Стюарт Вудс - Desperate Measures

“Not good enough,” Stone replied. “We have five young women who look like you, all dead, because they thought they could take care of themselves. Your only other choice is to quit your job and go on the run, and that might very well not work.”

“Oh, all right,” she said, exasperated. “How long do I have to put up with this?”

“Until these crimes are solved and the perpetrators jailed. And I don’t think you’ll find Fred hard to put up with. He’s an ex — Royal Marine commando with many skills, and also a crack shot. If there’s any shooting to be done, try to let him do it.”

“I’m sorry, Fred,” she said to him, “I didn’t intend to disparage your help. I’m grateful for it.”

“Thank you, miss,” Fred said. “Shall we depart for the city?”

They all got into the Bentley and were soon headed for the tunnel into the city. “I should tell you, Faith,” Stone said, “this car is armored and will repel gunfire and most bombs. Forget about the Mercedes; if you want to go anywhere, go in this.”

“Right,” she said.

At the house, Fred pulled all the way into the garage before closing the door behind them, then he asked them to wait a moment while he had a look around the garage. He produced a small but powerful flashlight and illuminated every dark corner and anteroom in the basement, then Stone and Faith disembarked. “If I get scared,” Faith asked, “can I come and sleep with you?”

“If you get scared,” Stone said, “call Fred. You’ll be much safer with him than with me.” He went upstairs to the master suite, and she went to her own apartment.

The following morning Stone was at his desk when Faith came in carrying a nylon carryall. “I’d like to get the logbooks in order and schedule some maintenance,” she said to Stone. “Is there someplace I can work?”

Stone buzzed Joan, and she came in. “Please put Faith in the little office next to yours, and let her make it her own. It is now the Flight Department. Direct any and all calls about the aircraft to her.”

“Yes, sir,” Joan said.

“And Joan, you should know that Faith is under the protection of the NYPD, and they are surveilling me, as well. Faith, Joan is armed and so am I, and I assume you are, too.”

She nodded.

“I think the most important thing we can all do to get through this, if trouble comes, is try not to shoot each other.”

“I’ll give that my best efforts,” Joan said. Faith nodded.

Shortly afterward, both women were settled and at work in their offices.

Stone called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“Good morning, sleep well?”

“As well as I can sleep while worrying,” Dino said

“Please don’t worry about us. We’re battened down here, and everybody is armed.”

“You think you and your ménage are all I have to worry about?” Dino demanded. “We had two homicides in the city last night.”

“Any of them connected to the East Side?”

“No, both of the victims were men — a gay couple in Chelsea.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t one of ours.”

“Every garbage truck in the city is on the lookout for fresh corpses,” Dino said. “If there’s another one out there, they’ll find it.”

“Is Viv continuing on to London today?”

“She is.”

“Then why don’t you come over here this evening and have dinner with Faith and me. I don’t think we should be swanning around restaurants, in these circumstances.”

“Neither do I. I’ve got a late meeting — I’ll try to be there by seven-thirty.”

“We’ll save you some scotch,” Stone said, then hung up.

Around seven, Faith called down from her apartment. “I don’t really feel well enough for a jolly dinner with you and Dino,” she said. “Helene will bring me something on a tray.”

“Now, don’t go and get all depressed on me,” Stone said. “We’ll get through this.”

“There’s nothing to do but watch TV,” she said.

“My library is at your disposal,” Stone said, “and you can go anywhere you like, as long as you and Fred are joined at the hip.”

“I’d rather be joined with you,” she said. “Did you get tired of fucking me?”

“Listen, sweetheart, I’m playing by your rules, remember? I have nothing but the most pleasant memories of sex with you, but I’d rather fast than be rationed.”

“Oh, all right, then. I’ll come down to dinner. What time?”

“Seven-thirty is good,” he said.

“How are we dressing?”

“In street clothing — no nightgowns or pajamas, you might get Dino all riled.”

“Now there’s a thought,” she said, then hung up.

Dino arrived, and they all sat down before the fire in Stone’s study.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so tired,” Stone said to Dino.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired,” Dino replied, taking a gulp of his drink. “I’m taking the Scottish remedy for fatigue. It’ll start to work soon.”

“Any news at all?”

“Not a whiff,” Dino said. “It’s like these people were going full steam ahead, then slammed on the brakes.”

“Are you disappointed?” Faith asked.

“No, I’m relieved, but I know more is coming. I just don’t know when.”

“Dino,” Stone said, “I know you’ve probably investigated it, but I think you should have another close look at the Keystone Hotel, on Lex.”

“You’re right. We’ve already looked at it. What makes you think it needs further attention?”

“A few nights ago, I dropped Faith off there to pick up her belongings, and she took so long, I got worried and went looking for her. The lobby was completely deserted, and that’s odd for a hotel.”

“Who should have been there?” Dino asked.

“A janitor mopping the floor — only his bucket and mop were there — the elevator operator, and the desk clerk. I tried to take myself up in the elevator, but it was locked. The operator finally showed up and took me upstairs, but Faith wasn’t there. When I came downstairs again, the janitor and the desk clerk had reemerged, and everything seemed normal.”

“Where was Faith?”

“In the car, waiting,” she said. “When the elevator operator didn’t answer my ring, I took the automatic elevator in the rear of the building and walked around the corner to where Fred was waiting in the car. I told Stone there was a ball game on TV, and they were probably watching it in the assistant manager’s office.”

“How long do you think the lobby was empty?” Dino asked.

“There’s no way to tell,” Stone replied.

“All three of them were there when I went into the building,” Faith said. “Between then and when Stone came back to the car again, maybe ten, fifteen minutes. I had some packing to do.”

“Is the lobby often deserted?” Dino asked.

“Yes. The only guests these days are airline people, who are on a contract. I think they’ve stopped taking other reservations.”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve heard that the hotel is scheduled for gutting and a complete renovation as a high-end hotel/condo combination. That’s what the desk clerk told me.”

“I don’t know what to make of that story,” Dino said.

“Neither do I,” Stone replied. “The whole business just struck me as creepy. Can you think of an excuse to have a look around the place, especially the lower levels?”

“Of course I can,” Dino replied, “and if I can’t, I’ve got a few hundred detectives who could come up with probable cause for a search warrant on the fly. I just don’t think I can spare the manpower while we’re in the middle of this murder spree to look again into something so ordinary and plausible.”