we jet off to this time?”
“It’s close enough to drive,” Walter said. “Let it be a surprise.”
“You may surprise me all you wish,” she said, pouring them another martini from the shaker.
EAGLE AND SUSANNAH were finishing dinner at his house when the phone rang. Eagle took it in the study; he didn’t want Susannah to worry about this.
“Hello?”
“Ed, it’s Vittorio.”
“Thanks for returning my call, Vittorio,” he said. “Are you available for some work?”
“Yes, but I’m still in Los Angeles. I finished another job yesterday, and I thought I’d take a day or two off.”
“It’s good you’re there. Call Cupie and go see him, will you?”
“Sure. I saw him briefly after we testified. What’s the job?”
“Cupie will brief you.”
“Come on, Ed, what are you not telling me?”
“It’s about Barbara,” Eagle said.
“Oh, shit,” Vittorio replied.
13
EAGLE WAS FINISHING a sandwich at his desk the following day when his secretary buzzed him. He picked up the phone. “Yes?”
“Mr. Eagle, there’s a gentleman on the phone who says he’s calling from Rome, Italy, and he says he needs to speak to you urgently. His name is Donald Wells.”
“Never heard of him.”
“You want me to get rid of him?”
Eagle sighed. “No, I’ll speak to him.” He pressed the flashing button. “This is Ed Eagle.”
“Mr. Eagle,” the man said, “my name is Don Wells.” His accent was American.
“Yes, Mr. Wells, how can I help you?” He tried to convey that he was very busy and that the man should hurry up and get to the point.
“I’m in Rome, at the Hassler Villa Medici Hotel, and I received a phone call a few minutes ago saying that my wife and son have been kidnapped.”
“Mr. Wells, I think you want the FBI, not an attorney.”
“Yes, of course, but I’m a rather well-known figure in the film industry, and I don’t want to be on record as having called the police, if this should turn out to be a hoax. These things have a way of finding their way into the press, and that would be embarrassing for my wife and me.”
“What would you like me to do, Mr. Wells?”
“I have homes in Santa Fe and in Malibu, but neither phone answers. Could you possibly go to my Santa Fe home and take a look around and call me if you find anything that might indicate that something untoward has occurred? And could you arrange to have someone in L.A. check the Malibu house?”
“Mr. Wells, it would be a lot cheaper just to call the police in Santa Fe and Malibu.”
“I’m not concerned about your fees, Mr. Eagle. I know your reputation, and I would very much appreciate it if you would handle this for me.”
Eagle took a deep breath and let it out. “All right, Mr. Wells. Please give me your Santa Fe address and tell me how to get into the house.”
“The address is 180 Tano Norte. Do you know the road?”
The place was out past Susannah’s house. “Yes, I know it. If no one answers the bell, how will I get in?”
“There’s a rack holding half a cord of firewood to the right of the front door. There’s a key under the left end of the rack.”
“How about Malibu?”
“The house is in the Malibu Colony. You know it?”
“Yes.”
“Your people should just ask for the Wells house at the gate and give the guard the password, which is Featherweight.”
“Featherweight, all right.”
“And the key is in a window box to the left of the front door.”
“And how do I reach you?”
“You can call me at the Hassler, or you can reach me on my international cell phone.” He recited the number.
“Mr. Wells, where would you expect your wife and son to be on this date?”
“I haven’t spoken to them for a couple of days, but my wife had planned to fly from L.A. to Santa Fe for a few days. She just wasn’t sure yet when she could get away.”
“And to which address should I send my bill?”
“Please send that to my business manager, whose office is in Century City.”
“It’s close enough to drive,” Walter said. “Let it be a surprise.”
“You may surprise me all you wish,” she said, pouring them another martini from the shaker.
EAGLE AND SUSANNAH were finishing dinner at his house when the phone rang. Eagle took it in the study; he didn’t want Susannah to worry about this.
“Hello?”
“Ed, it’s Vittorio.”
“Thanks for returning my call, Vittorio,” he said. “Are you available for some work?”
“Yes, but I’m still in Los Angeles. I finished another job yesterday, and I thought I’d take a day or two off.”
“It’s good you’re there. Call Cupie and go see him, will you?”
“Sure. I saw him briefly after we testified. What’s the job?”
“Cupie will brief you.”
“Come on, Ed, what are you not telling me?”
“It’s about Barbara,” Eagle said.
“Oh, shit,” Vittorio replied.
13
EAGLE WAS FINISHING a sandwich at his desk the following day when his secretary buzzed him. He picked up the phone. “Yes?”
“Mr. Eagle, there’s a gentleman on the phone who says he’s calling from Rome, Italy, and he says he needs to speak to you urgently. His name is Donald Wells.”
“Never heard of him.”
“You want me to get rid of him?”
Eagle sighed. “No, I’ll speak to him.” He pressed the flashing button. “This is Ed Eagle.”
“Mr. Eagle,” the man said, “my name is Don Wells.” His accent was American.
“Yes, Mr. Wells, how can I help you?” He tried to convey that he was very busy and that the man should hurry up and get to the point.
“I’m in Rome, at the Hassler Villa Medici Hotel, and I received a phone call a few minutes ago saying that my wife and son have been kidnapped.”
“Mr. Wells, I think you want the FBI, not an attorney.”
“Yes, of course, but I’m a rather well-known figure in the film industry, and I don’t want to be on record as having called the police, if this should turn out to be a hoax. These things have a way of finding their way into the press, and that would be embarrassing for my wife and me.”
“What would you like me to do, Mr. Wells?”
“I have homes in Santa Fe and in Malibu, but neither phone answers. Could you possibly go to my Santa Fe home and take a look around and call me if you find anything that might indicate that something untoward has occurred? And could you arrange to have someone in L.A. check the Malibu house?”
“Mr. Wells, it would be a lot cheaper just to call the police in Santa Fe and Malibu.”
“I’m not concerned about your fees, Mr. Eagle. I know your reputation, and I would very much appreciate it if you would handle this for me.”
Eagle took a deep breath and let it out. “All right, Mr. Wells. Please give me your Santa Fe address and tell me how to get into the house.”
“The address is 180 Tano Norte. Do you know the road?”
The place was out past Susannah’s house. “Yes, I know it. If no one answers the bell, how will I get in?”
“There’s a rack holding half a cord of firewood to the right of the front door. There’s a key under the left end of the rack.”
“How about Malibu?”
“The house is in the Malibu Colony. You know it?”
“Yes.”
“Your people should just ask for the Wells house at the gate and give the guard the password, which is Featherweight.”
“Featherweight, all right.”
“And the key is in a window box to the left of the front door.”
“And how do I reach you?”
“You can call me at the Hassler, or you can reach me on my international cell phone.” He recited the number.
“Mr. Wells, where would you expect your wife and son to be on this date?”
“I haven’t spoken to them for a couple of days, but my wife had planned to fly from L.A. to Santa Fe for a few days. She just wasn’t sure yet when she could get away.”
“And to which address should I send my bill?”
“Please send that to my business manager, whose office is in Century City.”
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