Stuart Woods: Short Straw

"Of course," she said, unpacking her bag and hanging up some things.

BARBARA CHECKED HERSELF in the mirror. She was wearing a bright red Chanel suit she had bought in La Jolla, and it really set off her blond hair. The red shoes were a nice touch, too.

She went downstairs, where the concierge had a rented Mercedes SLK convertible waiting for her. She signed the documents and drove down the long driveway to Sunset, where she turned right and headed for Bel-Air.

Vittorio was waiting at the Bel-Air bar when Eagle entered. They both ordered drinks, and Eagle took a stool facing the door, so he'd see Susannah when she arrived.

"So," Vittorio said, "what's your plan?"

Eagle handed him a folder. "Here are four copies of a settlement agreement, giving her the three hundred thousand dollars she already has and holding her blameless for having stolen the money from me; I have already signed it. You get her signature and witness it. Give her a copy and return the other three to me."

"And how should I accomplish that?" Vittorio asked.

"That's your part of the plan," Eagle said. "Twenty thousand dollars and your expenses when you return the properly executed documents to me."

Vittorio took a sip of his tequila. "How would you feel about having her disappear?" he asked.

"I've already told you, Vittorio, I don't want her killed, and I won't hire you to do it. I won't be a part of murder."

"I wasn't thinking of murder," Vittorio replied. That was nearly the truth.

"You may use any legal method you see fit," Eagle said. "I certainly would be very pleased not to see her again." He looked up, his eye caught by a blonde in a bright red suit.

BARBARA SAW EAGLE the moment she walked into the Bel-Air bar. Her date was sitting four or five stools behind him. She had certainly not expected this. What the hell, she thought, this is as good a time as any. She walked across the room and directly past Eagle, passing no more than three feet from him, earning an appreciative glance.

She pecked her date, Jimmy, on the cheek, took his hand and led him back across the room to a table, this time passing Vittorio, who glanced at her, too.

"NICE," VITTORIO SAID after she had passed.

"Yes," Eagle agreed. Another blonde walked into the room, this one his. "You're going to have to excuse me, Vittorio," he said. "I've got a dinner date." Eagle put some money on the bar and shook the Apache's hand. "Call me on my cell with progress reports. I'll be in L.A. until the day after tomorrow."

He walked over to Susannah and kissed her on the cheek. "Shall we go straight in to dinner?"

"Good," she said.

BARBARA WATCHED THEM LEAVE. She had passed muster; neither of them had recognized her, and she felt elated.

"So," Jimmy said, "what have you been up to? You certainly look different."

"It's the hair and the suit," she said.

"It's more than that," he said, putting a finger under her chin and turning her head. "I can't quite figure out exactly what it is."

"Good," she said, sipping the margarita that had just arrived. "Are we having dinner here?"

"Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go," Jimmy replied. "I've booked a table."

"I like it here," she said. "Let's finish our drink and go in."

"Great. I've always liked this place."

"So have I," she said. And so had Ed Eagle. And, when she was done, that little fact would be the end of him.

EAGLE AND SUSANNAH were seated at a banquette with a good view of the room. They were ordering when the blonde in the red suit and her Hollywood-looking companion entered the dining room. A couple of weeks earlier, he would have been interested enough to ask the headwaiter who she was and if she was a guest at the hotel, but now he was otherwise occupied and very happy to be.

BARBARA AND JIMMY were seated at a table near the window overlooking the garden restaurant, and her view of Eagle was just perfect. She could move her eyes without moving her head and watch his every move.

She knew his companion from somewhere, she was sure. Maybe she was an actress?

"That's Susannah Wilde you're looking at," Jimmy said. "She's a very good actress."

"Oh, yes. I thought she looked familiar."

"Don't worry; she's nothing compared to you, not tonight, not in that suit."

"Why, thank you, Jimmy," she said, enjoying the compliment. "Maybe later, I'll make you glad you said that."

EAGLE AND SUSANNAH rose from their table and walked from the restaurant. From her table by the window, Barbara watched as they passed, then continued up the walkway toward the suite where Eagle always stayed. She knew, because she had stayed there with him on half a dozen occasions. She knew the little courtyard, and she knew the patio behind the suite.

"Jimmy," she said, folding her napkin. "Why don't we get out of here? I'll follow you to your place, so you won't have to get up in the morning to take me home."

Jimmy grinned and tossed a credit card on the table.

SHORTLY, THEY RECIEVED their respective cars and drove from the Bel-Air parking lot, following the winding roads to Sunset, then on to Beverly Hills. They turned up Camden and soon pulled into Jimmy's steep driveway.

Barbara made a point of leaving her car pointing downhill toward his gate.

BARBARA FOLLOWED JIMMY THROUGH THE LIVING ROOM of his house to the kitchen, where he snagged a bottle of Dom Perignon from the fridge and two champagne flutes from a cupboard, before continuing upstairs to his bedroom.

"Your wife isn't in town, I take it," Barbara said.

"She left five weeks ago," Jimmy replied, slipping out of his pants. "I wish she'd come and get the rest of her clothes," he said, nodding at a closet. "I could use the space for mine."

Barbara matched his speed at undressing. She pulled him on top of her and let him find his way inside her. Jimmy had always been an athletic lover, but he was a little out of shape these days, and she wanted him tired, so she let him do all the work, while she uttered encouraging words and noises.

An hour later, Jimmy had been rendered helpless. Barbara decided to nap for a while; she didn't want to make her move until much later.

Eagle and Susannah were locked in each other's arms until exhaustion came, then she went to the bathroom and returned to find him fast asleep. An orgasm, she remembered, rendered a man unconscious.

BARBARA WOKE FROM HER NAP and discovered from the bedside clock that she had slept until nearly three in the morning. She checked on Jimmy and found him snoring happily. He had always been a sound sleeper, she reflected.

She rose from the bed and went to Jimmy's wife's closet. From a large selection, she chose a dark dress, a black silk scarf and a pair of sneakers. The shoes were a little too large, but she could manage.

She dressed, wrapped her head in the black scarf, completely covering her hair, and quietly left the room, taking her large handbag with her. Outside, she got into her little SLK and, without closing the door, put the transmission in neutral and let the car roll down the driveway and out the gates. Once in the street, she closed the door, started the engine and headed for Sunset Boulevard.

Ten minutes later she drove past the main exit of the Bel-Air parking lot, where she got a good look at the lone parking attendant, sitting in a chair, leaning against the attendants' shed, dozing, then on, past the entrance to the lot, and to a driveway, which, at this hour, she knew from experience, would be unattended. She switched off her headlights.

This drive led to a couple of smaller parking lots where guests could park near their rooms without having to take the longer walk through the hotel lobby. She knew where Eagle always parked, and she put her car there.