"Funny you should mention that; there are some things I want from my apartment there. How are we traveling?"
"In my airplane. If they're small things, no problem."
"Great. I'd invite you to stay at my place, but it's being redecorated and will be a mess."
"I'll book us in at the Bel-Air. Pick you up at, say, noon?"
"Fine. Shall I make us a sandwich?"
"Good idea. See you then." Eagle hung up and buzzed Betty.
"I have to go to L.A. for a day or two. Cancel all my appointments for tomorrow and the next day."
"All right. There's nothing pressing."
"And please call the Bel-Air and book me into my usual suite for two nights, then call the rental car people and get me something nice, delivered to Supermarine at Santa Monica airport at three-thirty P.M."
"Will do."
Eagle went home and packed a bag. He gave some thought as to whether to take a weapon, but he didn't have a California carry license, so he put it out of his mind. He called the airport and asked that his airplane be pulled out of his hangar and refueled, then he went to his computer and his flight-planning software. He constructed a plan, then called for a weather forecast and filed the flight plan.
EAGLE PICKED UP SUSANNAH at noon and drove to Santa Fe Municipal Airport. He opened the hangar door and parked inside, then took their luggage out of the trunk and closed the hangar door.
Eagle unlocked the airplane and stowed the baggage behind the rear seats, then helped Susannah into the copilot's seat. He closed and locked the door, then climbed in next to her.
"What kind of airplane is this?" she asked.
"It's a pressurized, six-place, single-engine Piper Malibu Mirage that's had the engine ripped off and replaced with a turbine, turning a propeller."
"What's a turbine?"
"A jet engine. The airplane is now called a Jetprop."
Eagle started the airplane and worked his way through his checklist, listening to the airport weather on the radio, then obtaining an Instrument Flight Rules clearance from the tower, then taxiing to the runway.
Twenty minutes later, they were at twenty-four thousand feet.
Fifty-two
EAGLE FLEW THE KlMMO ONE ARRIVAL INTO SANTA Monica, descending steeply and flying right past the towers of downtown L.A. He set down on runway 21 and taxied onto the Supermarine ramp. As he was shutting down the engine a large Mercedes sedan pulled up next to him, and a lineman got out and received their luggage, stowing it in the car's trunk.
"Top off the inboards with Jet A, with Prist, and add ten gallons to each outboard," Eagle said to the man. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow."
"Yes, sir, Mr. Eagle," the young man said as he chocked the wheels.
Eagle locked the airplane door, and he and Susannah got into the car.
"General aviation is so much nicer than flying the airlines these days," Susannah said.
Twenty minutes later they checked into the Hotel Bel-Air and were taken to a suite, one of two in a beautifully planted courtyard with a private patio out back. Eagle booked a dinner table in the restaurant for seven-thirty. "I've got to meet with someone at seven for a few minutes," he said to Susannah. "Will you meet me in the bar at seven-thirty?"
"Of course," she said, unpacking her bag and hanging up some things.
BARBARA CHECKED HERSELF in the mirror. She was wearing a bright red Chanel suit she had bought in La Jolla, and it really set off her blond hair. The red shoes were a nice touch, too.
She went downstairs, where the concierge had a rented Mercedes SLK convertible waiting for her. She signed the documents and drove down the long driveway to Sunset, where she turned right and headed for Bel-Air.
Vittorio was waiting at the Bel-Air bar when Eagle entered. They both ordered drinks, and Eagle took a stool facing the door, so he'd see Susannah when she arrived.
"So," Vittorio said, "what's your plan?"
Eagle handed him a folder. "Here are four copies of a settlement agreement, giving her the three hundred thousand dollars she already has and holding her blameless for having stolen the money from me; I have already signed it. You get her signature and witness it. Give her a copy and return the other three to me."
"And how should I accomplish that?" Vittorio asked.
"That's your part of the plan," Eagle said. "Twenty thousand dollars and your expenses when you return the properly executed documents to me."
Vittorio took a sip of his tequila. "How would you feel about having her disappear?" he asked.
"I've already told you, Vittorio, I don't want her killed, and I won't hire you to do it. I won't be a part of murder."
"I wasn't thinking of murder," Vittorio replied. That was nearly the truth.
"You may use any legal method you see fit," Eagle said. "I certainly would be very pleased not to see her again." He looked up, his eye caught by a blonde in a bright red suit.
BARBARA SAW EAGLE the moment she walked into the Bel-Air bar. Her date was sitting four or five stools behind him. She had certainly not expected this. What the hell, she thought, this is as good a time as any. She walked across the room and directly past Eagle, passing no more than three feet from him, earning an appreciative glance.
She pecked her date, Jimmy, on the cheek, took his hand and led him back across the room to a table, this time passing Vittorio, who glanced at her, too.
"NICE," VITTORIO SAID after she had passed.
"Yes," Eagle agreed. Another blonde walked into the room, this one his. "You're going to have to excuse me, Vittorio," he said. "I've got a dinner date." Eagle put some money on the bar and shook the Apache's hand. "Call me on my cell with progress reports. I'll be in L.A. until the day after tomorrow."
He walked over to Susannah and kissed her on the cheek. "Shall we go straight in to dinner?"
"Good," she said.
BARBARA WATCHED THEM LEAVE. She had passed muster; neither of them had recognized her, and she felt elated.
"So," Jimmy said, "what have you been up to? You certainly look different."
"It's the hair and the suit," she said.
"It's more than that," he said, putting a finger under her chin and turning her head. "I can't quite figure out exactly what it is."
"Good," she said, sipping the margarita that had just arrived. "Are we having dinner here?"
"Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go," Jimmy replied. "I've booked a table."
"I like it here," she said. "Let's finish our drink and go in."
"Great. I've always liked this place."
"So have I," she said. And so had Ed Eagle. And, when she was done, that little fact would be the end of him.
EAGLE AND SUSANNAH were seated at a banquette with a good view of the room. They were ordering when the blonde in the red suit and her Hollywood-looking companion entered the dining room. A couple of weeks earlier, he would have been interested enough to ask the headwaiter who she was and if she was a guest at the hotel, but now he was otherwise occupied and very happy to be.
BARBARA AND JIMMY were seated at a table near the window overlooking the garden restaurant, and her view of Eagle was just perfect. She could move her eyes without moving her head and watch his every move.
She knew his companion from somewhere, she was sure. Maybe she was an actress?
"That's Susannah Wilde you're looking at," Jimmy said. "She's a very good actress."
"Oh, yes. I thought she looked familiar."
"Don't worry; she's nothing compared to you, not tonight, not in that suit."
"Why, thank you, Jimmy," she said, enjoying the compliment. "Maybe later, I'll make you glad you said that."