“Okay, see you at seven.”
“Call me ten minutes before you get there, so I’ll know you’re on the way. I’ll call you if anything changes.” She hung up, happy for something to do with herself. She liked being on the water. AFE W B L OC KS away, late that evening, Tommy sat down with Evan next to a phone. “Here’s what we’re going to do,” he said.
“I’ve made some arrangements with the phone company. You’re going to call your grandfather’s number in”—he looked at his watch—“two minutes. There’ll be a click, and then you’ll get a dial tone. Dial Gigi’s number. She’ll see the Connecticut number on her caller I.D. Don’t be too definite about when you’re coming back.”
“I get the picture,” Evan said. He waited until Tommy cued him, then he dialed the number, got the dial tone and dialed Gigi’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” he said.
“There you are,” she replied. “Where are you?”
“I just got to Grandfather’s house,” he said. “I’m sorry to run out like that, but it was an emergency.”
“How is he?”
“Hanging on by a thread, apparently. I sat with him for a couple of minutes, but he’s in a coma. His doctor didn’t want to take him to the hospital, said there was no point. He has a living will and a do not-resuscitate order.”
“Maybe that’s best, then.”
“It’s what he wanted. How are you?”
“I’m okay. I think I’ll move back onto the boat tomorrow, though; I miss being on the water.”
“Good idea.”
“I may even cruise around some. You can reach me on my cell.”
“Another good idea.”
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“Do you know how long you’ll be there?”
“No way to tell; it could end tonight or in a couple of days, according to what the doctor said. I’ll arrange a small, graveside service. Most of his friends are dead, so there’s no point in doing the whole church thing.”
“Come back to me soon,” she said. “I love you, and I miss you.”
“Same here, babe. You take care.”
“You too.” She hung up.
EVA N H U N G U P.
“Did she buy it?”
“Sure she did,” Evan replied. “She has no reason not to. Does this plan you and Stone and Dino are working on provide for putting her away?”
“Not directly, but if we get Manny in a tight enough squeeze, he’ll implicate her.”
“I hope so,” Evan said.
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