Stuart Woods - Kisser

“So I get all the credit?”

“And all the blame if it spooks Sharpe.”

“You said have coffee with him?”

“Don’t go to his studio; he’ll rape you.”

“Yuck. Coffee it is.”

“Some place where Tom can see you from the street.”

“Okay.”

“When you’ve got the buy set up, tell Sharpe you want the delivery at your apartment. He ought to be comfortable there now.”

“All right. Then after we bust him, you and I will celebrate.”

“You’re on,” Stone said. He hung up, and the phone rang immediately.

“It’s Tiffany Baldwin,” Joan said.

“Hello?”

“What did you do to get the commissioner to get you out of my meeting?” she asked.

“I think he thought that if I kept eating Danish, he might have to perform the Heimlich maneuver,” Stone replied. “Did anything happen after I left?”

“Not a hell of a lot. I don’t think I trust Lieutenant Doyle,” she said.

“You have good instincts,” Stone said. Line two began flashing on his phone. “I’ve got another call coming in,” he said, “so I’m going to have to go.”

“Let’s get together.”

“Maybe after this is over. Bye.” Stone hung up and waited for Joan’s voice.

“Brian Doyle on two,” she said.

“Hello?”

“It’s Brian.”

“Hi, there.”

“What was that you pulled with the commissioner?”

“He offered me a ride home, and it was raining like hell.”

“If you think you can pull something behind my back, Stone…”

“Didn’t you notice that he asked me to step outside? It wasn’t my idea.”

“All the same…”

“What happened at the meeting?”

“We just got our priorities straight with the U.S. Attorney.”

“And how do you intend to proceed?”

“I’ve been thinking about it, and I believe Derek Sharpe and Sig Larson are going to run for it soon.”

“Oh? Why do you think that?”

“I think they’re too smart to think they can get away with what they’re doing forever.”

“That’s very insightful of you, Brian,” Stone said. “You might very well be right.”

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Doyle said. “Mitzi is going to ask Sharpe for ten kilos of coke and forget about the grass. I think he’s greedy enough to hang around until the big deal gets done.”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“I want you to try to bring the thing with Larsen to a head; get him to commit an actual crime.”

“And what would that consist of?”

“It would consist of Mitzi giving him a ten-million-dollar check to invest.”

“Like a fake check?”

“No, like a real one?”

“Whose money are we playing with?”

“I’ve got a banking connection who will issue the check and then put a hold on paying it.”

“You mean a delay at the bank to keep Larsen in town a little longer?”

“Exactly. I can tell we’re on the same page.”

“I think you might put somebody on checking out the jet charter services at Teterboro and White Plains airports,” Stone said, “because when they run, I think that’s how they’ll do it.”

“Good idea,” Doyle said. “I’ll get that started today.”

“They’ve probably used the same service before to move money. And I’d send your guys to the airports to do the inquiry in person. I think that might encourage the charter service to play straight with you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Doyle said. “See ya.” He hung up.

The phone rang again immediately.

“Mitzi on line one,” Joan said.

“Hello?”

“Are you and Brian on the same page now?” she asked.

“Oh, sure. He told me his big idea, and I loved it.”

“Brian thinks you’re fucking me.”

“Now where would he get that idea?” Stone asked.

She was laughing when she hung up.

STONE DUG OUT Sig Larsen’s card and called the number.

“Larsen Enterprises,” a British-accented woman’s voice said.

“Sig Larsen, please. It’s Stone Barrington calling.”

“One moment, please, Mr. Barrington. I’ll see if I can find him.” This was apparently designed to create the impression of a large office, Stone thought.

“Just one moment, please, Mr. Barrington. I’m getting him out of the conference room.”

Yeah, I’ll bet, Stone thought.

“Stone? It’s Sig. How are you?”

“Very well, Sig, and you?”

“Just great. What did you think of my prospectus?”

“Well, I had a look at it, and I thought it was a little skimpy on information.” Best not to overenthuse, Stone thought.

“Stone, I hope you appreciate the need for absolute secrecy in this matter; I’m the only person outside the company itself who is privy to this new product, and I’ve given my word not to disclose the kind of information I think you’re talking about. Now if either you or Mitzi isn’t comfortable with that level of confidentiality, I’ll understand if you don’t want to participate.”

“Mitzi is more comfortable with it than I am,” Stone said, “and she’s the boss. She should be in touch with you today about her investment.”

“Great, Stone. I’ll look forward to hearing from her. Thanks for your help.” He hung up.

Stone called Mitzi’s cell. “Okay, I’ve baited the hook with Larsen.”

“Terrific.”

“How big a bad check are you going to give him?”

“Ten million dollars.”

“Whoa! Way too much. Your bogus net worth is only $39,000,000, remember? You’ll scare him off.”

“How much, then?”

“Five million, tops. What bank will it be on?”

“My Charleston bank, the real one. I’ve already talked with my guy there, and he understands and will not pay the check.”

“Suppose Larsen has his bank call and put a hold on the funds?”

“I thought of that. My guy will tell them it’s against bank policy; they’ll have to present the actual check.”

“That could work. When are you going to give Larsen the check?”

“Tomorrow morning; we’re meeting for coffee at the Carlyle Hotel at ten a.m.”

“Will Tom be able to see you?”

“Yes. I’d like it if you could be there, too.”

“Participating or just watching?”

“Participating.”

“I made a point of sounding as if I have reservations about the investment, and I’ll continue that pose at the meeting. The enthusiasm will have to come from you.”

“I’ll be enthusiastic,” Mitzi said.

“All right, I’ll meet you there at ten.”

“See you then. Dinner tomorrow night?”

“Just the two of us?”

“If you like.”

“I think that’s best for now.”

“I’ll try to make up for Rita’s absence.” She hung up.

STONE MET DINO for lunch at P. J. Clarke’s, and they both ordered a rare bacon cheeseburger and fries.

“I hear you and the commissioner are getting chummy,” Dino said.

“Where the hell did you hear that?”

“You can’t keep anything from me.”

“No, seriously, how did you know about it?”

“His driver is a buddy of my driver. What did the old man say to you?”

“He asked me why I never made detective first grade.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“The truth, what else?”

“You told him it was politics?”

“I did.”

“That sounds really lame, you know.”

“The commissioner didn’t think so. He said that he’d read my file and that he could read between the lines.”

“Why the hell would he read your file?”

“He said he read it when Brian asked to have me put on active status.”

“Why the hell should the commissioner be interested in you, Stone?”