“We’ll see about that,” Stone said.
52
Stone called Yves Carrier at the Paris Woodman & Weld office and explained what had happened. “I should tell you that I signed the papers ‘Steve Ballington.’”
Carrier laughed loudly. “Nevertheless, I will take immediate steps to stop any transfer of title to the company in every country in Europe. You should have the New York office stop transfer in the United States. Someone might not notice the discrepancy in the signatures.”
Stone hung up and called Bill Eggers, the managing partner in New York, and brought him up to date.
“I can’t imagine how they think they can get away with that,” Eggers said. “Whatever you do, don’t cash the check.”
“Right,” Stone said. He hung up and called Mike Freeman and asked him to reinforce Marcel’s security. “That’s twice they’ve gotten to Marcel,” he said. “You’ve got to move him.”
“I don’t have a safe house at my disposal,” Freeman said.
“Then bring him to me here,” Stone said. “There’s plenty of room. We’ll need more security, though. Jacques Chance has already gotten into the house.”
“I’ll send people at once. What’s the address?”
Stone gave it to him, then hung up the phone. He called Rick LaRose and told him what had happened.
“I don’t understand how Chance got past my people,” Rick said. “Hang on while I call them.”
Stone hung on impatiently.
Rick came back on the line. “No answer. Something’s wrong.”
“No kidding? What happened to the men who were supposed to be on the roof?”
“They weren’t due there for another hour.”
“Mike Freeman is sending people. See that yours don’t shoot his.” He hung up, then Holly called.
“Rick told me what happened. It’s partly my fault.”
“Which part?”
“I put a sleeping pill in your orange juice at breakfast. I was concerned about you, and I thought more sleep would help.”
“Thank you for your concern—the pill worked all too well.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible,” she said. “Hang on a minute.” She covered the phone and spoke to someone. “Our two men on the gate were taken out with a dart gun. They’re still unconscious in a car outside your gate.”
“Great.”
“Rick has replacements on the way.”
“Mike Freeman is sending people, too. He’s having Marcel brought here. I’ll put him in one of the upstairs rooms.”
“Just hang on until everybody gets there. Be ready to shoot anybody who won’t identify himself properly.”
“I hope I can get out of this without killing somebody,” Stone said. “That could keep me in France for weeks, while it’s being investigated.”
“I hope that doesn’t happen, but it’s preferable to having you killed.”
“I’ll go along with that,” Stone said. He hung up and pulled his chair near the window and peeked past the curtain, so he could see into the mews, the pistol Rick had given him in his hand.