THAT NIGHT, after Peter was sound asleep in his room, Stone lay in bed and watched Arrington undress. Her body had changed little with childbirth, and she obviously took very good care of herself. She switched off the bedside lamp and got into bed, snuggling close to him.
“This is why you wanted me here, isn’t it?” she asked, flicking his ear with her tongue. “You were just randy.”
“I’m alway
s randy when you’re around,” Stone said, kissing her and cupping a breast in his hand. “But that’s not the only reason I invited you.”
“We can discuss the other reasons in the morning,” she said, taking him in her hand and kneading gently.
Stone responded instantly. He rolled on top of her, and she guided him in.
“It’s not the only reason for me, either,” she said, her hips rising to meet him. “But I love it all the same.”
Chapter 27
THE FOLLOWING MORNING a fax came from Sergeant Young of the state police. Stone read the report, and as he did, the phone rang.
“It’s Ed Rawls,” the gruff voice said. “Did you get the report?”
“I’ve just read it,” Stone said. “It’s nice that Young didn’t call it a suicide.”
“I think you and Dino saw to that,” Rawls said. “I’m glad you were there, because none of the rest of us has any credentials that would make Young take us seriously.”
“I would have thought that your careers would have been enough.”
“We don’t talk about that to civilians,” Rawls said.
“A state cop is a civilian?”
“Everybody who isn’t Agency is a civilian.”
“What about me?”
“You’re kind of a semipro, because of your relationship with Lance Cabot.”
“Thanks.”
“The fellows and I pasted together Don’s day, before he died,” Rawls said.
“And?”
“He had lunch at the yacht club, picked up his mail and went home. He had dinner alone, called me, then got himself murdered.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. If he’d been anywhere on the island, he’d have been seen.”
“Did he talk to anybody anywhere, except at the yacht club?”
“Nothing more than to say hello.”
“Who’d he have lunch with?”
“He had lunch alone, talked to anybody who dropped by, nothing important.”
“And then he called you and said he’d found out something?”
“After thinking about it all day.”