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Elaine’s, late
Stone Barrington breezed into the restaurant and found his for for him, Scotch in hand
A waiter set a Knob Creek on the rocks before Stone, and he took a large sip
“Where have you been?” Dino asked
“You mean for the past week?”
“You’ve been gone a week?”
“Dino, reround school for the new airplane? For a week?”
“That’s where you’ve been?”
“No I’ve been in Vero Beach, Florida, for flight training”
“For a week?”
“For three days”
“You have a new airplane?”
“Not exactly I had the engine ree and replaced with a turbine – that’s a jet engine, turning a propeller So now it’s called a JetProp, and it’s like a new airplane, and because it’s like a new airplane,in it frouy named John Mariani, in Vero Beach”
“Whatever you say”
“Dino, why don’t you remember any of this? How much have you had to drink?”
“You think I’ too much?”
“You seem to be in a state”
“What sort of state?”
“The word stupor leaps to mind”
“Genevieve will be here in a few irlfriend, a nurse in the ER at a nearby hospital
“Good”
“When she gets here, don’t leave me”
“Why not?”
“I’m in some sort of trouble”
“What kind of trouble?”
“I don’t know, but if you’re here, she won’t hurt me”