Stuart Woods: Family Jewels

“Do you have an address for Mr. Barnes?”

“We do. He resides at 740 Park Avenue.”

That stopped Stone in his tracks; that was the address of Carrie Fiske’s apartment. “Are you positive of that?”

“I am.”

“Would you be kind enough to dispatch an invitation to the private showing to Mr. Barnes?”

“If you wish it, of course.”

“Tell me, Jamie, what sort of security will you have for such an event?”

“We have four levels of security. This will be Level One, the highest, because of the allure of the Bloch-Bauer necklace,” he said. “It would only go higher if the President or the Pope were attending.”

“How many of them will be in some sort of uniform?”

“Only two, who will be stationed near the necklace. Everyone else will be in plainclothes.”

“May I make a suggestion?”

“Of course.”

“Put those two in plainclothes, too, and don’t use your largest men.”

“What did you have in mind, Stone?”

“An attempt to steal the necklace.”

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Mr. Daryl Barnes may be the murderer of Carrie Fiske, and he is a lover of fine jewelry.”

Jamie made an odd sound. “Well, in that case, I think we’d better have a police presence, don’t you?”

“I do, but I don’t think it should be obvious. May I make those arrangements for you? The commissioner and I are old friends.”

“Thank you, yes.”

“And if you don’t mind, I won’t make the nature of that presence known to anyone else at Sotheby’s but you.”

“That’s a very odd suggestion. Why not?”

“Well, if I were a jewel thief, I would do my very best to suborn a well-placed person on your staff. Wouldn’t you?”

“While I resent the implication, I believe I would.”

“This means you must not tell a soul that the police will be there. This is black tie, right?”

“Right, and I will keep the police presence to myself.”

“I’ll arrange a meeting between Dino and his people and you, but not at Sotheby’s. They will want to see the layout of the viewing at that time.”

“All right, I’ll produce that on request.”

“And please hand-deliver Mr. Barnes’s invitation.”

“It will be there inside an hour.”

“Thank you, Jamie.” He hung up and called Dino.

“Bacchetti.”

“I think we may have had something of a break.”

“Tell me about it.”

Stone did.

“You’re guessing.”

“Guessing is all that is left to us, is it not?”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Then you’d better get some of your people over to the tuxedo rental place, and it would be a good idea to have as many female officers as males. We want elegant-looking couples, not a lot of apes in black tie standing around waiting for something terrible to happen. It might make Mr. Barnes nervous.”

Stone looked up a White House number and found the direct line for Paul Kale, a young man who was one of three secretaries to the President. He dialed the number.

“Paul Kale.”

“Good morning, Paul, this is Stone Barrington. How are you?”

“Very well, thank you, Mr. Barrington, and you?”

“Very well. Can you tell me if the President is available at this hour? She asked me to call.”

“If you will kindly hold, I’ll see if she can talk. I know she’s expecting your call.”

“Of course.” Stone waited for about a minute and a half, then Katharine Lee came on the line.

“Stone!”

“Good morning, Madam President.”

“Please, it’s Kate when we’re alone.”

“I know, but I have trouble with that.”

“Get over it or I’ll hang up on you.”

“I’m over it, Kate.”

“Have you a report for me?”

“I do. You asked not to have it in writing.”

“I did. Speak to me.”

“Very well. First, Tiffany Baldwin. Ms. Baldwin is an outstanding prosecuting attorney with no judicial experience. She seems to be best in black-and-white situations, which lends itself to criminal prosecution, but perhaps not the bench. She lacks subtlety in every part of her life that I am familiar with, and I have known her for some years. In a confirmation hearing, the question of judicial temperament will surely be raised, and justly so. In those circumstances she is likely to respond to questions in a manner demonstrating her complete lack of such temperament. Need I continue?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve heard similar but less blunt assertions from others about her. Continue?”

“Next is Senator Marisa Bond, with whom I was very impressed.”

Kate laughed. “I rather thought you would be.”

“Impressed in every possible way. She is highly intelligent, has spectacular credentials, and a temperament that would go a long way toward giving the Court a more collegial atmosphere. In spite of her liberal leanings, she has made a continuous effort over the years to get along with Republicans without necessarily going along. For this reason, I think confirmation would be quick.”

“I’m delighted to hear you say that. Anything else?”

“Yes. Senator Bond went out of her way to convey to me that her sexual preferences are, well, broad.”

“Oh? That surprises me.”

“I believe she told me this in response to a question of what might surprise you about her. She also made it clear that she has exercised her tastes in a highly limited and very discreet manner. There is only one living female partner in her past, who is the wife of a sitting senator — she didn’t say which one. I had the impression that, once confirmed, she might be less discreet in that regard, but we must remember that she likes men, too.”

“She had a bad marriage, I believe.”

“She did. It ended twelve years ago with recriminations on the part of her former husband that she says were outright lies. He died two years after their divorce. It’s possible that opposition research might unearth some of the man’s comments.”

“It was a long time ago, and she’s conducted her life impeccably since that time.”

“I agree.”

“So you think she’s a serious candidate?”

“I think she’s a very fine one, though it occurs to me that women are already well represented on the court.”

“That has to be considered. What did you think of Terry Maher?”

“I liked him enormously, as I have often in his television appearances. He is frank to the point of bluntness, charming when he wants to be, and very, very smart. He offsets being gay with a macho mien, which was well-earned in the U.S. Marines, in his youth. I don’t know whether you’re aware that he was the middleweight boxing champion of his service.”

“I am aware of that. I like it, too, that he retired as a gunnery sergeant, not a colonel.”

“He didn’t mention that to me, but it’s a good point.”

“So, Stone, do you have a preference among the three?”

“Maher.”

“No doubts?”

“None. He’s made a very successful effort, like Senator Bond, of getting along with his opposition, and I think that after the uproar from the right wing about his gayness has subsided, he would be easily confirmed and look good doing it on television. He’s also only in his mid-forties, so given good health, he’d be on the Court for a very long time.”

“I invited him to a State dinner a few weeks ago, and I loved it that he and his husband turned up in their Marine dress uniforms. Lots of ribbons.”

“That must have been a sight. Is there anything else I can do for you, Kate?”

“Yes. Will and I are going to be in New York this week and we thought we might attend the showing of Ms. Fiske’s jewelry at Sotheby’s. Will you come with us?”