BooksBarbecue
Back Loitering With Intent Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Stuart Woods
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. AUTHOR’ S NOTE

“I’m aware of that, Mr. Keating, but we could get together for a few minutes tomorrow morning. I’m sure you will find our conversation greatly to your advantage.”

Keating regarded him evenly for a moment without speaking, then he said, “Why don’t we step outside for a moment and discuss this?”

“Of course,” Stone replied.

Keating got up and led the way out, while Stone followed. Outside on the sidewalk a bench had been placed as a waiting area for the restaurant, and Keating motioned Stone to sit down. Stone sat down next to Keating, his back to the restaurant door.

“I know this will come as a surprise to you, but my law fi rm represents Elijah Keating’s Sons, and . . .”

Something struck the back of Stone’s neck, and the night exploded in stars.

5

5

STONE SWAM BACK into consciousness, opened his eyes, then closed them again. Some sort of bright light had blinded him. A cool hand was resting on his forehead.

“Mr. Barrington?” a woman’s low voice said.

“What?” Stone replied. He tried to open his eyes again but it didn’t work.

“Can you look at me, please?”

“It’s too bright,” Stone said. Immediately, the brightness disappeared.

“Is that better?”

“Okay, yes.”

“Can you open your eyes now?”

Stone opened his eyes and found his vision filled with the face of a woman. “What happened?” he asked.

“We don’t know,” she replied.

Dino’s face replaced the woman’s, and Tommy Sculley was right behind him. “We found you face down on the sidewalk,” he said.

“I liked the other face better,” Stone said and tried to sit up straighter.

“Let’s get him up on the bench,” the woman said, and hands gripped his arms and helped him upward.

“What happened to you, Stone?” Dino asked.

“How the hell should I know?” Stone said irritably. “I was unconscious, wasn’t I?”

“Yeah, that was kind of the point,” Dino said. “Do you have any idea how you got that way?”

“Well, I was sitting at a table with you and Tommy, having a drink, and then I woke up here.”

“Nothing in between?” Dino asked.

“I’ve got a headache,” Stone said, rubbing the back of his neck and fi nding it sore.

The woman spoke again. “He should really be in a hospital,” she said.

“I don’t need to go to a hospital,” Stone retorted. “I need some aspirin and a drink.”

She explored the back of his head and his neck with her fi ngers, and he winced when she got to his neck. “Seems like a blow to the back of the neck, rather than his head, so I think we can discount a skull fracture or a concussion.”

“Who the hell are you?” Stone grumbled. “And where’s that drink?”