“I’ve never seen you drink anything but Knob Creek and vodka gimlets.”

“They have sufficed for lo, these many years,” Stone said. “Until now. I think I’ll have to add the Southern Baptist to my repertoire.”

Stone’s cell phone rang. “Hello?”

“I expect you can tell who this is without mentioning any names,” Will Lee said.

“I believe I can do that. Sorry about disappearing.”

“We understood when they found your car. It’s safely back with the rental people. Well, maybe not safely.”

“That’s the thing about large rocks in the road. I found what’s-her-name freezing on my doorstep.”

“I’m sorry about that. The agent must have thought she’d have a key.”

“She took a while to forgive me, but eventually . . .”

“I’m glad. Listen, I’ve had some troubling news. This morning, our friend up the mountain was left alone in his back garden for a few minutes, and while he was there, a man approached and the two of them had a conversation. They were spotted by an agent from upstairs, but by the time the man reached our friend, the visitor had departed, and since there were only two men on duty, they didn’t have the manpower to organize a search.”

“Our friend wasn’t harmed, I hope.”

“No, not at all. What is troubling is that our friend apparently believed he had been conversing with you.”

“I haven’t been back up there.”

“I figured.”

“Does anyone have any idea who the visitor was?”

“No, none at all.”

“What did he and our friend discuss?”

“According to him, they discussed your visit last night and what transpired at that time. Where is the item?”

“I bought a large safe, and it’s safely locked inside. The safe is bolted to the concrete and stone floor.”

“That’s good. Have you had any unexpected attention from anyone?”

“This morning we left the house to go into town to buy a car and the safe. Our driver, who was a former cop, picked up on two cars, probably rental Toyotas, following us.”

“Do they know where you live?”

“I’m not sure. The phone isn’t listed in my name here yet, and we didn’t notice the two Toyotas until we were downtown, so I don’t think they followed us from the house. Certainly, they didn’t follow us back, since our driver had lost them, and we returned home in my new car.”

“How long do you intend to remain there?”

“We’ve no definite plans.”

“If you receive any further unwanted attention, I think you should relocate.”

“Relocate where?”

“Anywhere but there.”

“Is there a number where I can reach you?”

“No, I’m on someone else’s cell phone. If you want to get in touch, call the White House switchboard and leave a message, and I’ll call your cell number on a secure line.”

“All right.”

“Are you armed?”