Стюарт Вудс - Class Act

“Hello, Stone.”

“I just had a call from Hilda. She said that Cara never showed. Hilda’s in New York now. We made a date for tomorrow night.”

“I wouldn’t keep it, if I were you. If Hilda’s alive, that tells you she knows everything.”

“That thought didn’t occur to me.”

“Look at it this way: you’ve got two women who met last night, both of whom are contract killers, and one of them is missing.”

“You have a point,” Stone said.

“I figure Cara made a move, but Hilda got there first. Now Hilda is going to be wondering who sent her.”

“Well, yes.”

“I don’t think you would survive another session in bed with Hilda.”

Stone gulped.

“Do you know where Hilda is staying?”

“In a suite at the Carlyle.”

“That’s a little expensive for a single person, isn’t it?”

“She performs there sometimes. She says they give her a rate.”

“Of course. And if I’m thinking correctly, she’ll have your twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

“I think your next move should be out of town,” Jack said.

“I’ll think about that,” Stone replied.

“Let’s talk when you’ve figured out your next move.”

“Good.” They both hung up.

Stone called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“We need to talk,” Stone said, “and not on the phone.”

“What’s up?”

“I need some advice. Dinner at Patroon, seven o’clock?”

“Okay. Viv’s out of town.”

“Good.”

Stone hung up, relieved. He didn’t want to explain any of this to Viv.

He tried to put himself in Hilda’s position. What would she do next? If he didn’t show for dinner tomorrow night, she’d smell a rat, and that would be him.

Maybe he should talk to Jack again, before it came to that. Jack seemed to be full of ideas, even if the last one hadn’t worked so well.

Stone arrived before Dino, and the waiter automatically brought him a Knob Creek. He looked around the room and saw one or two people he knew, but no one of consequence. Then he was startled to find Dino at his elbow.

Dino sat down. “You look even worse than the last time I saw you,” he said.

“That’s because things are worse.”

“Did you have Hilda dealt with?”

“A friend of mine has a friend, who does that sort of work. It was arranged for the two of them to meet at the Key West house. She was supposed to call my friend when the work was finished.”

“And she didn’t call?”

“No, and she’s not answering her phone, either. I spoke to Hilda, and she said the woman never showed.”

Dino thought about that for a minute. “Where do murderers in Key West dispose of bodies?”

“I have no idea.”

“You read the local paper when you’re there. They publish that sort of information.”

“In the water, I guess. It’s an island. It’s surrounded by water.”

Dino got out his cell phone. “What’s the name of the newspaper?”

“The Key West Citizen . A body in the water would make the front page, and the story would be continued on the last page.”

Dino went to work with his thumbs. “Nothing,” he said. “How about a newspaper with a wider coverage?”

“Miami, I guess. The Herald? ”

Dino typed some more, then he stopped. “Uh-oh.”

“What?”

Dino started scrolling down. “Parts of a woman’s body were found up a creek in the Everglades.”

“Which parts?”

“It doesn’t say, just that they belonged to a whole woman at some point.”

“Are they thinking alligators?”

“From what I hear, gators are very helpful when it comes to converting bodies into body parts.”

“Well, she can be identified with DNA,” Stone said.

“You got any DNA?”

“No, I’ve never met her.” He dug out his iPhone and found the photo.

“Hey, nice body parts!” Dino said. “A shame to rearrange them.”

Stone called Jack. “Google the Miami Herald front page,” he said.

“Give me a minute,” Jack responded, then he came back. “Can you zoom in close on what looks like a left hand?”

“I’ll try.” Stone enlarged the Herald photo. “Looks like a little gold ring on the pinkie.”

“Now do the same with the photo I sent you.”

Stone managed the operation. “I can’t get any real detail, but they’re both small and gold and on the same finger.”

“Cara, let’s call her, wore a little gold signet ring on that finger. She said Tiffany’s had it made for her; a family crest.”

“Probably not a coincidence, huh?”

“Do you know anybody at the Herald ?” Jack asked.

“The only name I know at the Herald is Carl Hiaasen, a columnist, but I’ve never met him. I do read his books.”

“I’ll see if I can find a way to get an anonymous note to the editor,” Jack said. “I’ll call you if I have any luck.” He hung up.

“So?” Dino asked.

Stone showed him the two rings.

“You shoulda been a detective,” Dino said.

“Do you think you could find a way to tip off the Miami cops without getting either of us dragged into it?”

“Maybe.”

“It could help that the ring is supposed to have been made by Tiffany’s; a family crest.”

“What’s the woman’s name?”

“If I knew her real name, I’ve forgotten it.”

Dino made a brief call to somebody he knew, then hung up. “Okay, that’s done. Do they still serve food at this restaurant?”

They ordered and had a second drink while they waited.

“My problem isn’t solved,” Stone said. “I’ve got a dinner date with Hilda tomorrow night.”

“And you’re worried about being the main course?”

“Let’s just say that I don’t want to be alone with her, and that is what she has in mind.”

“Because you’ll be found in the Hudson the following morning?” He tapped the signet ring on Stone’s little finger. “At least we’ll be able to identify you. No gators in the Hudson, last time I checked.”

“You’re a barrel of laughs,” Stone said glumly.

“Your body could be found in a barrel,” Dino said. “We get a lot of that.”

Dinner came, and Dino ate voraciously, while Stone picked at his food.

“You’re not gonna let all this affect your appetite, are you?” Dino asked.

“What appetite?”

“I think I’ve got a solution to your problem,” Dino said.

“What’s that?”

“Break your dinner date.”

“You think? No kidding?”

“Just become unavailable to her.”

“She’s pretty persistent,” Stone said. “I mean, I became unavailable to her when we flew to England.”

“And now she’s baaaack!” Dino said.

“What I need is a more permanent solution.”

“You already tried that,” Dino pointed out.

“Not that permanent; just kind of, for a few weeks or months.”

“Do you think her heart will grow less fond of you during that time? Just call her and kiss her off.”

“I don’t have much experience doing that to women.”

“You want me to suggest some language?” Dino asked.

“Spare me that.”

Dino looked toward the door. “How do you feel about coincidence?” he asked.

“What?”

“I remember you said something once about, ‘If you line up enough coincidences, the result is fate.’ ”

“I could have said that. It’s true, sort of.”

“Well, check out the couple being seated across the room, there.”

Stone followed Dino’s nod to the couple. One of them was Sal Trafficante; the other was Hilda Ross.

“Oh, shit,” Stone said.