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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?

“They tend to find each other jobs—teaching at colleges or corporate consulting—often with defense contractors.”

“Is that considered ethical?”

“Sure, as long as they aren’t using their knowledge of the Agency’s workings to make money.”

“Then what do they do for defense contractors?”

“They use their knowledge of the Agency’s workings to make money.”

“Oh, well, I guess that’s all right then.”

“There’s a fine line between giving advice based on what you know about the Agency and giving away operational secrets.”

Stone picked up his iPhone and looked up a number and dialed it.

“Who are you calling?”

“Ed Rawls.”

10

STONE PUT THE PHONE ON speaker so Holly could hear the conversation. The phone rang once, then went straight to voice mail.

“You have reached the person you were calling,” Ed Rawls’s gruff voice said. “At the tone, don’t bother leaving a message because he’s not going to call you back.” The beep came. “Ed, it’s Stone Barrington. Break your rule and call me.” He left his cell number and hung up.

“Sounds like Ed’s gotten a little antisocial,” Holly said.

“I wonder why? I always thought of him as being on the gregarious side.”

Stone looked up another number.

“Who are you calling now?”

“Jimmy Hotchkiss, who runs the Dark Harbor Store. Jimmy knows everything about everybody on the island.”

Stone pressed the speaker button again. This time the phone was answered on the first ring.

“Dark Harbor Store, this is Jimmy.”

“Hey, Jimmy, it’s Stone Barrington. How you doing?”

“Well, we had quite a winter—ninety inches of snow on the island, first one of those in a long time. How ’bout you, Stone?”

“I can’t complain,” Stone replied. “Well, I guess I could complain, but it wouldn’t do any good.”

“I know the feeling. What can I do you for?”

“Jimmy, I just tried to call Ed Rawls, and his voice mail message was not what you would call responsive.”

Jimmy laughed. “It pretty much tells everybody to go to hell, doesn’t it?”

“Pretty much. What’s up with Ed?”

“Well, these days, he greets callers with a shotgun in his hand, that’s what.”

“How come?”

“Nobody knows for sure. He used to do his grocery shopping here. Now he calls in his order and we leave that and his newspapers in a plywood box he’s built at his gate. The kid who delivers it has never seen him.”

“Is he ill?”

“He hasn’t had the doctor in, far as we know.”

“Have you talked with anyone who’s actually had a conversation with him?”

“Nope. I don’t think anybody has. When you coming back to the island, Stone?”

“Maybe sooner than I’d planned.”