“Fine. Let’s get it.”
Stone and Dino showed Teddy to his room. His mini-suite could have passed for the Presidential Suite in most hotels.
Teddy’s suitcase was in the middle of his bedroom. The lock was clearly undisturbed. He hefted the heavy case onto the bed and punched in a code. Then he put his key in the lock. The sequence was important. Without the code, the key would not even fit. He turned the key a quarter turn, punched in a second code, and turned the key the rest of the way. He punched in a third code, opened the suitcase, and unpacked his clothes.
Next he took out a clear-plastic zippered case, crammed with packets of hundred-dollar bills. Teddy put the case in the room safe. Not that Teddy trusted the safe, but it was only cash. A good deal of cash, but even so.
Last, Teddy unzipped his heavy-duty equipment bag. He selected a spare burner phone, and a gun and shoulder holster.
He left his state-of-the-art, personally designed sniper rifle in the bag. He had no use for it as yet, and he felt better having it under lock and key.
He slipped on the shoulder holster, closed the suitcase, and went through the ritual of locking it again.
When he was done he dragged the suitcase to the front door. Stone was standing there with a luggage tag.
“Take your tag off and hang on to it,” Stone said. “I know you don’t want your tag on my case when I take it to my house.”
“Not exactly the back trail I care to leave,” Teddy said.
A bellboy came up to retrieve the suitcase. He had a hotel security guard with him.
“Excellent,” Stone said. “I need this locked up overnight.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stone slipped the bellboy a bill. The security guard regarded the money enviously. Stone smiled slightly and slipped him a bill, too.
“Was that necessary?” Teddy said, as the men took the suitcase to the elevator.
“What?”
“Tipping the guard?”
“It wasn’t necessary, but when someone tries to take the suitcase away from him, I’d like him on my side.”
“Well, now I need to get a suitcase,” Teddy said.
“What for?”
“To put my clothes in.”
“I could have them sent on.”
“That would be messy. And I need the suitcase as a prop. I’ll pick one up on our way back from dinner.”
“Will anything be open that late?”
“Someone will have a suitcase.” Teddy smiled. “Luckily, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.”
25.
THEY DINED AT L’Abeille at the Hotel Shangri-La, a posh restaurant where dinner clothes were preferred and price was no consideration. At least it wasn’t to Teddy and Dino. Stone was paying.
There was a waiting list for L’Abeille. Dino might have made more of the fact that Stone was able to get a reservation, had he not been distracted by the name of the restaurant. In keeping with its lush garden view, abeille meant “bee.”
“I know it’s the only reason we’re here,” Dino said. “You have it in your mind that B is for Barrington. Like, it’s your own personal restaurant.”
“B is also for Bacchetti,” Stone pointed out.
“Did I make the reservation? Did I order frogs legs? Which are surprisingly good, by the way. Did I choose a place where I have to wear this monkey suit? I don’t dress this well for the mayor’s dinner.”
Stone laughed. “Can you find him something to do on this trip, Billy? He’s really cranky.”
Teddy grinned and dug into his escargot. “Enjoy the ride, Dino. This may be the last meal we have together for a while. Then you’ll be stuck with Stone. And, knowing him, he’ll snag an attractive young dinner date, and you’ll be on your own.”
Stone said, “You’re not helping.”
“Okay, Dino,” Teddy said. “I’ve got a job for you, and it’s not going to be easy. Are you up for it?”
“Sure.”
“You know there’s a man watching us.”
Dino’s raised his eyebrows. “What?”
“He picked us up when we left the hotel and followed us here. He’s out there sulking on the sidewalk while we’re living the high life in here.”
“Do you want me to have him arrested? I could call the prefect of police, and he’d be glad to oblige.”
“I’m sure you could. I’m afraid it’s a little harder than that.”
“You want me to ID him without him knowing it? It’s a lot harder if I can’t arrest him.”
“I can imagine. No, not that.”
“So, what’s this really hard thing you want me to do?”
“When we leave here, and he follows us . . .”
“Yes?”
“Pretend you don’t see him.”
26.
THE NEXT MORNING, Teddy woke up, showered, shaved, and left the hotel. His shadow was waiting for him across the street. Teddy smiled to himself. He hailed a cab and took it to a little bistro down by the Seine. It was a place, Teddy recalled, where it was hard to get a cab. One usually had to call for them.
Teddy paid the cab off and went inside. The café was crowded at breakfast time. He tipped the waiter for a table with a river view. It was an unnecessary gesture. All tables had a river view.
Teddy allowed himself to be seated and ordered coffee. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his shadow accepting a table on the other side of the room.
Teddy’s coffee came. He took a sip, leaned back, and enjoyed the view. He was about to take another sip when he reacted, set the coffee down, and pulled out the burner phone he’d equipped himself with, and pretended to answer a call.
“Yes? . . . Now?” He sighed. “Very well.”
Teddy stuck the burner phone back in his pocket. He stood up, took a sip of coffee, apologetically palmed the waiter a bill, and went out the door.
The taxi he’d tipped handsomely to wait for him was down the block. On seeing him, it drove in his direction. Teddy stepped out in the street and raised his hand, as if hailing it by chance. He hopped in, and the taxi took off. Out the back window he could see his shadow coming out the restaurant door.
* * *
• • •
TEDDY GOT OUT three blocks away, made sure no one was following him, and went into the antique shop.