50

STONE PICKED UP Annika, who looked fetching in an actual dress, something he hadn’t seen her in, and they drove back to the Marquesa.

“Do you go to a lot of weddings?” she asked.

“Not if I can help it,” he replied. “I had to go to one last year that I couldn’t avoid.”

“How about you?” he asked.

“My only family is a sister, Greta, who lives in Washington, D.C., and she’s not married yet, so I’ve been to fewer weddings than most, I suppose. Once in a while one of the girls at the hospital gets married.”

 

 

 

 

 

THEY PICKED UP Dino at the cottage and walked up the path to Evan and Gigi’s cottage, where Evan was seated on the front porch with a man in a suit. He greeted them and introduced the justice of the peace. Stone introduced Annika.

“We’ve met,” she said.

“Of course, in the hospital,” Evan replied.

“I’m glad you recovered so well.”

“Thank you. Gigi’s inside doing God-knows-what,” he said. “She’ll let us know when we can go in. I’d offer you some champagne, but Gigi says we have to wait until after the ceremony.”

Stone whispered in his ear, “I just heard that the deal for the sale of the business closed yesterday, and there’s four hundred and twenty-five million dollars in your Miami bank account.”

Evan laughed, the first time Stone had seen him do so. “Well, that’s a nice wedding present. Oh, I forgot.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket. “I’ve made a will, and I’d like for you and Dino to witness it, if that’s all right.”

“Of course,” Stone said, reaching for his pen. “Ask the JP to sign, as well. Three signatures is good.”

Evan put the last page of the handwritten will on the porch table and signed it, then Stone, Dino and the JP added their signatures and addresses.

“Be sure and initial all the pages, too,” Stone said.

Evan did so, then put the will into the envelope. “I’d like you to continue as my attorney, so will you put this in your safe?”

“Of course,” Stone said, then he handed him his card. “Here’s my New York number, if you should need me.”

Gigi stuck her head out the door. “All right, you can come in,” she said.

Everyone filed into the living room of the cottage, where she had placed flowers here and there. She was wearing a white lace dress, and Stone thought she looked lovely.

The JP arranged everybody, then read the standard wedding ceremony, while Evan and Gigi made the appropriate responses. Stone noticed that Gigi didn’t have a problem with vowing to obey. The JP pronounced them man and wife, they kissed, then Evan opened a couple of bottles of Dom Perignon, while Gigi distributed champagne flutes. They toasted and drank for a few minutes, then they went off to lunch in the hotel’s restaurant.

The JP accepted an envelope, then excused himself, leaving the five of them at a round table in a far corner of the restaurant. More champagne was drunk.

“Where are you going to live?” Stone asked Evan.

“Here, in the winter,” Evan replied. “We like living on the boat, but I expect I’ll buy a house pretty soon. The rest of the year we’ll just wander, until we find someplace we like for the summers.”

“Sounds like an interesting life,” Stone said.

“Stone,” Gigi said, “I want to apologize for hitting you when we first met. I thought you were some sort of threat to Evan, and I just reacted.”

“Thank you, Gigi,” Stone said. “I seem to have recovered, and if not, I know a doctor who can help me.” He kissed Annika on the ear. “Where are you from, Gigi?” he asked, changing the subject.

“I’m from Coral Gables,” she replied.

“And what did you do before you were married?”

“Oh, lots of things,” she said. “I sold real estate, I sold boats, I started a couple of small businesses. I was even a private investigator for a while. That’s how I met Evan.”

The waiter interrupted them to present a huge crown roast of lamb, which, apparently, was the wedding feast. Everyone applauded and then, when the lamb had been served, began eating.

“Have you spent your whole career as a lawyer?” Evan asked Stone.

“No, I was a police detective, which is where Dino and I met; we were partners.”

“Are you still a cop, Dino?” Gigi asked.

“I certainly am,” Dino replied.

“Dino is the lieutenant in charge of the detective squad at the Nineteenth Precinct, on the Upper East Side of New York City,” Stone explained. “That’s how we both knew Tommy Sculley, who moved down here when he retired.”

“Sculley seems like a good guy,” Evan said.

“He is,” Stone replied. “We hadn’t seen him in years, until we came down here looking for you.”

“Well, I’m glad you found me,” Evan said.

“By the way,” Stone said, “you should see somebody right away about investing the proceeds of the sale; you’re losing a lot of interest every hour you wait.”

“My grandfather is already dealing with that,” Evan replied. “He’s been heavily into investing ever since he retired from the company, nearly twenty years ago, and he’s done very well. He just has more to play with now. He’s put me on an allowance.”

“I hope he hasn’t been too strict with you,” Stone said.

“No, very liberal. And I don’t have to mow his lawn to earn it, the way I used to.”

Stone laughed. “I used to have to sweep out my father’s wood-working shop every day to earn mine.”

Annika, who was sitting next to Evan, reached for the bread basket and knocked over Evan’s champagne, some of it into his lap. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, half rising and bending over to use her napkin on the spill.

There was a sound of breaking glass, and Annika fell sideways into Evan.

Stone turned and saw blood on Evan’s jacket. “Gun!” Stone yelled. “Everybody down!” He threw himself at Annika and Evan, while on the other side of the table Dino got Gigi to the floor.

Stone lifted his head and looked out the shattered window behind him but saw no one. He turned his attention to Evan, who was covered in blood. “Somebody call 911 for an ambulance and the police!” Stone yelled, as he reached to pull Annika away from Evan. He couldn’t believe that Evan had, once again, been the target of an assassin.

Then he realized that the blood on Evan’s jacket was not Evan’s. It was Annika’s.