“Last time I saw him, he was lying dead on Park Avenue.”
“How’d he get that way?”
“Fred put a bullet into his chest — dead center, one shot.”
“And where is Fred?”
“Downstairs with the Bentley. I cleaned up after him, and he hasn’t been and won’t be charged with anything. You’ll have to give him another gun, though. His old one is in police custody.”
“How many times did he have to shoot Huff before it worked?”
“It worked the first time. Huff is now a part of your storied history.”
“Matilda, are you all right?”
“That’s the right question,” she said. “I am.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Did Huff hit you with a blackjack?”
“No, I was too busy dealing with the unconscious man in my lap.”
“How long have I been out?”
“About three hours,” a male voice said, stepping up from behind the group. “I’m Dr. Herbert. How do you feel?”
“Just fine, and I will be so until you run out of morphine.”
“You’ve got yourself a concussion,” Dr. Herbert said. “And you’re going to have to stay in bed another day, until we decide you’re not going to die. Leave the morphine to me.”
“Okay,” Dino said. “I guess I can cancel the appointment with the undertaker. He’s going to be terribly disappointed. He wanted to give you an inspector’s funeral.”
“Tell him I’m not very disappointed. Next time, maybe. Can somebody crank this bed up to a sitting position, so I’ll feel less like a fresh corpse?”
Somebody found a button and held it down until Stone was satisfied with his position.
Stone looked around. “Everybody’s here,” he said, “except Bob. Where’s my dog?”
“We had to restrain him from visiting,” Joan said from across the room. “He’ll be waiting when you come home.”
“Tell him ‘woof’ for me.”
“Done.”
“If I promise not to die, will you let me out of here now?” he asked the doctor.
“You’re in no condition not to die. If you stood up now, you’d fall down.”
“Oh.”
“You know, you are the first blackjack victim I’ve had for years. I’d forgotten how effective those things can be.”
“I would arrest Huff for assault with a deadly weapon, if he weren’t already dead,” Dino said. He tossed a blackjack into Stone’s lap. “There’s a souvenir for you. Huff’s is in an evidence bag, but it’s the same kind as this one.”
“And you just happened to have it lying around?” Stone asked.
“A good cop never reveals his sources.”
“May I?” the doctor asked, picking up the thing and slapping it into his palm. “Oh, to be a cop.”
“Cops aren’t allowed to carry blackjacks anymore,” Dino said. “It was too easy to kill somebody with one.”
Dr. Herbert set the blackjack down, said, “See you later,” and walked out of the room.
“I’m going to get some sleep,” Stone said, and then he was unconscious again.
Chapter 9
Stone was home in time for lunch the next day. Bob greeted him enthusiastically, and Stone found him a cookie to reward his adoring opinion of his master.
“Want some good news?” Joan asked.
“Always,” Stone replied.
“I’m closing on my house soon.” Joan had inherited a very large town house off Fifth Avenue, and it had been too much for her.
“What did you end up getting for it?”
“Twenty-three and a half million, mostly furnished. I took some pictures and a few pieces of furniture.”
“Good move. Where will you live now?”
“Back in my apartment next door. It’s all the house I need for me and, when you’re gone, Bob.”
Bob wagged all over at the mention of his name, and Stone scratched his back.
Dino walked into the house. “I came to see if you were dead yet.”
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“I’m not disappointed; I’m elated to see you breathing on your own.”
“Well, if you’ll forgive me, I’m going to lie down for a few minutes.” He stretched out on the sofa. “Have you arrested Trench what’s-his-name yet?”
“On what charge? Knowing a guy who hit you with a blackjack?”
“Isn’t that a crime?”
“It is to you, of course. But a sober judge would take a different view, and the DA would yell at me for hauling him in.”
“Where’s Matilda?”
“She stopped by her place to pick up some clean clothes,” Joan said. “I expect she’ll be along soon.”
“We need to find out absolutely everything she knows about Trench,” Stone said.
“You want to buy him a present?” Dino asked.
“I want to buy him a prison term.”
“Well, you’re going to have to wait until he does something provable to you.”
“I would have thought that blackjacking me was probable cause.”
“It would be, if we could prove he was involved. Fred erased the only guy who could have testified against him.”
“Was Fred, ah, a little hasty in his judgment?”
“No, Huff’s hand — the one without the blackjack — held a .25 automatic, just the thing for putting your lights out permanently, if the blackjack failed to operate as intended.”
“Well, at least Fred is free and clear. Has he still got his carry license?”
“I saw to that.”
“Good, in case he has to shoot somebody else. Did Huff have a sheet?”
“A couple of bar fights. I guess he was staying in practice.”
“How about Trench?”
“About two hundred parking tickets. I handed that off to a guy in the DA’s office who makes life hell for people who tear up their tickets.”
“I’d like to see him in something more permanent than parking ticket hell.”
“Maybe he’ll give us another shot at him,” Dino said. “Of course, that would mean he’d have to take another shot at you first.”
“I know, I know, you want me to carry all the time.”
“Everywhere but on the tennis court.”
“They’ve probably got a holster made for that. It would be intimidating to your opponents, too. Nobody would want to play with you.”
Stone’s secure cell phone rang.
“One guess who that is,” Dino said.
Stone pressed the button. “Hello, Lance.” Lance Cabot was director of the Central Intelligence Agency, for whom Stone and Dino performed consulting duties.
“I’m delighted to hear that you can still speak,” Lance said, not sounding delighted.
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t a matter of national security.”
“Are you quite sure about that?”
“I don’t have any reason to believe that was the case.”
“You’re pretty hopeful for a man who’s just spent a night in the hospital.”
“It was sort of a high school playground fight that got out of hand.”
“Really? I heard your assailant was a professional hit man.”
“If he was, the NYPD doesn’t know about it.”
“There is a great deal that they don’t know.”
“Not so loud. Dino will hear you and take offense.”
“Put him on, and I’ll offend him directly.”
“I’m going to take a nap now,” Stone said.
“Sweet dreams.” Lance hung up.
Chapter 10
Matilda turned up as Stone was waking from his nap. Dino was still there, making an occasional call to his office.
“Aha! Matilda!” Dino said, loudly enough to bring Stone to full consciousness.
“Dino! Stone!” she cried, imitating Dino’s enthusiasm.
“Sit down, Matilda,” Dino said. “We want to interrogate you.”