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“I am.”
“Did he say what sorts of things he’d like me to do?”
“No. In fact he specified that, while nothing he assigns you will be a conflict of interest with Woodman and Weld, the details of your assignments would remain strictly between you and him. I’ll rely on you to avoid conflicts.”
“I will do so.”
Felicity came downstairs and was reintroduced to the Eggerses, then the doorbell rang, and the former commissioner and his wife, Mitzi, walked in. It was the first time Stone had seen them since the wedding. Stone shook the commissioner’s hand, and Mitzi offered him a cheek while Felicity observed, then was introduced.
Jim Hackett was the last to arrive, with a beautiful woman called Vanessa, to whom, Stone surmised, Hackett was not married. They settled in for cocktails, while the waiter brought hot hors d’oeuvres.
“Stone,” Hackett said, “I expect Bill has told you I met with his people this afternoon.”
“Yes, he has.”
“I was pleased with what I heard, and I thank you for arranging it,” Hackett said. “Dame Felicity, it’s good to see you again after so much time has passed.”
“I’m pleased to see you, Mr. Hackett,” Felicity replied.
“It’s just plain Jim, please.”
“And it’s just plain Felicity.” Her gaze seemed to be boring into Hackett. “We met at a dinner party in London some years ago, as I recall.”
“That’s correct.”
“I thought at the time you seemed familiar. Had we ever met before that?”
“No, I don’t believe so, though I did meet your father once, at lunch at the Garrick Club. He was a very impressive gentleman.”
“The Garrick was his favorite,” Felicity said. “I understand you are a native of the Shetland Islands.”
“I am.”
“You grew up there?”
“Yes. My father was a crofter-he tended the sheep-and my mother was the weaver.”
“You’ve made quite a leap from those days, haven’t you?”
“From those days to these required a number of leaps,” Hackett said. “The army got me out, and then I got out of the army.”
“How did you come to be in the security business?”
“I was in the Paratroop Regiment, and on occasion we served as armed guards for various high-ranking officers and other dignitaries. A mate of mine left the regiment and joined a security firm, and then invited me to join when my enlistment was up. The two of us were adept at devising new security procedures, and eventually we went out on our own. My partner was killed in a car-bomb explosion, and I was left with the business.”
“What was his name?” she asked.
“Tim Timmons,” Hackett replied. “He had no family, so his half of the business came to me.”
Stone could practically see her memorizing this information.
STONE HAD PICKED particularly good wines from his cellar, and they went down well at dinner. Even Felicity and Mitzi seemed to take to each other, and Hackett went out of his way to be charming to Felicity. Stone tried to just watch and listen. The waiter appeared to be doing his job with Hackett’s wineglasses.
WHEN THE GUESTS had gone, Stone went into the kitchen and found Bob Cantor. “How did it go?” he asked.
“I’ve got clear prints of the thumb and four fingers of his right hand,” Bob said, handing Stone a sheet of paper. “I’ve scanned and printed them for you.”
“Great job,” Stone said. “Talk to you later.” Stone went back into the living room and handed Felicity the prints. “All five fingers, right hand,” he said.
