“Thanks,” Pepe said, “but my two guardians are taking care of that. They’ll walk me all the way to the gate. I’m sending my son to New York next week to manage the new company. Marty and his son are staying on for a month, maybe two, to help with the transition, and I gave Brad Kelly’s brother-in-law a nice check as a finder’s fee. He’ll get a promotion soon, too.”

“I know you’ll be glad to get home, Pepe.”

“Not all that glad. I’ve enjoyed New York. I’ve already got a realtor looking for an apartment. I’ll be back often, I expect, once Gino Parisi is dealt with.”

“That’s two of us who want Parisi dealt with.”

“How are you going to manage that?”

“I’ve got an idea, but it’s half-baked—I’ve got some more thinking to do on that subject.” Then Stone looked up and saw Frank and Charlie’s car waiting in the street. He shook Pepe’s hand, and his two guards appeared and took him to their car.

Stone got back into the Bentley. “We’ve got a tail again,” he said to Fred. “How the hell did they know where we were?”

Chapter 19

Stone was waiting in his study when Holly Barker arrived with Ian Rattle. Stone shook Rattle’s hand. “Please excuse Holly and me for a few minutes. Fred will show you upstairs to what used to be my son’s rooms, before he moved to Los Angeles. You’ll have a sitting room and a study.”

“Thank you, Stone,” Rattle said, then turned and followed Fred.

Stone embraced Holly and kissed her.

“Mmm,” she said, “you make me sorry I’m not staying the night.”

“Anytime,” Stone said. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I seem to recall vodka gimlets being constantly on hand.”

He poured her one and himself a Knob Creek, then he sat down beside her on the sofa. “So, what is Major Rattle running from?”

Holly took a deep breath and started. “While you were in England a few weeks ago, dealing with your own problems, like the destruction of your airplane, I—and especially Millie Martindale—were dealing with an entirely different kind of problem that you were not a party to.”

“I recall being asked to leave Felicity Devonshire’s dinner table, along with the ladies, so that Millie and Rattle could brief the prime minister and half his Cabinet on something important.”

“It certainly was something important. They were dealing with a group who were planning to simultaneously assassinate the prime minister and the president.”

“Good God!”

“I recall using those exact words when I learned about it.”

“Did the attempt take place? If it did, I certainly heard nothing about it.”