“Which island?” Eggers asked.
“The daughter doesn’t know which one.”
Dino spoke up. “Maybe one with an unregulated banking system, with numbered accounts?”
Eggers set his drink down. “I wonder why David’s name didn’t come up at our meeting,” he said.
“Maybe Jack Gunn is in denial about his son,” Stone suggested.
“Maybe Jack is in cahoots with his son,” Dino said.
“Bill,” Stone said, “do you think that’s a possibility?”
“I would not hazard a guess,” Eggers replied, “but I’m sure going to ask Jack about it in the morning.”
“How did you keep Gunn from getting arrested?” Stone asked.
“Before I even met him, Jack ordered a firm of forensic accountants—one approved by the U.S. Attorney—to do an audit of the firm’s books. They’ve already started, and they’ll be working twenty-four/seven until they’re done. I think that impressed Tiffany Baldwin.”
Tiffany Baldwin was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, with whom Stone had once had a brief fling that had been featured in the gossip columns.
“I’m very happy that I’m not representing anybody in this mess,” Stone said, “because then I would hate to have to deal with Tiffany.”
“Yeah,” Dino said, “I remember you dealing with her on Page Six of the Post.”
“Please don’t bring that
up again, Dino,” Stone whimpered.
“Okay, but I’ll sure remember it,” Dino replied.
“Me too,” said Eggers.
EIGHT
Stone was at his desk the following morning when Joan came into his office. “Good morning,” he said.
“And to you,” she replied. “Before you got in this morning Mike Freeman called and said he’d like you to attend a meeting in his office this morning at eleven.”
Stone glanced at his watch. “Plenty of time. What kind of meeting?”
“He didn’t say, but he did say it was important. You should be there a little early, he said.”
“Okay,” Stone replied.
There was a rap on his door, and Herbie Fisher walked in. “You got a minute, Stone?”
“Just about that,” Stone replied, trying not to groan.
Joan sauntered out. “You two have fun,” she said.
“What’s up, Herbie?” Stone asked. “I thought you were going on your honeymoon.”
“Stephanie thought it would be unseemly to go,” he said. “That’s the word she used: ‘unseemly.’ ”
“I guess she has a point,” Stone said.
“Yeah. I’m worried about what all this stuff is going to do to my reputation,” Herbie said.