming,” Felicity noted.
“I received the strong impression that they want to distance themselves from Bronsky’s actions as much as possible.”
“In case he succeeds?” Felicity said.
“Those words were not spoken, but…”
“Covering their asses,” Carly said.
“Not sure I would have phrased it that way,” Hall said, “but yes. That is exactly what they are doing.”
Felicity sighed. “They didn’t happen to tell you where we might find him, did they?”
“I asked and was told they tracked him to Helsinki, but he’s since left for parts unknown.”
“Do you know when they lost track of him?” Carly asked.
“Sometime on Monday.”
“So, he hasn’t been seen since before the incursion into Stone’s house on Key West?” Carly asked.
“Correct,” Hall said.
“He’s coming here,” Carly stated.
Beside her, Jillian nodded. “I agree.”
“To Maine?” Felicity asked.
“Not here here.” Carly paused, thinking. “Actually, maybe. But what I meant was the States.”
“Should we alert border control?” Jillian asked.
“Do it,” Carly said. “But I’m betting he’s already in country.”
Jillian began typing on her laptop.
“What do you think the chances are that Bronsky will check Mr. Barrington’s other properties?” Hall asked.
“High,” Carly, Jillian, and Felicity all said at the same time.
“Felicity, perhaps you should relocate.”
“I appreciate your concern, James. But our trap needs bait, and that would be me.”
“I’ll call Lance and arrange for more security,” Carly said.
Felicity nodded. “But keep it low profile. We don’t want to chase Bronsky off.”
“It’s possible he has someone keeping an eye on you already,” Hall said.
“I was thinking that, too,” Felicity said. She turned to Carly. “You know Ed Rawls, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Call him. If anyone suspicious has been seen on the island, he’ll know about it.”
“Should we let Stone know what’s going on?” Carly asked.
Felicity thought for a moment. “Let’s not worry him until we have to.”
“Understood.”
“Anything else, James?” Felicity asked.
“I think we’ve wrung everything important out of Pryce. But we’ll make sure he doesn’t get much sleep, and I’ll talk to him again in the morning. Just in case.”
“Thank you, James.”
“Please reconsider my suggestion about moving,” he said. “I would hate for you to die for real.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have no plans of doing so.”
“You are the most obstinate person I’ve ever met.”
“I consider that high praise. Goodbye, James.” She hung up. “He’s right that things could get dangerous here soon. Perhaps you two should move into the main house. Can’t have you traipsing between here and the garage with a potential assassin about.”
Dino was already at Patroon’s, waiting in the bar, when Stone arrived and took the chair beside him.
“What happened to you today?” Dino asked.
“What do you mean what happened to me?”
“You went AWOL.”
“AWOL would suggest I didn’t have permission to leave. I shouldn’t have to remind you that is not something I need.”
“Well, you were away from the office all day.”
“Are you keeping tabs on my movements?”
“Not intentionally.”
“I take it you talked to Joan.”
“I called you, she answered.”
“You could have called me on my cell, you know.”
“She said you were busy.”
“I was.”
“So you wouldn’t have answered.”
“Probably not.”
“Which is why I didn’t call your cell.”
“Makes sense.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“What you were doing.”
“Ah, that. Commander Choi and I were interviewing the other survivors from the Amanda Jae. Or at least, that was our intent. We ended up talking to only one person.”
“The other ones gave you the cold shoulder?”
“You could say that.”
Stone filled him in on his and Choi’s day.
“By the way,” Stone said when he finished. “The commander gave me the impression that she might be leaving the Coast Guard in a year.”
“Then she should start thinking about her future now,” Dino said.
“That’s what I told her. I bet you’ll be hearing from her in a month or two.”
Dino raised his drink. “Here’s hoping.”
They clinked glasses and drank.
A hostess approached. “Mr. Barrington, Mr. Bacchetti, your table is ready.”
As she guided them through the dining room, a familiar voice called, “Stone, Dino.”
Bill Eggers was at a table with two men Stone didn’t recognize.
Stone and Dino stopped and shook hands with Woodman & Weld’s managing partner.
“Allow me to introduce Duncan Pierce and Rory MacCoy. Duncan, Rory, this is New York Police Commissioner Dino Bacchetti, and one of Woodman & Weld’s partners, Stone Barrington.”
“We’ve heard of both of you,” Duncan said, his Scottish brogue heavy. He shook their hands. “What an honor.”
Rory shook next. “Very pleased to meet you.”
“Duncan and Rory are the ones we’re in talks with to run the new Edinburgh office,” Bill explained.
“Right,” Stone said, remembering the names now. “How are you both finding New York?”
“Exactly as I expected,” Rory said. “Fabulous. I brought my wife, and we’ve already seen three shows.”
“I’ve been here many times,” Duncan said. “But I have never once not enjoyed my time here.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“By the way,” Bill said to Stone. “I passed on the information about the wreck to Terry Adams. He was very relieved to hear the news. He expects the suits to be dropped any day.”
“Glad to hear it.” The mention of the suits triggered a thought in Stone’s mind. “Correct me if I’m mistaken, but didn’t you say that Whittaker had signed up some but not all of the families of those presumed dead for the potential wrongful death suit?”
Bill nodded. “I believe that’s what Terry told me. Five out of six, or something like that.”
“Would you mind finding out for me which family isn’t involved?”
“Not at all.”
“Thanks, Bill.” Stone nodded to Duncan and Rory. “We’ll leave you to your dinner. Enjoy the rest of your trip, gentlemen.”
He and Dino followed the patiently waiting hostess to their table.
“What’s going on with Felicity?” Dino asked.
“Good question. I haven’t heard from her since we came back.”
“After all the work we did, you’d think she’d keep you in the loop.”
“We did? I don’t remember you roaming around with a button camera on your jacket.”
“I was moral support.”
“Is that what they call it these days?” Stone asked. “I was thinking about going back to Islesboro on Friday. Interested in joining me?”
“I do have a full-time job, remember?”
“Sometimes it’s easy to forget.”
“There’s a ceremony at city hall Friday morning that the mayor insists I attend, but I should be able to break free after that.”
“Wheels up at Teterboro at noon?”
“Make it one, and I’m there.”
“One it is.”