He turned and headed to a Metro station. He had a very important meeting to go to. Emerging from the subway at an agreed-upon spot, he found the other members of the club waiting for him.
They had decided that the safest way for Milton to retrieve his record of the break-in was to be escorted to his house by the security firm that had responded to the silent alarm. Arrangements were made, and Milton, followed at a discreet distance by the rest of the Camel Club in Caleb’s Malibu, met two guards near his home, and the three men went in together.
About thirty minutes later Milton joined up with his friends, and they sat in Caleb’s car.
Stone said, “Did you get it?”
Milton nodded and slipped a DVD out of his knapsack. “It was activated, so presumably there’s something on it.”
He popped it in his laptop, and a minute later they were looking at the darkened interior of Milton’s house.
“There!” Stone said, pointing at a man coming around the corner.
“That’s Reinke,” Caleb exclaimed.
“And there’s his confederate,” Reuben added. “The one you nailed with the helmet, Oliver.”
They continued to watch, seeing the pair move stealthily from room to room.
“My God, Milton,” Reuben said sarcastically. “You’re quite the Messy Marvin at home, aren’t you?”
“What’s he pulling out of that bin?” Caleb asked.
Milton ran that part again. “That looks like my receipt box, but I can’t see what the paper is.”
“Look, there’s the security guard,” Stone said.
They watched as the man advanced, and then something flew out of the darkness at him and he crumpled.
“What the hell was that?” Reuben asked.
“A man in a mask,” Stone said. “At least one of them had the good sense to burglarize the place without showing his face.”
“But it wasn’t Reinke and the other guy,” Milton said.
“Which clearly means there’s someone else,” Stone said slowly. “But this tape gives us the leverage that we—” He was cut off by the buzzing of Milton’s cell phone.
Milton answered, “Oh, hi, Chastity.” Then his expression changed in a hurry. “What! Oh, my God! What are you talking abou—”
Stone ripped the phone from his friend. “Chastity!”
However, it was a man’s voice on the line.
“I think under the circumstances that we can call it even right now. So long as you don’t act, neither will we.”
The phone went dead.
Stone looked at the panicked Milton, who had tears welling into his eyes. “I’m sorry, Milton.”
Kate had spent the next morning and afternoon researching Milton Farb, Reuben Rhodes and Caleb Shaw. She’d also gone on Google and found some material on Milton and his
Armed with her newfound knowledge, she went back to Mt. Zion Cemetery that afternoon and was fortunate to find Stone working in the grounds.
“Hello, Oliver. Kate Adams. We met briefly the other night.”
“I remember,” he said curtly.
“Are you okay? You look worried.”
“Nothing too important.”
“Well, as you know, Alex is out of town, and I hope you don’t think it’s too forward of me, but I’d like to invite you to dinner tonight.”
“To dinner?” Stone looked at her as though she were speaking a language he was not familiar with.
“At my house. Well, not exactly my house, I live in the carriage house. It’s actually Lucille Whitney- Houseman’s home, in Georgetown. Do you know her?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t had the pleasure,” he said distractedly.
“And I wanted to invite Adelphia and your other friends.”
Stone threw some weeds in a garbage bag. “That’s very nice, but I’m afraid—” He stopped and looked at her sharply. “What other friends?”
“You know. Reuben Rhodes, Caleb Shaw and Milton Farb. I’m starting to collect rare books, and I think Caleb will be fascinating to talk to. And I’m a huge fan of
He said nothing for about a minute as he knelt on the ground, apparently dissecting all she had said. “I’ve found that when one takes the time to learn that much about someone, there’s usually a reason for the interest that’s not readily apparent to everyone.”
“I wouldn’t disagree with that,” she answered.
“However, I’m not sure tonight is good for us. We’ve had, well, we’ve had some bad news very recently.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Alex and I had some bad things happen too. Some people tried to kill us. Funny, it was right after we discovered an old boat hidden in a storm drain in Georgetown that looked like it had a bullet hole in it and also some blood.”
“I see.” Stone’s calm response to what must’ve been a stunning revelation only increased her esteem for the man, along with her curiosity. “Well, then perhaps we
“Around seven will be great. Do you need the address?”
“Yes. Mrs. Whitney-Houseman no doubt resides in circles where the common masses do not often tread.”
She told him the address. “Now, I’ll just pop over to invite Adelphia. I’m sure she can catch a ride with you and your friends.”
“Kate, I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Oh, I think it’s a great idea,” she said firmly.
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Because, Oliver, you strike me as someone who needs all the friends he can get right now.”
Caleb, Milton and Adelphia arrived at Lucky’s manse in the Malibu, its tailpipe smoking and its springs creaking from the strenuous activities at Reinke’s place. Reuben and Stone pulled up behind them on the Indian motorcycle.
Kate had been watching for them and opened the ornately carved front door.
“Nice bike,” she said to Reuben, who wore a frayed leather jacket, wrinkled khaki pants, collared shirt and his usual moccasins. However, for the dinner he’d wrapped a blue kerchief around his neck as a cravat.
Reuben ran his gaze appreciatively over the young woman’s figure. She was dressed in black slacks and matching pumps with a white blouse and a small string of pearls around her neck. Her blond hair was done up in a bun that showed off her long, slender neck.
“I’ll take you for a spin sometime,” he said. “That sidecar has seen some action, let me tell you.”
Adelphia nodded stiffly at her hostess as she passed into the house. Milton followed her. He was dressed in an immaculate green blazer and striped tie, his slacks perfectly creased. He held out a small bouquet of flowers he’d brought.
