Stone laughed aloud. "I took the boat as payment of my fee; it was all legal and aboveboard. Why should I give it to you?"
"Because I'll kill you if you don't," Manning said
"You're not going to kill anybody, Manning." Stone stood up, drew back his hand, and brought the back of it across Manning's face, spilling him out of the lawn chair. "That's for Allison, you miserable son of a bitch. You cooked up the scam, and she went all the way with you, then you let her hang." Stone looked up and saw a car stop in his driveway. Dino Bacchetti got out. "Hi, Dino," he said.
"Stone, how you doing?"
"Just great. I want you to meet the late Paul Manning."
"How you doing, Paul?" Dino said, grinning broadly.
"Just great," Manning said, wiping away some blood from the side of his mouth.
"Dino and I used to be partners," Stone said. "He's still a cop; he runs the detective squad at the Nineteenth Precinct."
"What is this?" Manning said, alarmed.
"Dino's going to put you in jail," Stone said.
"I haven't committed any crime in the United States," Manning said.
"It's like this, Paul," Dino said. "I'm arresting you for the homicide of your wife, your ex-wife, the pilot, and the other passenger on that airplane you sabotaged."
"I didn't murder my wife or anybody else," Manning said, "and nobody can prove that I did. Anyway, I don't believe she's dead."
"Well, there are a lot of fine legal points in this case," Dino said. "I mean, in addition to the four homicides, there's the insurance fraud. It all gets very complicated, doesn't it?"
Manning smiled, showing blood on his teeth. "Yes, it does. In fact, I expect to be a free man again before the day is over. I've already retained a lawyer, and you'll never be able to hold me."
"I know this is going to come as a big disappointment, Paul," Dino said, "especially since you worked so hard to figure it all out, but I've got some really bad news for you."
"What do you mean?" Manning asked.
Dino pulled a document from his pocket. "This is for you," he said. "Consider yourself served."
"What is it?"
"It's an extradition warrant. You're going back to St. Marks for trial."
"You can't do that!" Manning said, trying to read the warrant.
"Sure I can. Of course, you'll fight extradition, but eventually you'll go back. And then you can prove to them that your wife is still alive."
Manning's jaw dropped. "How can I prove she's still alive?"
"I doubt if you can," Stone said, "but there's more bad news."
"What?"
"The St.Marks police went out to the airport after Chester crashed, and they dusted everything, and I mean everything, for fingerprints, and you know what? They found some prints on the tool cabinet in the hangar that don't match anybody else's at the airport. I had a phone conversation with Sir Winston Sutherland, and he told me all about it. Of course, they never thought to check the fingerprints of the New Yorker writer, Jim Forrester. So when Dino gets you back to the precinct, he's going to fingerprint you, and then he's going to fax your fingerprints to Sir Winston, in St.Marks, and if they match the prints on the tool cabinet-and you and I both know they will then Sir Winston is going to have a real good case against you for those three homicides. And even if they don't match, there's Allison."
"She isn't dead, is she?" Manning asked. "Come on, Stone, you know she isn't."
"I don't think Sir Winston will adopt that view, Manning. After all, he convicted her and had her hanged himself."
Manning looked as if he wanted to run, but now there were two more detectives standing in the driveway.
Stone continued. "You saw how they tried Allison, how they convicted her with hardly any evidence at all. My prediction, Manning, is that before the year is out, you're going to have your neck stretched in St.Marks."
Dino motioned the two detectives forward, and they handcuffed Paul Manning. He stared at Stone, apparently speechless.
"Good-bye, Manning," Stone said. "I'll be a witness at your trial; I'll tell the court how you admitted your identity to me and that you told me how you faked your death. Funny thing is, without our conversation today, they might not have been able to prove who you really were. So I'll see you in St.Marks." He smiled broadly. "And there won't be any attorney-client confidentiality."
The cops put Manning into their car.
"How about some dinner tonight?" Dino asked.
"Absolutely; we'll celebrate."
"Elaine's at eight-thirty?"
"That will be great," Stone replied.
Alma appeared in the garage. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything is all right," Stone said.
Late that night, Stone and Dino sat over the remains of their dinner at Elaine's.
"All in all," Stone said, "it's been a very satisfying day."
"Glad I could help," Dino said. "That guy from Boston, the insurance dick, was in my office this afternoon. He's a very happy man."
"Why?"
"Because he's going to get at least some of his money back from Allison Manning's estate." "He'd better not count on it."
"Why not?"
"Because, unless I miss my guess, that money has disappeared into the worldwide banking system and will never be seen again. Allison moved it the day before her trial."
Dino looked at Stone sharply. "What was that stuff said about his wife not being dead?"
"I think Manning is still in denial."
"Is she dead?"
Stone was still trying to figure out how to answer Dino's question when Elaine came over to the table.
"Phone call for you, Stone," she said, pointing at of the two pay phones on the wall nearby. "Excuse me, Dino," Stone said. He got up and went the phone. "Hello?" he said, sticking a finger in the other ear to blot out some of the noise.
"Stone?"
"Yeah? Who's this?"
"Stone, this is Vance Calder."
That stopped Stone in his tracks for a minute. "Hello Vance," he was finally able to say. "How'd you find me here?"
"There was no answer at your house, and I remembered that Arrington said you were at Elaine's a lot. I took a chance."
"How is Arrington, Vance?"
"That's what I'm calling about, Stone. Arrington has disappeared."
"What do you mean, disappeared?"
"Just that; she's vanished."
"When?"
"The day before yesterday."
"Have you been to the police?"
"I can't do that; the tabloids would be all over me. I need your help, Stone."
"Vance, you'd really be a lot better off going to the police; there's nothing I can do about this."
"You can find, her, Stone; if anybody can, you can. I want you to come out here."
"Vance, really…"
"The Centurion Studios jet is at Atlantic Aviation at Teterboro Airport right now, waiting for you. You can be here by morning."
"Vance, I appreciate your confidence in me, but…"
"Stone, Arrington is pregnant."
Stone felt as if he'd been struck hard in the chest. He could count.
"Stone? Are you still there?"
"I'll be at Teterboro in an hour, Vance."
"You'll be met at the Santa Monica airport."
"Write down everything you can think of, Vance; we'll have a lot to talk about."
"I will. And thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Stone said, then hung up. He returned to the table. "You're buying dinner, Dino," he said. "I'm off to La-La Land."
"About what?" Dino asked.
"I'll call you," Stone said.
"You didn't answer my question about Allison Manning."
"That will have to wait, I'm afraid." He kissed Elaine on the cheek, then walked out of the restaurant and started looking for a cab.
Key West February 10, 1997
Stuart Woods
