Stone gave him a quick version of the story.
“Ah,” Dino said, “if he’s got the secretary, and he found the die in the drawer, then he can afford to be magnanimous about the coin deal, since he’s in a position to make his own coin and repeat the deal.”
“That makes a lot of sense,” Stone said.
Cantor shook his head. “Just because Charlie had the die wouldn’t make him magnanimous; he would want to gloat. No, all this seems logical, but it’s not right. It’s not Charlie. He doesn’t want the reunion; he wants something else.”
“Wants what?” Stone asked.
“Who knows? It could be something completely off the wall.”
“Maybe he wants to impress the Colonel with how well he’s done over the years,” Stone said.
Cantor nodded. “Now that makes sense, showing off for the Colonel. Funny, though, he didn’t mention the Colonel. I brought up his name.”
“Did you agree to the reunion?” Dino asked.
“Yeah, I said okay,” Cantor replied.
“Dino,” Stone said, “have your people tailed Charlie Crow yet?”
“Yep,” Dino said. “In fact, they planted a very nice little GPS device on the Rolls. I can follow it on any laptop.”
“Dino, you said you weren’t going to put anything on a computer.”
“Nah, this device is off the books, and so is the website that tracks it.”
“So, where’d he go?”
“His lawyer’s office, for a little over three hours, then his own office, then home. He and his wife ordered in Chinese.”
“Pretty dull life,” Cantor said.
“Yeah,” Stone agreed, “but I wonder about the trip to his lawyer’s office. Two hours is a long time for a client to sit with his lawyer. Three is forever.”
“Maybe he’s got a deal cooking,” Dino offered.
“Still, three hours is a long time. I can’t ever remember meeting with a client for three hours.”
“Yeah,” Dino said, “but it’s hard to spend three hours talking about a DUI or a divorce. Crow has a business, remember?”
“My clients have businesses, too,” Stone said defensively. “I met with Harlan Deal yesterday, and it didn’t take three hours.”
“Harlan Deal is your client?” Dino asked.
“He is.” Long pause. “Well, I consulted on a matter.”
“For how long?”
“Well, the meeting lasted only a few minutes, but I had to spend several hours sewing up everything.”
“Sewing up what?” Dino asked.
“That’s privileged,” Stone replied. “Let’s just say that I completed a negotiation that Harlan couldn’t, and in the process, I saved him a substantial chunk of his fortune.”
“That sounds like a paternity suit,” Dino said.
“It was a good deal more important than that,” Stone replied, “and I think I can safely say that the outcome was favorable for all concerned, including me.”
“How was it favorable for you?” Dino asked.
“Harlan sent me a check for twenty-five grand this morning by messenger.”
“Now I’m impressed,” Dino said.
“Me, too,” echoed Cantor.
“And well you should be,” Stone said, drawing himself up to his full height. “Harlan certainly was.”
“Is that what you call him? Harlan? Not Mr. Deal?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“And what does he call you?”
“He calls me Mr. Barrington.”
“Sounds a little standoffish,” Cantor said.
“Our relationship is perfectly cordial,” Stone replied.
“I thought maybe this had something to do with that story in the Times business section this morning,” Dino said.
“His acquisition of the aircraft-leasing company? That was the icing on the cake. Harlan had a good day.”
Cantor, who was sitting facing the door, suddenly sat up.
Stone and Dino followed his gaze to the bar. A heavyset, florid-faced man was taking a stool.
“What?” Stone asked.
“I’d swear to God that’s Harry Collins,” Cantor said.
“Who?” Dino asked.
“The other guy from the Colonel’s old outfit. Charlie mentioned seeing him at the track. I mean, he’s gained a lot of weight, but I think that’s Harry.”
“Now that’s interesting,” Stone said. “First Charlie Crow walks into P. J. Clarke’s when you’re there, and now Harry Collins walks into Elaine’s when you’re here. And you’re hardly ever here.”
“Well, I’m not speaking to him,” Cantor said. “I’ll leave that to Charlie.” He picked up a menu and ordered dinner; they all did. By the time their first course arrived, Harry Collins had finished his drink and left.
29
Stone was throwing a few things in a bag on Sunday afternoon, getting ready to pick up Carla for their trip to Connecticut, when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“It’s Eggers.” He sounded dour.
“Hi, Bill. What has you making phone calls on a Sunday?”
“I had lunch with Harlan Deal.”
“That sounds like a reason for indigestion, not a Sunday phone call.”
“His girlfriend dumped him,” Eggers said.
“The one who signed the prenup?”
“The very one.”
“Well, the poor guy.”
“He blames you.”
“Hey, wait a minute. I got her to agree to the prenup; I didn’t sign on to see that they lived happily ever after.”
“Harlan says he’s heard about your reputation with women, and he thinks you stole her.”
“What reputation with women? Usually, I get dumped!”
“What happened to that emergency room doctor you were going out with?”
“A perfect example,” Stone said. “A couple of weeks ago, she called and said she had to talk to me right away.”
“Sounds like she was pregnant.”
“That crossed my mind, but it wasn’t what was on hers. We met for lunch, and she broke the news to me that she’d been seeing a doctor at her hospital and that he had asked her to marry him.”
“Sounds like the signal for you to jump in and see the doc’s raise.”
“Well, I wasn’t quite up to seeing the doctor’s raise, and, anyway, it wasn’t a card game.”
“Did you think she was bluffing?”
“That crossed my mind, too, but like I said, it wasn’t a card game.”
“So how did you handle the doc’s raise?”
“Since it wasn’t a card game, I wished the two of them every possible happiness.”
“Now, that sounds like a bluff.”
“Why are you poker-obsessed today?”
“I know a poker game when I see one. Did she call your bluff?”
“She pecked me on the cheek, said it had been fun and left the restaurant.”
“So she called your bluff.”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Did you run after her?”
“Not exactly.”
“Why not?”
“I hadn’t paid the check. And it took a few minutes to get it out of the waiter.”
“Plenty of time for her to marry the doc.”
“Figuratively speaking, I suppose so.”
“Heard from her since?”
“No.”
“Have you called her?”
“Ah, no.”
“Game over.”
“Not until she marries the doc.”
“How do you know she hasn’t?”
“Because Dino’s girl, Genevieve, works with her at the hospital, and she would have told Dino, and since Dino loves to gloat, he would have told me.”
“So you’re sure she hasn’t married the doc?”
“Not absolutely entirely.”
“Why not?”
“Because Dino’s girl isn’t speaking to him right now.”
“Why not?”
“He has no idea.”
“She won’t tell him?”
“No.”
“I’ve played that game and lost,” Eggers said. “What’s he going to do about it?”
“He’s afraid to do anything, and he won’t take my advice.”
“Which is?”