She held up a hand, then laboriously wrote something in block capitals on the steno pad in her lap, then showed it to Stone. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY, he read.
He nodded. “As you wish.”
She erased the words. “Now,” she said, “listen.” She took a couple of deep breaths and said, slowly and barely above a whisper, “I know about Peter and the will. His lawyer called.”
“Good,” Stone said. “Does your mother know?”
“No, and I won’t tell her.”
“Then neither will I,” he replied.
“Good.” She stopped talking and just breathed for a moment.
He took the pad from her and wrote: Is there anything I can do for you?
She took it back and wrote: Call Peter’s lawyer, Bryce Gelbman, at Pierce & Gelbman. And tell him I want possession of the apartment and half the cash as soon as possible. Find me a nurse I can trust. Keep Mother out of this.
Stone handed her his card. “Call me on my cell if you need me; I’ll come right away.”
She nodded and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming to see me, Stone,” she said. “Goodbye.”
He bent to kiss her on the cheek. “Do you feel safe here?”
“For the time being,” she said. “We’ll see.”
Stone left the apartment and went home.
48
Holly was home when he got there, and packing. “I’m off tomorrow morning,” she said. “Can Fred drive me to the airport?”
“Of course, he’ll be delighted. When you’re done packing, come down to the study and have a drink. I’ve got some things to tell you.”
“Give me a few minutes,” she said.
Stone went downstairs and called Lance, making his report on Peter’s estate.
“That rather confirms my suspicions about the McIntoshes,” Lance said. “Was there anything on next of kin?”
“No. I would be interested to know who the extra woman was at the Vineyard inn, though.”
“It’s beginning to sound like Vanessa,” Lance said.
Stone didn’t want it to be Vanessa. “Is there any other evidence to back that up? Did they sign a register at the inn, or were reservations made in another name?”
“No, but it was noted that the extra woman had her own room. Were Peter and Vanessa ever romantically involved?”
“I doubt it,” Stone said, “from the way she talks about him.”
“How’s she doing?”
“She’s in a wheelchair now, and talking more. She wants to move into Peter’s apartment as soon as possible. That reminds me, I’ve got to call Peter’s attorney about that. Anything else?”
“Not for the moment.”
Stone hung up, called Bryce Gelbman, and introduced himself. “Vanessa Baker wants to move into the new apartment as soon as possible,” he said. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Not really. Peter put everything into a trust to avoid probate, and I’m his executor. So sure, tell her to go ahead. I left a key for her.”
“Will you call her about that, please? Another thing,” Stone said, “he also left her his car, and that’s going to need some serious work after its swim in the Hudson. I think I can make a few calls and get the police to release it to you.”
“Fine, I’ll give it to the dealer and have them go to work on it.”
“Bryce, have you learned anything about Peter’s next of kin?”
“Apparently there isn’t one. His parents are both dead. That’s why he made a will and set up the trust.”
“Is 1010 a co-op building?”
“Yes.”
“How long did it take you to close it?”
“He bought the place shortly after his return to this country. Someone he knew is chairman of the co-op board, so he got through that step quickly. We closed as soon as he got board approval.”
“Who did he use as references on his application?”
“I don’t know; I never saw it. The Realtor handled all that.” He gave Stone her name. “But, she said at closing that she was leaving the country the next day for a few weeks. I think she was spending her commission.”
“Any idea where she went?”
“None at all.”
“Thank you, Bryce. Let me know about the car.” Stone hung up, and Holly walked into the room. He poured them drinks, and they sat down.
“So, what do you have to tell me?” she asked.
“I’ve been talking to Lance a lot, and he’s convinced that the mole at State is Mac McIntosh.”
She looked shocked. “But he was cleared in the investigation.”
“I’m afraid they missed something.”
“Apparently so did I,” she said. “I don’t know what to say to the press.”
“You’re going to say ‘No comment, for reasons of national security.’”
“I hate to hide behind that.”
“You’re not hiding, it’s a fact.”
She sighed. “Oh, well. When is he going to be arrested?”
“Not immediately,” Stone said. “Lance doesn’t have his ducks in a row just yet.”
“Good, because I don’t want to deal with it yet.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“May we have dinner here tonight? I don’t feel like going out.”
“Of course.” He called Helene and gave her instructions, then his cell rang and he picked it up.
“Hello?”
“It’s Vanessa,” she said. “I can only talk for a moment, but I need your help on a couple of things.”
“What can I do?”
“First, I need some discreet movers to pack a few things, move me into the new apartment, unpack, and arrange the things that are there.”
“What else?”
“I need a new nurse. I don’t trust the woman who’s here now.”
“Round the clock?”
“Yes, please.”
“What time do you want the movers?”
“Around ten. Same with the nurses. Mother will be out of the house all day.”