Cover

BOOKS BY STUART WOODS

FICTION

Double Jeopardy*

Hush-Hush*

Shakeup*

Choppy Water*

Hit List*

Treason*

Stealth*

Contraband*

Wild Card*

A Delicate Touch*

Desperate Measures*

Turbulence*

Shoot First*

Unbound*

Quick & Dirty*

Indecent Exposure*

Fast & Loose*

Below the Belt*

Sex, Lies & Serious Money*

Dishonorable Intentions*

Family Jewels*

Scandalous Behavior*

Foreign Affairs*

Naked Greed*

Hot Pursuit*

Insatiable Appetites*

Paris Match*

Cut and Thrust*

Carnal Curiosity*

Standup Guy*

Doing Hard Time*

Unintended Consequences*

Collateral Damage*

Severe Clear*

Unnatural Acts*

D.C. Dead*

Son of Stone*

Bel-Air Dead*

Strategic Moves*

Santa Fe Edge†

Lucid Intervals*

Kisser*

Hothouse Orchid‡

Loitering with Intent*

Mounting Fears§

Hot Mahogany*

Santa Fe Dead†

Beverly Hills Dead

Shoot Him If He Runs*

Fresh Disasters*

Short Straw†

Dark Harbor*

Iron Orchid‡

Two-Dollar Bill*

The Prince of Beverly Hills

Reckless Abandon*

Capital Crimes§

Dirty Work*

Blood Orchid‡

The Short Forever*

Orchid Blues‡

Cold Paradise*

L.A. Dead*

The Run§

Worst Fears Realized*

Orchid Beach‡

Swimming to Catalina*

Dead in the Water*

Dirt*

Choke

Imperfect Strangers

Heat

Dead Eyes

L.A. Times

Santa Fe Rules†

New York Dead*

Palindrome

Grass Roots§

White Cargo

Deep Lie§

Under the Lake

Run Before the Wind§

Chiefs§

COAUTHORED BOOKS

Bombshell** (with Parnell Hall)

Skin Game** (with Parnell Hall)

The Money Shot** (with Parnell Hall)

Barely Legal†† (with Parnell Hall)

Smooth Operator** (with Parnell Hall)

TRAVEL

A Romantic’s Guide to the Country Inns of Britain and Ireland (1979)

MEMOIR

Blue Water, Green Skipper

*A Stone Barrington Novel

†An Ed Eagle Novel

‡A Holly Barker Novel

§A Will Lee Novel

**A Teddy Fay Novel

††A Herbie Fisher Novel

1

Stone Barrington walked into his office on a Monday morning and found three pink memo slips, saying that a John Keegan had called and needed to see him urgently.

Joan Robertson, his secretary, came into the room without being asked, and said, “No, I don’t know who he is. He’s been leaving messages on the machine since early this morning.”

“Perhaps you know why there’s no number to call back on these slips?”

“Oh, I just thought I’d make life more difficult for you. Isn’t that my job?”

“I’m just asking.”

“I can only write down the messages left,” she said. “If there had been a number, I would have written that down, too. If past performance is any indication, he’ll call back.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Stone said. His phone rang. Joan picked it up.

“The Barrington Practice at Woodman & Weld,” she said. “Ah, yes, Mr. Keegan, I have him right here.” She handed Stone the phone with a triumphant grin.

“Good morning, this is Stone Barrington.”

“Thank God,” Keegan said. “My name is John Keegan, call me Jack. I need to speak to you in person as soon as possible.”

“Where are you, Jack?”

“In a cab, on the way in from the airport.”

“A New York airport?”

“Sorry, yes. LaGuardia. I just got off the shuttle from Boston.”

“Do you have my address?”

Keegan spoke it to him.