Insatiable Appetites

41

Stone and Dino had dinner at the Writing Room, and halfway through their drinks, Stone finally brought himself to speak about what was on his mind.

“I’ve got some news you should know,” he said. “I’ve been asked not to tell you, but I have to.”

“Shoot,” Dino said.

“When Dolce was first sent to the nunnery in Sicily, she was treated by a priest who was also a psychiatrist, and they began to have an affair, which the mother superior put an end to. The priest’s name was Frank Donovan.”

“I’m not as surprised as you may think,” Dino said. “Donovan’s body parts were found in an area no more than a mile out in Jamaica Bay, pretty much in line with a tidal creek that runs up to the Bianchi property, where there’s a dock and a boat that Eduardo used to take rides in.”

“I don’t see how Dolce could have done this alone,” Stone said.

“Neither do I. I think I detect the fine Sicilian hand of Pietro in this. There have been rumors about him for decades, and he is devoted to the family. All Dolce would have had to do was ask.”

“Is there anything substantial to tie her to Donovan’s death?”

“Donovan arrived at JFK Airport three days before he reported in at the archdiocese, and there’s no way we can find out whether he stayed at the Opus Dei guesthouse without a search warrant, and the DA is not going to ask a judge for that, based solely on what we suspect.”

“You suspect that Donovan was staying with Dolce?”

“The staff in her building clammed up, but one of the younger doormen is on a suspended sentence for assault in a barroom fight, and we were able to lean on him. He ID’d Donovan, said he saw him on the street outside her building, but he wasn’t dressed as a priest, and the guy couldn’t connect him to Dolce.”

“Any security camera shots?”

“Only in the elevator, and a man in a hat would be unidentifiable, because the camera was set high. It’s winter, men are wearing hats.”

“Have you questioned Pietro?”

“He would go all omertà on us, so there’s no point. If we pulled him in, that would alert Dolce that we’re on to her. I’d rather let her think she’s safe.”

“Good call,” Stone said.

“So we have to wait until she gets mad at somebody else.”

“Don’t point that thing at me!” Stone said. “You’re not using me as bait.”

“Why, that never crossed my mind,” Dino said, smiling. “But since you bring it up, it’s not a bad idea.”

“It’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” Stone said. “You know, I have that house in Paris, now, and I’ll move into it if I have to.”

“Come on, Stone, wouldn’t you like to screw her just one more time? With her head on a pillow, I’ll bet she’d spill everything.”

“When my time comes, I want to die in bed, but not her bed.”

“She’s living out there alone, now, working in an old stone barn on the property, not far from the creek.”

“The farther from me, the better.”

“Don’t you have any more work to do on the estate?”

“The will has been probated. It’s out of my hands, thank God. How about this? Dolce did some renovation work on that barn. You find out who did the job and interview all the workmen. Maybe somebody saw something.”

“That’s not the worst idea you ever had,” Dino said. “In fact, Mary Ann and I were out there for lunch a decade ago, and there was a painting crew working on the house. If I think about it long enough, I’ll remember the name on the truck. Eduardo was the kind of man who’d stick with the same people if he liked their work.”

“Now you’re talking,” Stone said.

“Scali.”

“What?”

“Scali — that was the name on the painters’ truck.”

When Stone got back to his office Joan came in to see him. “The police have finished with Evan Hills’s car,” she said. “What do you want to do with it?”

“Get me Bruce Willard on the phone, will you?”

She buzzed him a moment later. “Line one.”

“Hello, Bruce?”

“Hello, Stone. How are you?”

“Very well. How did the funeral go?”

“It was all very quick — just Elton Hills, me, the undertaker, and the bishop.”

“What’s Hills like?”

“Actually, we’re getting on very well. He asked me to stay for a few days and catalog his furniture, and the job has expanded to the silver and the art, as well. I’m photographing everything and using my laptop to research sale prices on comparable pieces. I should be here for at least a week. Since I only packed for overnight, his housekeeper is doing my laundry every day.”

“Did Hills have anything to say about the Times piece?”

“He was outraged, just as Evan was. It’s very secluded here, there’s only one TV, and it’s got to be twenty years old and receives through rabbit ears. What’s the reaction been in the outside world?”

“A general uproar. The attendees at the meeting are running for the hills. Four of them denied being present at the meeting before the piece even came out. The Times has hired Strategic Services, a security company on whose board I serve, to compare the voices on the tape to news tape and interviews, and they might just make some of the attendees that way. Anyway, we have Evan’s list of who was there, and all four of the deniers are on the list.”

“What has Katharine Lee had to say about it?”

“She and her husband are declining to comment, since there were no laws broken. They’re letting the media carry the ball.”

“I hope they make lots of touchdowns,” Bruce said.

“Bruce, I called about Evan’s car. The police have released it. Would you like it sent to you in Washington? I can have it flat-bedded down there. A window needs replacing.”

“Yes, please, send it to my garage.” Bruce gave him the address.

“A lawyer in my firm’s Washington office is handling the will. He says everything is in order, but it may still take a little while. I gave him your number. He’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you. Listen, I’d better get back to work, there’s a lot to do.”

“Take care, then.”

Joan came back in. “Is Bruce coming to see us again?”

“I don’t think so,” Stone said.

Joan sighed and went back to her office.