BooksBarbecue
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?

“Ed, if you didn’t believe you were in danger here, you wouldn’t have insisted we come ashore. My place is much more secure than yours, so kindly get your ass in gear. And leave your car here and ride with us.”

“Oh, all right,” Rawls said, struggling out of his chair. “Gimme a minute.”

23

STONE AND HOLLY DROVE ED back to Stone’s house, and they pulled the old station wagon into the garage, so nobody would see them enter the house. Bob greeted them as they came in the door.

“Who’s this?” Rawls asked.

“This is Bob.”

“I used to have a Lab. Great dogs.”

Bob allowed himself to be scratched behind the ears.

Stone grabbed Ed’s bag and led the way upstairs to a bedroom. He left Ed to get settled and went back downstairs.

“I feel better with Ed here,” Holly said.

“So do I. I keep thinking we’re going to find him dead at his house.”

Ed came back downstairs. “Did you open the strong case yet?”

“No,” Stone replied.

“That’s good. You don’t want to know too much at this point. As it is, they probably think I’ve told you everything.”

“They?” Holly asked.

“For want of a better name.”

Stone fixed them all a drink, called Seth and Mary and told them they’d be three for dinner, then they sat down. Ed found the remote and turned on the TV to CNN. “I feel more connected if it’s on,” he said.

“Ed,” Stone said, “why did you leave the strong case with Joe Adams?”

“I saw Joe and Sue last summer, when they were on Mount Desert Island, and we talked about what I had. We agreed that I should put together what’s in the case as a backup, and I gave it to them before they went to Santa Fe in the autumn.”

“What sort of shape was Joe in when you saw him last?”

“He seemed lucid most of the time. Now and then he would call me Tom.”

“He did the same with me when I saw him last,” Stone said. “Any idea who Tom is?”

“I don’t know, maybe one of his Secret Service detail.”

“I guess that makes sense. Did Joe know about your archive here?”

“Sort of. I didn’t go into detail about my storage area.”

“How much does Sue know?”

“She was always there when Joe and I talked—mostly, I think, to kind of translate for Joe, if he lost the thread of the conversation. She could bring him back on track most of the time. When he got tired, he was more likely to wander, and she’d get him off to bed.”

“How did they get him up and down stairs?” Stone asked.

“He walked,” Ed replied. “He wasn’t that far gone.”

“When I saw him a couple of weeks ago, he had one of those electric scooters.”