Stuart Woods - Dead In The Water

"Sure," Burrows replied. It was the first time he had spoken. "Look, Stone, while I, and I'm sure Chris, have some sympathy for the lady's plight, we're not here to fight your battles for you; you have to understand that."

"Sure I do, but if just doing your job happens to work to Allison's benefit, that's okay with me."

"We understand that," Wheaton said.

The menus arrived, and they ordered dinner. When the food arrived,Chris Wheaton took another tack.

"I used to work local news in New York," she said. "I remember when you were on the force." "You mean ygu remember when I left the force, don't you?" Stone said, cracking a crab claw. "That's what I mean. Your name still pops up now and then."

"Does it?"

"You haven't exactly been press-shy, have you, Stone?"

Stone laughed ruefully."I've never sought coverage, but sometimes coverage has been thrust upon me by your colleagues in the media."

She found that funny."Still, your occasional flash of fame must have brought you a lot of cases as a lawyer."

"I've ducked more of that kind of case than I've taken," he replied."Most of my work has been fairly run-of-the mill."

"Didn't you get a very nice personal injury verdict a while back?"

He nodded. "Got a nice one last year; we even collected." And it had made life easier for him, too, he remembered. "I'm not the sort of lawyer who gets the big cases; those usually go to the big forms, and I'm pretty much independant.

"But you've done well, haven't you? I seem to remember something about a townhouse in Turtle Bay."

"I inherited that from a great-aunt and did most of the renovation myself. That verdict you mentioned paid off the construction loan, though. That was a relief."

"I'll bet." She was looking at him the way he had once looked at perps in interrogations. "Chris, have you got something on your mind about me?"

"It just seems odd that you would just happen to be here when Allison Manning came sailing in. Could that be a bit more than a coincidence?"

Stone pointed toward the marina. "If you'll go down to the marina office and check their reservations log, you'll find that I booked my charter nearly three months ago, and since you're from New York, you'll know firsthand about the blizzard. If not for that I would now be south of Guadeloupe somewhere with a rum and tonic in one hand and the girl of my dreams in the other." "And who is the girl of your dreams?"

"Her name is Arrington Carter; she's a magazine writer, a freelancer."

"I've met her," Wheaton said. "As a matter of fact, I saw her two nights ago in the company of an actual movie star."

Stone nodded. "Vance Calder. She's working on a New Yorker profile of him that she was offered after the snowstorm hit; that's why she's not here now."

"Aren't you just a little uncomfortable knowing that your girlfriend is in New York with Vance Calder, instead of here with you?"

"Not really." He smiled. "As a matter of fact, Vance introduced us last fall." This was not quite a lie. "And she's not in New York, she's in L.A. They both went out there today."

"Ah," Wheaton said, sounding disappointed.

I hope I bent that needle, Stone thought, but it irritated him no end that she knew about Arrington and Vance. He hoped it didn't show.

There was a brief silence, then Wheaton turned to her producer.

"Jake, when we're done tomorrow, you take the tape back to New York and do the editing; you can play me the track over the phone later in the week."

"And where will you be?" Burrows asked.

"I'll be here," she said. "I'm staying for the trial, and so is the camera crew. You work it out with Don or whoever."

"Chris, don't you think you're pushing it just a bit on your first assignment?"

"I know a good story when I see one," she said. "You can explain that to them in New York.I think the network might want a feed for the evening news, too. Check on that, will you?"

"Sure."

Stone began to feel good about this. Now all Allison had to do was charm Chris Wheaton out of her socks, and that might not be easy.

After dinner Stone said good night to the 60 Minutes people and walked back toward the marina. He had no sooner set foot on the dock when he found himself grabbed from both sides by two shadowy figures. He made a point of not struggling.

"Is one of you Thomas Hardy's brother?" he asked the darkness.

"Both of us is," a deep voice replied.

"My name is Stone Barrington; I live on the smaller of the two yachts over there. I'm the one who asked Thomas to find some security." The pressure on his arms relaxed, but he was not let go.

"You got some ID, then?" the voice asked.

"Right-hand rear pocket," he said. "My New York driver's license." He felt some fumbling, and a flashlight came on.

"Okay, then, Mr.Barrington, we'll know you next time."

"Gentlemen…" Stone began.

"Henry and Arliss," the voice said.

"Henry and Arliss, I think our purposes would be better if you stood over there under the lamp by the gate, instead of lurking in the dark. You can do the most good by being seen to be keeping people away from Mrs.Manning."

"I see your point," Henry replied. "You expecting anybody else? Anybody at all?"

"Not until early tomorrow morning, when some people, including a camera crew, will be coming down here. Please keep them at the gate until you've called me. Just rap on the hull; I'll be awake."

"Of which boat?" Henry asked.

Stone decided to pretend there was no meaning in the question. "The smaller one."

"Good night,then, Mr.Barrington."

"Good night, Henry, Arliss; see you in the morning." Stone walked down-to his boat and went aboard. The lights aboard the big yacht were out. He undressed and climbed gratefully into his berth, just in time to hear a dim scrambling in the cockpit. A moment later, Allison was crawling into bed with him; she was naked.

"I take it you met Henry and Arliss," she said, snuggling up to him.

"I did, and I hope to God you didn't meet them on the way across the pontoon."

"Nope.They're standing up by the gate now; I could see them."

"Were you naked when you left your boat, or after you arrived on mine?"

"The whole time."

Stone laughed in spite of himself. "Allison, while your craving for my body may be perfectly understandable-even admirable-you have to remember that there is now on the island a camera crew for the most popular television news program in the United States of America, and we don't know yet how powerful their lenses are."

"I'm glad you understand my craving," she said.

"On Sunday night, your interview may be preceded by a shot of you, naked in the moonlight, climbing aboard your lawyer's boat.That might not exactly get the American public behind you."

She turned over and pushed her buttocks into his increasingly active crotch. "Why don't you get behind me?" She reached between her legs, found him, and guided him in.

Stone pushed into her sweet depths. "Oh, God," he breathed. "When this is over, remind me to talk to you about your interview tomorrow morning."

"Shhh," she whispered, helping him.

Stone jerked awake. Sunlight was streaming through the port above his head. He heard voices and footsteps on the dock. "Allison," he said, shaking her, "wake up."

"What is it, baby?" she asked, snuggling her warm body closer.

There was a sharp rap on the hull, and Henry Hardy's booming voice called out, "Mr.Barrington, you up?"

"60 Minutes is here," he whispered.

Allison's head came off the pillow."What?"

He glanced out the port and saw legs standing next the boat."I'll try to get rid of them," he said. He got of bed, tried to rub some color into his face, and his hair back with his hands. He got into his swim trunks, which were lying on a seat next to the berth, went into the main cabin, climbed the ladder, and emerged, waist high, from the hatch. Jake Burrows and Chris Wheaton were standing on the dock next to the bow of his boat. "What time is it?" he asked. "Aren't you a little early?"