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work, though.”
    “Have you rented out your house to anyone this year?”
    “No, as far as I know it’s been empty since I came to London.”
    “Do you think Ms. Henry might be a squatter?”
    “Not unless she has a key and the security code.”
    “The house was unlocked when I was there, and the security system had apparently not been set.”
    “Then I’m baffled.”
    “All right, Mr. Carlton—”
    “Jim.”
    “All right, Jim, I’ll speak to the police and get back to you.”
    “I’m at a country inn this weekend. Call me tomorrow at the Pinewood number.”
    “Right. Can you e-mail me the party list?” He gave him the address, said goodbye, hung up, then returned to lunch.
    “Are you representing Jim?” Carrie asked.
    “Yes. I’ve acquired more new business this weekend than I know what to do with.”
    “You’re welcome to stay on, if you need time to deal with this.”
    “Thank you. I think I’ll need tomorrow, at least.”

10
    T he following morning Stone got another call from James Carlton.
    “I’ve decided to come back to the States tomorrow, and I’ll spend the night at the house and speak to the police, if you want me to.”
    “I think that’s a good idea.”
    “Is there any problem with cleaning the house before I get there? I have a service.”
    “I don’t think so, but have them speak to me before they clean the room in question. I’ll need to run that by the police first.”
    “Does the house stink?”
    “Not anymore.”
    “Okay, I’ll get it done. I should be at the house by about four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. I’ll call you then. By the way, theparty list is on my computer there, and I’ll give it to you when I see you.”
    Both men said goodbye and hung up.
    —
    A fter lunch Rupert loaded the cars of the two visiting couples.
    “I’ll call you in New York later this week,” Nicky said to Stone.
    “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.” The couples left in a Porsche and a Mercedes.
    —
    C arrie and Stone had a Bloody Mary before lunch, then Rupert served sandwiches. When he had cleared the table, Carrie gave him the rest of the day off, after he had supplied them with one more Bloody Mary.
    They sat on a sofa, looking out over Georgica Pond and the Atlantic beyond. Carrie looked him in the eye. “The air feels so good, why don’t we get out of these clothes?”
    “Is that the Bloody Mary talking?”
    “It’s the Bloody Mary loosening my tongue,” she said, then began to unbutton his shirt. He helped her out of her sweater and unfastened her bra, and in a moment they were sitting naked, staring at each other.
    Stone looked her up and down. “You’re beautiful.”
    “So are you,” she said, stretching out on the big sofa and pulling his head down into her lap. “I just know you’re going to be good at this.”
    Stone did the best he could, which by the sound of her was pretty good, then she reciprocated. They spent an hour exploring each other, then stretched out in each other’s arms.
    Stone was asleep when he heard a woman’s voice call out, “Hello? Anybody home?”
    Carrie poked her head above the back of the sofa and pushed Stone’s down. “Who’s that?”
    “It’s Julia, the realtor.”
    “I was having a nap, Julia. What can I do for you?”
    “I wanted to have a look around next door, but there’s yellow tape across the gate.”
    “The one that says ‘Police Line Do Not Cross’?”
    “That’s the one.”
    “I think it speaks for itself.”
    “Oh. Then I won’t disturb you further. Bye-bye.”
    “Bye-bye.” The woman left and Carrie rejoined Stone. “That was close,” she said.
    “I should have stood up and greeted her,” Stone said. “That’s what she deserved.”
    Carrie laughed. “The sight of you naked is more than she deserved.” They made love again, then they walked out to the pool and had a swim, joined by Bob, who liked chasing a ball around the pool.
    They were lying on chaises later when the phone