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Back Below the Belt Save as PDF
Chapters (67)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
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  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  66. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  67. What’s next onyour reading list?

She nodded, then fetched a pitcher of ice water and placed it on his desk. “You’re going to need this, if you expect to survive until lunchtime.”

—

LANCE CALLED PROMPTLY at ten o’clock. “Are you both there?” he asked.

“In a manner of speaking,” Dino said.

“Same here,” Stone replied.

“Now listen to me carefully. I am assuming that you would both prefer to see Kate Lee reelected than have Nelson Knott replace her?”

“Yeah.”

“Right.”

“We have seven months to go before the election. If these birth certificates are published now, Christian St. Clair will have plenty of time to discredit these women or prove that they never existed.”

“One of them doesn’t exist,” Dino said.

“The other may not, either,” Stone chipped in.

“If she’s alive, then she’s in hiding somewhere,” Lance said, “and if she learns on television or in the National Inquisitor that we’re looking for her, she may vanish again, and we may never find her.”

“A good point.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Dino, if you start looking into the New Jersey car crash or treat the disappearance of the second woman as a crime, that information will make its way to St. Clair and put us at a disadvantage.”

“Oh, all right,” Dino said, “I can take the position that there’s no evidence of a crime. I’ll sit on it until there is.”

“Stone, if Ed Rawls’s book is published, the same thing will happen.”

“Oh, all right, I’ll see if I can delay the mailing.”

“Good. Now, in anticipation of your acceptance of my advice, I have gratefully dispatched to each of you a bottle of the CIA’s secret hangover remedy, which has saved the life of many an agent in difficult circumstances. One swallow every four hours, and you will regain your health by dinnertime.” Lance hung up.

Joan came in and set a medicine bottle on Stone’s desk. “This came, hand-delivered, from Lance, while you were on the phone.”

Stone picked it up, unscrewed the cap, and took a big swallow.

48

STONE, FORTIFIED BY PERIODIC DOSES of the magic CIA remedy, had regained his health by midafternoon, so he was healed when Ed Rawls’s call came in.

“Hello, Ed. How are you feeling after your ordeal?”

“Just fine, thank you. Lance sent over some stuff that cured my hangover.”

“I’m happy for you.”

“Where the fuck are my books? My pack-and-ship place told me they took them to New York on your orders.”

“To my house, yes,” Stone said. “Now they are in a different place, a very safe one.”

“I was afraid that when I disappeared, you’d ship them.”

“Those were your instructions, but you turned up just in time to stop me.”

“I want them back.”

“No. They cannot be released until exactly the right moment. If they were sent now, St. Clair would have time before the election to discredit your work.”