Class Act

24

Stone and Hilda left the club immediately after her midnight show.

“Are you worn out after all that work?” Stone asked.

“Hardly,” she said. “I’m in shape for it.”

“My house is between here and your hotel,” he said. “Can I force a nightcap on you?”

“That’s an interesting way to put it,” she said. “Why not? ‘The night is young and you’re so beautiful,’ ” she sang.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Stone replied. He bent over and kissed her on the nape of her neck.

“That was nice,” she said.

“More?”

“Yes, but let’s not start something we can’t finish in the back of a cab.”

The cab stopped at Stone’s house, and they walked up the front steps. “Nice view,” she said, looking up and down the block.

“It’s even nicer inside.” He let them into the house and walked her through the living room to his study, where he lit a fire and poured them a brandy. She set down her drink, reached up, and helped him off with his jacket.

“Thank you,” he said. “Is there anything I can help you off with?”

She made a motion toward her dress. “This is all there is,” she said.

Stone reached behind her and pulled the zipper down as far as it would go. The dress fell into a puddle, and she kicked it away.

The sight of her was breathtaking, Stone thought.

She dealt with his belt buckle and the trousers, while he got out of his shirt. Soon he was naked and she, nearly so. He peeled away her thong and sat her down on the sofa, then knelt in front of her and began explorations.

“You know,” she said, “if you were a horse, you’d be called a fast starter.” He sat down on the sofa, and she took him in her hand. “And there are other equine resemblances,” she said.

After that, everything was a blur for the next half hour.

Finally, they made it upstairs to his bedroom, where they had a shower together.

“Let’s take it again from the top,” she said. And they did. Sometime during the dark of night it happened again, and nobody complained.

When there was sunlight streaming through the windows, Stone ordered breakfast for them, then took the tray off the dumbwaiter and set it between them. Stone switched on CNN, just in time for a replay of the exploding trailer.

“That was the former office of my former boyfriend,” Hilda said.

There was another shot of Manny picking up hundreds that made her laugh. “That is not the sort of work he’s accustomed to,” she said. “He’d better hope his bosses don’t see it.”

“I think they probably did see it,” Stone said, “resulting in his disappearance.”

Hilda swiveled her head. “What?”

“I heard about it last night, from Dino. The fed knew, too, didn’t he mention it?”

“Has he turned up?”

“He turned up in the smoking ruin of his house, deep fried. An autopsy found two bullets in his head.”

“Jesus,” she said. “I slept in that house until a couple of days ago.”

“Sounds like your timing for leaving was good.”

“I hadn’t planned it, I just got fed up. He came home while I was moving out, and words were spoken. I was lucky I got out of there without a broken nose.”

“Were there witnesses who saw you leave and got a look at him, too?”

“Yes, there were: two guys from the storage place and a cabdriver, who drove me to the airport.”

“Don’t forget their names or how to get in touch with them.”

“Did Brian Goode know about this?”

“I think he was the one who told Dino.”

“I wonder why he didn’t mention it to me.”

“You could put that to him in the form of a question. Oh, and expect to be hearing from the local cops down there.”

“Should I be worried?” she asked.

“Not if the three guys cover you. One would be enough, but three is solid gold.”

“Whew! I mean, I’m sorry Manny’s dead, but not sorry enough to get blamed for it.”

“Who hated him enough to do this?”

“How long have you got? He was not a lovable guy most of the time, and burning down the house is just the sort of thing he would have done himself when he was angry — and he was plenty angry the last time I saw him.”

“Have you got a cell phone?”

“Yes, but I turned it off when I was performing — ah, singing — last night, and I didn’t turn it back on.”

“Chances are you have a message or two relating to Manny.”

She found her purse and switched on the phone. “You’re right,” she said, “but I don’t feel like talking to them now.”

“There’s not likely going to be a time when you’ll feel like talking to the police about somebody who’s been murdered, so don’t put it off. It will just get harder.”

“Then I may as well suck it up,” she said. “Excuse me for a while.” She went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Stone was halfway through the Times crossword before she emerged again, this time wearing her dress and brushing her hair.

“How’d it go?”

“Okay, I think, but you never know about those guys.”

“Did they read you your rights?”

She looked at him. “No. Should they have?”

“They should have. You may want to remember that later, if they come back.”

“Are they likely to?”

“It’s almost guaranteed.”

“What should I say to them then?”

“Say, ‘Gentlemen, I’ve told you everything I know about these events, and I will have nothing further to say about them.’ Then hang up. If they keep trying, call me before you talk to them again.”

She sat down on the bed and kissed him. “You’re a dear, not to mention terrific in the hay.”

“Another horse reference,” Stone said.

“Now, I’ve got to go to my hotel and put on some civilian clothes. I have an appointment with a record producer for lunch.”

“Don’t get stuck with the tab,” Stone said, kissing her goodbye. “My driver will meet you downstairs and drive you to your hotel. If you like, he’ll wait and drive you to lunch, too.”

“Oh, how nice!”

“His name is Fred. If you encounter a Labrador retriever on the way out, his name is Bob — so you won’t confuse them.”

She gave him another kiss, then left.

Stone called Fred and gave him his instructions.