Stuart Woods - Bel-Air dead

“I must have it wrong,” Stone replied. “Let’s let Rick tell us.”

“You know,” she said, “I don’t think I understood how much this would mean to me until this moment.”

“I understand how you feel,” Stone replied.

Finally, Rick Barron got to his feet and plucked the microphone off its stand. “Quiet please,” he said. “We have a final count.”

The crowd became hushed.

“Centurion Studios has received seventy-two percent of the shares voted. The motion to sell our land is defeated.”

Pandemonium reigned. People embraced or shook hands, and music was rising. Somewhere in the ether, a brass band was playing “Happy Days Are Here Again.”

Dino grabbed Stone’s elbow. “I told you it was going to be a good day,” he shouted. “My bones are never wrong, and it’s not over yet.” He walked away from the crowd, pulling out his cell phone.

It seemed that every person in the crowd wanted to hug Arrington or shake her hand. She stood, tears still streaming down her face, and received every one.

Finally, Rick Barron, still shaking hands and kissing women, made his way through the crowd to her side with Glenna in tow. The three of them embraced wordlessly.

Then a studio policeman made his way to Rick. “Something’s wrong outside in the street,” he said. “I can’t make any sense of it on the radio. There’s too much noise from out there.”

Most of the crowd was out of the soundstage by now. Stone fell in step beside Rick. “That film was brilliant; where did it come from?”

“We shot the footage for the stockholders’ meeting the year Vance died,” he said, “but in the hubbub that followed, it just got shunted aside. I found the stock last Friday and edited it, put the opticals in, and got it scored over the weekend.”

“I think it turned the tide,” Stone said.

“I know it did. I watched Jack Schmeltzer’s face at the end, and I knew he was going to vote with us.”

“Did you know about Strategic Services buying Jennifer Harris’s stock?”

“Not until this morning, and the name didn’t mean anything to me until Glenna explained who they were.”

“Then it’s time you met your new shareholder,” Stone said, and introduced him to Mike Freeman.

They continued out of the building, and as soon as they were on the street Stone saw what was going on. A big to-do was raging a few yards away. Terrence Prince’s Bentley Mulsanne was on fire, and he could hear the studio fire engine’s siren approaching.

Stone looked around and saw Jack Schmeltzer standing across the street, a broad smile on his face.

Then Stone was surprised again. He saw Sergeant Rivera of the LAPD and two uniformed officers approach Prince, say a few words to him, then handcuff him and lead him away, him protesting the whole time.

Stone turned to Dino. “What was that?”

Dino smiled. “Rivera and I brought Carter back from Mexico yesterday. In return for immunity, he’s agreed to testify against Prince for the attempted murder of Jim Long.” He laughed. “Is this a good day, or what?”

Stone began laughing. “It’s a very, very good day, Dino,” he said.

“I told you about my bones,” Dino said.

“And I’ll never doubt your bones again,” Stone said.

They watched as a police car drove Terry Prince away.

Rick Barron chuckled. “I was going to have studio security escort him off the lot,” he said. “I’ll give them instructions that he not be allowed to set a cloven hoof on these grounds again.”

Everybody laughed.

“The exhilaration is wearing off, now, and I’m tired,” Rick said. “Will you excuse Glenna and me?”

“Of course,” Arrington replied.

Rick’s car pulled up and they were driven away.

Stone led his party to the Bentley and everyone got in.

“I know how Rick feels,” Arrington said. “I’m tired, too.”

“Suspense is wearing,” Stone said.

“I’m sorry to have added to it,” Mike said from the rear seat.

“No, you stood up at just the right moment in the proceedings,” Arrington said.

They had been back at the house for only a few minutes when Stone’s cell buzzed. “Hello?”

“It’s Carolyn Blaine. I’d like to see you for a few minutes, if you can manage the time.”

“Come over,” Stone said, then hung up. He buzzed Manolo and told him to expect a guest.

“Who was that?” Dino asked.

“Carolyn Blaine.”

“She’s coming over? She’s a big loser in all this, isn’t she?”

“Maybe not,” Stone said. “I’m interested to hear what she has to say.”

Manolo escorted Carolyn out to the patio.

“You’ve met Dino Bacchetti, haven’t you?” Stone said.

“Yes, nice to see you again.”

Dino nodded.

Stone offered her a drink-not to be hospitable but to get hold of her glass.

“No, thank you,” she said, sniffling. “I’m not feeling all that well.”

“Nothing serious, I hope,” Stone said, trying to think of some other way to get a sample.

“Just the start of a cold, I think; I’ve already taken something for it.” She took the chair offered to her. “I believe the shareholders’ meeting went as you wished it to.”

“It did, indeed,” Stone said.

“I expect you’re wondering why Eleanor Grosvenor allowed Jim Long to vote his shares with you.”

“Tell me,” Stone said, though he thought he already knew.

“Eleanor and I are old acquaintances,” she said.

“Oh?”

“We met last year and spent some time together.”

“Did you?”

“Eleanor and Jim are old and dear friends,” Carolyn said. “When I told her that Terry Prince had been behind the attack on Jim in jail, she was furious. Then I told her how she could help, and she was on board immediately.”

“Well, as it turned out, we would have had the votes without Jim’s shares,” Stone said.

“I wasn’t at the meeting,” she said. “What happened?”

Stone told her about Rick Barron’s film and the effect it had had on the shareholders. “And beyond that, a friend of our side bought Jennifer Harris’s shares, and Jack Schmeltzer decided to go with us.”

“That’s very interesting,” she said. “I expect Terry will be furious.”

“Haven’t you spoken to him?”

“Not since before the meeting. Frankly, I’ve been avoiding him. He’ll soon find out about my connection with Eleanor, and he won’t like it.”

“I don’t think you’ll have any trouble avoiding him,” Stone said, “unless he can get bail.”

She wrinkled her forehead. “Bail?”

“He’s under arrest for the attempted murder of Jim Long.”

“They’ll never pin that on him,” she said.

“Yes they will. The LAPD brought Carter back from his mother’s place in Mexico. They’ve offered him immunity, and he’s agreed to testify.”

Carolyn looked stunned for a moment. “That’s wonderful,” she said finally, and with some feeling.

“Wonderful?”

“Wonderful for me. It gets him off the street and out of my hair.”

“But you told me, didn’t you, that even if he lost the Centurion fight, he would still want to do the hotel project, and you were supposed to run that, weren’t you?”

“I still will,” she said, “even if he can’t close on Friday-especially if he can’t close on Friday.”

Now Stone was puzzled. “I don’t understand.”

“When Terry lost the Centurion deal, he lost his Colombian and Mexican financial backing,” she said.

“Does he have the personal funds to close on Friday?”

“No. Eleanor Grosvenor is, or was, his backer on the hotel deal, and she will now back out, with pleasure. That will give her almost all the revenge she wants for what he did to Jim.”