Stuart Woods - Cold Paradise

The course was mostly flat and uninteresting. “It’s not the most attractive golf course I’ve ever seen,” Stone said.

“Don’t worry, they’re about to rip the whole thing up and completely rebuild it to new design,” Callie said.

“Ladies first,” Dino said, motioning Callie to drive.

Callie took a few practice swings, displaying good form, teed up a ball and struck it solidly. It flew down the middle of the fairway.

“About two hundred and twenty yards,” Stone said. He teed up and sliced his drive into the next fairway.

“Take a mulligan,” Callie said.

Stone took the mulligan and got it in the fairway, a good twenty yards short of Callie’s ball.

Dino teed up and hooked the ball into the rough. “Mulligan,” he said, teeing up another ball. He swung at that, and it landed no more than a yard from his first ball.

“Your grip is too strong,” Callie said, showing him how to turn his right hand to the left. “That should cure your hook.”

“Don’t count on it,” Stone said.

They trundled off down the fairway in their carts, playing at a good pace, now and then crossing South County Road.

“This is the most urban golf I’ve ever played,” Stone said. “Usually, on a golf course, you don’t have to worry about being hit by a car.”

“The Breakers has another course west of here,” Callie said. “Maybe we’ll play that one next time.”

They played on, occasionally running into a foursome in which Callie knew someone. Two people knew Liz and chatted with her.

“Word’s getting out,” Callie said. “You shouldn’t even try to keep a secret in this town, but we’re advertising. Liz, you’re the subject of much conversation since being seen with Thad at his party.”

“Grand,” Liz said.

They finished their round, went back to the clubhouse, had a beer, stowed their clubs in the two cars and prepared to depart the Breakers. Stone opened his cell phone and tapped in a number. “Okay, Dan, we’ve made our appearance at the Breakers, and we’re ready to move on to part two of our plan.”

“My guys are parked just down the road,” Griggs said.

“Tell them not to crowd the girls. We don’t want Bartlett picking up on cops.”

“Bartlett left the Colony half an hour ago, and he’s having lunch on Worth Avenue.”

“They’ll go shopping, then,” Stone said. “Dino and I will wait back at the yacht.”

“Right,” Griggs said.

Stone ended the call. “Okay, ladies, you are sentenced to Worth Avenue shopping for at least two hours. Liz, if you recognize Paul, don’t let on, just tell Callie so she can confirm who he is. You’ve got my cell phone number if you need to reach me.”

“I’d feel better if you and Dino came along,” Liz said.

“He knows us both, so we can’t do that. We’d just scare him off.”

“Oh, all right,” Liz said, disconsolately. She got into the car with Callie, and they drove off.

“There goes our goat,” Dino said. “But even if she makes him, Griggs isn’t going to have any grounds for an arrest.”

“Lundquist does, though. He can always bust him for the driver’s license, and that will at least get him out of our hair.”

“For the time being,” Dino said. “This guy ain’t going to go away easy.”

“You have a point,” Stone agreed.

They drove back to the yacht and waited. Dino got into a swimsuit and took up a strategic position on a chaise on the afterdeck, a rum and tonic at his elbow.

“You got anything to read?” he asked Stone.

Stone went into the saloon and came back with the novel Tumult that he had read a few days before. “Try this,” he said, handing it to Dino. “It’s very good.”

Dino was soon rapt, and Stone dozed on a nearby chaise, protecting his fair skin from the sun under an awning.

Stone woke up with Callie shaking him. “Huh?” he said, sleepily.

“We’re back,” Callie said.

Stone sat up. “Anything happen?”

“We saw him.”

“You did?”

“Coming out of Verdura, the jewelry store.”

Liz came up the gangplank.

“Liz, you saw him?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“And?”

“And I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what?”

“I don’t know if it’s Paul.”

“But you said you recognized him in Easthampton by the way he walked and his body language.”

“It was different this time,” she said. “Anyway, I only saw him for a minute.”

“Liz,” Callie said, “you had a very good look at him. I was there; I saw him, too.”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Liz said crossly, “but I just can’t swear that he’s Paul. He may be and he may not be.”

Stone’s cell phone vibrated, and he opened it. “Hello?”

“It’s Dan Griggs. The two ladies got a real good look at the guy. What does Mrs. Harding say?”

“Inconclusive,” Stone said, walking away from the group.

“How could it be inconclusive? She got a good look at him, and she used to be married to the guy.”

“All I can tell you is what she told me,” Stone said. “She seems pretty annoyed about our pressing her on it.”

“I don’t get it,” Griggs said.

“Frankly, neither do I. I thought that if we just put Bartlett in front of her, she’d make him, and that would be that.”

“You think she’s not playing this straight?”

“I honestly don’t know, Dan. She’s protected him in the past, after all.”

“But she’s supposed to be scared of the guy. You’d think she’d want to be rid of him and would help us do it.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Dan.”

“Well, if Mrs. Harding can’t identify the guy, and if Lundquist can’t come up with enough evidence for a murder warrant, I’m not going to be able to keep men on this. We have other problems to deal with, you know.”

“I know you do, Dan, and I don’t blame you. Has Lundquist not heard from his office?”

“He’s called them twice, but the lab is still working on the car.”

“Okay. Ask him to call me when he gets word. If he’s going to arrest Bartlett, I’d like to be there when he does it.”

“I’ll tell him.”

Stone ended the call and stood there thinking for a moment. He was getting tired of this, too. He punched 411 into the phone, asked for the number of the Colony Hotel and waited while the operator connected him.

“The Colony, good afternoon,” a woman’s voice said.

“Paul Bartlett, please.”

She connected him, and the phone rang and rang. Finally she came back on the line. “There’s no answer. Would you like to leave a message?”

“Yes, please. Ask him to…”

“One moment, I’ll connect you with the front desk.” She did so.

“Reception,” a man’s voice said.

“I’d like to leave a message for Paul Bartlett,” Stone said. He’d just arrange to meet the man and put Liz’s proposition to him.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Bartlett checked out just a few minutes ago, and I’m afraid he didn’t leave a forwarding address.”

Stone punched the end button. “Shit,” he said aloud.

Stone couldn’t believe it. He and Dino got dressed and into a car and drove to the Colony Hotel; he wanted to question the desk man. As they pulled into the parking lot, he spotted Detective Riley and Lieutenant Lundquist sitting in an idling car thirty yards away. Stone walked over and rapped on the window, startling them both.

“What are you doing here, Stone?” Lundquist asked. “You’re going to spook the guy.”

“What guy?” Stone asked.

“Bartlett.”

“Bartlett has decamped.”

“What?”

“Come with me.” Stone started for the hotel lobby.