“Not at all. That was all off the top of my head.”
“Maybe you should take up screenwriting once you have all that time on your hands.”
“That’s an idea. Maybe you can put me in touch with your son?”
“On second thought, have you considered writing a novel?”
Bill’s phone began to buzz. He checked the screen, then said, “Sorry, I need to take this.”
Stone motioned for him to do so.
He only half listened as Bill began talking business with someone Stone guessed was also a lawyer. That was until he heard Bill say the nameAmanda Jae.
Stone refocused his attention but was unable to pick up anything more than the fact that the conversation had something to do with the accident.
When Bill finally hung up, he said, “Someone’s worried about you.”
“Me?”
“That was Terry Adams at Dixon, Lee & Adams. I believe you know him.”
Stone nodded. “We’ve crossed paths a few times. Good lawyer.”
“He represents M. Booth Yachts. They’re the ones who built theAmanda Jae. Apparently, they’ve just been served with a lawsuit for pain and suffering filed by Cory Whittaker, who’s representing the three crew members who survived the accident.”
“Whittaker?” Stone said, frowning.
“It’s the kind of thing he loves.”
Whittaker was the very definition of an ambulance chaser and had never come across a misfortune he couldn’t figure out how to exploit.
“Whittaker also warned that once the missing are declared dead, he’ll be filing a wrongful death suit on behalf of the missing’s families. Terry has an inside source who told him Whittaker has already signed up the families of six of the seven people who are presumed dead.”
“It’ll be almost impossible to prove the company’s liability,” Stone said.
“True, but with the right jury, one never knows. I think their bigger concern is the potential PR hit.”
“That I can understand.”
“Which brings us back to you. Terry’s worried you might file suit, too. You have a much higher profile than the others. Plus, you’re a well-regarded lawyer, which would give the others’ claims an appearance of truth.”
“You can let Terry know that barring definitive proof of company negligence, I have no intention of suing.”
“He’ll be glad to hear it.”
“I do have some news he’ll probably be interested in. We received approval to take a look at the wreck with a remote underwater vehicle and will be doing so probably on Monday. Depending on what’s found, those suits might disappear in a few days.”
“I’ll let him know.”
Stone frowned. “On second thought, maybe hold off until after we do the search. Just in case we find something that bolsters the plaintiffs’ suits.”
“Good point. I’ll wait until I hear from you.”
After lunch, Stone attended thebusiness deal signing that had prevented him from leaving for the U.K. earlier in the day.As expected, there were no last-minute glitches, and after the paperwork was done and pictures were taken, Fred drove him back to Turtle Bay.
When they arrived, it was almost four p.m. Stone had hoped to lift off from Teterboro by five, but that would be impossible at this point.
“Wait here, Fred, if you would,” he said. “I shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”
