Стюарт Вудс - Indecent Exposure

“Probably because they knew I wouldn’t answer questions like that.”

“Touché.”

“Il n ’ y a pas de quoi.”

“You speak French?”

“Schoolboy French — I can ask most questions, but I can’t understand the answers.”

She laughed, a very nice sound. “Same here.”

“I’m glad we have something in common.” He was, too.

“Will being the presidents’ attorney require you to be in Washington a lot?”

“No, the phones still work between here and there.”

“So you won’t have many opportunities to see Secretary Barker?”

“True.”

“And whose company do you keep in New York?”

Stone shrugged. “Whoever will go out with me.”

She laughed again. “You mean there are women who won’t?”

“In my experience, women are very discerning.”

She capped her pen. “May I see some of your father’s work?”

“Of course.” He took her to the floor above and showed her the living room, dining room, and study.

She was impressed. “He designed and built all of this? The furniture, too?”

“All of it.”

“You come from very artistic forebears.”

“It’s important in life to choose the right parents.”

“Do you have artistic sensibilities?”

“Yes, but without the talent. I appreciate the work of others.”

She looked at his mother’s paintings. “She was very good, wasn’t she?”

“She was.”

“How many of her works do you have?”

“About a dozen. She left me four, and I’ve collected the others over the years.”

“Well, I won’t take any more of your time.”

“May we go off the record?”

“If you insist.”

“I insist. Are you free for dinner this evening?”

“I am. Where and when?”

“Patroon at seven?”

“Good.”

“A friend will be joining us.”

“Not another woman.”

“A male friend, he’ll enjoy you.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

“I as well.” He showed her to the front door.

As Stone approached Patroon, a cab drove up and Gloria Parsons got out. “Good timing,” he said.

“I try.”

He showed her into the restaurant; they shed their coats and joined Dino, who was half a drink ahead of them.

“Well, good evening,” Dino said, rising as far as the banquette would allow.

“Dino, this is Gloria Parsons. Gloria, Dino Bacchetti. She’s for me, Dino, not you.”

“It’s always that way,” Dino said.

“He’s married,” Stone came back.

“And a good thing, too,” Gloria said, “or I’d be with him.”

“Good girl!” Dino cried.

“Gloria, what would you like to drink?”

“Whatever you’re having.”

“You like bourbon?”

“Yuck.”

“Then name something, and let’s avoid accidents.”

“Belvedere vodka on the rocks, wedge of lime.”

A waiter arrived in time to hear that, and he was back in a flash.

“So, you’re drinking bourbon?” she asked.

“Almost always.”

“What kind?”

“Knob Creek.”

“Isn’t that two hundred dollars a bottle?”

“That’s the limited edition, fourteen years old. I stick with the nine-year-old stuff. I must think of my liver.”

“Not too often, I hope.”

“Nope.”

“Is this guy sitting next to me the commissioner of police?”

“He is, but we don’t know how that happened.”

“Political influence,” Dino said.

“The mayor thinks he’s a demigod.”

“Then I need his advice.”

“Are you planning to get arrested?”

“No, but I know somebody who has been,” she said. “He’s just arrived at Fishkill, doing three to five for somebody else’s real estate scam.”

“Ah, an innocent man!” Dino said. “He’ll be right at home. Fishkill’s full of ’em.”

“Do you have any advice for him?”

“Sure, stay out of fights and don’t bend over in the shower.”

“What could be simpler?” Stone asked.

“My friend’s on the delicate side,” she said.

“Fishkill’s full of delicates,” Dino said. “They stay busy, and the time flies.”

“Why is he doing all that time?” Stone asked. “Doesn’t he know how to bribe a judge? That’s what I advise all my clients to do.”

“You two are useless,” Gloria said. “I think I’m going to need another drink.”

“There’s a lot of that going around,” Dino said, raising a thumb to a waiter.

“Tell Dino what you do, Gloria,” Stone said.

“I’m a senior writer at Just Folks magazine.”

“And why would you have the slightest interest in our Stone?”

“He got his name in the Times today.”

“Stone, have you been arrested again?”

“No, I’m only a person of interest — tell your guys to stop wasting their time.”

Stone looked up to see Laurence and Theresa Hayward enter the restaurant, and they stopped by his table; he introduced them to Gloria.

“Those friends of yours are coming to see my apartment tomorrow,” Laurence said. “I hope they like it. Theresa thinks it’s too big for us.”

“I hope they like it, too,” Stone replied. They said goodbye and went to their table.

“Now, that’s interesting,” Gloria said.

“What’s interesting?” Stone asked.

“You think I don’t know who Laurence Hayward is?”

“So?”

“He’s the guy who won the all-time biggest Powerball, he has one of the most spectacular apartments in the city, and he’s showing it to friends of yours. That’s what’s interesting.”

Stone pretended to be baffled. “I can’t imagine why — Just Folks looks at apartments all the time in this city.”

“May I hazard a guess at who your friends are?”

“You may not. Do you remember that at the end of our meeting this afternoon I went off the record?”

“Yes, but...”

“I haven’t gone back on the record, have I?”

“No, but...”

“Then we’re still off the record.”

“Okay, off the record, who are your apartment-hunting friends?”

“That’s a lovely outfit you’re wearing,” Stone said. “Who designed it?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“I’ll change the subject if I like. Who designed your underwear?”

“There, you changed the subject again.”

“And I’ll keep on doing so until you stop asking annoying questions to which you will not get an answer.”

“Listen, I can put two and two together.”

“Do you know the difference between a moron and a neurotic?”

“No.”

“A moron thinks two and two are five. A neurotic knows two and two are four but it makes him nervous.”

She laughed. “There you go changing the subject again.”

“It was you who brought up arithmetic.”

“You are an exhausting man.”

“Then why aren’t you exhausted?”

“Okay, I surrender.”

“I was going to wait until after dinner to ask you to surrender, but if you’re impatient...”

She turned to Dino. “Is he always like this?”

“No, he’s usually much worse, but wait until he’s had another drink.”

“Waiter, another drink,” Stone said, and the man came running. “Never mind the drink, just some menus, please.”

“What’s good here?” Gloria asked.

“What interests you?” Stone asked.

“The beef.”

“That’s good. Want to share a Chateaubriand?”

“Why not?”

“I can’t think of a reason.”

They ordered.

Dino offered them a ride uptown in his official SUV.

“Does it have a siren?” Gloria asked.