“Yes, we do. You will, too, when you’ve been here a little longer.”
“What possible business could an attorney have in Key West?”
she asked.
“I was looking for a man.”
“Did you fi nd him?”
“Finally.”
“Why was it so hard?”
“You know, today I asked the same question of another man who took a while to fi nd him.”
“It was hard for him, too?”
“Yes.”
“Who is this man?”
“His name is Evan Keating.”
“Oh, Evan.”
Stone lifted his head from the damp pillow and looked at her.
“You know him?”
“Of course.”
“What do you mean, of course?”
“It’s just a figure of speech.”
“How could you possibly know him?”
“All sorts of people come through an emergency room,” she replied. “We get drunks, criminals, brand-new quadriplegics and . . .”
“Hang on, what’s a brand-new quadriplegic?”
“A drunken college student who, during spring break, dives off the White Street Pier into shallow water and breaks his neck. We get about one a year.”
“Good God.”
“Exactly. And there’s a big sign saying, ‘Don’t Dive Off the Pier, Because the Water Is Shallow, and You’ll Break Your Neck.’ Or words to that effect.”
“How do you treat a brand-new quadriplegic?”
“You pack him onto a helicopter and send him to Miami, where they know better how to deal with these things.”
“What else do you deal with?”
“We treat a few gunshot wounds now and then.”
“Yeah?”
“Usually in the foot, which is where people often shoot them-selves. If somebody else shoots them, they’re often dead.”
“I know. I used to be a cop, and in New York people shoot each other somewhat more often than in Key West.”
“It must be interesting to be an emergency room physician in New York,” she said.
“I used to go out with one, until she married a doctor.”
“Is her job still open? I’m thinking of moving on.”
“As far as I know, she didn’t leave her job. You’re thinking of moving to New York?”
“Why not? I was there once, and I liked it.”
“Annika, if you moved to New York, I would be dead in a month.”
She laughed. “No, I would keep you alive,” she said, fondling him. “I would chain you to the bed and fuck you until you were at the edge of death, then I would revive you with Swedish meatballs until you were ready again.”
“That’s pretty much what you’re doing here,” he said.
“I suppose it is. Oh, look, you’re coming up again.”
“I don’t need to look; I can tell.”
“Where would you like me to put it this time?”
“You choose.”
“I choose everywhere.”
“Again?”
“Again and again.”
Stone groaned.
“It’s just a figure of speech,” she said, throwing a leg over him.
“Wait a minute,” he said, but it was too late; he was already inside her. “How do you know Evan Keating?”
“I treated him in the emergency room,” she said, moving slowly.
“For what?”
“He said it was some sort of boating accident, but it was a knife wound.” She began moving faster.
“Who cut him?”
“That wasn’t one of the questions on the admitting form,” she said, then she exploded in climax.
Stone hung on for dear life, though that was just a fi gure of speech.
22
STONE AND DINO were lounging by the pool when the FedEx lady arrived. Stone signed for the package and thanked her.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” Dino asked.
“It’s addressed to Evan, in care of me,” Stone said.
“So?”
“I don’t think I should open a package addressed to somebody else.”
“Give it to me,” Dino said. “I’ll open it.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Stone said. “Why are you so curious about a contract?”
“I want to know what Evan’s old man is getting for the company.”
“But it’s none of your business.”
“What the fuck difference does that make?”
“I mean, it’s my business, sort of, but I’m not opening the package. Are you accustomed to reading other people’s mail?”
“Every chance I get,” Dino replied.
Stone’s cell phone rang, and he answered it.
“It’s Evan Keating. When do you expect to have the contract?”
“It came about ninety seconds ago.”
“Have you read the contract?”
“It’s addressed to you. If I have your permission to open the pack-age and read it, I’ll be glad to do so.”
“No. Your message said something about lunch?”
“Do you know the Raw Bar?”
“Yes.”
“ Forty-fi ve minutes?”
“Fine.” Evan hung up.
“He wouldn’t let you open the package,” Dino said. “Serves you right.”
“No, it confirms my judgment,” Stone said.
STONE SAT IN the Raw Bar, gazing out over the marina and smelling the frying seafood. He glanced at the front entrance and saw Evan Keating and Gigi Jones arriving, and he waved them over.
Evan came over; Gigi went and sat at another table. “Good afternoon,” Evan said. “May I see the contract, please?”
A waitress approached.
“Shall we order first?” Stone asked.
“A pound of stone crab claws and a Heineken,” Evan said.
“Conch fritters and iced tea,” Stone said, and the waitress left.
“Now may I see the contract?”
“Not yet; I want to ask you some questions.”
“Questions?”
“How do I know you’re Evan Keating?” Stone said. “I would hate to deliver a confidential document to the wrong person. How about a picture I.D.?”
Evan took out a wallet and handed Stone a Florida driver’s license. The face matched the name. “Now may I see the contract?”
“I’m not finished with my questions.”
“What else could you possibly want to know?”
“How did you get the knife wound?”
Evan rarely seemed to register anything, but at the question he registered surprise. “How the hell did you know about that?”
“That’s not pertinent,” Stone replied. “How’d you get the knife wound?”
“From a knife.”
“Who was holding it?”
“A bad person.”
“You don’t really want to see the contract, do you?”
“A drug dealer. I was buying a little cocaine, and we disagreed over the quality and price.”
“And why do you know enough about cocaine to be able to judge quality and price?”
“Experience,” Evan said. “On widely separated occasions.”
“What happened after he knifed you?”
“Gigi rendered him unconscious, and we left.”
“Gigi is a handy girl to have around, isn’t she?”
“Sometimes. At other times she’s just a pain in the ass.”
“Or the neck,” Stone said, rubbing his own at the memory. “Did you pay for the cocaine?”
“Gigi stuffed the money in his mouth.”
“Are you likely to meet up with him again?”
“I certainly hope not. Gigi might kill him next time.”
“He might kill you and Gigi next time,” Stone said. “You should consider that before dealing with the criminal element again. Did the hospital report the knife wound to the police?”
“I told them the cut was from a gaffing hook while fi shing. How did you know I went to the hospital?”
“It’s where I would go, if somebody knifed me.”