“I’m of counsel to
Woodman & Weld, but I work from offices in my home.”
“That’s cozy,” she said. Her knee was now rubbing against his.
Stone turned to Hildy and made conversation.
WHEN THE CHECK came, Stone picked it up and signed it, avoiding a scene where Sharpe and Larsen would be short of cash. What the hell, he thought, Bill Eggers would be getting the bill anyway.
BACK IN the Bentley, Stone asked Mitzi how it had gone at dinner.
“They were pressing me about Sig giving me financial advice,” Mitzi said.
“Was that true about the financial people in your father’s office?”
“Yes, but there’s only one; I made up the other two.”
“Why don’t you call him and ask him to make up a fictitious financial statement and stock portfolio?” Stone suggested. “Something that will water Sharpe’s mouth?”
“What a good idea,” she said. “I’ll do it first thing Monday morning. That should thicken the plot.”
“I think that, after they see your statement, you should broach the subject of drugs. I’d advise you to tell them the stuff is for friends, not for you. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re pressed to actually use something around witnesses. That could blow your case.”
“I’m way ahead of you,” Mitzi said.
“Believe her,” Tom added.
Stone did.
26
STONE GOT A CALL from Bob Cantor the next morning. “Hey, Bob.”
“Hey, Stone. Willie Leahy thinks he and his brother should be back on Carrie’s case.”
“Yeah, he told me he followed us to Atlanta.”
“And he told you about the P.I. with the loaded gun and the silencer?”
“Yes.”
“Doesn’t that make you think the Leahys should be back on the case?”
“But the P.I. was in Atlanta, not New York.”
“Max has already made one stab at her, so to speak, in New York. Why wouldn’t he try again?”
“Because Carrie settled everything with him in Atlanta. He even wrote her a check.”
“Has the check cleared?”
“We’re working on that.”
“And why, if it clears, do you think Max would lose interest in hurting her?”
“Well…”
“In my experience, guys who hate their ex-wives go right on hating them, even after giving them the money. In fact, they hate them more after giving them the money.”