Стюарт Вудс - Indecent Exposure

“What’s up?”

“I heard a rumor from a reliable source that Benton Blake is going to resign and go back to practicing law.”

“Who is this reliable source?” Stone asked, surprised.

“Vanessa Blake,” he said.

“How the hell do you know Vanessa Blake?” Stone asked.

“My house in the Hamptons is a couple of doors down the beach from theirs. We both run every morning, and that’s how we bumped into each other.”

“Anything going on there, Herb?”

“No. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy that, but she’s already got a boyfriend. Anyway, that’s how I heard about Benton’s plans,” he said. “During one of our conversations, Vanessa told me he wants to practice law again. You and Eggers should make him an offer — he’d be a great rainmaker.”

“What a good idea,” Stone said. “I’ll mention it to Bill.”

Stone and Dino met for dinner at Patroon.

“You look pretty happy,” Dino said. “What’s been going on?”

“You wouldn’t believe it,” Stone replied, causing some of his bourbon to vanish.

“Don’t I always believe it?”

“Believe what?”

“Believe you.”

“Well, yeah, after you’ve grilled me for a few minutes to see if there are any holes in my story. Any conversation with you is always an interrogation.”

“That’s a dirty communist lie,” Dino replied. “I’m a charming conversationalist.”

“Right up to, but not including, the rubber hose.”

“The rubber hose went out with spats,” Dino said. “These days we use a New York City telephone book — the black pages, not the yellow ones, or the Sunday Times. Both make more noise than the rubber hose and leave less bruising.”

“Well, I’m glad to be brought up to date with the latest in police violence,” Stone said. “Now, are you ready to converse normally?”

“Who did you have lunch with today at The Club?”

“There you go again, can’t you just pretend to listen quietly and murmur an occasional encouraging noise?”

“Ah, um,” Dino replied.

“Okay, here we go — Benton and Vanessa Blake are divorcing.”

“Um, ah,” Dino said, resting his chin on his hand, elbow on the table. “Been there, heard that.”

“Benton is screwing Gloria Parsons.”

“Aha! What else?”

“Let’s see... Oh, yes, Benton is going to resign the governorship and come to Woodman & Weld as a partner, where he will, Bill Eggers hopes, make it rain all the time.”

“Now that’s news.”

“He’s also going to marry Gloria Parsons.”

Dino shook his head. “Benton has been married for so long he’s forgotten that these days you don’t have to marry ’em to fuck ’em. Somebody should explain that to him before he does something crazy.”

“And then Benton is going to run for the Senate against Peter Rule, except he doesn’t know yet that Peter is running.”

“I’d like to see his face when he finds out. Now tell me some dirt.”

“That’s not enough dirt for you?” Stone asked.

Stone sighed and lowered his voice. “All right, but this is the kind of news I don’t share with anybody, not even you, usually.”

“I will take it to my grave,” Dino said solemnly.

“If you tell anybody, even Viv, I’ll see that that happens sooner rather than later.”

Dino made the motion of locking his lips with a key.

“Before he was governor, Benton used to rent a house on the Vineyard, right next door to Eliot Saltonstall’s house.”

“Yeah? What’s so hot about that?”

“He dallied with the girl next door.”

“Eliot’s daughter? Which one?”

“Celeste, the younger one.”

“The one who’s now married to Peter Rule?”

“The very one.”

“And how did that turn out?”

“She found herself pregnant.”

“Now that’s dirt!” Dino said.

“And she had an abortion.”

“All this with a girl who married the guy who’s running against Benton for the Senate?”

“That is correct.”

“Stone, I’ve gotta hand it to you, when asked for dirt, you come up in spades. In fact, you should carry around a spade, just to handle it.”

“I’m so glad to have entertained you,” Stone said.

Then dinner came.

Stone was in his office the following morning when Joan buzzed. “Senator Saltonstall on one,” she said.

Stone pressed the button. “Good morning, Eliot,” he said.

“Good morning, Stone,” the senator said. “Have you heard the rumors?”

“What rumors?” Stone asked cautiously.

“There are so many I can’t keep track of them.”

“Rumors about what?”

“Rumors about everybody and everything,” the senator said. “I hear that the Benton Blakes are divorcing. I hear that they both have lovers. I hear that Benton is resigning the governorship.”

“It sounds as if all that remains is for Benton to find himself pregnant.”

“What?”

“Sorry, Eliot, that was an attempt at humor.”

“Don’t confuse me with humor, I’m confused enough as it is. Have you heard these rumors?”

“I have now,” Stone replied.

“Have you heard that Benton is going to declare for the Senate?”

“I think that’s a logical thing for him to do, considering all the rumors.”

“Do you think he’s planning to practice law again?”

“Well, he’s a lawyer. We were at law school together, but a year apart.”

“Do you think he might join Woodman & Weld?”

“If that’s another rumor, the only person who could comment on it, besides Blake, is Bill Eggers.”

“Have you heard any other rumors?”

“I don’t get out much, Eliot. These things tend to pass me by.”

“I’m still trying to find something on Benton, and it’s more important than ever. Have you heard anything on that score?”

Stone paused. He could hardly tell the man that Blake had seduced his daughter, fathered a potential grandchild for him, then paid for the abortion. After all, the girl was Saltonstall’s daughter and his candidate’s wife. “Not a thing,” he replied finally.

“Why your delay in answering?”

“I was scouring my brain for signs of a rumor but found none.”

“If Blake runs for the Senate, do you think he could defeat Peter?”

Stone thought for a moment. “After scouring my brain again, I don’t know. They both have big advantages as a candidate. I should think it would be close, maybe a toss-up.”

“That’s what I think, too,” the senator said, “and it’s why I’m trying so hard to find something on Blake.”

“Just relax and don’t try so hard, Eliot. If there’s something out there, it will likely surface before Election Day. Anyway, you don’t want people to know that you’re trying to torpedo Benton before he’s even announced. You could start a rumor.”

“That’s what I like about you, Stone, you give thoughtful, sensible advice, even if you’re not much on rumors.”

“Thank you, Eliot, I think.”

“There’s a rumor that you, Blake, and Bill Eggers had lunch yesterday at The Club.”

“Bill and I had a lunch date, and we ran into Benton.” That was very, very close to being the truth.

“So it wasn’t a rumor?”

“I suppose not, in the circumstances.”

“What circumstances?”

“That the three of us lunched together yesterday.”

“Oh, yes. Did you discuss the election?”

“We talked mostly about the law, as I recall.” And where Blake was going to practice it, but he didn’t mention that. “When is Peter contemplating an announcement?” Stone asked, hoping for a change of subject.