Chapter 38

Stone finished his last lap and climbed out of the pool.

"Please tell me this means we can order breakfast now," Monica said.

When he'd come down for a swim, he'd been alone. Now, Monica was sitting at the poolside table with Viv and Dino. Viv was typing on a laptop while Dino was working his way through the New York Times.

Stone grabbed his towel off the nearby lounge and started drying off. "You didn't have to wait for me."

Dino folded down the paper. "That's what I told her."

"Nonsense," Monica said. "I wasn't going to eat without you."

"Looks like she's not tired of you yet," Dino said.

"I don't plan on there being a yet," she said.

"None of them ever do."

Stone walked over to Monica and kissed her. "Don't listen to Dino. He doesn't understand romance."

"I understand it fine. Viv, tell them."

Viv looked up. "Tell them what?"

"That I know all about romance."

Her eyes narrowed. "Not sure you want me to answer that question."

"On second thought, I believe someone said something about breakfast?" Dino said.

Viv closed her computer. "None for me, thank you. I need to get to the office. I was there until almost midnight working out logistics with our team in Jakarta, and there's still more to do."

"I thought you were taking a few days off," Stone said.

"This is her taking a few days off," Dino said. "Look, the sun's already up and she's only now talking about going to work."

Viv stood and kissed Dino on the cheek. "Try to stay out of trouble today."

"I take it Dino mentioned our travails yesterday," Stone said.

"In detail."

"I also told you I wasn't the one found at the scene of a murder yesterday."

"Today's a new day, so you never know."

"Again, don't look at me," Dino said, gesturing at Monica.

"In fairness, that was the first time that's happened to me, too," Monica said.

"You came close in New Mexico," Stone said.

"Not the same thing."

"If you say so."

"See you all later." Viv headed into the house.

"Before I forget," Dino said. "Ben sent over some documents he said we should look through before the first board meeting tomorrow. I left your set on the dining table."

Monica's phone began vibrating. She checked the screen, then said, "It's my friend Patricia. Excuse me for a minute."

She got up and took the call out of earshot. When she returned, she said, "They messed up."

"Who messed up?" Stone asked.

"My art thieves. They went after another painting last night, this time in Del Mar. And before you ask, yes, it was another one of your mother's."

"Were they caught?"

"Not exactly. Two of them escaped with the painting. The other was shot by the homeowner."

"Please tell us it wasn't fatal and the police were able to question him?"

"I wish I could. The house was on fire when the homeowner caught them in the act. He shot the one guy and tried to follow the other two. By the time he got back to the house, the fire had spread, and he couldn't get inside to pull the guy out."

"I'm guessing it's too soon for the police to have IDed the body," Dino said.

She nodded. "The good thing is, since the owner saw the other two run off with the painting, the higher-ups at Vitale are starting to wonder if the other fires might have been distractions as well. My friend showed them the reports I'd been giving to Dalton. Turns out he hadn't passed any of them on."

"Maybe they'll give you your job back."

"I don't want my job back. If I return, I want Dalton's."

"Tell them that," Stone said.

"I will."

They ordered food, and it arrived with an unexpected visitor.

"Morning, Billy," Stone said. "If I'd known you were coming by, I would have ordered something for you, too."

Billy waved him off. "Ate before I left the house this morning."

Dino motioned to an empty seat. "Take a load off."

Billy did so. "Where's Viv?"

"One guess," Dino said.

"Ah. At least one of your family actually works for their salary."

"Not true," Stone said. "Ben and Tessa also work for theirs."

"I sit corrected," Billy said.

"I'll have you know I earn every penny I make," Dino said.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I take it this visit means your contact has learned something," Stone said.

Billy nodded. "Last night, my friend happened to overhear Simon Duchamp on a phone call, during which he arranged for the delivery of a painting this morning."

"A stolen painting?" Monica asked.

"He didn't come right out and say that, but that's what it sounded like. He also said that the painting had been obtained last night, and that there was some sort of problem with the job."

"Monica, I think you should tell Billy what your friend told you," Stone said.

She did so.

"Do you know the dimensions of the stolen painting?"

"I can find out." She sent Patricia a text and received an immediate reply. "She says it's two and a half feet by three and a half."

"Something like this?" Billy turned his phone so everyone could see the screen. On it was a photo of a sedan in a parking lot. One man was climbing out of the front passenger seat, while a second was next to the open trunk, holding a rectangular package.

"Looks like the right size to me," Stone said. "Do we know who the men are?"

"Not yet, but my friend's convinced one of them is the person Simon had talked to on the phone."

"Two people here and two people missing from the crime scene in Del Mar," Monica said.

"That's what I was thinking," Stone said.

"Does anyone recognize them?" Billy asked.

