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“Why not?”
He leaned toward her and whispered, “Best to keep his ego in check.”
She laughed. “My lips are sealed.”
“That’s what makes you the perfect assistant.”
She beamed. “I have dinner plans this evening, but if you need me to give you a more detailed briefing now, I could change my schedule.”
“I’ll be on set tomorrow morning,” Teddy said. “Let’s do it then. Unless there’s an emergency we need to discuss now?”
She looked relieved. “No emergencies.”
“Then I’ll see you in the morning.”
As she walked away, Stone joined Teddy. “If it isn’t the elusive Billy Barnett.”
“In the flesh. Is it just the two of us?”
“Peter’s meeting us at the restaurant in an hour. You and I have a stop to make first. You don’t mind driving, do you?”
They retrieved Teddy’s car from the valet and headed out. Usually, Teddy drove rental cars when on location, but since Santa Barbara was only a couple hours northwest of Los Angeles, he’d driven up in his classic 1958 Porsche 356 Speedster.
“What’s this stop we have to make?” Teddy asked as he drove Stone through the city.
“I met with someone today who may be in need of help from our mutual acquaintance.”
“Acting lessons from Mark Weldon?”
Stone smirked. “Your other friend.”
Of course, he meant Teddy Fay, the not-as-dead-as-most-people-thought-he-was former CIA operative.
Teddy wanted to ask more but remained silent. The Porsche’s top was down, and while it was unlikely someone could overhear them, the possibility did exist.
With Stone offering directions, they made their way to a four-story building in the downtown business district. On the top floor, they entered the law firm of Mori & Jenkins.
Stone approached the receptionist. “Stone Barrington to see Richard Mori.”
Mori entered the lobby less than half a minute later, appearing considerably more tense than he’d been that afternoon.
Stone motioned to Teddy. “This is Billy Barnett. Billy, Richard Mori.”
Mori shook Teddy’s hand. “Thank you for coming. This way, gentlemen.”
He led them to his corner office. Stone was surprised to find Carl Novak waiting inside. He had been under theimpression that he and Teddy would be meeting with Mori alone.
Novak, who’d been pacing by the windows, stopped the moment they stepped inside. “Oh, thank God.”
Teddy glanced at Stone, silently asking what was going on.
Before Stone could answer, Mori said, “There’s something you need to see.” He circled behind his desk and angled his computer toward the others. On the screen was a paused video. “The situation has changed.”
He clicked theplaybutton.
The image was a static shot of a windowless, concrete room. Pushed against the wall was a cot, on which lay a woman, either asleep or unconscious. Taped to the wall behind her was a piece of paper with a large number five written on it.
A digitally altered voice then came out of the speaker. “Mr. Novak, if you would like your wife returned unharmed, do not contact the police or any other agency. Do not talk to the press. If you contact any of them, we will find out and we will kill her. You will then spend the rest of your life knowing your inability to follow instructions caused her demise. The time to pay for your mistakes has come. We will be in touch.”
