Shakeup
- Автор: Вудс Стюарт
- Серия: Stone Barrington #55
- Год: 2020
- Язык: английский
- Год: G. P. Putnam’s Sons
- ISBN: 978-0-593-18832-3
- Жанр: Триллеры
Электронная книга - «Shakeup». Краткое содержание книги:
As it turns out, the mastermind behind the malfeasance rocking New York City and the nation’s capital wields a heavy hand of influence. And when Stone is unable to recruit those closest to the case to his side, he is left with few leads and a handful of dead-ends. But with the help of important people in high places — and the expertise of alluring new friends — Stone is more than ready to rise to the occasion.
“The house had been entered, but nothing had been disturbed. The team compared it to the photographs they took a while back.”
“Any explanation?”
“Yes, someone used a device that ran through all possible codes. They reset it two minutes later.”
“Why would someone want to be in my house for two minutes?” Stone asked.
“That is known only to those who entered,” she said. “Now, rejoin whoever is waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Felicity. I’m grateful to you.” But she had already hung up.
Stone was awakened by the bell on the dumbwaiter.
“Breakfast!” Maren sang out cheerfully.
“Yes, breakfast,” Stone said.
“Why do you look worried?” she asked. “Didn’t you sleep well?”
“Not very well,” he said. “I kept waking up, wondering why someone would break into my house in London for two minutes and not take anything.”
43
Stone was at his desk when Joan buzzed. “Dame Felicity Devonshire on one,” she said.
Stone pressed the button. “Good morning again, Felicity, or rather, good afternoon.”
“Good day, Stone. I had a thought about the reason for your break-in last night,” she said.
“I’d like to hear it,” Stone said. “It kept me awake.”
“You have a virtually identical system, that my people installed in Windward Hall, do you not?”
“I do,” Stone said.
“What if last night was a dry run for breaking into the Hall?”
Stone found the suggestion alarming. “I see.”
“What, in particular, do you have in the house that would be of great value?”
“Define ‘great value.’”
“Something that could be sold immediately for a lot of money.”
“Well, I think I left a couple of wristwatches in the watch winder in my dressing room.”
“Even greater value.”
“There’s wine that could be sold at auction.”
“Too easy to trace. I mean, Christie’s and Sotheby’s advertise those sales and keep records.”
“Well, I have a few of my mother’s paintings. They’ve gone up in value in recent years. I know, because I buy them when I can. But they would be easily traceable, too.”
“Not if the thief were working for an existing client who is an art lover, or a lover of your mother’s work, in particular.”
“You mean, someone who placed an order for the pictures?”
“And to enjoy them in his home or place of business. That’s what I mean.”
“Can you send a team in there to have a look around?”
“I’m afraid not. We’ve got something of a panic on that I can’t go into, but it’s all hands on deck, I’m afraid. Why don’t you call your security provider?”
“I’m speaking to her, as we speak.”
“Oh, yes, you are, aren’t you? How about your caretaker, Major Bugg?”
“He’s out for knee replacement surgery.”
“Oh, dear.”
“I suppose I could call Inspector Holmes, of the local constabulary.”
“I’m afraid they are also participants in the panic,” Felicity said.
“You think I should come over there?”
“That’s what jet aeroplanes are for, isn’t it? Coming over here?”
Stone thought about it.
“If we get our panic cleared up, I’ll be down tomorrow afternoon.”
A few days with Dame Felicity was an alluring notion. “I suppose I could pop over,” he said.
“How lovely. Will you give me dinner tomorrow evening?”
The cook lived on the estate. “Of course.”
“What time?”
“I’ll call you from the air when I have a firm ETA,” he replied.
“Shall I bring a toothbrush?” she asked, coyly.
“I can’t imagine that you would need more than that,” he said. “See you tomorrow evening.”
“I’ll go quell the panic,” she said.
Eddie walked downstairs from his guest suite and rapped on the door to Alfie’s study.
“Come!”
Eddie entered and found Alfie sitting at his desk. Next to that was something covered with a cashmere throw.
“Good morning, Eddie,” Alfie said cheerfully. “I trust you slept well.”
“I did.”
“I wanted to show you this last night, but I was knackered.” He handed Eddie some postcards. “These are the pictures we wish to, ah, borrow from Windward Hall.”
“From where?”
“Windward Hall is the name of the country house. In this country, they are always given names by their owners or their ancestors.”
