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Chapters (63)
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  2. Books by Stuart Woods
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  63. AUTHOR’S NOTE

“Suddenly very well. I tell you the truth, if that had turned out to be Hedy’s finger in that box, I would have walked away from everything here.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t.”

Marcel took him through a list of things he was getting done at the building site. “By tomorrow, we’ll be under construction again. Grand opening in about ten months. We’ll set a date when we’re further along.”

“Sounds good. I expect I’ll have to come back for Casselli’s trial at some point.”

“You will always be a welcome guest here. What are your plans now?”

“If you don’t need me further, I’ll fly to England tomorrow morning to visit a friend for a few days, then on to New York, via Lisbon and the Azores.”

“You have the range for that?”

“Ample range, 1,850 miles, 2,000 if I use less than full cruise power. Don’t worry.”

“You’ll be alone?”

“I’ve done a lot of flying alone. I’ll be just fine.”

“Whatever you say, my friend. Now let’s go upstairs, say goodbye to Dino and Vivian, and have some lunch.”

“Good idea,” Stone replied, and followed him to the elevator.

60

Stone landed his airplane at Southampton Airport, in England, and taxied to the FBO, Signature Aviation. As he came to a halt and shut down his engines, an Aston Martin coupe drew up alongside the airplane, closely followed by a sinister-looking black Range Rover with darkened windows, as was Felicity’s due as director of MI6, the British foreign intelligence service. As Stone opened the cabin door and came down the steps, Dame Felicity Devonshire got out of the Aston Martin and flung herself into his arms.

After a kiss and a hug, Stone stowed the cabin steps, closed and locked the door, and got his bags out of the forward luggage compartment. A man in a dark suit got out of the Range Rover, took his luggage, and stowed it in the SUV.

“What airplane is this?” Felicity asked.

“The new one: a Citation CJ3 Plus.”

“I love the paint job.”

“Thanks, it’s my own. You can always spot me on a ramp by the stars on the tail.” He walked around the car. “And what Aston Martin is this?”

“It’s the DBS, brand-new. I recently sold my father’s estate in Kent, so I splurged.”

“You certainly did.” Stone got into the passenger seat. “I should check in at the FBO.”

“Don’t bother, it’s taken care of. They’ll put it in the hangar straightaway and refuel it whenever you like.”

“So what’s the big surprise?”