Wendy lived in a small third-floor walk-up. It was a railroad flat, actually, though Lance never thought of it that way. Her bedroom was cozy, intimate. He liked it, though he never stayed the night. He didn’t want to go from there to work in the morning.
Lance went up to the third floor and knocked. He didn’t expect a response. She would be at work.
She’d given him a key, though he’d never used it. He felt guilty using it now, but he had to do it. Someone had bugged his phone, and he had to find out who. Wendy was, regrettably, a person of interest. She’d had opportunity. She could have taken his phone apart while he was in the shower and inserted the chip.
Lance didn’t want to think it was possible. Not Wendy. Not her. And yet he had to go into her apartment when she wasn’t there and search through her belongings, violating her privacy and betraying her trust, to try to find the least little thing to incriminate her.
Lance felt guilty as he opened the door.
Until he saw the apartment had been cleared out.
17.
TEDDY WATCHED OUT the back window as Fred Flicker drove him out of Stone Barrington’s garage. A gray Lexus pulled away from the curb and fell in behind them.
“Fred, we’re being followed. Can you take care of that?”
“Do you care if he knows that we’re doing it?”
“I’d prefer that he didn’t, but sometimes it can’t be helped.”
“It usually can,” Fred said. He squeezed by a bus, hit the corner, and swung a left turn just as the light was changing, leaving the other car trapped in a snarl of traffic.
“Nicely done,” Teddy said. “Now I can get a new cell phone. Drop me at the shop and cruise around until I call you on it.”
Fred dropped Teddy off and sped away, just in case the man he ditched was looking for his car.
The clerk in the cell phone store was confused.
“You want to upgrade your system?”
“No, I just want another phone.”
“But this phone works.”
“Yes, it does. I want to transfer the data on it to another phone. Can you do that?”
“Of course, I can. But to what phone?”
“The one I buy.”
“What kind of phone do you want to buy?”
“One that does the same thing this does.”
“You want to buy the same phone?”
“If you’ve got it.”
“We have a newer version. Your phone is quite old.”
“The newer version would work the same way this one does?”
“More or less.”
“What’s the less?”
“It would have more features.”
“Would it have these features?”
“Yes, among others.”
“Fine. I’ll take it.”
“So, you want an upgrade.”
Teddy sighed. “You win. I want an upgrade. Can you do it?”
“Of course.”
“Fine. Transfer the data. Except for the number.”
“Sir?”
“I want a new phone number.”
“You know there are serious drawbacks to having a new number.”
“Such as?”
“People won’t be able to call you.”
Teddy smiled. “I certainly hope not.”
* * *
• • •
JORAM HATED TO be the bearer of bad news. He had a wife and two small children. All he cared about was keeping his head down. Then he wound up in Fahd’s office, monitoring important calls.
“Now the other phone’s dead,” Joram said. He sounded like he was apologizing.
“Billy Barnett?”
“Yes.”
“They’re both dead?”
“Yes.”
“But they could be activated again?”
“It’s possible.”
“Fine. Then you’re done for the time being. You can go back to your post in the other room.”
Joram struggled to keep the relief from showing on his face. “Yes, sir.”
Fahd stopped him. “But first, whose lines have you been monitoring?”
“Lance Cabot and Billy Barnett.”
Fahd grimaced. “I’m afraid your memory is faulty. Whose lines are these again?”
Joram looked terrified. He gawked at Fahd stupidly, trying to divine the right answer. “I don’t remember?”
Fahd smiled. “Yes, I didn’t think you did. Good man. So you won’t be mentioning any names to anyone. Am I right?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely,” Joram said.
It took all he could do not to run out of the room.
18.
FRED DROVE DOWN the block and turned into Stone Barrington’s underground garage.
“The car that was following us is on the corner,” Fred said. “He must have come back here when I lost him. What do you want to do about it?”
“At the moment, nothing,” Teddy said.
“I’m not comfortable having someone watching the house.”
“It’s just until we leave for the airport.”
“Am I driving you to the airport?”
“Teterboro. Stone, Dino, and I are going to France.”
On his way in, Joan presented Teddy with six color prints of the passport photos. “Will these do?”
“Perfect,” Teddy said. “Thanks, Joan.”
Teddy and Fred went on into Stone’s study.
Stone and Dino were drinking Knob Creek. “Good, you’re back. Care for a drink? You, too, Fred?”
“I just wanted to report. We were followed by a man in a gray Lexus. He’s currently parked on the corner of your block.”
“I see,” Stone said. He turned to Teddy. “What do you want to do about it?”
“It’s probably better he doesn’t know we spotted him,” Teddy said. “If he’s still hanging around after we leave, Fred, feel free to beat him to a pulp.”
Stone saw the photos in Teddy’s hand. “How did the picture come out?”