“Gotcha.” Eddie riffled through the postcards. “Very nice,” he said. “I don’t know much about art, except how to steal it, but I’d buy these myself.”
Alfie stood up, took hold of the cashmere throw and pulled it away. It had covered four medium-sized oil paintings.
“Holy shit!” Eddie was amazed. “Did you already steal them?”
“Of course not,” Alfie said. “These are forgeries.”
Eddie took a closer look. “These look real to me,” he said.
“That’s because they are real. I have this guy who can copy anything, right down to the brushstroke. Not even a lot of experts can tell the difference.”
“Well,” Eddie said, “if he’s so good, why don’t you just give these to your Scottish guy and tell him they’re the real thing?”
“Because he’s smart enough to figure it out and mean enough to cut my throat — or have it done. He’s not a bloke you want to mess about. I have a good working relationship with him, and I don’t want to cock it up.”
“You know best, Alfie.”
“Thank you, my son.”
“So, when do we do it?”
“Tomorrow night. I need to get my man to check out the hangar at Windward Hall.”
“I’m game,” Eddie said.
Maren knocked on Stone’s office door and stuck her head in. “I’m off,” she said.
Stone got up and went to her. “Is your work here done?”
“I got word that Little Debby is back in D.C., so that’s where I need to be.”
“Any luck nailing down Eddie Craft?”
“His name is on a list,” she said. “I hope he turns up, because I could really use him in court.”
“Well, I’ve got to go to England for a couple of days to look into this break-in. Felicity seems to think it was a rehearsal for a job on my house in the country, which has the same security system.”
“You’re lucky I’m not the jealous type,” Maren said, “or I’d shoot down your airplane.”
“Then, as you say, I’m lucky.” They kissed and she went to her car, which was waiting in the garage.
Stone buzzed Joan. “Get Faith and everybody on board for a flight to England tomorrow, wheels up at seven AM.”
“Ah, you have a dinner date tomorrow night, don’t you?” Joan asked.
“Don’t ask, just alert the cook.”
44
Stone was taxiing the Gulfstream from Jet Aviation at Teterboro to Runway One, with the Bacchettis in the passenger compartment, when his cell phone rang. “Yes?”
“Where are you?” Holly asked.
“Taxiing for takeoff,” Stone said, “on the way to England for a few days. Dino and Viv managed to get some time off, as they usually do, so they’re aboard.”
“A pity. I’m coming to New York. What, or who, takes you to England?”
“A security breach at my London house. The country house is probably next. I suspect a burglar at work.”
“What did he take from the London house?”
“Nothing, apparently. It seems to have been a dry run for Windward Hall, since they have identical security systems.”
“Will you see Felicity?”
“Her service is in some sort of panic; she may be down to Hampshire, if she sorts it out.”
“I’m jealous.”
“Oh, good!”
“Beast!”
The tower called: “N123 TF, cleared for takeoff.”
“I’ve been cleared for takeoff,” Stone said, checking for traffic, then turning left onto the runway. “Bye-bye.” He centered the tiller and moved the throttles forward. Soon, he was climbing, then turning northeast. He switched on the autopilot, got out of the left seat, and was replaced by Faith, his regular pilot. He went aft, settled into a seat opposite the Bacchettis, and the flight attendant brought them freshly squeezed orange juice.
“Mimosa, anyone?” she asked.
Dino opened his mouth, but Viv beat him to it. “Too early for you,” she said.
“Hair of the dog,” Dino replied.
“Nonsense,” Viv said, then opened her copy of the Times. “How long, Stone?”
“Around six hours. We’ve got a big tailwind.”
“I love a tailwind,” Viv said.
“Who doesn’t?”
Dino filched the business section of the newspaper from his wife.
“You never used to read the business section,” Stone said.
“I never used to have money,” Dino replied. His late father-in-law had left him comfortably fixed, annoying his ex-wife to no end. “Now, I enjoy watching the market.”
“Will we see Felicity?” Viv asked.
“She has some sort of flap on at work, but if she can resolve that, yes. I’ll call her when we’re an hour or so out and find out if she’s in London or Beaulieu, at her house there.”
“I think I can guess where she’ll be,” Viv said. “After all, she is motivated to fix her flap, with you on the way. Does Holly know where you’re headed?”
“She called as we were taxiing,” Stone said. “She knows all.”
“Or suspects,” Viv said.
“Viv, my darling,” Dino said. “Shut up.”
“I’m just...”
“I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘prying.’”
Viv made a disgusted noise and disappeared behind her newspaper.