Stone was feeling better after the shock of learning that he had been stabbed had passed. Twenty minutes had passed since the excitement, and he was even feeling a little drowsy. He pushed the recline button on his seat, which was at the rear of the first-class compartment, and tucked a pillow under his head. At least he could rest until they got him out of here.

Stone was nearly asleep when he heard the sound, which was very like snoring. He opened his eyes. How could he be snoring, when he wasn’t even asleep, yet? The sound persisted. Stone pressed a button, and his seat returned to a sitting position. He could still hear the snoring, and it seemed to be coming from behind him somewhere.

He got to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, and began to make his way down the aisle toward the rear of the airplane, listening. The snoring grew louder. Well back into the tourist section of the airplane, he stopped and looked up and to his left. The large overhead bin was closed. He reached up and opened it, then took Dino’s .38 from his belt and stepped back.

The snoring was coming from a raincoat stashed in the overhead bin. With the short gun barrel, Stone moved the coat out of the way. A middle-aged man with gray hair and a small beard lay on his back in the compartment, snoring loudly. At first, Stone didn’t recognize him.

Dino came back aboard the airplane, pushing a wheelchair. “Hey!” he called to Stone. “What are you doing back there? You shouldn’t be on your feet!”

“Come back here,” Stone called to him, “and bring your cuffs.”

Mitteldorfer jerked awake at the sound of Stone’s voice. He turned and looked at Stone, and recognition distorted his face. “You!” he screamed.

“Me!” Stone shouted back at him.

64

IT WAS AFTER 1:00 A.M., AND IT HAD BEGUN raining when Dino’s car stopped in front of Stone’s house. The emergency room had been a zoo. They had given him a local anesthetic, stitched him up, given him a tetanus shot, some antibiotics, and a little bottle of painkillers. It had taken Stone some time to convince his doctor that he would be better off at home than in the hospital.

“Thanks,” Stone said.

“It wasn’t much out of my way,” Dino replied.

“I mean for shooting Hausman. He was about to do more damage.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t shoot him sooner.”

“It’s over, isn’t it? Finally”

“Yeah, it’s over.”

“There’s nobody out there trying to do us in?”

“You can sleep well tonight,” Dino said. “Me, too, come to that. Mary Ann and Ben are already back at home.”

“I’m glad; I know you’ve missed them.”

“Yeah, I have. Being a bachelor isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”