“We’ve already met each other,” Mitzi said. “We arrived simultaneously.”
“Follow me,” Stone said, then led them through the house and down to the kitchen, where Helene was working away. He introduced her to the two women.
“Anybody for a glass of champagne?” he asked, opening the fridge.
“Why not?” Mitzi said, and Rita nodded.
He took a bottle of Veuve Cliquot from the fridge, picked up three crystal flutes from a cabinet, and then led them outside to a group of chairs around a teak cocktail table. Helene had already set the lunch table with the good china. Stone poured them all a glass, and they sipped. Stone was having the problem he always had when meeting two beautiful women: which one to pursue?
“Rita, why don’t you tell Mitzi what you told me about Derek Sharpe last evening?” he said. He sipped his wine while Rita talked.
“That’s about all I know,” she said, finally.
“You make him sound repellent,” Mitzi said.
“Then I’ve done my work,” Rita replied.
Helene bustled out with two platters and set them on the table. “Lunch is served,” she said.
They took their seats at the table and served themselves from the Greek salad, taramasalata, hummus, and dolmades Helene had made.
“Mitzi,” Stone said, “did Brian give you some idea of what you’re supposed to do?”
“He pretty much left it up to me,” she said, “but I think the idea is that I will appear on his social radar and get him interested in the Reynolds fortune.”
“Oh, you’re from the Reynolds tobacco family?” Rita asked.
“No, I’m from the Reynolds shrimp family-no relation,” Mitzi said.
“Mitzi’s father operates a shrimp boat,” Stone explained.
“No,” Mitzi said, “he operates thirty shrimp boats, up and down the coast, from an office on the Charleston waterfront. Brian tends to get confused about my roots.”
“Ah,” said Stone, “and how…”
“Did a girl like me get to be a New York City cop? It was easy. I had a boyfriend for a couple of years who was a detective. I didn’t have any real work, and I was fascinated by his, so he suggested I take the police exam. I did well on that and joined the force. I got my gold shield six years later.”
“Brian said you went to a good school down there somewhere.”
“ Agnes Scott College, in Atlanta.”
Stone blinked. “I know someone who went to school there, Carrie Cox-do you know her?”
“She was a year behind me,” Mitzi said, “and she was a piece of work.”
Stone wanted to ask exactly what she meant by that, but Rita interrupted. “She’s the actress with the lead in the new Del Wood musical, isn’t she?”
“That’s the one.”
“Yes, I read about her on ‘Page Six.’ ”
“So did I,” Mitzi said, “and I can’t say I was surprised. How do you know her, Stone?”
“I’ve done some legal work for her,” Stone replied, and hoped she would leave it at that. “Tell me,” he said, “do you have a regular partner?”
“Tom Rabbit,” she said. “He’s due back from vacation tomorrow.”
“Good, because I think you’ll need some backup.”