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“I was hungry!”
“I was hungrier. And I thought you were heading for the precinct.”
Georgette came by the table. “Thank you, Dino, for fixing something that was your fault anyway.”
Dino could only sputter.
“There’s plenty of bread left,” Stone said.
“I want duck!”
“They’ll have to start all over. At this time of night, it’ll take at least an hour. Order some cheesecake, that’ll fill you up.”
“Yeah, but it’s not duck.”
Dino grabbed a passing waiter’s sleeve. “Another duck,” he said.
“We’re all out, Commissioner. You got the last one.”
Dino slumped in his chair, finally defeated.
“How about a nice slice of cheesecake, on the house?”
“Oh, all right.” It came, and he wolfed it down. “Okay,” he said, “let’s get out of here.”
They threaded their way through the crowd at the bar. Dino paused to apologize to the billionaire again.
As Stone passed he said to the man, “They treated you very badly. I hope you’re suing the NYPD.”
“Good idea,” the man said. “You want to be my witness?”
“I didn’t have a good enough view,” Stone said. “Maybe next time.” By the time Stone got into the street, Dino was slamming the car door, and the vehicle drove off without him, leaving him in the gutter, shouting at the rear bumper.
It had started to rain. Stone hoofed it over to Fifth Avenue and finally got a cab, but he was soaked.
TWENTY-TWO
Stone was at his desk the following morning when Joan buzzed. “Dino, on one.”
Stone picked up. “Thanks for the lift home last night.”
“Thanks for the duck,” Dino replied.
“No thanks necessary. I put it on your tab.”
“Of course you did.”
“You’ll be happy to know I got soaking wet before I could find a cab.”
“You’re right, I feel better already.”
“I suppose you called about Junior.”
“Yeah, I did. Where the fuck is your client?”
“You know, I think I’ll have this message printed up on cards, so I can just hand them out to people like you, instead of explaining. To wit:I DO NOT REPRESENT EDWIN CHARLES JR. IN ANY CAPACITY. I AM ONLY THE ATTORNEY TO HIS PARENTS’ESTATE AND, AS SUCH, ACT AS HIS TRUSTEE. How’s that? Plain enough?”
“I understand perfectly.”
