"Yes."
He was too startled to respond, but he didn't need to, because an instant later he also heard the sound of a key and then the front door opened.
A shaft of daylight shot across the room as Bartlett took one look and exploded.
"Damn, so it's true. How the hell did—"
"Hey, come on in," Stone said, trying to recover some poise and take marginal control of the situation. "I'm here by permission. The downstairs tenant, who you just evicted, or kidnapped too, gave me her key."
"You don't get it, do you? I told you to keep—"
"But we have signs of progress. I know all about Kristen." Well, that was hardly the case, but it never hurt to start off with a bluff to see how far you could get. "That's why I'm here. The question is, when are we going to start talking to each other? Because I'm putting together a hell of a story."
"I don't fucking believe this." Bartlett slammed the door.
"By the way, a special thanks for getting me sacked at the Sentinel. Now I'll have the leisure to concentrate full‑time on the stem cell book. And Gerex."
"I warned you, but you wouldn't fucking listen." He was peering around the living room as though searching for clues to explain why nothing was going right.