'Did you accept?'
'Yes.'
'Did you then go down to the marina and have dinner on his yacht?'
'Yes.'
'Did he introduce you to Mrs.Manning?'
'Yes. She was already on the yacht, cooking dinner.'
'How long did you spend with them that evening?'
'Oh, I guess four or five hours.'
'And on that occasion did you form an opinion of the sort of relationship these two people had?'
'Yes.'
'How would you describe that relationship?'
'They were good together; they obviously loved each other. They touched each other a lot, and always with affection.'
'Good, I like that, the part about the touching; remembert to say it.'
'Okay.'
'Would you say these people were happily married?'
'Yes, I would. Very happily.'
'And how long was it before they sailed across the Atlantic?'
'I believe they sailed the next day for another island, then started across the Atlantic the day after that.'
'Did you see them again?'
'Yes. I went to another island called Puerto Rico, and I happened to see them as they sailed out of the harbor into the Atlantic.'
'Did they see you?'
'Yes, they waved and shouted goodbye.'
'Were they in good spirits?'
'Yes, they were laughing and smiling.'
'Did they still seem to be the happy couple you had met only two days before?'
'Very much so. They were holding hands.'
'Great!' Stone said. 'I like that as a memory to leave the jury with.'
'What do you think Sir Winston will ask me on cross?'
'Oh, he may play up the fact that you didn't know them intimately. I can't think what else he might ask you. He may not cross-examine at all.'
'Good. The sooner I'm off the stand, the better.'
Stone stood up. 'Don't worry about it, you'll do fine. I've got to go over Allison's testimony with her.'
'See you later, then.' Stone walked down to the marina, greeted the two policemen on guard, and boarded Expansive.
'That you, Stone?' Allison called from the aft cabin.
'It's me.'
She came into the saloon, wearing her usual tight shorts and shirt tied under her breasts.
She couldn't be a murderer, he thought; she just couldn't be.
'Are we going over my testimony?'
'Ready when you are.'
'Would you like a beer?'
'Sure, why not.' She went to the fridge and got them both a cold bottle of Heineken.
Stone remembered that he had a fax in his pocket. He pulled it out, opened the envelope, and unfolded the sheet of paper. He thought it was odd that Thomas had put the fax in an envelope; he had never done that before. He read the letter.
'Stone,' Allison said, concern in her voice, 'what's wrong? You look awful.'
He felt more numb than awful. He handed her the fax.
CHAPTER 44
Stone took the fax from Allison and read it again, slowly this time, letting the words sink in, trying to make some sense of it. He might have seen this coming, he thought, but he hadn't; it was a bigger surprise than he was ready for.
Palm Springs
Dear Stone,
I didn't want to write this letter. When I saw what was happening, I wanted to sit down with you and tell you, face to face. Circumstances prevented that, of course, and I'm sorry.
This letter will have to do.
Vance and I were married yesterday in Needles, Arizona.
We flew there in Vance's air plane, just the two of us, and a justice of the peace performed a simple ceremony, with his wife and daughter as witnesses. Then we flew here, to Palm
Springs, where Vance has a house. We'll spend our honeymoon here, and we hope the press won't discover us.
I can't explain to you how this happened, but it did. I had always liked Vance, and during the time we spent together working on the New Yorker profile, I fell in love with him.
You might wonder how I could so quickly fall in love with another man when you and I have been so close, living together these past months. I wonder, too. I think I was more vulnerable to someone else than I had been willing to admit to myself. Although it wasn't a conscious thought, I think I had come to know that you would have the greatest difficulty making a permanent commitment to me, and I know now that permanence is what I wanted most. I had meant to talk seriously with you about this while we were on the sailing trip to St.Marks, to see if we could work through it. I dreaded bringing it up, hoping for a long time that you would do so.
When you didn't, I planned to make the try.
But fate and the weather were against us, and I have to admit to you that when I couldn't go, I felt relieved. I think that later, if I had thought you were pining away or me, I would have gone, but then you became involved in the Allison
Manning business, and I knew from what I read in the press and saw on television that you had your hands full.
I want children, and Vance does, too; that's a big part of this.
But I'm making it sound logical and carefully planned when, really, it was entirely spontaneous, growing day after day, until it overwhelmed us both. The only flaw in my happiness is that I could not resolve my relationship with you before this happened. I certainly did not wish to cause you pain.
I know you have your own very independent life to live and over the long haul, I know that I couldn't have fit into it without changing the things I loved about you most-your spontaneity, your love of your life, and your singularity as a man.
I hope that you and I can remain friends, and that you can wish Vance and me well. We truly are deliriously happy. After some time has passed, and when we're in New York again, I'll call you, and perhaps we can have lunch and talk about things. Vance was very impressed with you when you met, and he would like to know you better.
I hope this time hasn't been too bad for you and that you get that poor woman off. From what I've heard she is so obviously innocent and those people down there are prosecuting her for their own ends. I know you'll do your very considerable best.
Until I see you again, I remain your good friend and feel nothing but affection and admiration for you.
