Seth brought the old station wagon around and drove them to the airport. A mile down the road they passed Ernie’s taxi going the other way. “Who was that driving Ernie’s cab?” Stone asked Seth. “I thought he didn’t work Sundays.”

“I dunno,” Seth said. “T’wasn’t Ernie, though.”

At the airport the rain had finally stopped; Stone loaded their luggage and began a preflight. He noticed that Ernie was sitting in a Cessna 182 parked on the ramp.

—

Frank pulled into Barrington’s driveway, and he and Charlie got out. He rang the doorbell politely, and braced himself to kick it open if he met resistance.

A gray-haired woman in an apron appeared and opened the door. “May I help you?”

“I’d like to speak to Mr. Barrington, please.”

“You just missed him,” the woman replied. “He left for the airport a few minutes ago.”

“Thank you,” Frank said, and he and Charlie ran for Ernie’s cab. It started reluctantly, then Frank floored the thing.

“I hope we don’t miss him,” Charlie said helpfully.

“This thing won’t do more than forty,” Frank replied, stomping on the accelerator. They made the turn at the airport sign and raced toward the runway, just in time to see Barrington’s jet taxi off the ramp.

—

Okay,” Stone said, turning around at the end of the runway, “short-field takeoff. Flaps at the first notch, brakes on, full power.” He pushed the throttles forward, then waited with the brakes on until he had the engines roaring. “Here we go!” He released the brakes, and they were pressed back into their seats.

“Are we going to make it?” Caroline asked, tightening her seat belt.

“I’ll let you know in a minute,” Stone said. He pulled back on the yoke, and the airplane rose from the runway. “We made it!” Stone said. “Gear and flaps up.” They climbed into the newly clear blue sky.

—

Back at the airport, Frank and Charlie stared at the departing jet.

“Well,” Frank said, “at least we know where he’s going.”

Ernie walked over. “That’ll be five hundred.”

Chapter 17

Back at Teterboro, Stone turned their luggage over to a lineman and walked into the terminal with Caroline.

“Sweetheart,” he said, “I’m going to need a break.”

“I’m not surprised,” she said. “You had a really good run there, but I’m greedy and hard to keep up with.”

“I couldn’t have put it better,” he said. They got into the car. “What’s your address?”

“I’m in Soho.”

“Fred, you can drop me first, then take Ms. Woodhouse downtown?”

“Righto, sir.”

They arrived at Stone’s house. He kissed Caroline and opened the door.

“Call me when you’ve recovered your health,” she said, smiling.

Stone limped into the house and upstairs. He stretched out on the bed, ready for a nap. The phone rang. “Hello.”

“You’re back,” Dino said.

“I noticed that.”