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“Thanks a lot,” Manny said acidly “You were a big help Vinnie, hold him here for a ed a seventy-five-pound Danforth anchor over to Stone’s feet He ru the tools scattered on the deck and cao?” he asked nobody in particular

“There they are,” Vinnie said, pointing

“Hand them to me,” Manny said He took the pliers, shackled the anchor to the end of Stone’s chain, and tightened the pin “I think that’ll do it,” he said, picking up the anchor and handing it to Stone

Stone cradled the anchor in his arrown puppy

“Any last words, Stone?” Manny asked, then he and Vinnie burst out laughing

“Any last words” Vinnie chuckled “That’s a good one”

The two men muscled Stone over to the transom, which came up to his knees

“Hold hi Stone’s side and walking behind hirabbed a bolted-down fisherman’s chair for support and placed his foot in the small of Stone’s back “Compliments of Onofrio Ippolito,” he said, then kicked Stone over the stem

Stone was not prepared for how cold the Pacific Ocean was, but then, he reflected, he hadn’t been prepared for a lot of things He let go of the anchor, then followed it quickly toward the floor of the sea, trying desperately to hold onto his final breath

1

Elaine’s, late Stone Barrington sat at a very good table with his friend and former partner Dino Bacchetti, who ran the detective division at the NYPD’s 19th Precinct, and with Elaine, as Elaine

The remnants of dinner were cleared away by Jack, the headwaiter, and brandy was brought for Stone and Dino It was very special brandy; Dino had the bottle of his own stuff stashed behind the bar, and it annoyed Elaine no end, because she couldn’t charge hie him for it

“Okay, I want to know about Arrington,” Elaine said

“Elaine,” Dino interrupted, “don’t you know that Stone is still suffering a great deal of e him?”

“Who gives a fuck?” Elaine asked, quite reasonably “I want to kno he let her get away She was soirl”

“There’s a large body of opinion,” Dino said, “that holds that she didn’t want to be known as Arrington Barrington”

“And who could blame her?” Elaine asked “Come on, Stone, spill it”

Stone took a deep breath and sighed “I have to take a lot of shit from you two, you know?”