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“Maybe not,” Stone said. “I’m interested to hear what she has to say.”
Manolo escorted Carolyn out to the patio.
“You’ve met Dino Bacchetti, haven’t you?” Stone said.
“Yes, nice to see you again.”
Dino nodded.
Stone offered her a drink-not to be hospitable but to get hold of her glass.
“No, thank you,” she said, sniffling. “I’m not feeling all that well.”
“Nothing serious, I hope,” Stone said, trying to think of some other way to get a sample.
“Just the start of a cold, I think; I’ve already taken something for it.” She took the chair offered to her. “I believe the shareholders’ meeting went as you wished it to.”
“It did, indeed,” Stone said.
“I expect you’re wondering why Eleanor Grosvenor allowed Jim Long to vote his shares with you.”
“Tell me,” Stone said, though he thought he already knew.
“Eleanor and I are old acquaintances,” she said.
“Oh?”
“We met last year and spent some time together.”
“Did you?”
“Eleanor and Jim are old and dear friends,” Carolyn said. “When I told her that Terry Prince had been behind the attack on Jim in jail, she was furious. Then I told her how she could help, and she was on board immediately.”
“Well, as it turned out, we would have had the votes without Jim’s shares,” Stone said.
“I wasn’t at the meeting,” she said. “What happened?”
Stone told her about Rick Barron’s film and the effect it had had on the shareholders. “And beyond that, a friend of our side bought Jennifer Harris’s shares, and Jack Schmeltzer decided to go with us.”
“That’s very interesting,” she said. “I expect Terry will be furious.”
“Haven’t you spoken to him?”
“Not since before the meeting. Frankly, I’ve been avoiding him. He’ll soon find out about my connection with Eleanor, and he won’t like it.”
“I don’t think you’ll have any trouble avoiding him,” Stone said, “unless he can get bail.”
She wrinkled her forehead. “Bail?”
“He’s under arrest for the attempted murder of Jim Long.”
“They’ll never pin that on him,” she said.
“Yes they will. The LAPD brought Carter back from his mother’s place in Mexico. They’ve offered him immunity, and he’s agreed to testify.”
Carolyn looked stunned for a moment. “That’s wonderful,” she said finally, and with some feeling.
“Wonderful?”
