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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
  24. 20
  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?

Macher struggled to his feet and tried to find a way to help St. Clair, but there was nothing he could do. He looked around and saw a fire extinguisher near the door to the room and ran for it. He expended the entire charge in St. Clair’s direction; when it ran out, he went looking for another and found one in the kitchenette where St. Clair’s lunches were prepared. He ran back into the room and emptied the second extinguisher. St. Clair had fallen to the floor behind his desk.

Macher knew at once that the man was dead; his arms, shoulders, and face were stripped of clothes and his flesh was burned black. The phone on the desk was gone; he found another on a table across the room and called 911.

“Nine-one-one operator, what is your emergency?”

“An explosion and fire,” he replied.

“Anyone injured?”

“One fatality. I could use some first aid.” He gave her the address.

“Police, EMTs, and an ambulance have been dispatched.”

Macher hung up and began plotting how he might go to the board and be placed in charge of St. Clair’s business interests. And Nelson Knott. He couldn’t let the man think he was free to act as he pleased.

—

STONE WATCHED THE evening news: Ed Rawls’s book and Martha Parker’s statement took up the first ten minutes, then came this:

“In a related story, Mr. Knott’s principal financial backer, Christian St. Clair, was killed this afternoon by an explosion in his home on New York’s Upper East Side. A business associate, Erik Macher, was slightly burned and was treated at a local hospital and released.”

The rest of the program was taken up with interviews and political reports connected to St. Clair’s death.

“St. Clair’s death comes at a very difficult moment for Nelson Knott,” a reporter was saying. “Knott has sequestered himself at his Virginia estate and released a statement saying that he is devastated by the death of Christian St. Clair and will have no other statement until tomorrow. He has called a news conference for ten AM, at which time he is going to have to address these accusations of the rape of two women when they were employed by him.”

—

STONE WATCHED THE news all evening, switching from CNN to the networks to MSNBC. He fell asleep with the TV on.

60

NELSON KNOTT AWOKE FROM A fitful sleep to the ringing of a telephone. The bedside clock said seven AM. He rolled over and grabbed the phone. “What?”

“Mr. Knott,” his secretary said, “I’m getting a flood of calls from the media for you.”

“I told you last night—refer them to the press conference at my office at ten this morning.”

“I’ve done that. There’s something else, sir.”

“What is it?”