Stuart Woods - Below the Belt

“Good. I’ll arrange for a car to pick them up and take them to Teterboro.”

“Great.”

“Mike will need their names, address, and dates of birth, and copies of their passports tomorrow morning.” Stone gave him a fax number for Freeman.

“I’ll get it done.” He gave Stone an address in Cape May, New Jersey.

“Tell them the car will be there at six AM. They’ll be going to the Strategic Services hangar at Jet Aviation, Teterboro.”

“Right.”

“What are their names?”

“Henry and Martha Parker. The boy’s name is Thomas. They’re known as Hank, Marty, and Tommy.”

“Got it. Text me when they’ve been briefed, and tell them they’ll have security at my house when they get there.” Stone hung up and called Major Bugg, his estate manager.

“How are you, sir?”

“Very well. I’m sending you some guests, a family of three. They’ll be there in the evening, day after tomorrow.”

“Where would you like them?”

“Where do you suggest?”

“We’ve finished renovating Sir Charles’s cottage. They’d be very comfortable there, and we can feed them from the main kitchen, unless they’d like to do their own cooking.” Sir Charles was the previous owner, from whom Stone had bought the property.

“Sounds ideal.” Stone gave him the names. “And give them a car to use for sightseeing and shopping.”

“As you wish.”

“Have you got a dog that could stay in the cottage? I’ll bet the boy would like that.”

“Of course. We’re never short of dogs.”

“Thank you, Major.”

Stone hung up, satisfied that all was well.

The following morning, Joan buzzed Stone. “There’s a Mr. Henry Parker to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment.”

“Send him in.”

A large African-American man in a business suit came into his office, and Stone rose to greet him. He was a good six-three and something over two hundred pounds, fit-looking.

“Good morning, Mr. Parker,” Stone said.

“Please call me Hank.”

“And I’m Stone.” He pointed the man to a chair. “Coffee?”

“Thank you. I got up early this morning and missed mine.”

Stone poured him a mugful and set it on his side of the desk. “Tell me what I can do for you.”

“You’ve already done plenty for us,” Parker said. “I want to thank you for that.”

“You’re very welcome.”

“I just need to know something about the place we’re going. I don’t want it to be too big a surprise to my family.”

“I have a house in the south of England, not far from the English Channel. It’s on about a hundred and twenty acres of land. There’s the main house and half a dozen cottages. I’ve asked the estate manager, Major Bugg, with two g ’s, to put you in the recently updated cottage where the previous owner lived while the main house underwent a renovation. I thought you might be more comfortable in something smaller than the big house, but when you see it, if you don’t think it’s the thing, speak to Major Bugg and ask him to put you in the main house.”

“A cottage sounds better for us.”

“They can bring your meals from the main kitchen, or you can cook your own, or some combination of the two. I’ve asked Major Bugg to make a car available to you for shopping or sightseeing.”

“Wonderful. How far is it from London?”

“About ninety miles. It’s an hour and a half’s drive, but it might be easier to take the train.”

“I’d like for Marty and Tommy to see London. I was stationed there some years ago.”

“What did you do in the army?”

“Special ops. I retired two years ago, after thirty years.”

“How do you feel about dogs?”

“Love ’em — we all do. Ours is staying with friends while we’re gone.”

“I thought Tommy might like to have a dog as a friend while you’re there, so he will. By the way, there are a pool and a tennis court behind the main house, and there are bicycles and horses for riding, if you’re so inclined.”

“Wow! Tommy will be very excited.” Parker arranged his features to something more serious. “How long will we be there?”

“Hard to say. It might be best for you to stay until the election, in November.”

“Then Tommy will miss some school.”

“I’ll ask Major Bugg to arrange a tutor for him. I expect it would be helpful if you can get a curriculum from his school.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

Stone buzzed Joan. “Please bring me a thousand pounds sterling.”

Joan came in with an envelope and Stone handed it to Parker.

“You’ll need some local currency. If you want to open a bank account while you’re there, Major Bugg can arrange it.”

“Thank you. I’d like to take a couple of guns with me. We’ve been warned these people have already committed murder.”

“You can’t do that. The firearms laws are much stricter in Britain than here, but you’ll have two armed security people watching over you at all times. They work for the London office of a company called Strategic Services. It’s their airplane you’ll be flying on, and the CEO of the company, Mike Freeman, will be aboard. He’s flying to Brussels, and he’ll drop you on my private landing strip on the way.”

“Private landing strip?”

“It was a bomber base during World War Two. Customs and Immigration people will meet you there and clear you in.”

“What’s the weather like this time of year?”

“Cooler than here, and with more rain. You might take sweaters and a raincoat. There’ll be umbrellas in the cottage. If you’re there until November, you might need a warmer coat, or a liner for your raincoat.”

“Is there any sailing available?”

“The property is on the Bewley River, spelled B-e-a-u-l-i-e-u, and you can probably rent a sailing dinghy in the village of the same name. There’s a rubber dinghy with an outboard on my dock, and you’re welcome to use that on the river. It’s quite a beautiful place.”

“This sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful vacation.”

“I hope so. You can stay as long as you like, even after we get the all-clear.”

“Once again, I’m very grateful to you.”

“Hank, you’re right to take this seriously. As you say, these people have already committed kidnapping and murder. Listen to your security people. They know the territory, and they know what they’re doing.”

Parker stood and offered his hand. “I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Enjoy the flight. It’s a comfortable airplane. Oh, after you arrive, if you make any calls to the States, use the landline in the cottage, instead of your cell phones, and be circumspect about your location. Don’t even mention the country.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Does your house have a garage?” Stone asked.

“Yes.”

“Open it tomorrow morning to let in the car that’s picking you up. Strategic Services is providing an SUV and armed men up front. Load the car in the garage.”

“Got it.” Hank Parker left.

Stone called Ed Rawls and told him about his meeting with Parker. “He’s thoroughly briefed about what to expect, and there will be two security people with them at all times.”

“That’s a relief,” Ed said.

“Have you had any further contact with St. Clair’s people?”

“No, but I’m ready if they show up.”

“Don’t kill anybody if you can help it. That would be a lot more trouble than it’s worth.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I expect they won’t bother you again, but if they do, they’ll send more than two people.”

“I’ve still got their shotgun, and a little arsenal of my own. You might think about going armed yourself, Stone, until this is over.”