She stood up, flustered. “Thank you for dinner.” She got out as fast as she could.
Stone was very satisfied with the way that went. Of course, he still didn’t know who she was, but her fingerprints on her brandy glass might help with that.
Stone sat sipping his brandy for a few quiet moments. Then his cell phone went off. “Hello?”
“It’s Mike Freeman.”
“Good evening, Mike; you’re up late.”
“I got a call from my operative who’s tracking Carolyn Blaine; he’s having trouble getting her fingerprints.”
“I have them,” Stone said. “Tell him to drive to the house and ring the bell.”
“Perfect,” Mike replied. “I’m coming out there tomorrow. Perhaps we can get together?”
“I’d like that. Where will you stay?”
“At the Bel-Air Hotel.”
“Has it reopened?” The Bel-Air had been closed for more than a year, undergoing a complete renovation.
“The Grand Reopening is tomorrow night; would you like to go?”
“Sure. Come here for a drink first; we’re just around the corner.”
“Six o’clock all right?”
“That’s fine.” They both hung up.
18
The following morning Stone joined Dino at poolside for breakfast. “Where’s Hetty?” he asked.
“She had an early call at the studio,” Dino replied. “How did you and Carolyn get on?”
“Not very well,” Stone replied. “She left early.”
“It’s unlike you to send a lady home early, Stone.”
“She’s no lady,” Stone replied. “Mike Freeman is coming out here today. He’s invited us to a reopening party at the Bel-Air Hotel.”
“Sounds like fun,” Dino said. “Should I ask Hetty?”
“If you like. You might do better at the party, though.”
“That’s a thought.”
Manolo brought them breakfast. “Will you be wanting lunch, Mr. Stone?”
“Probably so, Manolo; I have no plans until six, when a friend is coming for drinks. We’ll be out for dinner. How about you, Dino?”
“I may wander the town for a while,” Dino replied. “No lunch for me, Manolo.”
The man returned to the house.
Stone spent the morning reading the newspapers and doing the crossword; then he swam for a while. He had just finished lunch when his cell rang. “Hello?”
“It’s Eggers.”
“Good afternoon, Bill.”
“I’ve obtained a one-hundred-million-dollar line of credit for Arrington,” he said. “At prime.”
“Well done.”
“I’m faxing you the paperwork to look over. If you think it’s okay, I’ll messenger it to Arrington for her signature.”
“Thanks, Bill.”
“I have other news,” Eggers said. “The board of management met this morning and unanimously elected you partner.”
“That’s very good news indeed, Bill,” Stone said with feeling. “Thank you for your support with the board.”
“I’ll fax you the partnership agreement in a few minutes. Everybody signs the basic agreement; then we can talk about compensation and other things.”
“All right.”
“I’ll find you some decent office space on our floors in the building.”
Stone thought fast; for some reason it hadn’t occurred to him that he would be expected to move into the Seagram Building offices of the firm. “Bill, if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer to continue working out of my office in Turtle Bay.”