Stuart Woods - Kisser

“What was the battery charge about?”

“He beat up a girlfriend, and she called the cops.”

“Mitzi tells me her partner is out of town until tomorrow,” Stone said.

“And she won’t start until then,” Brian replied. “Her partner, Tom Rabbit, is a big Irish guy who can handle anything and who is very protective of her.”

“Brian, can you get her a car to be driven around in? Rabbit could be the chauffeur.”

“Good idea. Let me check the pound and see what we’ve confiscated lately.”

“You were right,” Stone said. “She’s a very bright lady. Oh, here’s her new address: 740 Park Avenue.” Then he read out the phone number.

Brian let out a low whistle. “How’d you swing that building? I read a book about that place.”

“It’s where Rita Gammage lives; Rita works for Philip Parsons.”

“Then she’s a very rich lady.”

“Or her parents are.”

“Same thing,” Brian said. “I gotta run. Tell Mitzi to call me later today, and I’ll check on a car.”

“Nothing too flashy,” Stone said. “Let’s not overdo it.”

“Gotcha.” Brian hung up.

Stone walked to his office, then down the hall to Joan’s room. “Can you get some of these printed in the name of Mitzi Reynolds? 740 Park Avenue? Same zip and phone. It’s a rush job.”

“Sure,” Joan said. “I’ll run them over to our printer and wait for them.” She grabbed her coat.

“On nice stock,” Stone said.

“I get it.” Joan was gone.

Stone walked back to the kitchen, where Helene was washing the champagne flutes by hand. “Where are the ladies?”

“Haven’t seen them,” Helene replied.

“That was a delicious lunch,” Stone said, and Helene beamed at him.

He walked up to the living room and had a look there and in his study: no sign of the women. He walked upstairs and looked into a couple of guest rooms, then continued on to the master. As he approached, the door was ajar, and he heard giggling. He opened the door and stood there, transfixed.

The two women were in his bed, and, judging from the pile of clothing on the floor, they weren’t wearing any. He didn’t know what to say.

Rita took up the slack. “Join us?” she said.

STONE WOKE SLOWLY in a champagne-induced haze. He was in the middle of his bed, and the women were nowhere to be seen. Then he heard a laugh from his bathroom and heard the shower go on. He drifted off again.

HE AWOKE to a pair of lips attached to each of his cheeks.

“We’re off,” Rita said.

“I’m off, too,” Stone replied sleepily.

“You were just great, Stone,” Mitzi said.

“Yes,” Rita said, “but for a moment I thought you were too shocked to accept our invitation.”

“Only for a moment,” Stone said

“We’ll be in touch,” Mitzi said, and the two women moved toward the stairs. Stone drifted off again.

THE PHONE WOKE him a couple of hours later, and he reached for it.

“Hi, it’s Carrie.”

“Hi, there.”

“You sound sleepy.”

“Yeah, I had an afternoon nap,” he managed to say.

“Will you and Dino be at Elaine’s?”

“Sure, eight thirty.”

“May I join you?”

“Of course.”

“See you then.”

Stone hung up, turned on his side, and went back to sleep. He woke in the dark, switched on the bedside lamp, and stood up. He staggered a little before he caught himself; he felt as if he had just run a marathon. Well, he thought, he had, in a way. The bedside clock said almost eight, and he ran for the shower.

CARRIE WAS ALREADY at the table with Dino when Stone walked in. He waved for a drink and sat down.

“You look different,” Carrie said, kissing him.

“Different?” He didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Completely relaxed,” she said. “It must have been a good nap.”

“It certainly was,” Stone replied.

“I talked to Brian,” Dino said. “Sounds like you got what you wanted.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“What is he talking about?” Carrie asked.

“Just a little police operation downtown.”

“Is it a secret?”

“Yes.”

“I hate secrets; tell me.”

“Can’t. Lives are at stake.”

Carrie turned to Dino. “That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“Nope,” Dino said. “Lives are at stake.”

“Oh,” Stone said, “I met someone who knew you at Agnes Scott College.”

“Who?”

Stone backtracked. “I can’t remember her name; she was from Charleston.”

“Mitzi somebody?”

“That sounds right.”

“She was a year or two ahead of me. She was very pretty.”

“She still is.”

Carrie’s eyes narrowed. “And how did you meet her?”

“I had lunch with a business associate, and she came along.”

“I’d love to see her. Did you get her number?”

“She went back to Charleston this afternoon, I believe.”

“Good.”

So much for changing the subject, Stone thought. He hadn’t seen Carrie jealous before, and it was a little scary. He remembered the straight razor. “How are rehearsals going?”

“I had a little contretemps with the choreographer today,” she said.

“He wanted me to do a move that would have broken my back.”

“And how did you handle that?”

“With a flat refusal, a display of temper, and a couple of bad words.”

“How did that work out?”

“He removed the move from the routine,” she said with some satisfaction. “I mean, I might have managed it when I was eighteen, but I know my body better than he does.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“You know it better than he does,” she said with a sly smile.

“Harrumph,” Dino sputtered. “Too much information.”

“Oh, Dino, you’re sweet,” she said, laughing.

“Was that the only problem?” Stone asked.

“There was an unwelcome twist,” she said. “He asked my understudy to demonstrate the move for me. Her name is Melissa Kelley, and she’s in the chorus, and if he weren’t gay I would suspect something between them.”

“And she was able to do the move?” Dino asked, now fascinated.

“Perfectly,” Carrie said, “the bitch. I could have throttled her.”

“It’s probably better if you don’t throttle anybody,” Dino said. “Then I’d have to get involved.”

Carrie laughed. “It’s okay, Dino; she tried to apologize after rehearsal, but it came out all wrong. I mean, what was she going to say-‘I’m sorry I could do the move and you can’t’?”

“I can see how that could be awkward,” Stone said.

“She watches me all the time,” Carrie said. “It’s unsettling.”

“Maybe she’s just working very hard to learn your part,” Stone offered.

“No, it’s more like All About Eve. You know the movie? The young actress wants everything the star has, including her lover?”

“I remember it well.”

“You’ll meet her eventually,” Carrie said. “When you do, watch yourself.”

“I’ll be very careful,” Stone said solemnly.

“So, what’s Mitzi up to?” Carrie asked.

“She didn’t say a lot.”

“She has a rich daddy, I recall.”

“She said he was in the shrimp business.”

“That sounds right. You’re sure she went back to Charleston?” Stone shrugged. “I believe so. She had to leave lunch early to catch her plane.”

“What did she say about me?”

“She said you were a piece of work.”

“And what did she mean by that?”

“I don’t know, and somebody changed the subject before I could ask.”

“It’s just as well,” Carrie said.

Stone allowed himself to think, just for a moment, about what Carrie might do if she knew how he had spent the afternoon.