6 Stone Barrington Novels Read Online Free PDF Page A

night, in his home.”
    â€œMurdered?”
    â€œYes; shot once in the head.”
    â€œIs Arrington all right?” He steeled himself for the answer.
    â€œYes; she’s in a local hospital.”
    â€œWas she hurt?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWho shot Vance?”
    â€œThat’s undetermined,” Dino said. “But when I got back to Rick, he told me he thinks Arrington might be a suspect.”
    Stone found a sofa and sat down. “Jesus Christ,” he said, then remembered in whose company he was. “Forgive me, Your Eminence.”
    The cardinal nodded soberly.
    â€œI wouldn’t put too much stock in that theory,” Dino said. “You and I both know that, in cases like this, the spouse is always a suspect until cleared.”
    Stone nodded. He was trying to think what to do next but not getting anywhere.
    The cardinal came and sat down beside him. “Stone,” he said, putting a fatherly hand on his shoulder, “I am aware of your previous relationship with Arrington. Eduardo and I have discussed this at some length, and we agree that it would be extremely unwise to go forward with the wedding until this . . . situation has been, in some way, resolved.”
    Stone looked at the man but said nothing.
    Eduardo came and stood next to Stone. “This is very complicated,” he said. “Both Dolce and I are friends of Vance’s, and you, of course, were very close to Arrington. There will be many emotions at work for a while, so many and so confused that to proceed with the marriage at this time would be folly.”
    â€œDoes Dolce know about this?”
    Eduardo shook his head. “I am going to go and wake her now and tell her; this is my duty, not yours.”
    â€œI will come, too,” the cardinal said. “She may need me.”
    Stone nodded. “All right. Tell her we’ll talk the minute she’s ready.”
    Eduardo and the cardinal left the room.
    â€œWhat haven’t you told me?” Stone asked Dino.
    â€œRick says Arrington hasn’t made any kind of statement yet. She apparently can’t remember what happened. They’ve put her under sedation in a private clinic, but . . .”
    â€œBut what?”
    â€œBefore she went under, she was asking for you; she said she wouldn’t talk to anybody but you.”
    â€œI’ll have to call her,” Stone said.
    â€œI told you, she’s under sedation, and Rick didn’t know the name of the place where they’d taken her.”
    â€œHow about Peter? Where is he?”
    â€œThe servants are taking care of him; he has a nanny. Rick said his people had spoken to Arrington’s mother, and she’s on her way out there from Virginia.”
    â€œThat’s good.”
    â€œDid Rick say anything else at all?”
    â€œNo. He was going to make some calls, and he said he’d get back to me the minute he found out anything more.”
    Stone walked to the windows and looked out into the lovely garden. “Dino,” he said, “did Arrington know that Dolce and I were being married this weekend?”
    â€œI have no idea. Did you tell her?”
    Stone shook his head. “I haven’t talked with her since last summer; Dolce and I had dinner with them in Connecticut, at their place in Roxbury. It’s only a few miles from my new place in Washington.”
    â€œAnd how did that go?”
    â€œNot well. Dolce was very catty, obviously jealous. The next morning, Arrington showed up at my cottage and, well, sort of threw herself at me.”
    â€œAnd how did you handle that?” Dino asked.
    â€œI managed to keep her pretty much at arm’s length—though, God knows, that wasn’t what I wanted. I told her I wouldn’t do anything to harm her marriage, and that was pretty much that. A couple of minutes after she left, Vance showed up—I think he must have been following her. He asked if he had anything to