Free Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods Page B

wrestling team, as I was.”
    Stone nodded.
    Caleb looked uncomfortable. “Would you mind if we borrowed the picnic boat to scatter the ashes? All we’ve got is a Boston Whaler, and it doesn’t seem appropriate to the occasion.”
    “Please do,” Stone replied. “I suppose the keys are in it, since the yard delivered it yesterday.”
    “Thank you,” Caleb said. “I’ll have the boys bring it back when we’re done.” He stood still for another moment, then said, “Well, I suppose I'd better go. Thank you for taking care of the funeral directors. Will you send me a bill?”
    The estate paid for it,“ Stone said. ”I’ve already sent them a check. I’ve dealt with the insurance company, and you should have a check from them within a week.“
    “Thank you for that, too,” Caleb said and headed for the door.
    Stone walked him to the door, shook his hand and closed it after him. Stone had still not become accustomed to Caleb’s newfound civility and quiet nature.
    The phone rang, and Stone answered it in the study, at Dick’s desk.
    “It’s Dino.”
    “How are you? How did the meeting with Mary Ann and the lawyers go?”
    “Lousy, but the one with Eduardo went better.”
    “Why with Eduardo?”
    “It was at his invitation.” Dino told him what had happened.
    “That’s very good news, Dino.”
    “Yeah, now I’m not stuck with just a salary and a pension.”
    “What are you going to do with it?”
    “I’m going to buy an apartment and invest the rest with a guy Eduardo recommended. So I’ll be out of your house as soon as I can find the right place.”
    “Take your time.”
    “How’s it going up there?”
    “It’s all very pleasant. I played golf yesterday with an old cohort of Dick’s and had lunch at the yacht club, but I have no leads on the murders.”
    “Am I going to have to come up there and solve this for you?”
    “Any help would be appreciated.”
    “I’m going to be tied up here for a few days, then maybe I’ll do that.”
    “You’d be welcome. How’s Elaine?”
    “As ever. What did you expect?”
    “As ever.”
    “I gotta run; I’ve got an appointment with a real estate agent.”
    “Take care.” Stone hung up. It was past his lunchtime, and he went into the kitchen and found Mabel fixing him a shrimp salad.
    “Oh,” she said, “I thought of something. About that night.”
    “What did you think of?” Stone asked.
    “It was the vacuum cleaner.”
    “What about the vacuum cleaner?”
    “It was in Mr. Dick’s study, over by the door to the terrace.”
    “Where would it ordinarily be?” he asked.
    She pointed to a door across the kitchen. “In there, in the broom closet.”
    “Do you think Dick used it?”
    She shook her head. “Mr. Dick never lifted a finger to clean anything; I don’t think he would know how to operate a vacuum cleaner.”
    “Did you mention this to the police?”
    “Yes, and they put some powder on the handle, but they didn’t seem to find any fingerprints. When they were through with it, I cleaned the powder off and put it back in the broom closet.” She set his plate on the kitchen table.
    Stone sat down to eat. So whoever had killed Dick and his family had vacuumed as he left the house through the terrace door. Very neat fellow. Vary smart, too. “Mabel, have you changed the bag in the vacuum since that night?”
    “There was no bag in it,” she said. “I put a new one in.”
    Very smart fellow, indeed, Stone thought.

    Chapter 15
    THE NEXT DAY STONE was sitting at Dick’s desk, trying to clean up the last details of the estate before sending a check to the foundation, when the phone rang. His hand was on the receiver before he realized that none of the buttons was lit and that the sound of the phone was very muffled. He put his ear to the door of Dick’s secret office, and the bell became louder.
    Stone got out his keys, opened the door and picked up the phone. “Yes?” he said.
    There was a silence on the other end, then