"I don't."

Monica studied the picture a few seconds longer, then shook her head. "Sorry, no."

"Apparently there were two other people present this morning, beside those two and Duchamp. It's possible they're the buyers." Billy flipped through his photos until he came to the best one of the men from the BMW, then showed it to the others.

"I've never seen them," Monica said.

Stone gestured to the phone. "May I?"

Billy handed it to him.

Stone pinched the image to magnify the men's faces. "I'll be damned."

"You know them?" Monica asked.

"Not this one." Stone pointed at the younger man, then moved his finger to the older one. "But him I do."

"Who is he?"

"Winston Petry."

"That name sounds familiar," Dino said.

"It should. He was the defendant in the lawsuit that Herb won for my client."

"Wait, now that rings a bell. Was he the guy that confronted you in front of the Seagram's building?"

"The very same."

"Let me see that."

Stone passed Dino the phone.

Dino checked out the picture. "He looks like an asshole."

"He is," Stone said.

"Is he an art collector?" Monica asked.

Stone shrugged. "I have no personal knowledge of it, but if he is, my guess would be that his tastes run more toward Dogs Playing Poker than my mother's work."

"Then why was he there?"

"Revenge would be my guess."

"For losing a lawsuit?"

"A thirty-two-million-dollar lawsuit."

"Oof."

"But Petry's anger doesn't stem solely from losing the suit. Our paths have crossed before."

"What happened then?"

"He lost his business and was a hair's breadth away from federal prison time."

"Because of you?"

"Because of me."

"So he's twice burned."

"I'm sure he sees it that way."

"Then you think he hired Simon to steal your mother's paintings to…what? Keep you from obtaining them yourself?"

"I'm sure that's part of it. But something tells me that wouldn't be enough for him."

"Then what?"

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

"You don't think he'd harm them, do you?"

"I feel certain he'd have no problem doing that."

"That's what I'm thinking, too," Billy said.

"Because he broke the law, and you called him on it?" Monica said. "Talk about petty."

"You haven't known Stone long enough yet, my dear," Dino said. "He's a revenge magnet."

"This has happened before?"

"Variations on a theme," Stone said.

"The good news is that it appears your life isn't in danger this time," Dino said.

"Yet," Billy said.

Monica's eyes widened. "Someone has tried to kill you?"

Dino shook his head. "Not one person. Many."

"How many?"

"We stopped counting a few years ago."

"Dino, you're scaring her," Stone said. "It's not as bad as he's making it out."

"Have you ever been shot at?" she asked.

"Well, yes."

"More than once?"

"Also, yes."

"How many times?"

"At the risk of repeating myself, we stopped counting a few years ago," Dino said.

"Would Petry try to kill you?"

"I have no doubt he'd like nothing better than to see me take my last breath. But until that happens, I'm sure he'll be content with hurting me in other ways."

"Like possibly doing something to your mother's paintings?"

"It's no secret how important they are to me. It's one of the places he could hurt me the most."

She stared at Stone. "Exactly what kind of law do you practice?"

"Only the good kind," he said.

"Excuse me for butting in," Billy said. "But I need to know how you'd like to proceed."

"We should go to the police," Monica said.

"Okay," Stone said, "let's say we do. With what we have right now, we could probably convince them to open an investigation into Simon Duchamp. And they might even turn up enough evidence to arrest him and shut down his operation."

"Call me crazy, but isn't that what we want?" she asked.

"It is, but it's not all we want."

She chewed on her lip, thinking, then said, "You're worried that Petry will get away?"

"I am, but again not my largest concern."

"That would be your mother's paintings," Dino said.

Stone nodded. "If Simon begins receiving attention from the police, Petry might act sooner than he's currently planning."

"And we still don't know when that is or what he's going to do," Monica said.

"Correct. But we might be able to find out. Do that, and we can put them all in prison and save my mother's paintings in the process."

"You make it sound so easy," Dino said.

Monica turned to him, confused. "Isn't this one of those conversations you shouldn't be here for?"

"In the future, if anyone asks, I was inside taking a nap," Dino said.

Stone rubbed his chin. "I think I know of a way to learn what Simon's been up to without tipping off that we're onto him. As far as Petry goes, though, it would probably be best if he thinks I don't know he's in town. Billy, do you think your friend can deal with finding out his plan?"

"I'll ask, but I'm sure he can."

"What about me?" Monica asked.

"Assuming Simon was involved in setting you up and knows who you are, you can't be anywhere near him."

"Do you have any reason to believe Petry knows about Monica?" Billy asked.

"That doesn't seem like the kind of business Simon would share with a client, so I doubt it."

To Monica, Billy said, "I'll let my friend know you're available if he needs help."

"Thank you."